Microsoft 365 has Arrived!

Office 365 Training Resource Page

Classroom Blogging

Blogging in the Elementary Classroom

Be sure to check out the whole playlist for some great blogging tips and case studies. 

Kidblog at DCPS

Ideas from other teachers:

Science Student Blogging Blog Post

Ultimate Kids Blogging Guide Blog Post

Possible Rubric Ideas:

Rubric 1

Rubric 2

Rubric 3

Teachers are Superheros with a Powerful Superpower

"Technology amplifies your teaching. You're the hero, you just need a superpower and that's technology. That technology is your help"                                         - Dr. Kecia Ray

The second day of #iDC2016 (technology conference within D.C. Public Schools) started off well with the keynote speaker Dr. Kecia Ray, with the Center for Digital Education. Dr. Ray highlighted what education should look like today. Her message indicated that there are no negatives with personalized learning and only positives. She emphasized that technology is changing the landscape of teaching.

She shared the video from Dateline NBC that highlights the changes with technology from the "olden days" to the present. Students have access to much different technologies today than were available not even that long ago.

In what ways do you feel that "technology is changing the landscape of teaching?" 

Is technology a teacher's superpower?

"Tech amplifies your teaching. You're a hero, you just need a superpower & that's technology" -@keciaray #iDC2016 pic.twitter.com/xVMx2IDiOg

— Cassandra Davenport (@davenportcass) August 4, 2016

New to Google Drive?

Getting Started with Online Storage

Google Drive is an online storage system that allows files to be saved and stored online to be accessed through a web browser or app. Files can be stored for personal use or shared with others for collaborative work. No more emailing files back and forth or even using a flash drive. With Google Drive, your files are in your online account on any device you log into. Drive allows multiple people to access and edit documents in real-time. Document/file owners can determine who they want to be able to view or edit files. And, of course, you can have your own personal files and folders that don't need to be shared at all.

How do you get into Drive?

Accessing Google Drive, as with all Google Apps, is as easy as typing drive.google.com in the Omnibox search bar. (For example for Google Calendar type calendar.google.com and so on)

You can also easily access Google Apps through the apps chooser arrays located within your internet browser.

    

 

Check out Alice Keeler's tips for those who are new to Google Drive below:

11 Tips When You're New to Google Apps for Education https://t.co/71UQyGhV8q pic.twitter.com/qe90oM2Kub

— Alice Keeler (@alicekeeler) May 21, 2016

DCPS Staff Eager for More?

Check out the resources through Atomic Learning for more great videos, tutorials, and tips in becoming Google Drive savvy. 

A Match made in EdTech Heaven

OneNote Class Notebook integrates with LMS Canvas and DCPS now has access to both

The nation's capital public teachers are about to go back to school. And with the new school year comes new possibilities and an anticipation for a school year that increases student engagement and growth even more than the previous school year. Teachers were ecstatic to learn that this IS the school year that both the cloud-based sharing and collaboration platform, Microsoft 365, as well as the LMS program, Canvas, will be enabled for not only for teachers but all of the district's students as well. 

With this announcement, the deal was even sweeter as we learned that increased integration between the two platforms is only growing. This is evident as OneNote Class Notebook can be created and utilized within Canvas as well as collaborative features using OneDrive files within Canvas is due to drop in the next few weeks. 

“OneNote Class Notebooks are one of the few tools that have had a substantial impact on the way we teach. One of the others was Canvas. To have these working seamlessly together is outstanding. It is an order of magnitude easier to build a OneNote Class Notebook through Canvas than it was a year ago. We have teachers spinning up a canvas course and building notebooks for clubs, advisory, athletic teams and a variety of scenarios we didn’t anticipate.”

—Jonathan Briggs, director of technology at the Eastside Preparatory School.

Excited to jump right in? Check on the Canvas and OneNote mashup tutorial below. Please note you can skip the LMS set-up section as this has been set up already at a district level. 

D.C. Public Schools Deputy Chief talks Blended Learning

Two weeks ago, Justin Bruno, with the Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute (MVLRI) spent some time interviewing David Rose who is the Deputy Chief of Educational Technology and Library Programs with DCPS to speak about the district's work with blending learning in their schools. Be sure to check out more interviews by MVLRI with other national leaders at their Virtual Viewpoints Podcast.

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Learn more about the districts work with blended learning in the guest blog post by John Rice, Director of Secondary Educational Technology :

D.C. Public Schools and Blended Learning: It's About Helping Students Learn Better

Read about one program's (ST Math) success in the district at:

DCPS Perseveres In Its ‘Capital Commitment’ to Math Success [Profiles in Success]

DCPS Educational Technology Summer Teacher Conference - iDC

The annual iDC Institute will be occurring this week in Washington D.C. for local DC Public School teachers. On August 3rd - 5th, Ballou High School, in Southeast, will play host to many sessions for teacher professional development. The big focus this year will be on Microsoft 365 and Canvas as the district strives to provide 365 accounts for all staff and students.

iDC - August 3rd morning schedule

Last year I attended as a presenter, showcasing interactive whiteboards and audio recordings and QR codes in the classroom. This year I am pleased to attend as a student ready to learn a ton!

I hope to see many of you DCPS and Powell teachers there, please check out the schedule below for tomorrow's sessions. Are you planning to attend? What are you looking to get out of iDC this year?

Excited for #iDC2016 this week! Check out the @sched for 2016 iDC @iDCdcps https://t.co/CWVRQB8yzk

— Cassandra Davenport (@davenportcass) August 1, 2016