AACPS OIT Byte

 By Kerri Lambert, Teacher Specialist, AACPS Office of Instructional Technology On March 7th, OIT went global with our semi annual eCoach Day. During this day of virtual professional development, eCoaches, Brightspace Campus Champions, media specialists, and other guests took time to “Explore the possible: Connecting Classrooms to the World” through 33 unique sessions offered by vendors, AACPS teacher specialists, and AACPS classroom teachers.  Session topics were varied, covering everything from Generative AI, Google Earth, Talkies in Wixie, to coding with robots and other applications. With the global connections theme, many sessions focused on how students can connect and interact with the world beyond the classroom walls. Discovery Ed took teachers on virtual field trips, Lumio by Smart demonstrated how to integrate global perspectives across content areas, and our own Samantha Wilkinson and Tracey Brown showcased Google Arts & Culture and Google Earth, tools that all...

By Kerri Lambert, Teacher Specialist, AACPS Office of Instructional Technology This is the sixth post in a series about the Maryland Digital Learning Standards.  If you’ve been following along in our series of blog posts about the Maryland Digital Learning Standards, one thing should be clear by now. It is that the standards are designed to encourage students to be active learners, concerned with building their own knowledge base and creating content; not simply consuming it. This is particularly true of Standard 6: Creative Communicator. Let’s take a closer look, but first, the standard as it’s written:  6. Creative Communicator Students communicate clearly and express themselves creatively using the platforms, tools, styles, formats and digital media appropriate for their goals. Students: a) choose the appropriate approved platforms and tools for meeting the desired objectives of their creation and/or communication; b) create original works or responsibly repurpose or remix ...

It's that time of year when novelty is key. Testing season is upon us and the students have mostly mastered the routines of the classroom so it is the perfect time to try something new. Below are some ideas and resources to help combat those winter blues, help students work on digital learning skills, and add fun to your daily instruction. Host a March Madness Typing Club Challenge! This is really quite easy. After assigning your students a typing course , track their progress and create some friendly competition. All you need is a bit of time during class to let them practice. Bonus win- their keyboarding skills and practice time will help prep them for those big tests. You may even consider hosting a grade or school-wide contest on who can get the most stars or minutes practicing. Request the elevated role to monitor your school data here . Not sure about Typing Club? Find out more here . March is International Women's History Month. Honor the courageous first ladies who chan...