AACPS OIT Byte

by Brigette Connolly, D2L Success Coach Students generally collaborate in a physical classroom by discussing their work with their peers or working in groups. You can accomplish the same goals in Brightspace whether you are in person, or online! The three best tools to use for collaboration in Brightspace are Discussions, Groups, and Activity Feed, and even if you are already using these tools, you may not have thought of the effective practice of using these tools to encourage collaboration. In addition to what you are already doing with these tools, there are many other effective practices for using these tools that encourage/foster collaboration in your classroom. Discussions The Discussions tool allows you to create different forums and topics for class conversation. Think of the Discussions tool like the filing cabinet, and the forum is a file folder that holds the topics and threads within the discussion. One way to set up discussion forums is based on units, or the big ideas yo...

by Kerri Lambert, OIT Teacher Specialist Over the last several years, there’s been a push for students to learn coding in schools. Nationwide events such as the Hour of Code, held every December, have brought this valuable skill to the forefront and for good reason. Coding teaches children how to problem solve, fosters creativity, and develops computational thinking skills among a host of other reasons, including it’s just plain fun! Yes, I said fun. You read that correctly. Fun is still allowed in school. 😊 And what’s more fun than programming a robot? Instructional robots have been becoming popular in AACPS for several years, and while COVID put a damper on them for a while, they’ve been making a comeback this school year with several schools purchasing them for use in media centers, clubs, and in classrooms. There’s a robot for every grade level and comfort level that you can imagine, and AACPS has many robots that are approved for instructional use. Botley, indi and Beebots are pe...

By Kerri Lambert, OIT Teacher Specialist Are you looking for a program that allows students to combine text, drawing, images, speech and video? Are you looking for something that has pre-made templates, but also allows free creative reign? What about a program that gives you access to all the projects your students have completed- without anyone having to take extra steps? And let’s not forget easily taking pdfs and making them editable for students!  This is not some mythical unicorn program. Believe it or not, such a program does exist. It’s called Wixie, and it’s available to all teachers and students in the AACPS.  I may even like it more than Google, but don’t tell anyone I said that.  There are so many ways you can use Wixie in your classroom, but rather than me wax on poetically about the options, I’ll let others persuade you. Click here for real projects, done by real teachers and students around AACPS (here’s looking at you Tyler Heights, George Cromwell, Shady ...

by Tracey Brown, Office of Instructional Technology  Teacher Specialist If you haven’t explored what virtual field trips have to offer you and your students, you are missing out on one of our favorite rabbit holes. Virtual field trips are so engaging you can get lost for hours exploring the resources that lead you from one location to the next. Not only are they engaging, they can help teach your curriculum. We promise! One of the greatest misconceptions about virtual field trips is that they are all for science and social studies. While there are great opportunities for these content areas, there are also field trips for math, literacy, art, STEM, culinary arts and so much more. If you are interested in considering what a virtual field trip can offer you and your students, this blog post is for you! According to Common Sense Media, “virtual field trips are informal learning experiences that get students out into the world, exploring the world and students' interests.” Does this me...

by Tracey Brown, Instructional Technology Teacher Specialist Teachers have waited for years for AACPS to achieve one-to-one with student devices only to be let down by a reality in which students frequently forget devices, bring them uncharged, damaged or otherwise unprepared for use. It can feel like we have time travelled back 5 years when 20 devices for 35 students was the norm. How can we plan technology-rich lessons when the access to devices is hit and miss from one day to the next? Below are suggestions for encouraging students to bring their devices, but also how to utilize tech tools when you have more students in class than the number of devices. Technology use IS the incentive While teachers never appreciate the solution, “just design two lessons,” when it comes to technology, this can be easier than it sounds. When you build an online quiz or survey in Brightspace or Google Forms, for example, you can simply print it for students who don’t have their tech. For All Student ...