Blog Archives

Creating and Communicating with iPads

9/21/2015

1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade teachers at Conn-West Elementary were introduced to a new iPad app called Seesaw last week and are already excited to use it! Seesaw is an app that allows students to share the work they do from their iPad to their teacher... with no usernames and passwords to remember. Students just scan a QR code to log in and post their work! It can't get any easier than that!

It is all about Student Creation
It is all about STUDENTS doing the creating with technology and Seesaw allows a variety of ways for students to communicate their learning.

Journal entries: Have students reflect on their learning or explain a concept.
Photos: Students can take a picture and annotate the photo, audio record an explanation, or type in text over the photo.
Videos: Students can create a video of a presentation to demonstrate a science concept, a speech they have written, or more!
Drawings: Students can draw pictures that illustrate a story or of any skill they want to explain.

Teachers can use this platform to have students create and share their learning in any subject matter, making this one of the most versatile apps available! Parents also love this app because they can join Seesaw to see that video or journal entry that their child has created.

It is easy to get started by going to Seesaw and creating your FREE teacher account. Please contact Diane DeLaTorre for any more questions about how you can successfully use Seesaw with your students.

Reflecting with SAMR

by Diane DeLaTorre

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Tech-Enhanced Scavenger Hunts

9/15/2015

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7th Grade Science teachers at GMS, DeeAnn Moore and Cassandra Fight, are starting the school year off with a technology bang! In just a month’s time, they have used all kinds of technology tools. They’ve had students create personal introductions using Animoto, set classes up on Edmodo and already posted instructional videos, and most recently their students went on a technology-enhanced scavenger hunt!

During their reading classes, Ms. Moore and Mrs. Fight decided to teach students about different textbook features using a QR scavenger hunt. They developed a set of questions that were embedded into a QR code using a QR Scavenger Hunt creator (http://www.classtools.net/QR/) that allows you to put text into a QR code instead of websites.

The QR codes were hidden in various locations around the room by the teachers and a few student helpers. Students then had to locate not only the QR code to get the questions, but also the answers within their textbooks and record them on a graphic organizer! Questions covered various features, like table of contents and glossaries, that would help students understand and better navigate their textbooks (scan the image to the right for an example). Students had a blast trying to find not only the answers to the quiz, but the QR codes themselves. What a fantastic way to get students up and moving with technology!

Reflecting with SAMR

In case you missed it...
The district has a new QR reader on all of the student iPads this year, I-Nigma. Just look for the image to the left on student devices and you've found it!

Mary Cordry

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Out With the Old, In With the New - MasteryConnect

9/10/2015

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After 7 years of tedious printing and scanning of district common assessments, it's time for a change. For the new 2015-16 school year, the district has started the transition to a more updated and advanced assessment system called MasteryConnect. It is an online assessment system, that provides an easier way to assess students and track mastery of standards.

MasteryConnect provides time-saving assessment tools. With GradeCam bubble sheet scanning, MasteryScan app, bubble sheet assessment app, and browser assessment and scoring, teachers can easily grade their assessments. Yay, no more scan stations!

Learning the new system will take time and the district will be making this transition slowly. At this point, in grades 3-12, only assessments that were previously given using Achievement Series will be given using Mastery Connect. Grades K-2 will give some additional assessments (mainly benchmarks) as they transition to a standards based report card.

If you would like to know more about Mastery Connect we highly recommend that you take the "Interactive Tour" that can be accessed through the home screen on your Mastery Connect Account. This tour provides a great overview of what Mastery Connect is all about.

For more personalized support, we have a variety of options available.

For quick reference/support please see our Mastery Connect Tutorial page on our Instructional Technology Website. This resource offers very quick step-by-step instructions for the tasks teachers will do most in Mastery Connect.
Have bigger questions about what you should be using Mastery Connect for? Check out our Frequently asked Questions page. We will continue to add to this resource as we see common questions emerge.
Most importantly, please remember that you can schedule a personal, small group, or even whole staff meeting with your building Technology Integration Specialist (Elementary: Diane DeLaTorre, Secondary: Mary Cordry) to get the support you need. We are here to support you in any way we can.

Our transition to Mastery Connect is an exciting one. This is a great tool that will streamline the way we deliver assessments and what we do with the data afterwards. As with any big change, making this transition will be a process that will require time and support. Please know that the C&I Department and the Instructional Technology Team is committed to providing staff with the support needed to make this a successful transition. Please don't hesitate to reach out for assistance.

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Grandview Teachers Present at ISTE 2015!

9/2/2015

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Butcher-Greene teachers Cathy Christiansen and Tammy Anderson recently presented at ISTE 2015. ISTE is the largest educational technology conference in the world, and only about 30% of proposals are accepted. Tammy and Cathy presented on using QR codes and iPads to create listening centers.

Tammy and Cathy's modern listening centers did away with traditional tapes, CDs, and headphones, and instead allowed students to use QR codes to access prerecorded readings on iPads. Students could then follow along in the books while listening to their own teacher reading. Tammy and Cathy's session lasted two hours, and they stayed busy discussing their project with a large number of interested conference goers. Great job to these two teachers for representing Butcher-Greene and the Grandview School District so well at a major conference!

Reflecting with SAMR

Scott Sisemore

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Showcase Blog

Weekly updates on the great things being done by schools, teachers, and students in the Grandview School District. A great way for us to learn from each other!

If you want to share something exciting that you or another staff member are doing with technology and/or STEM in the classroom please contact
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