Category Archives: Learn | Try | Amplify

Passwords

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This article via Common Sense Media got me thinking about the bare minimum that our community can be doing as a first step to protect their data online.  With more and more news about privacy violations it can feel daunting to know where to start. Rather than look at a big list and feel overwhelmed, one good first step is to pick one thing to work on.  A good suggestion from the Common Sense Media article (see below) that is easy to start with is passwords:

Use tough passwords and change them frequently. The best practice for passwords is to use real words or phrases you can remember easily — but spell them incorrectly. They should be at least eight characters and have a combination of letters, numbers, and special characters, such as 5pEAzhawh$ for “five pizzas.” Even better, use a password manager like Lastpass.

We all have multiple passwords to keep up with at Pike and in our personal lives.  Many in our community use LastPass and find that it is a great help with this challenge.   If you would like help getting started with a password manager let us know and we can help.  Please reach out because if there is enough interest we could organize something that is useful for multiple people in the future.  Keep in mind that getting a handle on your passwords could be a useful step towards using some technology resources and tools in your classroom with ease to amplify learning.

FlipGrid

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FlipGrid is a tool that allows student to easily upload video and an entire class set of videos can be seen in one place.  Student thinking becomes visible and engaging allowing for deeper connections between students. Teachers inspire students by setting up a topic and then students can upload their own responses and view the perspectives of their classmates, allowing the topic to extend beyond your classroom with outside class participation in the FlipGrid.


Above is an example of a FlipGrid via DoInk where a Green Screen was used for their videos and Students could transport themselves to another place for their responses.  This post has some great ideas and don’t forget that we have a Green Wall at Pike on the way up to the Tech Office if you would like to do a similar project.


For those of you using FlipGrid or interested in getting started there is a new Educator’s Guide to FlipGrid available.  This detailed eBook outlines the How and the Why of FlipGrid and is by and for Educators to promote a tool that allows students to share their voice in the classroom.   

If you would like help getting started with FlipGrid please be in touch with the Tech Dept.

Note: Learn | Try | Amplify @PikeSchool was created with the hopes that you will be exposed to some technology tools that have the potential to amplify your daily teaching in a way that can lead to powerful learning. The book Amplify by Katie Muhtaris and Kristin Ziemke has been an excellent resource about digital learning in the elementary and middle school classroom and inspired the name of this initiative.

 

Green Wall

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As of today we now have a green wall for students to use for video projects!  It can be found in the hallway on the way up to the Tech Office and the paint hardly had time to dry before our students started using the wall for projects this morning.  This should be a great addition for Upper School students, but anyone at Pike should feel welcome to use it.

A green screen can be a great way for students (and teachers) to be creative with digital media.  If you are looking for ideas, the following article has a lot of good information about How to Integrate a Green Screen Wall into any classroom.  Please be in touch with the Tech Dept. if you would like help trying any of these ideas.

Special Thanks to Maintenance who literally 
turned this wall     —–>    to this overnight!

Thank you so much to Rick, Mark, Watson and Will for making this happen!!!

Periodic Table of VR and AR Apps

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The New Periodic Table Of iPad Apps for Augmented and Virtual Reality was created by Mark Anderson @ICTEvangelist and curated by Steve Bambury @VIRTUALITEACH 

There is a new periodic table of apps devoted entirely to augmented and virtual reality iOS apps that can be used in the classroom.  Click here to read the entire post about this amazing new tool created by Mark Anderson and Steve Bambury. The periodic table is broken down into 8 categories (STEM, Creativity, Geography, Story Telling, Art, Teaching, Science and History) so you can look at it by color according to the subject you are interested in. There is also an interactive version of the Periodic Table of VR and AR apps on Thinglink so you that can easily located all the apps mentioned on the chart.

So far, I had fun exploring the Renwick Gallery Wonder 360 app in the Art category and was able to virtually travel to Washington, DC and experience some contemporary large scale installations made with unexpected materials from the comfort of my chair at Pike.


If you are looking for new tools that could help you integrate AR or VR into your classroom this could be what you were looking for to spark some ideas and get you started. If you need further help please be in touch with the Tech Department.

Revisiting Google Arts & Culture

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We introduced Google Arts & Culture last winter, but there have been many updates since it was first released so it seemed like a good time to revisit this awesome free resource.

First off, you may have heard of the Google Arts & Culture feature that lets you match your face to a famous painting that went viral over last weekend.  If you would like to join in on the fun, download the app if you haven’t already and scroll down until you see the Is your portrait in a museum? function and take and submit your photo (I did a screenshot to grab my image when complete by pressing and holding the off and the home buttons at the same time).


Beyond this fun activity you can still virtually explore many museums from several countries around the world via a browser or with their free iPad app.  The zoom views and virtual tours allow you to experience many of the world’s greatest treasures and landmarks and they are constantly adding to the collection.  This timely new addition helps users celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day by exploring a dynamic historical collection of his sermons, speeches and correspondences.

Google Arts and Culture is the perfect thing to try if you are looking to amplify one of your lessons with a real view related to your curriculum.  If you would like help giving this a try with your class please contact the tech department.

Digital Citizenship Week

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This week is Digital Citizenship week!  To kick off our Tech Communications for the year, we are sharing resources that we hope you will find useful for your Digital Citizenship work in the classroom this year.  We request that a message go home after you cover any digital citizenship lessons to help families continue the conversation and reinforce topics at home.  Please reach out to the Tech Department if you need assistance with a message to parents or if you need help implementing anything this year.  

For Grades 1 – 5 BrainPop has free access to their Digital Citizenship Collection.  Their learning pathways tackle topics like Information Privacy, Media Literacy, and Digital Etiquette and students do activities where they can apply what they have learned and teachers can easily access understanding.  There is also an extensive list of Teacher Digital Citizenship Resources available.  

For Grades 3 – 5 Be Internet Awesome by Google helps kids become safe, confident explorers of the online world.  Their curriculum gives educators the tools and methods they need to teach digital safety fundamentals in the classroom and students apply their learning via Interland, a playful browser-based game that makes this topic interactive and fun.  Click here to access Teacher Training for this curriculum.

For Grades 6 – 9 the Applied Digital Skills by Google is a well developed free computer literacy course designed to prepare students for a growing number of jobs that require basic digital skills. With their Applied Digital Skills Curriculum learners explore units and apply skills in real world activities that practice topics like planning an event, creating an interactive guide and many more.  

For Grades 3 – 9, This Digital citizenship and social emotional learning article outlines how character strengths can be used in a positive way to navigate digital dilemmas.  Their Digital Citizenship & Social and Emotional Learning Teacher Guide contains a set of scenarios that students may face at some point in their lives and encourages conversation about character with the goal of developing strengths like humility and perseverance.  

Common Sense Media Ed Tech Reviews –  Their EdTech reviews and supporting resources can help you bring tech tools to your classroom via a collection of age appropriate resources curated by knowledgeable educators.  

Common Sense Media Digital Citizenship Week Resources is a page developed for this week that you can explore, which has many useful resources that can help your students be, as they say, Dig-Cit Ready.  

How to listen to Podcasts

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Have you been wanting to start listening to the latest cool podcasts, but don’t know where to start?  Watch the above video or click here to see a brief introduction (under 2 minutes!) on how to listen to podcasts.  This can be a great time saving way to squeeze in some learning while you are driving, exercising or whenever.  For more detailed information about the Podcasts app that I speak about in the video this apple support page has all the info that you would need.  If you have questions or need help after watching this very short video please contact the Tech Department.  

TED-Ed: Lessons Worth Sharing

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This post that lists 9 TED Talks recommended by students, for students caught our attention.  It includes a range of TED Talks about topics like education, character development, leadership, public speaking and what adults can learn from children that students have given the seal of approval.  It was published by a new resource called TED-Ed: Lessons Worth Sharing.  Their Lesson Library is a growing list of many lively lessons created by educators in collaboration with professional animators that can be a nice supplemental resource to amplify your teaching.

With a free account you can also create your own lessons or flip an existing lesson to adjust any previously created content to fit your needs and share with your students, with interactive reflection options and a way to plug any YouTube video into a lesson separate from all of the distractions of YouTube.  If you need help or if you give TED-Ed: Lessons Worth Sharing a try let us know.

Capture, organize, and share student thinking with Post-it Note Plus

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Some teachers have students use post it notes to handwrite feedback about topics or as an exit ticket after class.  Do you use post it notes in your class or have you wanted to try something like this?  If so, the Post it Note Plus App will be a great addition to your technology toolbox.  Post it Note Plus allows you to scan a group of Post it notes to a digital board where you can sort, organize, add notes, and share the board with others. Click the image below to watch a short video with specifics about how to use this useful app. Have you used this app? How might you use this app in your classroom?  Share your thoughts so we can learn from each other.