Cardboard Oculus Rift

What started off seemingly as a gimmick is now a viable option for affordable maker stations across schools. Google cardboard is a fold-out cardboard mount that creates a virtual reality experience. All you need is your phone, cardboard, lenses, a magnet, velcro, and a rubber band to start your 3D journey.

You can click here to download a template and have students build their own VR kits. Once students cut out their templates, they can build their Google Cardboard and explore various apps and the world using their phones. Hidden in the newest update in Google Maps is the ability to see a 3D virtual reality view of any location that is available in Google Maps. On your device, launch Street View, double tap the circle with the arrows in the lower right and pan around. Imagine the possibilities as students take virtual field trips to the Eiffel Tower or the Great Wall of China. If you can think of some other great examples of how to use Google Cardboard in your class, leave us a comment down below.

If you prefer to try out apps specifically designed for Google Cardboard, click here and explore some of the options that are available. You can also purchase your Google Cardboard online rather than building your own.

Burj Khalifa Abu Dhabi

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.

RUSD Hour of Code

Last week was the Hour of Code at RUSD and other school districts across the country. The Hour of Code is a nationwide initiative by CSEdWeek and Code.org to introduce computer programming to students and encourage them to learn programming. Many schools participated through online tools such as Scratch, Code, and Tynker. I had a chance to visit Monroe and Longfellow Elementary, and saw first hand how engaged students were with new digital skills that will be imperative in their future.

Monroe Elementary School students started off by watching a great Flocabulary video on coding with a brief discussion on how coding can impact their future. Students shared ideas about what they might be able to accomplish by learning how to code before diving into the lessons. Each student had access to a Chromebook and used the tools from Code.org to move zombies across different maps.

At Longfellow Elementary, the Hour of Code took place after school as students in the HEARTS program participate in a coding club. Students have direct instruction on the daily lesson via a large screen television in the middle of the classroom. After the lesson is complete, students learn modular coding through click and drag interactions using their iPads.

At both sites, the Hour of Code was a success as students learned new skills and were exposed to computer science. Students displayed unbelievable enthusiasm and excitement as they navigated through their coding lessons and we look forward to seeing them develop their abilities in CS.

Build Your Own Computer

Gone are the days of needing corporate backers and angel investors to create something new. Kano, a build your own computer kit started off in Kickstarter and now has it’s own website and online store. The Kano is a fully functioning PC that students put together by snapping components into place (think advanced LEGOS). Each Kano Kit includes a Raspberry Pi computer board, plug in speaker, a Bluetooth keyboard, HDMI and USB cables, USB Wi-Fi dongle, power plug, clear plastic case, and 8GB memory card.

Students build the Kano, plug everything in, and power it up. They are prompted to enter a name and the Kano runs through an initial set up with a software update. Once everything is set, Kano introduces students to coding using a modular visual programming approach similar to CODE.org. Students click on blocks and drag them into their coding windows as if they are building a jigsaw puzzle. To keep students engaged, Kano awards badges and allows customization features such as new characters and backgrounds for their digital guide. Kano slowly ramps up in difficulty so teacher assistance may be needed along the way.

RUSD Personalized Learning Summit

  Last week was an exciting time for the ILE Department, and it culminated Saturday morning with the Second Annual Personalized Learning (PL) Summit held at Ramona High School. Even though it was a gloomy morning, a large turnout of educators joined us to learn more about personalized learning.

The Summit began with an inspiring keynote from Anthony Kim, the CEO of Ed Elements followed by the audience moving onto their choice of multiple sessions that were led by RUSD educators and members of the Ed Elements team.

A popular choice  was the Digital Playground. Power users of Haiku and Gooru from the RUSD family provided one on one guidance to teachers as they explored how to use the web 2.0 tools that are available to them.

Other sessions included a Blended Learning Simulation, Google Docs, the 5 Elements of PL, Gooru, and Supporting Teachers in PL. The event also welcomed educators from other districts such as neighboring Jurupa Unified to as far as Desert Sands School District. This summit provided a time for educators on the forefront of change to get together, learn, and leave with excitement as they head back to their sites with the knowledge they gained throughout the day, "I like the opportunity to share and listen to others in the district on how they are implementing personalized learning - as well as their successes and struggles. I loved getting concrete ideas about how to use personalized learning in my classroom."

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.

MackinVia at RUSD

On November 19th, teachers and Library Media Assistants from five elementary schools joined MackinVia for an innovating training on how to start the process of ordering digital books for all students to access on any device. MackinVIA is a platform that hosts numerous digital books leveled by subject, genre, and reading level.  Students will be able to virtually check out the digital books and interact with them by highlighting important text, taking notes and exporting them into their work, using the dictionary to define unfamiliar words, and citing the sources directly into their work.  Teachers were granted 37 ebooks, 30 audiobooks, and additional funds to purchase digital books.  They will  start to use the digital books with students during whole class close reading, literature circles, and read alouds. MackinVia offers a platform for teachers and students to easily access digital books. Students can choose books at their reading level, and most importantly they are able to take control of time, place, and pace with the content. We are excited to see the the awesome ways the teachers at these five schools begin enhance students’ reading experiences with digital readers. Check out this demonstration video illustrating the power behind digital books in the classroom MackinVIA Demo Video.

Share the World with Your Students

     Education does not exist within the 4 walls of a classroom, or the brick and mortar buildings of a school. What if teachers could take students on field trips to some of the greatest museums in the world without having to worry about travel and finances? Starting today, you'll be able to do just that.
     Google is partnering with the world's greatest museums to help them build mobile apps that take advantage of everything Google offers such as Street View and YouTube. This means exhibits within these museums are available to anyone with a smart phone. Imagine the possibilities of how you can share the material with students. Students can go on virtual tours with the "indoor" 360 degree Street View and view individual exhibits that also include audio guides. These can be shared through their Gmail and Drive.
     Click HERE to download the first app and visit the Museum of Arts et Métiers in Paris and leave a comment to share how you will be using this tool with your students.

Hangouts just got a little more fun

Google Hangouts is an amazing tool to stay connected with friends and family. It's also a fantastic tool for teachers as the conversations feel as if they're in-the-moment with the video conference feature. Later today, Google is planning to bring some major updates to the Hangouts app for Android and iOS devices. Here are some of the new features to look forward to:

• Smart Suggestions- You will see a one-tap option to share your location right in the conversation. Pretend you're meeting a team member at a local museum: share where you are directly rather than opening a map app, setting a pin, then sending them your location.
• Last Seen Timestamps- Collaborate with others and know when they're available to chat by checking the time stamp. You don't have to ask the other teacher, "Are you there?" because you can see how long ago they were active.
• Sticker Packs- Hangouts will offer 16 new sticker packs so users can share what is on their mind without typing in words. Use stickers to have some fun while you collaborate with other educators-a picture says a thousand words!
• Filters- Hangouts get some extra flair with filters such as sepia, vignette, black and white, and more. Teachers can swipe on their device to choose different options as they communicate with other educators.

Hopefully these new features will make using Hangouts more engaging for you as you share great ideas with educators from all over!

Gooru Innovation Lab

On November 18th, the Department of Innovation and Learner Engagement hosted our first kick off meeting for the 2014-2015 RUSD Gooru Innovation Lab. We had over 50 teachers interested in the Innovation Lab.  The meeting had a nice turnout of K-12 teachers and Instructional Support Staff. Gooru’s representatives came down from Palo Alto to partner with our teachers and support staff in a unique way. The kick off was a collaborative effort to gather information to see how Gooru can further support the needs of our students, teachers, and support staff. We are very fortunate to be able to partner with Gooru in a way that all our educators’ voices are considered in the future development of such a powerful learning platform.

Student Choice

As RUSD moves forward with personalized learning, I’ve had a chance to see the emerging changes inside classrooms as well as teachers’ and students’ mindsets. Recently I visited two school sites, Liberty Elementary School and Matthew Gage Middle School.  Both of these schools are blazing a new trail as their students make choices about what and how they want to learn. Not only are students making choices in what they learn, they are making decisions on how to demonstrate  their learning and growth.

Student's WikiHow Doc

A 6th grader working on ELA standards was displaying his understanding of the standards via a coding program on his Chromebook. Another student in the same class was working on the same standards, but was creating a slideshow about Dunkin Donuts. At Matthew Gage, one student was embedding YouTube videos on modern dance for her wikihow while another student was creating a tutorial on how to beat Mike Tyson in an old Nintendo game. The diversity in students’ interests and how they were able to fit them into their own learning created a noticeable buzz of excitement in these classrooms.

RUSD PL Elements

What kind of change has this concept of student choice brought forth in school? I had a chance to ask students about their interest based assignments and the key word was passion. By enabling students to research and produce work based on their passions, there is an intrinsic motivation in learning because students are fully invested and engaged. A student said, “Teachers always told me what to learn and how to learn it. I don’t think I can go back to school how it used to be.”