The rumors are true! We're going 1:1 with computers for students in grades 3-5! All students will be getting their own laptops. Each teacher in 3-5 will have a laptop cart with a printer (yes, you'll need to make room for this in your classroom). No more sharing! Each student will be issued his/her own laptop, but it won't go home - it will be housed and charged in the classroom cart overnight. Students will need to carry those laptops when they switch classes and perhaps when they go to specials. They will be accountable for proper care of their own devices. More of the school day will be spent in meaningful digital learning. This will be a huge shift in the way we teach and the way kids learn!

Yup! The kids in grades 3-5 have email addresses and can log into the same Microsoft 365 that we have (with all the apps in the "waffle"!) This is SUCH great news! We don't expect students to use the email function very much, and it will be limited to emails within our district/domain. They may occasionally use it to sign up for accounts with teacher-approved websites (such as Adobe Spark or Buncee). The computer teachers at all elementary schools are already preparing to begin teaching and front-loading this information and all of the rules/expectations that go along with this privilege.

The fact that our students have access to Word ONLINE, Powerpoint ONLINE, Sway, and especially OneNote and Class Notebook is going to revolutionize our instruction in almost every way. These tools will facilitate collaboration, communication, creativity, organization, and will definitely cut down on the use of paper!

This year, our goal was to get teachers comfortable in the Office 365 platform before we brought the kids on board. Beginning in September and October, I'll really start to offer lots of workshops, push into classrooms, book consultations, provide screencast tutorials, and share advice in newsletters about how teachers can maximize the effectiveness of these tools and begin to really create rich digital opportunities for our students!

We're getting a nice little upgrade to PowerSchool, and this is one that you'll really like! It's so much prettier, user friendly, and more intuitive. Oh, and....my FAVORITE PART...admins can pre-set those categories and weights for us all in advance....sort of, a little bit, anyway....so we don't exactly have to do quite ALL of those things at the beginning of every year anymore! Whoooeee!

I found this great tutorial video made by a guy teacher in another district, and I just like the way he's so casual at explaining everything. He admits to being a newbie with it, but he also makes it look so simple...and it is! This isn't a stuffy vid by a company trainer. I love his hopeful words at the end. I thought I'd share this information and this video with you before the end of the school year just so that you can have a feel for what's coming. No worries - I'll be here to help you with it in September whenever you need me!

Here's that link: PowerSchool PowerTeacher Pro Gradebook

If you haven't already heard, we are moving to a new system for lesson planning in the fall. This is another great thing - trust me. We'll have a little bit of learning to do in the beginning, but once you get the hang of it (and it is NOT hard), this is going to be SUCH a time-saver! We will get nice little custom templates that we just populate and hit save. No more SharePoint! (Don't worry - you can still access your old plans there through the fall!) OnCourse has a way for you to choose which standards match your lesson, and even lets you swap & share plans with colleagues! There is a LOT of good with this one. Again, I'll help you through it in the fall.

In the meantime, if you want a sneak peek at how it works, here's a simple 6-minute very basic starter video I found online: Intro to OnCourse Lesson Planner and here is a link OnCourse's Webpage about their Lesson Planner.

Who doesn't love a great Cheat Sheet? They're especially great for quick tech tips! Well, Jessica and I have started putting some HERE for Office 365. Browse through and see if there's something helpful for you - and you don't need to print it because it's always there for you digitally! If you don't see something you need, but would like to request that we make a step-by-step cheat sheet or a handy-dandy screencast for you, let us know by filling out this quick form. Chances are, if you're wondering how to do something, others are too! (Oh, and it doesn't have to be about Office 365 - it can be anything!)

Below I have included the screencast for how to migrate your H-drive

files to your OneDrive.

So many innovative people have already contributed - it has become like a little Pinterest of ideas for WTPS staff! Add your Tech Success story or something cool that you've tried to our Padlet: https://padlet.com/kerszi/TechSuccess - If you just want to click on this link to get ideas or look at some of the amazing things that others have been doing with tech, that's great too!

Remember Spirograph? Relive your childhood - digitally. Thought you might enjoy this silly bit o'fun just in time for summer: Inspirograph

(PS...it only works on computers, not cell phones)

Don't forget that YouCanBookMe form!

Email: kkersznowski@wtps.org
Website: kerszi.weebly.com
Location: All over the place
Phone: 227-8110 --3614
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Twitter: @kerszi