My name is Jacob Dees & I am the Instructional Technology Coach at Apollo STEAM Academy! My primary goal is to increase the engagement, enhancement, and extension of the student learning experience at Apollo.

On this page, you'll find:

• Google Workspace Tool Tips
• Request form for digital coaching
• Other news in the EdTech world!
• Tech Tips from Camile Parker and the RISD iTeam

Thanks for visiting!

Response validation is one of the most powerful tools you can use when creating Google Forms! In the example below, you'll see how it requires the participant to select a specific number of responses. But it can also be used for

• automatic feedback,
• specifying a minimum or maximum number of characters,
• requiring the response to be a valid URL,
• and so much more!

Click the link below to learn more!

💡 Tech Tip of the Week

When you find a new digital tool to use in your classroom, try using it for something "trivial" before you rely on it to impact your content. For instance, use a new formative assessment tool to quickly play a game of "Would You Rather" or just to find out more about your students' interests rather than spending a big chunk of class time gauging their knowledge of the content. That way, if the tool doesn't work the way you want it to, there's no harm done! If you and the students loved using the tool, then try using it in line with your curriculum - but always prioritize your goals with the content first! 🥇

Are you looking to add engaging activities to your lesson AND save time doing it? Edpuzzle now has a full catalog of their own lessons called Edpuzzle Originals!

"These video lessons feature clear, accurate visuals that students can use to understand what’s being taught. Age-appropriate scaffolding and built-in questions designed to hone specific skills deepen the educational experience and help students retain information." -Edpuzzle

🚨 BrightBytes Survey: The BrightBytes Survey opens this week!! It will be open January 17-27. Please take time to complete this technology-specific survey to provide feedback. Staff survey can be found at Classlink > Light > Surveys. If you have questions, reach out to Robin Gunter in Instructional Technology. Additional details can be found here.

💻 PD Opportunity this week: Technology is hosting Lana Ahrens, Director of Training & Community Outreach with Dallas Children’s Advocacy Center, to speak on internet safety on Thursday, January 19.. RISD Staff members will receive one hour of professional learning credit for attending.

💡Pro Tip: Want to share a link to a Google Doc, Slides, Sheets, or Drawing so it forces a copy? All Google file links end in either /edit or /view – it’s okay if there are letters or numbers after.

Delete the word “edit” or “view” and all of the text after, and then put the word “copy” in its place.

Now, when people visit this link that ends in “copy”, they will see this!

⭐️Engaging Learning Experiences: Podcasting can be a powerful and engaging learning task in any content area. Check out some ideas here for how podcasting can apply to various content areas. All RISD teachers and students have WeVideo accounts and can use it to create podcasts. In addition, all Junior High teachers and students now have access to Soundtrap, a digital audio workstation, that can be used for podcasting! Learn more at our upcoming iTeam training below!

🤔 Always Learning:

🎙️Podcasting in the Junior High Classroom, January 25, 4:15-5:15 pm, PDC A303- Enroll here!

RISD has a new instructional technology tool, Soundtrap, available to all 7th and 8th grade classroom teachers and students! Soundtrap is a digital audio workstation that can be used for audio and music recording and projects such as podcasting. This is an exciting tool that can be used to give your students voice, choice, and creative agency in your classroom. iTeam is hosting this PD session where you can earn non-duty credit, learn about Soundtrap, and explore how you and your students can use it for podcasting in any content area!

🎥 WeVideo Webinar: Start the Year with Multimedia Creation + Interactivity- Today, January 17 from 5-6 pm. Remember, you can submit for external non-duty credit in Eduphoria! Register here.

👩‍💻Asynchronous Secondary Adobe Express PD opens from January 27th - March 30th Enroll here!

🔦Spotlight on Features: WeVideo has some new features that make it easier and faster to create and edit videos! Check out the update here.

✨ Try Tech Tips: Each week, iTeam shares instructional ideas in our “Engaging Learning Experiences” section. We love to see what you’ve tried and how it impacted learning in your classrooms! We encourage you to try something from Tech Tips and share an example on this Padlet to participate in a fun contest and be entered to win monthly prize drawings. Get one entry for posting on the Padlet and an additional entry for sharing on Twitter. Be sure to tag @risdiTeam, and use the hashtag #TryTechTips and #RISDBelieves so we can track your entry. s.risd.org/sectrytechtips

🔍 Looking for a past Tech Tips? Archive here.