Video Lessons - Without the Tutorial

I've written and provided tutorials in the past about tools you can use to provide video instruction in your class. As a refresher, the reason to do video tutorials is to provide either direct instruction or support materials to students outside of class. So, either the students are watching the instruction/demo at home to provide time for individualized support in class or the videos serve as a support for students at home to review lessons. Either way, you have to invest the initial time of recording yourself giving the lesson or demonstration.

I Hate My Voice on Tape

One basic roadblock for a lot of people besides the time is that they have Home-Answering-Machine-Syndrome and hate hearing their own voice on an audio recording let alone video. They aren't very excited about having multiple videos of themselves giving lectures or demonstrations playing in the background of their class as they walk around and help kids. However, there is a solution.

Video Lessons without.... You

You do not need to make a tutorial with you in it to get the same benefits of having video lessons available for your students. There are many sites that help you make a video lesson with the following components.

Video Lesson Parts

• An educational video from the Web that is professionally produced
• A place for students to interact by taking notes, answering teacher generated questions or participate in some sort of activity in the same spot as the video
• A place for all of the student work to get back to the teacher for grading or discussion

Tools

Let's talk tools. For this, I'm going to split the tools available into two categories: Low-Input and High More-Input.

Low Input Tools

Tools with a low input don't require much time. Basically, the video is there and you add comprehension or discussion questions to the video. It can act as a quiz or just reinforcement of learning goals. It's really fast and looks great.

VideoNot.es - A side-by-side notetaking tool for students watching a video

YouTube Questions - Add questions/quiz to YouTube Videos

BLubbr.tv - Yes, I know... unfortunate name but a good tool for adding comprehension and study questions.

TED-Ed - Hopefully you're aware of TED talks but you may not know they have a lesson creator

High More Input Tools

These tools may require a little more time but they allow you to string multiple videos together into one lesson and add things to your activity besides basic text. They still rely on simple drag and drop technology which make them very easy to use for anyone. 

Zaption 

Metta.io

Take Away : You can leverage the power of free educational video content without making tutorials. Give one a try!

Kahoot! A Fun Quiz Game for Class

If you're looking for a fun alternative to common review activities, try Kahoot.


Kahoot is a fun and extremely simple online quiz game which can be used for learning-checks, end of unit review, or general formative assessments. It is very easy and fast for teachers to set up a quiz/review activity and easy for even the youngest kids to use. And did I mention that it's a game (i.e. fun)?

If you're looking for something different than Jeopardy and faster to set up than some kind of template based game, Kahoot will work well for you. Plus, this is a great way to use student devices in class; you don't need to check out the iPads or computers to make this work. Since the teacher puts in his own questions, it will work for any subject.

How it Works

1. A teacher creates an account on the Kahoot website (for free) and creates a new "Kahoot" or activity for kids. 
2. The teacher enters in questions (as many or few as he wishes) and receives a code for his Kahoot. 
3. Kids go to Kahoot.it on any device and type in the code to start playing. 

That's it.

Students watch the questions on the front board and choose the color square on their device to answer. Answers are awarded points based on time to respond and if they got the correct answer. A leader board is shown after each question.

It's fast and free. Give it a try. 

Enrolling Students into their Moodle Classes

Students need to self enroll for each class/teacher. The process works the same each time so after completing the process once or twice, it will become very quick and easy. It should take approximately 5 minutes once logged into a computer. It can be done at school or at home.

Google Accounts & Username/Password

Student user/password credentials are pulled from their Google Accounts. There is no additional username/password to keep track of. Students must use their new isd186.org accounts in order for Moodle to work, though.

Moodle: Logging-in & Self-Enrolling

Getting into Moodle

1. Open Google Chrome and log-in to Google Apps. You should see your name in the upper right if you're logged in. (If the log-in screen doesn't come up, go to: accounts.google.com)

2. Navigate to Moodle by going to the district website (www.isd186.org) or your school's website and clicking students on the right.

3. On the Moodle homepage, click "Student & Staff login" on the bottom left.

**You should wait for the slideshow to start moving before logging in as important information will be displayed here. 

If a Google Box pops up asking if it's ok, click "Accept" and the Moodle homepage will load.

Enrolling in a class

Students need to enroll in their teacher's class before they will be able to see their teacher's Moodle page, resources and assignments. To do this:

1. Go to the list of classes by clicking here.  or type in http://goo.gl/lb4YtR (capitalization matters)

2. Navigate through the folders to get to the department or grade you want.

Example: High School > Math >

3. When you've arrived at the right grade or department, you will see a list of classes. Towards the right of each class, there are two icons:

Clicking the "i" will expand the block so you can see the teacher, syllabus, etc. Clicking the key will enroll you in the class.

4. When you enroll, it will ask for a "enrollment key." Ask your teacher for this 6 digit code.

You will automatically be taken into the class and it will appear in "My Classes." Repeat this step for each class.

Don't Forget to Check the Tech Page

Welcome to a new school year with its initial wave of tech issues. I want to make you aware of two features on the tech intranet page that will be of help. So before sending out that support ticket, check:

Known Issues - These are large scale issues that we're already working on or others have already sent in tickets for. If the item is in Known Issues, that means:

1. We're already working on it, it doesn't require a ticket, and the solution will be posted when found. 

2. We've got a call into the vendor and are waiting on them to fix it or respond. 

3. We've fixed it and you can find the solution without having to send in a ticket. 

Knowledge Base - When we have something that people ask about frequently, we post a solution or training in our Knowledge Base. I just posted an article Josh wrote about printing issues in there this morning. This would be a good place to start before sending in the ticket. We add more articles or videos in as time goes on (this is all new with the new intranet), so check back occasionally. 

Both can be found by clicking the link below:

https://sites.google.com/a/isd186.org/staff/tech

Moodle

Getting Started with Moodle 

Moving to Moodle district-wide is one of the biggest new items in the technology world here in the district. It can easily be a large source for a nasty ball of stress that sits in your chest. But it shouldn't be. Despite being new to most of us and requiring the learning of some new skills, incorporating Moodle is a positive and exciting thing. We're moving forward by leaps and bounds towards developing 21st Century Learning skills, meaningfully integrating technology into our daily work,  and providing a platform for the kind of personalized learning that has become a cornerstone of the educational landscape of the future.

It's a pretty big deal, but we just have to remember that this sort of thing takes years not days or weeks and that we'll get there eventually. So as we get started with this new school year, we need to take deep breath and realize that moving forward with Moodle is a series of small steps towards an eventual goal not a jump into the abyss.

A Big Deal

The ability to use a singular LMS like Moodle across the district means just one tool for staff and students to learn no matter the grade, department or building. Even though students will be experiencing Moodle in different ways throughout the district, the skills required to access and interact with the material will be the same and will carry forward as students progress through the grades.

The downside to this approach is always the loss of some specific function or capability unique to a class. For example: "With program X I could do A, B, & C but with Moodle, I can do A and B but am unsure if I can do C or C seems more complicated." This concern is not lost, however it seems a fair trade when one considers how quickly ed tech can become overwhelming for students and families. We have seen that parents quickly become overwhelmed by technology with which they are unfamiliar, thus inundating them with lots of software that is unique to a building, grade, or classroom results in lower overall engagement. So, it is my hope that as we integrate Moodle (including providing opportunities for parent learning on Moodle and Skyward) parents and students across grades and buildings will begin to feel more comfortable with technology.  They will begin to realize that we use Google Apps(including the new website), Skyward and Moodle across the board and those three things take care of about 95% of all the information and material that makes up our daily work; thus it's about getting comfortable with three programs rather than 25.

Moodle & The Summer Slide

Sunny summer days work like a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser, wiping away things you need to know now. If you are struggling to get going with Moodle this year, don't worry. I've created a spot in the staff intranet just for Moodle.

STAFF MOODLE HELP PAGE

Here you can find important information and help with issues specific to Moodle. On the left you will find information for adding video trainings on various software such as Moodle, Google Apps, Skyward, and the digital curriculum systems. This means you can self-enroll in Moodle for these trainings so they show up on the home screen of your Moodle or under "My Classes."

The right-hand column has a Moodle Training playlist from the Tech Integration YouTube channel. The bottom has a searchable Frequently Asked Questions area. I will continue to add as more questions come in.

Moodle & Student Accounts

One of the major reasons we moved students to the isd186.org domain is so they will not have yet another user name and password. They will log into Moodle using the same process as staff (i.e. click the login button on the bottom left of the moodle.isd186.org page).

Students will begin the year with a completely blank Moodle, that is they will have no classes added. They will add their own classes using the same process as staff. So you may want to try adding a course/training in your own Moodle to see how it works. I will provide a .pdf handout for you to use when you're ready to have your students enroll and will make a tutorial video on the front page of Moodle explaining the process for students.  Once a student enrolls in your class, it will immediately take them into the class to view your Moodle page.

Just as a heads up, you'll need computers and 15 minutes of class time. Most kids that get logged in will complete it in 5 minutes.

1. Students login to the computers, login to their Google acct, and then navigate to Moodle via the district Website.
2. They click the link posted in Moodle to take them to the master course list.
3. They navigate to your class and click the key/door icon.
4. They type in the course key number (available on the staff Moodle help page) and are enrolled.

That's it.

Most kids are set to be enrolled for a year and will automatically be removed in the summer. If you have a semester course or kids drop, I will show you how to remove students.

Moodle & Intervention/SpEd

SpEd teachers & Interventionists will be added to classes as needed and by request. The purpose for this is for these folks to have access to the resources and materials that are being assigned to kids on their caseload. For example, Student A heads to resource and doesn't have the study guide assigned by Teacher X. Teacher Y simply opens up that Moodle page and low-and-behold, there's the study guide.  Of course, a crucial link in the chain is that the study guide is there as a .pdf, .doc, or GoogleDoc. 

GenEd Teachers:

If you see a staff member added to your Moodle Course, realize it is because of IEP, 504, or intervention needs. This teacher does not have access to change, alter, or delete your materials or information.  They do have more permission than a student and are able to access sections or items that are hidden. This can be very useful as you can post assignments with accommodations/interventions as required by IEP/504 and leave them hidden. The general population cannot see them but the SpEd teacher can along with any notes you provide.

If you would like to add paras that are in your classes and would need the same access, please send me their name and the class to which to add them.

SpEd Teachers/Interventionists:

In order to get you added to the courses you need, I will need a list of the courses to which you need to be added.

Tech Info for the Beginning of the Year

Well, it's that time again and here we are back in the classroom. In order to help you through some of the changes and new things, I will be doing a series of posts this week and next on helping staff get settled with tech for the new year.  Some of it will be new information and the rest will be reminders and quick tips from trainings we've done previously. If you haven't already, please subscribe to make sure you're receiving all the updates.

First things first:

"My computer has been re-imaged. What do I do next?"

Pick Up Your Device

Make sure you've received your device. If you haven't, HS/ML teachers will need to pick theirs up from Brenda's lab and EV teachers will need to pick theirs up in the 3rd Grade lab.

Either way, Josh will need to log you in the first time due to some settings changes that have taken place. This will get you logged onto the secure network for staff.

Websites and Homepages

We've spent a lot of time working on new websites over the last year. We have a new district site, activities site, site for each school, staff intranet site, Moodle site.... well, you get the picture.

You probably want to start with one or two of these sites every morning when you log in. To do this, you will need to set Chrome to open automatically and the new website homepage(s) as your homepage when you open Chrome. Below is a video to help you through this.

Access Your Backed-Up Files

Most staff last year chose to back up their files via Google Drive. If you haven't already, you'll need to access those files to get rolling for this year. You have three options this year for working with your Drive files:

1. Continue working through drive.google.com to access, edit and download files as necessary. 
2. Use the Google Drive application now on your computer as a "server folder" of sorts to store and access your files from programs such as Word. 
3. Do a mass download of your backed-up files bringing them all back onto your computer. 

If you choose number 1, you don't need to do anything special right now. However, options 2 and 3 need a little help. We will start with option 3 first. 

If you want try option 2 (which is my recommendation if you use Word or Excel a ton and don't like GoogleDocs), this will get you started. 

Miscellaneous

A few more items for today's post:

1. There are two networks now, please make sure that your teacher computer is using the secured (not open) network. The open network is being heavily filtered at this point and you may find things you need inadvertently blocked or slow. 

2. Printers can still be added as before by teachers. (This is important as your list of printers has likely disappeared). Please remember to get your requests in early to Carol.

3. Future posts will address things like Google and Moodle, but remember all of your spring tech trainings in Moodle (i.e. the tutorials) are still available. 

Google Virtual Fieldtrips: Take Your Students Anywhere

hiddencityphila.org

No time to take your students on a field trip? No funds to go to that awesome event? Can't bring in a guest speaker because they live in L.A.?

No Problem!

Virtual Field Trips

Virtual field trips have been around for some time and often involve students individually navigating to a monuments's website and taking the virtual tour. Virtual tours offer panoramic views of a monument or museum in stunning detail. If you have never heard of a virtual field trip or tour before, check out this link of the virtual tour of the Château de Chenonceau in France.

I used this tour frequently in one of my units on Renaissance architecture. Notice how you can move between rooms, pan, and zoom in great detail. Visitors of any virtual tour are treated to important historical information as they would be if physically there. Many, many monuments, parks and historical sites in several countries have virtual tours available including most national monuments and museums in the US. You can find them by visiting the monument or museum's website and looking for  "Virtual Tour."

One major detractor though of virtual field trips has always been that they are rather stale. Even though students can maneuver around a site themselves and get information, it is done without any interaction or personal touch from a guide, docent, etc. Thus, the information presented,  while beautiful and informative, isn't always the most engaging to students. There is usually no expert answering your questions and providing those personal tales that are often the most memorable part of a tour.

Enter Google Connected Classrooms 

Watch this introduction:

Wow, right? 

This truly amazing opportunity is free from Google and can be done in any classroom in the district -- whether as a live event or to be viewed after the fact. It uses Google Hangout video conferencing (similar to Skype), a computer, and a projector. That's it. And it's free. 

What a great culminating activity for students to be able to see their learning in the real world, travel to places they may never get to, & hear from experts in the field!

If you are interested in setting up a Google Connected Classroom field trip or need help with any other virtual field trip, please email me.