Sonoma Valley Unified

December 2016

Ed Tech News “It Takes A Valley!”

Ed Tech Vision! It’s official! The Ed Tech Team worked together to draft a vision statement that will guide our work and we have finalized our statement:

“The Ed Tech Team will provide the SVUSD staff with the necessary tools and training to ensure equitable, innovative, and creative digital learning experiences for all students as outlined by the district Tech Plan and the Common Core Standards.” Lexia & Dreambox: How Students Sign In K-2 Students: Username: First part of sonoma schools email address, ex: zchavez0 Password: abc123 3-5 Students: Username: First part of sonoma schools email address, ex: zchavez0 Password: Google Password If you would like to print out a report or individual cards for your students with their username and password, log into PowerTeacher and go to reports, select Google passwords and then you will have options of the type of report you can print. If you need assistance with this, Amber can help you!

Add-ons and Extensions, What’s the Difference??? An extension is something you can add to your Chrome browser and it can be used no matter what website you are on. For example, an extension you might use would be “SpeakIt” which would read the webpage out loud to the user. This extension will work on any website you visit. An Add-on is something you can add to a certain application. For example, if you are creating a Google Doc and you want to easily insert accents when typing in another language, you might go to add ons and get “Easy Accent” which, when opened while in Google Docs, would allow the user to add accents within their document. The Add-on only works within the application you have added it to. While all these Add-ons and Extensions are amazing and easily accessible to teachers, they are not an option for students to access freely. Students do not have this option because there are Add-ons and Extensions that would jeopardize student safety. If there is a particular Add-on or Extension you would like your students to have, then you can check the list here of approved and allowed Add-ons and Extensions. If you don’t see it there, then you can create a helpdesk ticket or call the helpdesk and make a request. This process is quick and simple! More info on next page... Click here to go to next page

TECH

talks

Apps continued… If you are interested in viewing App reviews, check out Common Sense Media! On the home page select the “reveiws” drop down and click on Apps. You can search by age, device, subject, skill, etc.. If you find an App you would like your students to access, don’t forget to first make a request by emailing or calling the helpdesk.

More from Google? Google has more to offer??? Some awesome Google resources are listed below. Check ‘em out! Google News: news site that aggregates headlines from sources worldwide and will also personalize them based on your interests! Google Public Data: provides public data and forecasts from a range of international organizations and academic institutions including the World Bank, OECD, Eurostat and the University of Denver. These can be displayed as line graphs, bar graphs, cross sectional plots or on maps.

Don’t forget to take care of yourself this break...

Andy Mitchell and Michael Amaral are staying on top of Google updates along with recommended Apps/Add Ons/Extensions. They will be sending “Tech it Out” bi-weekly to keep everyone informed. Check out the latest: Tech it Out #1 Tech it Out #2 Click here to go to next page

What the tech is going on? Check out amazing tech integration happening around the district! (click on the buttons to see more). Want your class project(s) featured in What The Tech is Going On? Share what you’re doing with Jen or your Tech Coach!

Adele Harrison Middle School Julie Ryan

Angela Bonner School Psychologist

Julie asked her students to show their learning about the author Gary Soto by adding to a Google Drawing template. The drawing reflected a Twitter profile of the author which forced students to get inside the mind of the author.

Angela created a video, using Adobe Spark, about a student she has been working with. She showed this short video at her student’s IEP to inform the panel of what he has been doing at school.

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Sonoma Valley High School Dean Knight Check out this infographic Dean used to present at the American Geophysical Union about a project he has been working on with his students!

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Happy Holidays! Enjoy Winter Break!

Spotlight on… Julie Ryan! Students were asked to use a template in a Google Drawing (below) to create a Twitter profile of the author Gary Soto. Students had to show their learning in a very fun and interactive way by adding content they learned in class to the template. Our Tech Coach, Andy Mitchell, kicked this lesson off by visiting Julie’s class and teaching the first lesson where he introduced the students to the template and how to manipulate it to make their own creation. If you are interested in having a Tech Coach come to your classroom, you can contact them here!

Awesome lesson Julie! These turned out so beautiful and not only did they demonstrate learning, they were fun for students to create as well!

Click the student examples for a larger view.

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Spotlight on… Angela Bonner! Angela created a short video about one of her students using Adobe Spark. This video was shared at her student’s IEP meeting and brought the mother to tears. Nothing is more powerful than not only telling a parent what their child is doing in school, but showing them as well! So beautiful!

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Click the image of the video to view

Adobe Spark is a web application that allows its users to easily create three different kinds of content: social media posts and graphics, web stories, and animated video with background music options and voice over. Available for both teacher and student use on Chromebooks or iPads! Check it out by clicking the link: Adobe Spark Click here to go back

Spotlight on… Dean Knight! Dean presented this infographic (below) at the American Geophysical Union to showcase a unit on Radio Astronomy he teaches to his students. The infographic outlines the entire unit along with visuals that demonstrate how his students planned, constructed, and tested a functioning solar radio telescope. Wow! What an amazing experience for our students! Thanks for sharing Dean! Click The Image For a Larger View ←

An Infographic is a visual image that displays information or data. Students can create infographics to show their learning by using Google Drawings or Google Slides. If you would like assistance with exploring these applications contact your Ed Tech Coach here! Click here to go back