#EMSISDITS Tech Talk

Techy Talk for Teachers

BIG NEWS: Nearpod is here!

Have you heard??? Nearpod is here for every teacher, classroom, and student!

What is Nearpod? In a nutshell, Nearpod is a student engagement platform that works across all devices (iPads, laptops, and personal devices). Students connect to your lesson using a unique code. From there, you can provide them with everything from polling to drawing, quizzes, 3D images, virtual field trips, and much more. Check out this short video to learn more.

If you are new to Nearpod, you will receive an email notification as soon as your teacher account has been created. If you have had (or currently have) a Nearpod account associated with your district email address, you will not receive an email notification, but your account will be upgraded. You will see an Upgrade notification when you log in to Nearpod.

Click Log In at nearpod.com and sign in with your Office 365 account.

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Click Log In (not "Sign Up")

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Skip the email/password fields

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Click Log In with Office 365

If your account was not included in the initial upload, you can request an account from your CTI (Campus Technology Integrator) or one of the IT Team.

Training will be provided during Campus Tech Days and after school PD. We'll also share plenty of Nearpod tips and tricks in our newsletter and through our Social Media accounts.

If you'd like to get a jump start on training, this recorded webinar (29 minutes) is a great place to start!

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Join Our Monthly Twitter Chat

The Instructional Technology team is hosting a monthly Twitter Chat this year. Twitter is a great way to expand your Personal Learning Network by connecting with educators in our district and all over the world. Have a unit coming up that you'd like ideas for? Search Twitter by keywords or hashtags to see others who have tweeted about the subject. Know an awesome educator and want to see the amazing things they are doing in their classroom? Follow them on Twitter. Connecting with others is so simple in this platform.

September's chat was about goals and tech tools to use in the 2019-2020 school year. It was great to hear from people all over the district as they shared the wonderful things already happening in their classrooms and on their campus along with goals they've set for themselves. Check out their responses by searching our hashtag #EMSedchat.

We would love for you to join us at our next chat on Tuesday, October 22, from 7-8 PM. Questions post from our team Twitter account, @emsisdits. If you aren't able to tweet from 7-8, feel free to join when you can.

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Mystery Skype

Have you ever considered doing a Mystery Skype with your class? A Mystery Skype game is a great way for your class to learn about other cultures and enhance students' communication and critical thinking skills. The best part about a Mystery Skype is that it is easy to set up through Microsoft Educatior Community, and it SUPER engaging for your kids. Follow the link below to learn more.

Mystery Skype - Microsoft in Education

education.microsoft.com

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Power Down your Interactive Displays

Be sure to turn your Interactive Display (Promethean or Newline) off each night. This saves electricity and extends the life of the device.

If you've driven past any of our schools after dark, you've probably seen the glow of one or more of these screens inside the classrooms. By turning them off each night, it's not quite so obvious to the general public that they are there.

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Make Your First Slide a Fun One

Add a fun slide as the first slide in your lesson. It could be a 3D image, PHET or a VR field trip. This first slide will engage students who log in quickly and give you a chance to help others who might take a little longer to get ready for your lesson.

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Create a Think Tac Toe Board

Using the self paced feature of Nearpod, create a Think Tac Toe board with Nearpod codes to differentiate instruction and give your students choices.

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Duplication Feature

Use the duplication feature in Nearpod to differentiate instruction. Duplicate a lesson once or twice. Add remediation to one copy and enhancements to the other. Make them both self paced so that students can benefit from them either in in class or at home.

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BES Tech Day!

The first Tech Day of the year at Bryson featured OneNote Immersive Reader, Wakelet, Promethean tricks and Office tools. Thanks for a great day, Bobcats!

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SMART Goals at BHS

The ITs and Boswell counselors teamed up to work with freshman to set a SMART goal for the school year and utilize their Office365 account and OneDrive to store them. These Pioneers are well on their way to success!

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Immersive Reader in OneNote

Rockstar science teacher Monica Padilla at HMS used Immersive Reader with her students as they took their DCA. One student even utilized the translator tool to read Vietnamese!

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ELA Digital Breakout

Third graders at CRES worked together to escape a OneNote breakout as they determined the conflict and resolution of stories they've been reading.

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Adobe Spark

Students in Dr. Purvis's astronomy class created graphics using Adobe Spark to depict the development of astronomy over the years.

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Paper Slide Videos at SES

Fifth grade Stars use iMovie to edit their paper slide videos about states of matter and then use Seesaw to review them all.

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!