What Am I Crazy? Moving My Class Website to Google Sites

Some History

When I first started using the Internet with division one students many many many years ago, it was quickly apparent that too much time was spent having them type websites into the address bar. Initially I created a Word document with hyperlinks and saved it in a shared folder on our server. I taught them how to open that document and all they had to do was click on the hyperlinks. I just changed the content of that document for each technology lesson. Eventually I made my first class website on Tripod way before it was Tripod.Lycos! Later I moved it to Wordpress as I did not like the banner ads Tripod had.  

I Like Wordpress

I like Wordpress and have used it for over five years. It was relatively easy to learn and use. The URL for my site is http://msmondor.wordpress.com/ which meant when students searched "msmondor" my site was the first thing they found. I made Ms Mondor a spelling word in the first weeks of school. Things I like about Wordpress:

• You can schedule posts.
• It is user friendly.
• It is free without a lot of annoying ads.
• You can customize an easy to find URL.

So Why Move?

When EPSB first "went Google" I tried Google Sites and I hated it. It was clunky. So I pretty much ignored that part of Google Apps for Education. Last year I made a landing page for my former school using Google Sites. My, had things changed. It had all the things I liked about Wordpress plus I could make the interface more division one friendly than I could with Wordpress. I will miss my short and convenient URL. Things I like about Google Sites:

• You can schedule posts.
• It is free without annoying ads.
• Can upload files for parents. For example on my math page I have math games that we've played at school.
• Division One friendly interface.
• Can integrate other aspects of Google Apps for Education easily.
• It is easy to use after some initial trial and error/instruction.
• There are templates to use create class websites.

Links to Consider Viewing

• my old class website - Ms Mondor's Grade Two Website
• my new (still building) class website - Ms Mondor's Website
• my post Benefits of a Class Website

Student Profile Template

Multiple Intelligences Survey

I used multiple intelligences surveys this year as part of working toward integrating Universal Design for Learning (UDL) into my teaching and in my grade two classroom. I initially sent home the survey for families to do with their children. My intention was to give students a simple half page summary of their strengths and areas for growth based on the survey. However, while most families completed the survey promptly, not all of the families handed them in. I did not want to have any students left out of the next step which was to discuss goals for a strength and an area for growth. So I decided to administer one in class as well.

Home Survey 

As a part of the collaboration my staff is doing with a number of other schools, the grade two teachers decided to not include the existential component. I found a survey that did not include it and modified the language  very slightly to make the format a little more accessible. The grade one teachers in our school drafted a parent letter that explained the survey. 

• Orignial survey
• My modified survey and parent letter

School Survey

When I decided to do a survey in class I wanted something would not be too time consuming but have grade two wording. The survey I used was short and on one page. We completed this as a class. I read the statement and gave examples of what a 0, 1 or a 2 might be. 

The formatting was not very user friendly for grade twos. Next year if I were to use this in class I would number them and make the font larger. I did change the scoring from 0-5 to 0-2. I also only had students put the number beside the question. I later put their numbers in the bold boxes and tallied them. Actually, I delegated that to my husband! :)

• Original survey

What Next

After these two surveys I was left with a lot of paper but still not the overall picture I was looking for. So I decided a one page summary of each student would be more useful. Alberta Education has a document called Developing Learner Profiles. I found this very useful and from it I created a Google Doc called Student Profile Template. I have set the settings to view only but I would love comments on the document for suggestions about how you would use it.

I will also give my students a short summary of their "smarts" so that we can discuss goal setting next.

Microsoft Word? No! Google Docs! A Habit Shift.

As I have begun to research UDL more this year, I have tried to use as many available resources as possible. I have also tried to share things that I am creating. I almost have always exclusively used Word to create documents for planning, parent letters and student work. I still like Word better for creating student activities. However, I have started to make a mental shift to creating new planning documents and parent documents using Google Docs. It is much easier to share what I am doing. I encourage others to make the shift and not just create in Google Docs but share what you are doing with others. 

Making Your SchoolZone Parent Resource Page Easy To Navigate

A Paperless Lesson

Two years ago I decided to go paperless for class communications*.  Instead, I started posting the PDF or Word versions of the documents in class news of SchoolZone for a set period of time. Then I would also post it for future reference in the reference section. What I ended up with was not very user friendly. 

* I do provide paper copies for families who request them.

Using Headings 

Last year what I decided to try was to create a heading for each subject area at the start of the year. I even colour coded the headings. As I had something to add to that subject area, I would go back to the date that heading was created on and edit that post or insert an additional document. So, for example, all math items would be together and easy to find. I set the end date for the end of the year for each category/post. 

The Category and Date Matters

I set the the "class" for each heading as "home room" otherwise SchoolZone will be helpful and order the topics alphabetically (art, English LA, etc.). I prefer to have my school start up information first followed by the core subjects. 

This led to another discovery. If you catgorize everything by "home room" the date you set as your start date matters when you set your resources page up this way. If you want General Information first, make sure it has a start date that is the LATEST. I found it useful to put all the information I sent home the first few weeks of school together under General Information. Then I had the core subjects, followed by everything else. 

You can have all the items under one "start" date but if you change your mind about the order you want them to go in, there is no easy reordering solution. Assigning each item/topic area a different start date was an easier way to manage the Resources page for me.

Don't Forget

I am surprised at how many teachers still do not know that they can assess their Discovery Education (formerly United Streaming) through the staff resources section of the resources tab. You no longer have to remember that username or password! 

Parents and students also have access to Discovery Education through SchoolZone as well as access to LearnAlberta. 

While We're Talking About SchoolZone

On August 19th a new version of SchoolZone was released. Two of the most significant changes for teachers were:

• no more workspace tab for schools that use Google Apps.

• SchoolZone News said: "When teachers make changes to student files shared through the Hand In box, students will now get a flag alerting them of the change.  Click here to learn more."

Your Turn

Please post your September SchoolZone tips in the comments! 

New School? New Technology!

Started at a new school this year? What are the technology questions you should be asking? What technology preparation should you be doing? Here are some ideas!

1. Do an inventory of what technology is in your school. 
2. Talk to the technical analyst or lead technology teacher. I think understanding HOW things work will help you problem solve when things stop working (or even to know when to stop problem solving because it is not fixable by you). Possible questions to ask:
          What are some ongoing technology problems? 
          How old is the technology in the school?
          What is the plan for technology in the school?
          How reliable is the wireless?
3. Find out the procedures for accessing the various technology. You may need to talk to the librarian, the technical analyst, principal, lead technology teacher and others! 
4. Find out the subscriptions and cloud computing programs the school has access to. Thing to find out:
          Who manages the subscriptions/programs?
          What setup is required for you/your students use the subscriptions/programs?
          Are there programs you are REQUIRED to use?
5. Learn about the technical savvy of your new community. Are the parents and families happy to go paperless and receive everything from you via the Internet? Do many of your families have limited access to technology. Are there any on-going community issues around technology?
6. Have an open-mind! Like all things about moving schools, things are not going to be the same as your old school. There will be things you miss and things you do not miss. 

Android Apps And Grade Two

I will have access to Samsung tablets this school year. In anticipation, I have played around with some Android apps on my Nexus 10. These will not be full reviews yet, as they have not been tested out in a classroom setting. 


The blog post 50 Ideas For iPads in the Classroom has some iPad specific items mentioned, however, it includes great ideas for procedures and is well worth a read for people starting to use any tablet in the classroom.

Common Sense Media has some reviews on Android Apps as well. They provide the age the app is intended for, they give it a learning rating and a quality rating. When you read a full review, they also provide information about: ease of use, violence, sex, language, consumerism, drinking, drugs and smoking, and privacy and safety. Their audience for these reviews are parents, however, not teachers in a classroom setting.

I've started by trying the free versions of all the apps if a "lite" version was available. The majority of free apps are supported by ads. I would not recommend using the "lite" versions in class. If you do, it is recommended that lessons around consumerism and advertising are a part of your preparation for teaching students how to use the tablets. Common Sense Media has a lesson called "Things For Sale". 

Android Apps Previewed

BrainPop Jr. (free)
This is app gives the user access to the current movie of the week plus an easy and a hard quiz about the movie's topic. As well, it gives the (free) user access to six additional free movies. For those who have a subscription, you can also access other educational videos, games, quizzes, and activities. The free movies are about:

• classifying animals
• bullying
• nouns
• US symbols
• tally charts and bar graphs
• Internet safety

Will I Use It? Yes. Five of the six free movies are things that fit with the grade two curriculum. I would use this app as a centre activity when we are exploring those topics in class. 

Google Earth (free) 
This app does not have the full capabilities of Google Earth. In theory it would be a great resource for students to have quick access to satellite views of the Earth but I found it glitchy and slow when I used it. 
Will I Use It? Maybe. I'll try it again on the tablets at school and see if it functions better for me on them.  

Guardian Eyewitness (free) 
This app has great pictures but I think it is better suited to division II and up. 
Will I Use It? Not with grade twos. 

SpellingCity (free*) 
Unlike the website, the (free part of the) app gives you basic spelling practice from ten sample lists that go from kindergarten to grade twelve. If you want students to be able to access the spelling lists you have created on SpellingCity.com (with your free or paid account), then you will have to pay $1.99* for each mobile device for what they call a Mobile Pass. The downside is the user is  logging with the teacher account, unless you purchase the classroom premium subscription of $49.99.
Will I Use It? Yes. I think it is worth the $1.99 to try!

RAZ-Kids (app is free but it is based on a subscription)
I have used RAZ-Kids with my grade two classes for the past four years. It is a great addition to reading centres. It costs $89.95 for a subscription. The app connects to this subscription, so students can access their account using this app. 
Will I Use It? Yes.  

iStoryBooks (free) 
Common Sense Media summaries this app well: kids' reading skills may not get much of a boost as reading level is typically too high for the targeted ages and writing style is not exceptionally engaging. iStoryBooks offers kids free access to colorful books but would benefit from higher quality literature and a better user interface.
Will I Use It? Maybe. I plan to use RAZ-kids on the tablets. While it is a free app it prompts the user to buy more books. 

Math Pack Flash Cards (free) 
This app has a variety of "flash cards"/questions for math operations for  kindergarten to eighth grade kids.
Will I Use It? No. The layout and organization of the site is not ideal for grade twos in a centre situation. 

NASA (free) 
The NASA app provides information, videos and photos about space. This would be a great app for any grade six classroom! 
Will I Use It? No. While anything about NASA is very cool,  I do not see a direct link to grade two curriculum. 


TangramHD (free) 
There are many tangram apps. For classroom use, I did not want one that was based on levels or scores.  This one has categories of puzzles that the user can select from: people, animals, boats, numbers and alphabet, stuff and buildings, and geometry. It does have advertising for its other game but it is minimal. 
Will I Use It? Yes. 

Apps On Deck For Preview

The following apps are ones I have seen suggested during my research:

Bad Piggies (free) - puzzle games
Cash Cow ($4.03) - a math puzzle game that uses money
Doodle Fit Free (free) - spatial puzzles
Dragon Dictation Lite (free) -    voice recognition dictation ap

i-Prompt (free)- Tele-prompting software
MathBoard ($4.92) - math drills
Math Workout (free) - 

Minecraft Pocket Edition (free) - open-ended activity that is about exploration and creation

Mobile Mouse Lite (free)- makes your tablet a wireless remote for your computer/whiteboard 
My DPS (Digital Problem Solver) $0.99 - it teaches emotions and coping strategies

Story Dice ($2) - dice with symbols for telling stories

Where's My Perry? Free (free) - a puzzle game
Where's My Water? Free (free) - a puzzle game

Flashback Post To Help With School Start Up

Div1Edtech has a number of blog posts that may be useful for  technology planning and for school start up. 

Class Landing Page

Late August/early September is a great time to set up a class website or landing page. Check out the post A One Stop Shop! The Benefits of a Class Website to see why! I am thinking about setting up this year's class website using Google Sites. Check out the student landing page I made using Google Sites for my previous school: Together We Accomplish More. 


EPSB Staff cab also use SchoolZone as a landing page. Put the websites you will regularly use as links on the Resources section! If it is your first post there, it will stay at the top for the rest of the year which will make it easy for your students to access from home and school regularly.

Subscriptions

Part of setting up your classroom is thinking about resources, traditional and digital. What subscriptions are worth the money? Check out the blog post Subscriptions and Sign Ups as a jumping off point. 

Technology Lesson-Unit-Year Planning

As you put together your year plan, think about how you might incorporate technology. In the 2012-13 school year I tried to chronicle my technology use in the very long post This is the blog post that doesn't end. Yes, it goes on and on my friend. 

In division one it is important to plan for teaching basic technology skills at the beginning of the year. These first steps can be daunting at times. Check out the blog posts below for some tips and ideas:

• HELP! How do I get my class logged onto the computer for the very first time?
• Introducing Grade Twos to Netbooks
• Getting Started With Grade Ones and Google Apps

Post Your Suggestions!

Please post your tips, links and suggestions in the comments for division one technology school start up ideas!

What's Next For Div1Edtech?

The themes for my posts for the 2013-2014 school year will be Android Apps for division one, UDL for division one, as it relates to educational technology, and digitally connecting division one students with other students from outside their school.

Android Apps? Why Not iPad Apps?

The new school I am working at in September has Samsung tablets. I am excited to look at how these can be effectively used in the classroom. I was disappointed to find out when doing research on Android apps that most discussion out there is around iPad apps. The limited discussion around Android apps for education rarely included division one apps. However, Google Play for Education is supposed to launch in September! Please leave a comment with any Android apps you think I should check out!

UDL? 

Universal Design for Learning is something that I learned about last year. The principles of UDL fit with my educational philosophy. I read Jennifer Katz's book, Teaching to Diversity: Creating Compassionate Learning Communities, this summer. 

Digital Connections

Off and on over the past ten years I have included pen pals, or some variation, in my teaching. Initially I used ePals, which I would still recommend to teachers looking for unique opportunities to connect their students with other students around the world. With EPSB going Google over the past few years, it seemed like a good time to try a Google product platform. So I began to explore how to effectively use Blogger with division one students. Please leave a comment if you are interested in connecting digitally (gmail, Blogger, etc.) with another division one classroom. I started a community on Google+ that is meant to help teachers find other classes to connect with on Blogger. Check it out!