Technology and Learning

I think last year I wrote about the Ransom Virus that hit us last February - OH it was SO SO BAD!  MANY teachers lost things that they hasn't backed up, and some even lost things that they HAD backed up as they had their jump drive still plugged into the computer that was infected - UGH!  SO, this - two week ago actually - we showed ALL of teachers how to put EVERYTHING into Google Drive and then gave them an hour and a half to DO IT!!!!  Now - I KNOW that maybe this isn't the answer to it as I still back my stuff up on an external hard drive - BUT - at least it's ONE MORE PLACE to have your things safe!  I created a "cheat sheet" that basically shows them step by step what to do - FEEL FREE to use this yourself or with fellow teachers as I WANT STUFF SAFE:)!!! Take care - and PLEASE be diligent about this and keep your items safe - Happy Tuesday Mrs. I:)

Mrs. Gross, an English teacher here, is going to teach the novel I am Malala: Young Readers Edition with her 9th graders in a few weeks.  I have been trying to find some materials to go with this as far as technology goes and I came across the following videos that not only show the community of Swat Valley, where she grew up, but the heart, passion and empathy that this young woman has!! This TED talk is just precious!!  Malala's father tells the story through his eyes, and explains the life that Malala grew up with and why is wasn't enough for his daughter! "Why is my daughter so strong?" Yousafzai asks. "Because I don't clip her wings." My Daughter Malala - Ziauddin Yousafzai She is amazing - she says this during the interview with Jon, "If you hit a Talib with your shoe, then there would be no difference between you and the Talib.  You must not treat others with cruelty.  You must fight others, but through peace, dialogue and education!...

Tomorrow I head into the 4th grade classrooms to talk about digital citizenship with ten year olds.  I am a bit nervous as I know that this is a tough topic to discuss BUT these discussions HAVE to take place in schools!  I know that we can't teach everything, it's no possible, but this day and age kiddos are online ALL the time, whether it be Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, or simply messaging.  Kids have devices in their hands DAILY, both at school and at home.  I KNOW that teachers are doing this every chance they get, BUT one more time is NOT going to hurt them.  Tomorrow when I talk to them, I am going to use the Think U Know website that has CyberCafe.    It's REALLY great and I am using it ALL!!  It has little examples of emailing and when it's appropriate and not appropriate to respond and what you should do, it talks about messaging and photos, and also about sharing personal information online and being safe - it's ALL here.  I am s...

If you have ever wanted to have kids collaborate in an easy and seamless way - check out Trello !  This website/app combination allows you to create a board and then share it with the kiddos, using it as a collaborating platform!  It's really neat!  One of our social studies teachers, Mrs. Teeples, showed me it today.  Look what she did with her kiddos in class: This is a free website where students create an account, and similar to Padlet , you can create a board and then have kids interact and add to it.  Once done, the kids have ALL the information in ONE PLACE!  That's the BEST part - everyone contributes to it, but they don't have to do EVERY piece in order to gain the most information possible!! Give it a shot - Mrs. Teeples really enjoys it, and I am sure you will, too! Take care all - Mrs. I:)