#EMSISDITS Tech Talk

Techy Talk for Teachers

Nearpod training is coming to your campus

Are you ready to use Nearpod in your classroom? The Instructional Technology group will show you all of the great ways Nearpod can be used to increase Rigor and Relevance, and take student engagement to the next level during the next round of Campus Tech Days.

This comprehensive training includes:

Overview of Nearpod
How students can take notes during a Nearpod lesson
Built-in Nearpod features
Accessing Nearpod teacher resources including nearly 8000 ready-made, standards-aligned lesson that can added to you library and modified to fit your needs.
Launching Teacher-Led and Student-Paced lessons
Using Lesson Reports to see individual student performance on each activity in your lesson

If your campus doesn't have a Tech Day scheduled, or you can't attend on your regular day, reach out to your district Instructional Technologist and set up an appointment to learn more!

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Accessibility, Accessibility, Accessibility

We know that our students come to us in many shapes, sizes, strengths, weaknesses, and learning styles. In addition to providing a safe and productive learning environment, we must provide tools and opportunities that ensure success for all students. Fortunately, technology can make that happen. Immersive Reader by Microsoft is a powerful tool that is capable of text to speech and whole lot more. With Immersive Reader you can:

change font size, text spacing and background color
split up words into syllables
highlight verbs, nouns, adjectives and sub clauses
choose between two fonts optimized to help with reading
modify the speed of text to speech

The built-in Picture Dictionary in Immersive Reader allows users hear a word read aloud or see a picture representation with a simple click. The best part about Immersive Reader is that it is built into almost all Microsoft Office programs, and many third party apps like Wakelet, Nearpod, Canvas, and FlipGrid.

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Next Twitter Chat: November 19

Mark your calendars NOW and join us for our next #EMSedchat Twitter Chat on Tuesday, November 19 from 7-8 pm.

Keep watching our newsletters for info on upcoming chats. In the meantime, you can check out the questions and responses to past chats by searching our hashtag #EMSedchat.

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Check out Gridpals!

It's time to take your Flipgrid account and your classroom experiences to whole other level with Gridpals. You can make other Teachers CoPilots on your grids so that you can collaborate and manage them easily. Now you can use that same process to sign up for the #GridPals movement, and the process is easier than ever. Here's how you do it.

Log into your Educator Dashboard.
Complete your profile.
Activate GridPals
Toggle ON Email Invites to allow fellow GridPals to contact you at your connected email address. You email will not be shared until you reply.

That's it. Now your ready to meet and learn with GridPals all over the world!

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Microsoft Global Learning Connection: November 5-6

Skype-A-Thon has a new name now that student and teachers have more ways to connect. In addition to Skype, classrooms can connect to each other using Microsoft TEAMS and Flipgrid as well. The Microsoft Global Learning Connection is a celebration for students around the world to open hearts and minds to connect, become global citizens and change the world. An estimated half million students from over 110 countries will connect and travel "virtual miles" to speak with guest speaker, experience a new culture, sing a song, go on virtual field trips, and learn from other students, educators, and experts from around the world. To participate in the MSFT Global Connection, simply do the following:

Bookmark the new event page here.
Start to plan out your class adventure by downloading a step-by-step Activity plan.
Schedule calls with experts and classrooms for Nov. 5-6, and connect via Skype, Teams and Flipgrid.

Find more details here.

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Use the snipping tool in your Nearpod lessons

Nearpod has a ton of 3D images in its library. When you use a 3D image (or a regular image), have students use the snipping tool (built into Windows) to cut out specific areas of the image and then paste it on a draw it slide. For example, show a 3D image of the human body and have students "snip" the thyroid and paste it on the next slide along with a description of its function.

Use Dark Mode on your board

Have a document or website that is hard to read when displayed on your Promethean Board? Give Dark Mode a try. Here's how you do it.

Click on the four squares at the bottom left of you screen
Click on the settings icon on the right
Click on Accessibility
Activate color inversion at the bottom of the list

Also check out other accessibility options like text to speech, large text and high contrast text.

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Windows + . = emoji fun

You can add and emojis to your documents and emails by pressing Windows key the period key on your keyboard at the same time. This operation will open a window full of fun emojis to choose from. Click the emoji to insert it into your text.

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F11 for the Win!

URL shortcuts, extensions, and multiple tabs in your web browser are major time savers, but sometimes they make your browser window look a bit cluttered. For everyday work, this isn't a big deal, but you may not want all of those "distractions" showing when you're teaching or presenting with web content.

Click F11 on your keyboard to remove all of those distractions and see the current web page in full screen mode. (Go ahead ... try it now. We'll wait.)

See how clean that looks? Click F11 or hover near the top of the window and click the pop-up X to return to normal view.

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Flipgrid fun at EWMS

These Badgers in Ms. Bonnick's Humanities class are using Flipgrid to describe how people interact with their environment.

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Tech Day at BES

These Bobcats learned about the accessibility tools in Microsoft programs and their new Nearpod accounts. Exciting times!

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Coding fun at GFES

Students in Mr. Street's Science class are learning about circuits and coding using Chiby Chips and Scratch. So much fun and so engaging.

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What a TEAM!

We enjoyed working with the Communications Department as they work to integrate TEAMS into their work routine. By using TEAMS, they will be even more efficient, productive, and awesome at what they do!

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Dislexia Therapists love Immersive Reader

Now that Microsoft Immersive Reader is embedded into so many applications, our dyslexia students never miss a beat, and are able to thrive in EMSISD!

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Nearpod + Tic Tac Toe = Engagement at WMS

These Avid Wildcats are using Tic Tac Toe boards to do some Nearpod college tours. They are busting out of the classroom and exploring their options around the country. Way to go Wildcats!

Single Sign On | Quick access in to your EMS Digital Resources

Device Checkout | Need to borrow something for a less? Reserve it here!

Microsoft Educator Community | High Quality, Anytime, On-Demand PD

The Jenallee Show | On-the-spot PD videos, featuring many EMS Superstars

Promethean Board Tips & Tricks | Growing playlist of quick instructional videos

EMS Tech Tools | Check out or recommended tools (scan QR code to save on your device!)

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We can help!

Need help planning a blended lesson? Do you need an extra hand while tackling a technified lesson with your students? Are you ready to add some technology to your classroom but don't know where to start? The #EMSTechsperts are here to support you! Contact your Campus IT today!