“Keep providing these sessions because they will enhance the capacity of administrators!” Responded an RUSD administrator...

Yesterday, the Department of Innovation and Learner Engagement hosted our first professional development session of the year for K-12 administrators. The first session covered topics like the 101 digital literacy standards embedded into the state standards, the SAMR model of technology integration, and what it looks like in various grades to truly transform learning with technology. The attendees were very thankful for having the opportunity to expand their capacity to support their staff in regards to the state standards and technology integration.  

Check out the future session we are offering RUSD administrators by clicking HERE

Google Images go Mobile

Google just released an extremely powerful new update for both students and teachers who use Google Apps for Education. Users of the Mobile versions of Google Docs and Google Slides can now add images while editing or creating from the App and it is as easy as 1-2-3. What does this mean for users? Students can now complete entire projects on their phones and tables using Google Docs and Slides. All you have to do is create a new document on your mobile device from the Drive, Docs, or Slides App and then touch the + button to insert. Clicking the + button gives three options: Comment, Image, and Table. When you touch Image, you have the option of adding images from the device Photo folder or to take a picture with the camera and insert it in your doc. The process for adding images in Slids is the same. This is a great way for students to document science experiments, team activities, learning outside the classroom, and much more. Google is making it easier for students and teachers to maximize the use of mobile technology all the time.

Digital Learning Day is coming soon

Digital Learning Day is coming up and there are many ways that you can participate and share.  A couple great tools that you can use in your classroom right away are Newsy and Newsela.  

Newsy is a video news story source that is web-based and has apps for multiple platforms.  There are many news categories in Newsy that teachers can use with their whole class or students can view and analyze nonprint media and use to complete learning activities that are current and relevant.  

Newsela is a web-based current events tool that has multiple lexile levels for students and many of the stories have built in quizzes that students can take to check for understanding.  Teachers can also create their own quizzes and questions for students as they track their reading progress.  Newsela has many different news categories that will capture students’ interests as they read and analyze narrative text.  

RUSD Gooru Innovation Lab

In partnership with Gooru, RUSD hosted our monthly Innovation Lab.  K-12 teachers and support staff personnel volunteered an hour and a half of their time to:

• learn about and provide feedback to Gooru Product Team members for new features coming out soon.
• learn how to best utilize all the collection data analytic features in Gooru.
• Watch interview videos with RUSD Power Users, and learn how to follow Gooru users inside and outside our district.

Check out RUSD's highlighted Power Users and learn how to follow their Gooru profile. We held the meeting in a station rotation model which allowed attendees to collaborate and ask questions in a more intimate fashion.  When reflecting on the meeting a teacher stated, “Loved that you had rotating stations. It reminds me how kids love that too. Just the simple act of going through the motion and practicing with helpers ‘in the know’ cleared up so much of the fog that permeates our classrooms when there is NO ONE THERE!” As the meeting was wrapping up, an elementary teacher expressed, “I could go to these meetings all day long!” Participants were asked if they were willing to commit to the Innovation Lab for the remainder of the year and all participants noted on the exit survey, “Yes, I’m in!” Participants who are in attendance for all the meetings will receive a professional Gooru Co-Creator Innovation Lab Badge, which will be linked to their haiku profile.  We look forward to an ongoing partnership with Gooru and our dedicated teachers.

Digital Citizens and Digitally Literate @ Magnolia

While on a site visit to Magnolia Elementary, I stumbled across some technology savvy kindergartners in the library.  They were working on the Effective and Efficient part of RUSD’s mantra as they worked on right and left hand placement while keyboarding on a web based programed called Keyboard Zoo by ABCya.com. One of the requirements for the Common Core State Standards is for sixth grade students to key a minimum of 3 pages in one setting. In order to prepare our students to be successful, we start them keyboarding in kindergarten. Take a look at our K-12 Keyboarding Standards. Other Kindergarten students were listening to digital stories on Starfall and then chorally reading them with their elbow partner.

The sixth grade students at Magnolia learned about Twitter and how your tweets can positively build an online reputation that future employers or college admissions officers can reference.  First they learned the vocabulary and functions necessary to be a Twitter user.  Then students drafted up a tweet to a classmate that was a simile about their digital life. Some of the sixth graders tweeted, “My media life is like an amusement park because it is so fun. My media life is like a day at school because I am eager to learn new things.” After students got the gist of tweeting on paper, their teacher opened a mock tweeting area on Haiku (our district’s LMS). Students began tweeting to classmates on about what they learned in class. One students online tweet read, “I learned how to make sense of equations and also learned how to protect private information. I am impressed with these sixth graders digital literacy skills and how they are learning to leave a positive digital footprint. 

The 3 Es

RUSD is well on its way to providing students with the necessary lessons to prepare them to be digital citizens and digitally literate. This year, we rolled out a K-12 Digital Citizenship and Literacy curriculum.  We branded this curriculum with the mantra of The 3 Es.  RUSD’s Digital Citizenship and Literacy curriculum prepares students to be Effective, Efficient, and Ethical users of digital media and technology. A sample of our K-12 Digital Citizenship Scope and Sequence (adapted from LBUSD) is available for viewing at http://bit.ly/13yg3LR.   

As we transition into the Common Core State Standards, Bryant Elementary has recognized the importance of integrating technology along with the Ethical piece of becoming a digital citizen. Mrs. Austin, a Technology Integration Coach, worked diligently with teachers and students as she hosted “Technology Specials” that taught students how to be Ethical users of digital media and technology devices during school and at home. Check out Bryant’s Kinders as they learn from Moby about the how the rules about staying safe in the real world are very similar to the rules about staying safe on the Internet. Fourth grade students participated in a lesson from  Common Sense Media  about their responsibilities and how to positively impact far more than just themselves.

Adblock Plus

Today, many students are using Chrome browsers for educational purposes. Common Sense Media has provided Chrome users with a helpful video tutorial that teaches students how to instal an add on called Adblock Plus. This add-on blocks annoying ads on YouTube, banner ads, and potentially harmful pop-ups and pop-unders. Keep your information safe and your computer protected with the Adblock Plus add-on. Watch the tutorial and try it out.