Teach with Tech

Welcome to a brand-new school year! As we kick off this exciting journey, I'm thrilled to be here with you, sharing tools and tips to make teaching with tech easier and more impactful. This year, we'll say farewell to a favorite tech resource, dive into all things Google Classroom, explore how to use generative AI (hello, Diffit!), and stay connected with updates on our Huddles. Let's make this year one full of learning, growth, and a little tech magic!

If you haven't yet heard, Microsoft Flip, formerly known as Flipgrid, has been discontinued. Educators have until the end of September to download any videos previously made that they want to save. This is such a loss as Flip was a great program to get students talking and responding to each other via video format.

There is not a single great replacement- as no other programs or apps do what Flip did. However, there are alternatives that can be made to work depending on how you used Flip or what you want to do now. Matt Miller from Ditch that Textbook has several great suggestions.

The best solution I have found for secondary educators is Padlet. Padlet is digital discussion board that can be organized in a variety of ways. It now allows for the recording of short videos. Students are able to respond with video or typed comments. The camera does not contain add-ons, filters, or special effects. Teachers can access three Padlet boards for free and moderate discussion posts. Here is a post from Padlet about how it can be used with videos.

The best solution I have found for elementary educators is Seesaw. Seesaw allows for students to easily post videos from an iPad or Chromebook onto a class stream; and then make typed comments on those videos. Students are also able to use a whiteboard screen. Seesaw can be used for annotating, drawing, has privacy controls, voice records, is great for student reflection, and can easily be shared with families.

This months All Things Google will review some Google Classroom best practices and tips to make the best use of it.

• Organizing Google Classroom
• Create Topics that match units of learning or by week. Keep the most current topic at the top of Classroom.
• Number your assignments- (and make sure the gradebook matches). Numbering makes it easier to find the assignment templates in Google Drive and track student missing work.
• Keep a Housekeeping or Documents topic at the top of Google Classroom with key and important resources for students (major links to websites, syllabus, rubrics, etc.).
• Grading
• Use Grade Categories for Organization- You can use your typical grade categories like homework, assessments, and classwork; but if you don't have required grade categories that are transferring to your official gradebook, using grade categories is another organizational tool to help you students understand the purpose of assignments. Categories could include Must Do, Can Do, Aspire To Do or Extra Support, Remediation, Extension. Anything not required can be "ungraded" but show up for students with this other category.
• Turn off "show overall grade to students" - unless 100% of what you grade is in Google Classroom, an overall grade should not be visible to students.
• The Stream
• Control Commenting- In the Stream you can control whether students post or can comment on posts you've made.
• Turn off Stream Assignment Updates- You also have the ability to turn the Stream updates off- so only posted announcements and not assignments show up there.
• Assignments
• You can now turn off submissions for an assignment that is past it's due date!
• Turn off notifications unless you like the clutter of emails from Classroom.'

I know I shared Diffit last year- but this is a great reminder that this tool is available and has a robust free version. This generative AI tool is a great resource for elementary and high school teachers as it adjusts reading levels, provides questions, and translates languages!

Diffit will adapt any reading, excerpt, article or video for any reading level - to help all students access the content you’re teaching. It will also generate short informational or narrative texts on any topic, for any reading level AND it creates an automatically generated summary, comprehension checks, vocabulary words, and more to go with whatever text you’re working with!

So what's in the free version?

• generate resources at any grade level in any language
• use the "Literally Anything" or adapt and extend content from an article URL, PDF, text, or YouTube video
• Maximum length for inputs - 2,500 words (the paid version allows up to 10,000 words)
• shows sources and in-line citations
• get pre-created and customizable images, vocabulary, and questions
• adjust reading length
• save resources
• share resources
• copy and paste or export as a PDF

First Year Teachers- you can get the paid version for FREE for an entire school year! Click here to apply.

The EdTech Huddle is for all educators who want to expand their knowledge and use of educational technology. Especially those who use technology in the classroom, actively work to integrate technology into their lessons and curriculum, and are willing to share/model instructional tech to others in their schools and districts.

Save-the-Date

This year we received a small grant from Oregon Department of Education- this grant will allow us to offer two, in-person workshops; one for Elementary educators on Wednesday, December 4 and one for Secondary Educators on Wednesday, February 26.

This is a monthly newsletter from the Instructional Services Department of the IMESD. It includes current issues and concerns of tech (within the realms of education), tips and tricks, resources, and suggestions.

If you would like more information EdTech tools, resources, or training, please contact:

Ayla Olson

Instructional Coach

Email: ayla.olson@imesd.k12.or.us

Phone: 541-966-4657

Website: sites.google.com/imesdapps.org/instructional-coaching