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Modern Learning PD Opportunities

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The opportunities listed below are worth checking out as they are inline with our Upper School goals and stage of technology adoption at ZIS:

  1. Connected Educator experiences including book clubs. You’ll find 4 featured book clubs in the community with opportunities to chat with authors and colleagues. That’s pretty special, to be able to sit down with your beverage of choice, at the time of your choosing and engage in conversations with authors who are colleagues and walk the walk of connected learning.Chris Lehmann, Zac Chase, Kathy Cassidy, Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach, and Lani Ritter Hall invite you join them in thinking deeply on important ideas.Joining is easy; select the book you’d like to read; click on the book’s link below; request to join and you’re in!
  2. Learning2 Milan 
    Learning2 is an innovative, engaging and constantly evolving face-to-face conference with a focus on leveraging technology to support learning globally. It is considered to be one of the leading annual technology conferences in the Asia region. From 2016, Learning2 conferences will be held in over four continents.
  3. ASB Unplugged
  4. Become an Innovative Educator Expert 

 

Moodle Upgrade

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Moodle needs to be upgraded due to security concerns.  Our timeline for migration to the upgraded version is as follows:

  • Oct-Nov.  Sandbox environment tested
  • December (during the holidays) migration to new version
  • A few months into semester two, the old install will be available to access files just in case

Once the sandbox (a copy of our current Moodle upgraded to the new version) is ready for testing you will need to spot check your courses.  I will let you know as soon as the sandbox install is ready.

I Do Not Like Green Eggs and SPAM

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Nobody likes SPAM, dealing with it is tricky, and there certainly is a lot of it!

Global spam trends
By now you should know:

  1. Where your messages go in gmail,
  2. How to find an email using Gmail’s search (*pay particular attention to this video at 1:06 where it explains how to include spam and trash in searches),
  3. How to block unwanted messages.
  4. How to access your spam folder and help your Gmail learn what legitimate mail is not spam.
  5. How to identify a message that is SPAM
    Click on the quiz below and see if you can identify all the markers of a spam message.
    Capture

Because this is different for every individual, please continue to periodically check your spam folder. Check out this resource to learn why certain type of messages end of in your spam folder and what you can do about it.

 

 

Evolution of Edtech at the Upper School- Update

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This year we have a lot of exploration to be done related to educational technology shifts.  All exploration is aimed at streamlining communication and ensuring an agile digital ecosystem, so we can focus on the real goods….forward thinking pedagogy!

Starting in June some of our colleagues (thx- Adrian, Ali, Claudia S, Diya, Geoff, Ian, Jason, Marie & Will) have explored Google Classroom to support blended learning in one or more of their classes.  Their efforts have allowed this platform to be explored in our digital ecosystem producing the following findings.

Our next steps is to continue with early adoption of Google Classroom and start piloting SMART amp.  SMART amp is a cloud based version of SMART notebook that saves automatically in your Google Drive.

If you are interested in piloting SMART amp or adopting Google Classroom please email Liz before the end of this week (Friday 25th).

US Ed Tech Infographic 14_15 focus

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To the left is the graphic that summarizes the findings from the 1-to-1 device cycle three research that points to all things beyond the device.  Below is a summary of our Upper School ed tech evolution over the past four years.

2011-12
1-to-1 cycle 2 year 1 (x220), iPad pilot , scaling screencasting and digital portfolios, and desktop research.

2012-13
Start of 1-to-1 device cycle three research,  SMART board/projector research, mobile phone wifi connection, and start of PBL work w/ Suzie Boss

2013-14
1-to-1 device cycle three research, continued PBL work w/ Suzie- including the fail festival, and Moodle upgrade

2014-15
1-to-1 cycle 3 year 1 (Yoga), Suzie Boss PBL work, Fine Arts digital ecosystem research, Gmail, and retirement of network drives (Classwork)

2015-16
Start of cycle 3 (iMac labs for visual arts), Google Classroom and SMART amp pilots, continued work with Suzie Boss, and start of 1-to-1 cycle 4 research