Noise Control Tools

Feeling like the classroom volume has increased with the holidays approaching?  Try using Classroom Screen!  There are tools built right in such as a Sound Level Reminder or Work Symbols.  Work symbols are a silent reminder for students to know the current expectation based on the activity.

The Sound Level tool allows you to choose a level of sound.  If the classroom noise level exceeds your desired level the bar will turn red from green and ding - providing a visual and auditory reminder to the students.

These tools are accessible on the bottom bar of Classroom Screen.

​There are many tools available to help.  You may also want to bookmark bouncyball.com.  You can set the level of sensitivity and change the icons.  More tools for your toolbox!

Try these tools out from time to time to see how your students respond.

Repeating Timer

Looking for an efficient repeating timer? Try Classroom Screen! Among the many awesome features (timers, random name selector, reminders, drawing tool), you can also set your timer to automatically reset and restart!  Perfect feature for rotating stations, partner discussions, Scoot activities, skill rotations!

Seesaw Save as a Draft Tool

Seesaw is an awesome tool to record and curate student work.  Students can take a quick in the moment picture or video of their work.  Or you can push out assignments or assessments!  Now students can save their work 'AS A DRAFT' - allowing students to return to their work at a later time without having to make another copy.

Jack-o-lantern Writing Activity

Boo!

You can feel the excitement in the air! If you are looking for a last minute Halloween creative writing activity, look no further.  Eric Curts (an Ed Tech Guru) has created a template for us!  Students can decorate their pumpkin on slide 5 with the various pictures on slides 6-13.  Copy and paste is a great skill but the real challenge is writing a story about your jack-o-lantern!  Simply type in the text box next to the jack-o-lantern.

Use this template during writing class, free write, fun Friday or even your holiday celebration.

"Build a Jack-O-Lantern" template - Google Slides link

Sarah Kiefer (yet another guru) updated it for our younger students!  Students can decorate their pumpkin on slide 2 with the various included pictures.  Simply type in the text box on slide 3.  

We can even download these and hang them for parents to read while they wait for a conference.

Bloomz

Bloomz allows for quick and easy conference sign up.  If you use Bloomz to communicate with your parents, families can sign up for conference time slots.  Be sure all your parents/guardians have signed up for Bloomz if you decide to use this tool for conference sign up.

                               

     Coding Updates

Shout out to Amy for telling me about Bloomz!  My coding parents, as well as many of our colleagues, are loving it!  Parents love quick easy access to photos highlights of your day or week.  The ease of Bloomz makes dinner time conversation so much more meaningful and rewarding!

IXL Check it out!

Good Morning,

If you haven't checked out IXL lately, take a moment to give it another look!  Teachers can identify the specific skill for students to complete by clicking on the star.  The student view will then highlight each skill for easy access.  

Varied question types and skills provide our students with the practice they need!

Or use IXL in your mini-lesson.  Model for students how you can "Learn by Example"

Detailed reports identify students' strengths and areas of need to inform your teaching.  Check out 'Analytics' for your individual students or the class as a whole.

Check out these features to make the most of this math program!

Parent Emails

Still suffering from summer brain?  Just a quick reminder on how to access parent emails from Aspen.  These tips will make emailing your class much faster!

One minute video on how to create a contact group in Gmail!

Accessing Parent Contact Information in Aspen

Select Students

Select Filter/Query HR

Enter your homeroom number

Select grid icon (to the right of Filter icon)

Select Student with Parent Info

Select the printer icon (to the right of the grid icon)

Select CSV

A spreadsheet will automatically download 

**Please note, if using this spreadsheet to import into GMail Contacts, delete all columns except the column of parent emails.

OR send an email directly from Aspen

Students

Options

Send Email

Unselect “Students”

Select “Contact”

Select Include Alternate Email Address

Accessing Permissions in Aspen

A few people have asked about how to streamline a search in Aspen for any students without photo permissions.  Parents are sent an email in August asking them to sign in to Aspen and update any information including address changes, emergency contacts, etc.  Parents can also choose to restrict photo permissions (requesting photos of their child should not be taken and shared).  Aspen defaults the permission to 'Yes' so parents must select 'No' if desired.  This is also true of Conditionally Approved Resources used in our classrooms.  Parents can choose yes or no but Aspen will default to 'Yes'. (See our Student Data Privacy Site for more information on approved online resources.)

If you want a list of your students with photo/media release or Conditionally Approved Resources, please follow these steps in Aspen:

1. Students
2. Options/Query
3. Select AZ --> (alphabetical order)
4. Select “Cond App(roved) Online Res” or "Media Permissions"
5. Change Value to “No”
6. Select Add/Search

This brief screencast will walk you through the steps.

Seesaw Year End Steps

This is a message for anyone currently using Seesaw in their classroom.  (If this is not you, check out Seesaw this summer.  It is an awesome tool for curating student work and capturing moments.)

It is important to archive your Seesaw Class and not delete it.  If you delete it you and your parents will no longer have access.  There is no way to undo this action.  Please don't delete students or parents from your class.  If you archive your class you can access it in the future and parents will have access to a digital portfolio modeling student growth.

Here is a short video with some helpful tips to archive your Seesaw Class.

Gmail's Mark as Unread

Often times if I need to go back to an email I just tap 'mark as unread' so it remains bold in my Gmail stream.  If you are like me you may be wondering where that option has disappeared to!  (it used to be under the 3 vertical dots)  Now you will find this option if you hover over the email when closed.  Some options will appear to the right by the email date.  The third grey option is 'Mark as read' or 'Mark as unread'.  (open envelope = mark as read; closed envelope = mark as unread)

You can also access this option when the email is open.  On the top right of the open email appears 3 vertical dots, click these dots for a menu of options including forward, print, and mark as unread.

URL Shortener Update

Just a heads up if you use goo.gl URL shortener, Google has officially retired this service.  According to Google, all existing links will continue to redirect to the intended destination.

Check out Bitly as an alternative URL shortener.  Both Bitly and tinyurl.com allow you to customize your link - making it much easier for your students or presentation participants to remember the URL.

Former goo.gl fans may want to check out this Bitly blog.

Exit Poll on Classroom Screen

Have you bookmarked Classroom Screen yet?  Now you use Classroom Screen to take a quick poll of your class.  How are they feeling about today's lesson?  How are you feeling today?  I think I understand multiplying fractions.  Today's Open Circle discussion made me feel?

Invite each student to select from the smiley/frowny faces to share how they are feeling.  You can change the number of options from 2, 3, 4 or 5 depending on the age of your students or the topic of the question.  Then use this data to inform your teaching.

This is a quick fun way to check in on the overall feeling or understanding of your students.

Virtual Learning Networks

Yesterday some of us had the opportunity to participate in a book club discussion. The energy in the room was positive, compassionate, open and receptive.  We shared best practices, ideas, knowledge, both newly acquired and vetted.  We left the discussion energized with strategies to take back to our classrooms today.  This discussion left me not only thinking about how I can better support students with behavior challenges but also what constitutes quality PD. Open discussions? Presentations led by teachers or experts? Unpacking standards or units of study? On-site training, hybrid or virtual sessions?

So many of the ideas and tools I bring to my work stem from my virtual personal learning networks.  Twitter, Google + Communities, Pinterest, Teachers Pay Teachers, and even Facebook all provide shared communities of thoughtful discussion and best practice.  You may already be using the latter few but I urge you to set up a Twitter account and begin to follow people of interest.  You don't have to contribute to a conversation until you are ready.  This virtual conversation is powered by the collective group sharing ideas, successes and failures, knowledge and sometimes, just as important, are the tweets that ask a question to kick start a dialogue.  Begin by following our school (@westwood_ps, @sheehan_ps, @marthajones_ps), search for your favorite author, educator or organization and check out how much you can learn by adding virtual learning to your personal learning network. Additional benefit - school delays and cancellations are immediately shared on Twitter.

To learn more about the benefits of virtual PD, check out Holly Clark's article, The Essentials of Great PD.  Have ideas about personal learning or professional development?  Add your suggestions to our PD Brainstorming Padlet Board!  

Modeling with Virtual Tools

Number pieces can help students develop a deeper understanding of place value while building their computation skills with multi-digit numbers. Teachers and students can use the pieces to model multi-digit numbers, regroup, add, subtract, multiply and divide. Students can represent equations but dragging and dropping the virtual tools including cubes, rods, and flats (or singles, stickers, and sheets). Teachers can model strategies by projecting for the whole class or in small groups on Chromebooks or iPads.

This virtual tool is an open-ended educational tool, ideal for elementary classrooms and home use.  It is a free app which can be used on an iPad or visit the Math Learning Center's web page on a computer or Chromebook.  

Some key features include:

• Add and manipulate pieces (ones, tens, and hundreds).
• Join pieces in groups of ten or break them apart (e.g., 10 ones into 1 ten and vice versa).
• Choose from three different colors to clearly identify groups or pieces.
• Move, rotate, and duplicate pieces individually or as a group.
• Use the drawing tools to label representations and show understanding.
• Write equations and expressions with the text tool.
• Take a screenshot, pull the image into Seesaw and have your students explain their thinking.

Westwood Resources

Need to renew your license?  Wondering about upcoming PD? Or want to teach a course?  Information on a student?  Make a tech request?  We have provided a folder on the top left side of your bookmarks bar (if you are signed into Chrome).  

This folder provides access to links that every Westwood educator routinely needs.  These links are also available on the 

WPS Home Page.  But you will love having these educator resources right at your fingertips!

Classroom Screen

If I haven't convinced you to use Classroom Screen yet, here is another reason!  Change the background to represent the current topic of study or important figures in history.  Inspire with your word of the week, add some diversity to your classroom, highlight regions of the United States or the world or add a picture of a literary character.  The options are endless!

Classroom Screen's other features include:

• Timer 
• Stopwatch (great for improving transition time)
• Clock (analog and digital)
• Random Name Selector
• Work Reminders and more!