Doodle 4 Google

       Doodle 4 Google is back! Students from K-12 are invited to share their artwork based on the theme, "What makes me...me." This year's contest has been opened up to allow students to use any medium to share their artwork. This means they can shape, build, cut, paint, bake, mold, or 3-D print their doodle. The possibilities for creation are endless this year! The only requirements are that entries must be submitted in PNG, JPG, or PDF file formats and it must incorporate the letters G-O-O-G-L-E. Applications will be accepted until December 7th, 2015 and they must be sent in with the official entry form HERE.
       2014's winner Audrey created quite an amazing piece of work. She described, "To make the world a better place, I invented a transformative water purifier. It takes in dirty and polluted water from rivers, lakes, and even oceans, then massively transforms the water into clean, safe, and sanitary water, when humans and animals drink this water, they will live a healthier life."

Lesson plans are split into the following: K-2, 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12.
If you're ready to get started the lesson plans are free and online. CLICK HERE

The list of prizes that will be available are below:

National Winner

The National Winner will have his or her doodle featured on the U.S. Google.com homepage for one day. He or she will receive:

• A $30,000 college scholarship
• A $50,000 Google for Education grant for his or her school
• A trip to the Google Headquarters in California to meet the Google Doodlers, and the opportunity to nominate a teacher to come on the trip
• A Chromebook
• An Android tablet
• A t-shirt printed with his or her doodle on it

National Finalists

The four National Finalists who do not become the National Winner will have their doodles featured in the Doodle 4 Google gallery. Each National Finalist will receive:

• A $5,000 college scholarship
• A trip to the Google Headquarters in California to meet the Google Doodlers
• An Android tablet
• A t-shirt printed with his or her doodle on it

State and Territory Winners

The 48 State and Territory winners who do not become National Finalists will have their doodles included in the Doodle 4 Google gallery. Each State and Territory Winner will receive:

• An Android tablet
• A t-shirt printed with his or her doodle on it

What Can You Do with a Little Communication?

       We all know about the powerful tools that are available through Google. We use Drive, Docs, Slides, and the entire suite of apps to communicate, collaborate, and create with peers and students. But did you know about the power of instant translations using Google Translate? Watch the video below to see what two coaches were able to do with a boy named Alberto, who had recently moved to Northern Ireland. His coaches used Google Translate not just to communicate and coach, but to make Alberto feel welcome and a part of the team.

        As educators, students come from all over into our classrooms. These new students are occasionally English Learners who are just starting to learn how to communicate using their newly adopted language. How can you use Google Translate to cross language barriers, helping these students adjust and feel welcome in your classrooms?

Ready to start translating? Click HERE to get started and click HERE if you want to read more about Alberto's story.

RUSD wins DILA Award!

       DILA (Digital Innovation in Learning) is organized through a joint effort by EdSurge and Digital Promise to celebrate major accomplishments in edtech. DILA asks applicants to share their stories focusing on how successes are accomplished in one of three categories: educator, administrator, and organization. After a rigorous selection process, winners are announced and their stories are shared with the wider edtech community so that others may get ideas on how to implement these new strategies or implementation plans.      
       Steven Dunlap, Director of Innovation & Learner Engagement, submitted an application highlighting the amazing work that was done in RUSD to put on our August 19th PD Day. The submission won in a tie for the category, Power to the People. The category asked for submissions from those who "Empower teachers, students and other administrators to take on leadership roles and participate actively in system-wide innovation." Highlighting the focus on teacher voice and choice, along with sessions that went beyond the previous norm of "sit and get" resonated with the judges as they made their selection.
       Watch the application video below.

Long Night of Arts & Innovation

ILE represented RUSD at Long Night of Arts & Innovation with a booth to share some of the initiatives that are being rolled out by our department. Those who stopped by the booth were given an opportunity to fill out the technology plan survey (which you can fill out HERE) and try out coding modules from Google CS First. We also shared with the community our implementation of digital citizenship and literacy, which focuses on teaching and preparing students for the mindful and ethical usage of technology. The event was a huge success and parents were excited to hear about how RUSD is on the forefront of technology integration while keeping in mind the curriculum and pedagogy required to prepare our students to be respectful consumers and creators. See below for photos from the event.

STEP Conference 2015

       On October 6th and 7th, our department ILE (Innovation and Learner Engagement) participated in the STEP (Science and Technology Education Partnership) Conference held at Bourns Technology Center.  Schools from around the Inland Area came to see demonstrations, exhibits, STEP talks, and classroom sessions all based in STEM. It was an exciting event with plenty of learning going on for teachers and students.
       RUSD was well represented with two classroom sessions as well as a booth showcasing our efforts using Google CS First. On the first day, we were able to partner with Google as representatives from the company came to present to the participating schools. In one room, students were able to walk through a coding session with Jennifer Vaden Barth, Google EDU program manager. In the room next door, we were one of the first in the country to share Google Expeditions. Expeditions is an app that uses photospheres from around the world combined with Google Cardboard to take students on virtual field trips. Teachers are able to take students to a variety of places such as Mars, the Coral Reef, and even inside NASA, providing an immersive learning opportunity. Two Google engineers who grew up in the Inland area were proud to present and share their knowledge with students about their career pathway that led to working at Google.
       On the second day of the conference, RUSD showcased two coding rooms where students from Moreno Valley, San Bernardino, and Yucaipa were able to go through a demo module using CS First. Two of our staff developers, Caryn and Ari were the lead gurus for each session, with plenty of help from the rest of our department.  For photos from the event, see below: