Instructional Technology
November 2017
Extensions, Add-ons, and New Educational Websites
Looking for ways to enhance your classroom technology? Need help making paper grading or sorting data more efficient? Check out these useful technology tools that are free!
Check Mark
ViewPure
Mind Meister
Google Security Changes
Likewise, student Chromebooks have also received a security update. To ensure Chromebooks are fully updated and running current software, these devices, including teacher machines, will now power off when the screen is closed. This will require students to log back into their Coweta accounts. Please email john.vaughn@cowetaschools.net with any questions.
Coweta- Official Certified Google Reference District
As part of the invitation-only application process, CCSS had to create a professional presentation explaining the ways we tackled the seven elements of transformation as defined by Google. These elements are:
- Vision
- Culture
- Technology
- Training/Professional Development
- Teaching, Learning, and Assessment
- Funding and Sustainability
- Community Outreach
Highlights of Coweta's story of impact included details about our 1:1 initiative, our Chromebook roll-out, how we have addressed professional learning with all of the changes, and even how students who do not have access to the internet outside of the classroom can still benefit from the use of a personal Chromebook. Ellen Thomas of Winston Dowdell Academy and David Stanard of Arnco Sargeant Elementary were key players in completing the application and submission requirements.
Click https://goo.gl/N9XQsC to view the "Story of Impact" for Coweta County. This honor and the distinguished title were only possible by the hard work of all teachers in Coweta Schools and their ongoing commitment to 21st-century classrooms. Congratulations to all Coweta County schools, teachers, and administrators!
The Importance of Email Signatures
Techie Teacher Spotlight
Students Experience Math and Discuss Learning in a Low-Risk, High-Tech Environment
“I want my students to experience math, not just do the problems,” said Michelle Clarke, math department chair and 8th-grade math teacher at Madras Middle School. “I integrate technology wherever possible because my students live in a digital age and feel very comfortable using it to learn.”
Desmos is one of Clarke’s current favorite apps for technology-enhanced math lessons. Using Desmos, students can graph functions, plot data, evaluate equations, and explore transformations for free. “Getting students to talk about math is a challenge, but Desmos offers a way for students to experience math and become engaged in discourse about their mathematical thinking and problem-solving,” according to Clarke, a former educational technology support specialist who has been teaching math for eight years. The Desmos site also includes digital learning activities that address many math concepts and target common student misconceptions.
Spiral.ac is another web-based learning application that can help get students talking about math or improve participation in a variety of content areas. “My students love using this site,” Clarke explained. “It takes the ‘fear factor’ out of class participation for students who are shy or unsure about their answers.”
Using Spiral.ac, students interact anonymously and can see each others’ responses and comments. “It is a safe way to create a learning community. Whenever I want to get them talking about math and sharing their ideas, this is a go-to site,” she said.
Clearly, technology has always been a passion for Clarke. She holds undergraduate degrees in computer networking and computer management, as well as a master’s degree in K-8 education. She also presents math and technology professional development sessions at district-wide math meetings and West Georgia RESA conferences.
GoFormative is another online tool that Clarke believes works with math as well as any subject. “You can use the free version which gives students and teachers instant feedback. The worksheets and learning activities can be easily imported which allows teachers to move from traditional paper and pencil to more technology-enhanced learning. It is a wonderful tool for teachers who are not as comfortable with technology yet. Plus, GoFormative offers great data analysis, making it much easier to make data-driven instructional decisions,” she said.
“I try to find new ways to integrate instructional technology that my students haven’t experienced before. When I am successful, participation and student engagement are never a problem,” Clarke stated. “Many students come in with a preconceived notion that they don’t like math. Technology is one way I can help change this mindset and improve their feelings of success in math.”
“One new technology I'm going to integrate this year is ThingLink,” shared Clarke. “I think it will enable me to create virtual resources that visually link information, videos, and examples to help students learn new concepts.”