Rain, Rain Go Away!!

After a long summer of no rain, lately it doesn't seem as though it will ever stop!  To make matters worse, there is a mammoth hurricane swirling around in the Caribbean.  Hurricane Matthew quickly strengthened to a category 5 hurricane over the weekend; the strongest possible rating.  What are the categories of hurricanes and what does all that mean? Check out the explanation from the National Hurricane Center. Let's keep our fingers crossed and hope he takes a hard turn to the east and goes out to sea!!

This week you will complete Part 2 of the 21st Century Skills Assessment.  I know this is a long process and not very exciting, but the data will benefit us all!  I can't wait for you to see how much you have learned when you  You should have a reading book with you and know what to do.  You will take Part 2 of the 16/17 Pre-Assessment.  If you were absent last week, you need to take Part 1 today and will have to take Part 2 at another time.  Please be sure to read the questions carefully and think before answering.  Once you have completed all the questions, "Turn In Test", log out of Learning.com, sign out of your workstation and read quietly.  Please go to Learning.com, sign in and begin the assessment.  If you have any questions, please raise you hand and I will come over to help you.

During our second class this week we will review our iPad rules using Kahoot.  Before we get started, I would like you to watch this video from Apple Education.  It shows how some students are using iPads to improve their learning.  Perhaps it will give you some ideas.  Once we have finished the review, I will share a blank iPad Assessment Study Guide with you.  We will complete this together and you will need to use it to help you prepare for your assessment in a couple of weeks. We should also have some time to clean up your iPads.

Have a great week!!
  ~Mrs. White                                          

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So Much Excitement

The day has arrived!!!!  You will be receiving your iPads some time today.   I am so excited to be a part of this day.
Because I will be busy in the library handing out iPads, a substitute will be in my lab working with you.
I know I can trust you to follow my instructions below and do a great job.  You should have brought a reading book to class with you.  You will need it when you have finished taking our Tech DDM.

Today you will take the first part of the 21st Century Skills Assessment.  It is a pretest.  This will not be a content grade on your report card, but it is very important.  Please take your time and read each question carefully.  It should take you the entire class to finish.  If you do not finish by the end of the period, don't worry.  If you should be done before the bell I expect you to sit quietly and read.

Please use the resource link below to get you to the site.  If you have any trouble logging in, please raise your hand and the teacher will come over to help you.

I would like to repeat; this will not appear on your report cards.  There was no study guide and I did not want you studying for this.  This is a baseline; showing me where you all are right now.  It will help me plan for our year so you are ready to take this assessment again in June.
Take a deep breath and do your best!!!

See you next class!

Please click on this link:  21st Century Skills Assessment Resource

First Full Week

Ladies and gentlemen fasten your seat belts!  We are entering the first full, five day week of the 2016/2017 school  year.  Before we get started I wanted to take a moment to reflect upon yesterday's events.  It is mind blowing for me to think the students sitting in front of me were not even born when 9/11 occurred.  That day still seems like yesterday to most Americans.  Fifteen years have passed since that tragic day.  As I watched the news last night, and then again this morning, I was moved by the many tributes paid to those who lost their lives, and those whom have now become known as the, "First Responders."  May we never forget that day, and those who are now gone.

Moving forward, a new year is upon us with many new eager employees sitting in front of me.  I will do my best to make my blog a useful resource and a model of good and responsible blogging for all of you!  This week we will take a look at the expectations for iPad use.  You will be receiving your devices at the end of the month.  We have a little work to do before you get them.  We will start our discussions  by watching a TV commercial??!!  It will all make sense shortly.  Please be sure you understand your commitment letter before signing as it is a contract and you will be held accountable.

Have a super week and welcome to work!!
  ~Mrs. White

Wrapping Up Your Projects

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We only have one class together this week before we take our "break!"  I know it will be hard, but you need to remain focused.  You have a job to finish and the production line needs to be running at full capacity to get this done.  As soon as you report for your shift, you will find you materials and resources all set up in a work space.  The lab is yours; no need to ask for permission!  Just get what you need and get going.  Please remember the importance of this job!  You need to give correct information to your audience (students in our school.)  We don't want anyone getting in to trouble because they were given inaccurate or incomplete information on your poster.   I know I can count on your!!

Please be sure to make good decisions in your social/personal technological lives during vacation.  Remember the protocol:

Do NOT use your school Apple ID on your personal stuff. (those cool tech presents you got for gifts)

            

Do NOT use your school Google account (@mybps.me) to create social accounts like Instagram, Snapchat, etc...

Have a super holiday season with your family and friends.

See you in 2016!!

It's Time for an Assessment....Oh yes!!

It hardly seems possible that Thanksgiving is in less than two weeks.  YIKES!!!!  Could someone please slow down the calendar?!!!  When do you think we will see our first snowfall?  Has it ever snowed this early before?  Check out this NY Times article from a few years back.  I'm afraid to mention the word "snow" around some people.  The thought of it makes many angry. I really enjoy the white fluffy stuff.  Oh well, we will just wait and see what Mother Nature has in store for us.

This week you will be very busy.  You will get a study guide during class one to help you prepare for the assessment you will take during class two.  This assessment will cover our iPad rules and expectations.  You will also have the opportunity to review before the test with a Kahoot.  (Yes, I heard those cheers!!)  Once you have finished your test, you will work on the revisions of your blog post.  You should be able to upload and publish this post before we leave for Thanksgiving.  Keep your fingers crossed!!

What will we do in class one you ask?  I will review the process for finding, saving, and citing images.  You will have plenty of practice opportunities for this skill.  You will need to "own" this for the rest of the year.
Hope you have a great week!
  ~Mrs. White :)

Searching....I Never Knew That!

It's hard to believe October is almost over.  There are two big events happening this weekend.  The first is Halloween which will be celebrated on a Saturday (HOORAY!)  The second is Daylight Savings Time; yes we gain an hour of sleep on Sunday morning (HipHip HOORAY!)  Have you ever wondered why we mess around with the time?  This article should answer all of your questions.

We are going to be all over the place during class one this week, trying to catch everyone up.  Before we get started with any lessons, I would like to ask you to please take this one question survey created by one of your classmates.  Thanks for your help with this.  Some of you will be working on blogging vocabulary during class one while others will take a look at some advanced search techniques offered by Google.  No matter which topic, you will start off with a video.  Blogging exploration will begin by taking a look at Blogging In Plain English.   Searches will launch their lessons with How Search Works.  Both of these videos do a great job of explaining these two topics.  You will then be doing some work "old school" and "new school" combined.  The resources you need are below.

• Google Landing Slide Presentation
• Google Landing Presentation Recording Sheet ** Please make a copy of this doc and put it in your Google Drive before you start answering questions.

During class two you will complete a Blogging Activity.  This assignment can be found in Google Classroom.

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The Big Day Has Arrived!

This Thursday will be a big day.  Grade 7 students will be receiving their iPads.  How exciting!  We have a couple of little pieces to complete and we will be there!  Please make sure you have completed the following little pieces:

• You have successfully logged in to iTunes using your school/professional Apple ID
• You have accepted the Cisco Meraki invitation which is sitting in your Gmail inbox

Before getting iPads, you will work on a scavenger hunt of one of your resources this year.  Please look for this assignment in Google Classroom.  You will find your own copy of this BIS Website Scavenger Hunt, and will need to turn it in there as well.

During class two this week; this will be the only class for many of you as we did not have school on Monday, you will complete the 21st Century Skills Pre-Assessment on the Learning.com website.  Do you remember your log in????

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More Communication and Collaboration

This week we will pick up where we left off.  You will need to finish adding your Contacts in to your address book.  You will also take the time to clean up your Google Drive.  Managing your digital life will be a large part of what we do this year.  The amount of information can be overwhelming at times.  I will help you work on managing all of that information.  You will use the "Beginning of Year Google Drive Clean Up" resource to accomplish this task.  All of the resources and assignments can be found in our LMS (Google Classroom.)

We will get started with our iPad readiness activities.  Check out this video.  We will take a moment to share your thoughts and then you will work with your "cubicle mates" to complete a TK-W-L chart.
Your iPad intro will end with a matching activity.  

Blogging 101

    It has certainly been a crazy month.  I cannot believe October is almost over!  This weekend we gain an hour (HOORAY!!) as we set back our clocks.  Why do we change our clocks?  Check out the information on the Daylight Savings Time post.

    I know some of you are still having difficulties with your Apple ID's and getting your Apps, and I am addressing that with individuals and trying to problem solve.  We are moving forward and beginning our lessons on Blogging.  Before starting, I need to have a sense of what you know, so please take a few minutes and complete the Blogging PreAssessment.  We will need to establish a common vocabulary for some terms associated with blogging.  We will take a look at a diagram of a blog, label it, and discuss our BPS Blogging and Commenting Guidelines this week.  Before we take a look at our guidelines, we will take a look at Blogging in Plain English (it's an oldie but a goodie.)

     You will have some time to explore a couple of other blogs.  You may use your iPad and your "Qrafter" App (QR code reader).  There is a sheet of QR codes in your workstation resource folder.  If you don't have your Apps yet, you may open my blog on your iPad (this may be a good time to bookmark it) and click on the links of the Interesting Blog Resources document.  You may also view these blogs using your workstation and this same document.  The choice is yours.  Please select one of the blogs listed and review it using the Blog Evaluation Checklist you can find by clicking on the link or finding it in your workstation resource folder.  When you have finished, please go to Padlet and post the name of your blog and the score it received.
     Have a great week, and please don't get frustrated.  You will all be up and running shortly!!  Try to remain calm as the end of October, Halloween, and Daylight Savings Time all approach this weekend.  I heard we may even see a little of the "white stuff" this weekend!!!

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Next Steps

This is our recovery week.  We will be trying to get everyone set up with their Apple ID's and accepted in to the Meraki VPP.  I know we will figure this out quickly.  We will start off our class with a very important survey.  As I explained to you earlier, there are many stakeholders involved in our school, and we need to share our iPad journey with them.  We need to create some baseline data as well, and this will be done with this survey.  Please take this survey seriously and ask me if you don't understand something.

Once you have finished this survey, you will take a tour of X2.  This is a tool/resource for you.  You will receive feedback from your teachers on your portal page.  You will need to add your teachers' pages to your X2 account.  We will also take a look at your calendar which is another way to help you keep organized.

The final step in our organization this week will be the final check on your Google Drive organization.  Did you create, name and share folders with all of your teachers?  You will also check your email and clean it up.  Please use the "Clean It Up and Organize" Google doc I have created for this task.

Have a super week!!!    ~Mrs. White :)

Log In Poster Contest

We are finally distributing iPads to grade 7 students today!  HOORAY!!!!  I will be working in your classes with you passing out the iPads.  While I am away from my lab, I have a challenge for you all.  You will be working on a poster.  The criteria for this poster can be found on the gold sheet in your workstation resource folders.  You will be given a "rough draft" piece of paper.  Please take at least 10 minutes to sketch out what you would like your poster to look like based on the criteria.  You will be expected to turn in this rough draft so please be sure to put your name and ILT# on it.  You will have the option of using paper and art supplies to create a more traditional "hard copy" poster OR you may digitize your work and use an on line creator. If you choose to create your poster on line, please write the name of the tool you are using on a note card and turn it in.    You may also use a combination of both paper and your computer.  If you would like to type your text and find images from the Internet, print, and then paste on a paper you may do this as well.  You are the artists and your creativity should flow freely.  Art supplies can be found on the table in the back of the lab next to the printer.  Please be sure to clean up after yourself and return all materials to the place you found them.  You should be able to complete this project in the class time given today.  Please do not rush through this project.  I will be selecting the top posters to use and/or copy.  These winning posters will be placed in classrooms and computer labs throughout the school.  Have fun!!!!

Ready Set Let's Roll...

A great song by Chase Rice and a super start to our final preparation of all things iPad for grade 7!!!   This week and next week we will be preparing for you to get your iPads. Let's check out how some other students are using iPads by watching "A Day in the Life of a Minnetonka iPad Student." Before we get started with our project you will need to open your email from Apple (finally) and verify some information.  Please be careful with your typing!! You will be creating a group slide presentation of our iPads "rules and regs."  Each of you will work on a slide.  You will need to include the following on your slide:

• Text from iPad Commitment Letter
• Your explanation or understanding of what that text is saying
• An image of some type with the URL to give credit to the image source                                          

Gearing Up For A New Year

   Although I have not been blogging over the summer, my mind has continuously been thinking about my old students, and my new ones.   I took some time to read through the feedback letters my students wrote for me at the end of the school year.  I am making some adjustments based on their suggestions.  So thank you so much to all of you for your thoughtful feedback.  
     As for this year......hold on to your hats!!!  I am so excited about the start of the new school year!  The format of our classroom will be changing drastically.  The year will begin with preparation for the iPad 1:1 rollout which will be taking place at the beginning of October.  We will also be taking a look at Google and how we use it.  After getting ourselves Google and iPad ready, we will be moving in to our Genius Hour format.  I am going to ask my students to help me determine a new name for this concept as we will not be limiting it to one hour, or maybe it will be.  Hmmmmm something to talk about.
     Anyway....my head is spinning, and my heart is racing.  I am sure there will be some mistakes made along the way, but that is how we learn.  Get ready to explore your passions and share your finding with the world!!  I cannot wait to meet you all.  See you soon.

Getting Back to Normal...Sort Of

This week things will be getting back to normal in our building, but what is normal?  Things certainly won't be as they were a month ago; before iPads.  So I guess part of the next few weeks will be dedicated to us figuring out the "new normal."  Once again I want to praise and thank all of you.  You continue to impress me with your discoveries and the great choices you are all making.  Just remember-this is a learning experience for all of us.  We are still trying to figure out the "rules" or boundaries for these new devices.  You will need to be flexible and patient.

Moving on to our project for this week; your "1:1 iPad Timelines."  I will be attending my class on Monday and Tuesday.  You may see me in the building, but unfortunately I will not be in our lab.  Mr. Carme will be supporting your learning on these days.  Please do a great job for him and show him your best effective effort strategies!  Last week you were given the 1:1 iPad Timeline document.  You will need this to know what events to place on your timelines.  You will also want to take a look at the rubric for this project.  There is a copy of it in your "Workstation Resources" folder.  Please take this out and go through it before you start your work on this project.  This is the rubric you all created and it will be used to assess your final project.  During our second class last week you selected the tool you would be using for this project.  Some of you chose a tool from the list of suggestions.  If you were absent last week, you will need to take a look at the document, rubric, and list of suggested tools and catch up on this project.  If you do not understand what to do, please check in with a classmate to help you.  Please work hard as I expect this project to be completed by the end of class two this week.  I will be asking some of you if I can share your timelines with some of our stakeholders.

 **Very important:  If you are creating a new account; please be sure to read the forms (sign up) carefully.  If there is a line for username separate from the email address please be sure to use your first name, but not your full last name.  Use the first initial of your last name.  If you need to add something because a username has already been taken, try adding a "19" after your initial.  Write this information down somewhere and if you have time add it to your school sites table.  You will also need to check the setting of your account and make sure your timeline is "private."  You do not want your work in a public gallery because you will be mentioning Cape Cod and Barnstable Public Schools in some of your events.  If you have any questions about these settings I will be able to answer them during class two this week.

If you should finish this project before the end of class; I would like you to work on a new blog post for the homepage of your blog.  Remember to use your guidelines and have a classmate edit your post before publishing!!  Have a great class!

What Will Your Verse Be?

This week we will be embarking on a historical journey together.  The class of 2019 will go down in history in our school system as being the first class in which every student was given a device, an iPad, to use to advance and personalize their learning.  We will start our "work" this week by watching, "What Will Your Verse Be?", one of Apple's latest productions.  I cannot wait to hear your thoughts, not only about the video, but more importantly about how you envision using iPads all day long in school.  Just imagine every morning as you are preparing for your classes, you will grab your materials out of your lockers and then you'll grab your, yes your, iPad off the cart.  Now I am sure you have many questions.  Some of those will be answered during our discussions this week. You need to understand there may not be answers for all of your questions right now.  You will be reviewing and then signing the newly developed "Student Commitment Letter," and leaving your final thoughts on the back board of our lab. In addition to this discussion and sharing of expectations, you will also be creating your "professional or school" Apple ID.  

Wikipedia defines "beta" as "In computing, the term "beta" is used as (usually) the last release in the software release life cycle."  So I guess we can say our school is rolling out the "beta" version of 1:1 iPad use. With that said, there may be questions for which there currently are not answers.  You will be playing an enormous role in this process.  We will be learning right alongside with you.  So how will you use your iPad to improve and personalize your learning?  What will be your new learning "verse"?

During class two this week you will be creating your "professional/school" Apple ID. Before getting started with this process, I need you to enroll in the VPP (volume purchasing program). This membership will allow us to send you Apps. It is going to be very important for you to carefully type in your information. If you make a mistake in your email address, you will never receive the invitation. We will check you Gmail accounts next week to acceptance this invitation. Please complete the VPP Invitation Form. I will be walking you through creating your professional/school Apple ID accounts.

Back to Normal

Welcome back from our long weekend.  I hope you all got a chance to relax and recover from all of your hard work during MCAS.  All of the information you will need for class one this week can be found in my last two blog posts.

I cannot wait for all of my students to be published podcasters!!!  I will work my hardest to get your podcasts and your blog designs assessed and grades in to X2.  Please be patient with me as I have nearly 300 of each to listen to and look at!!

Our podcasting project has been very fun, but I am eager to move on to our next topic.  I think you will enjoy using Google forms.  You have already been using them, but now you will be creating your own!!  The uses are endless.  In fact, you should check out this video.  It shows how a teacher is connecting with her students using Google forms.  I think you'll enjoy it.

Many thanks for your honesty and thoughts on the iPad survey.  We will be putting that data to good use.  If you would like to speak at the School Committee meeting in May be sure to see me!!!  You guys rock!!