AACPS OIT Byte

  By Samantha Wilkinson, Instructional Technology Teacher Specialist In my 3rd grade classroom, every year in December, I would put up a bulletin board titled “Give the Gift of Kindness”. Of course a new bulletin board display always generates some interest and conversation among students which builds anticipation of the activity. I displayed envelopes wrapped as presents on the board, and each was labeled with a date of a day we were in school. Every morning that month, during community circle, a student would take down the present for the day and read the slip of paper inside.  Sometimes the paper asked the students to perform a task, sometimes to write a note, and sometimes to just think. Each slip of paper focused on giving back to others and showing kindness. They were simple such as, “Tell a cafeteria worker you appreciate them”, or “Write a post-it note and put it on a friend’s locker to show them how much you care”, “Draw a picture for a cultural arts teacher”, etc. So...

By Koralina McKenna, Instructional Technology Teacher Specialist Last year I did a project with my middle schoolers that required them to break words into syllables in order to create a beat for a song. I had a feeling the syllable part would be an unexpected, yet expected, hurdle. I hate to be right, but I was very right. The struggle over syllables took away from the project as a whole and wasn’t necessary for understanding the content but was necessary to complete the art integration component of the project. We limped through and all was well. Fast forward to this year; I was reviewing various accessibility tools for a PD I was presenting and came across one that has fallen off my radar - Microsoft's Immersive Reader. As I explored the tool, I came across a feature that allows you to break every word on the page into its syllables. You can imagine the amount of shaking my head I did as I thought back to that ill fated project from last year. Such a simple little tool, yet so m...

Thankful for Read & Write By Samantha Wilkinson, Elementary Teacher Specialist Hope everyone had a wonderful and rejuvenating Thanksgiving break. As we often do this time of year, I spent some time reflecting on the things I am thankful for. Near the top of my list were our OIT applications which make lessons engaging and easy to design, and also the Read & Write Extension. Yes, I said it. I know many teachers are annoyed by the R&W pop-up toolbar during instruction but did you know about the wonderful tools of Read & Write? I am here to tell you why that purple puzzle piece should be something you are grateful for, too! Due to the teacher shortage, I spent several weeks back in the classroom as an AACPS 5th grade teacher this fall. One of the first things I noticed about my students was the range in ability and language. While all classrooms have mixed capacities and students with special needs, this group in particular had an expansive span of writing and readin...

by Tracey Brown Office of Instructional Technology Teacher Specialist Shortcuts are time-savers when working on a computer. Even though they may only save you a few seconds, that time can really add up when you find yourself doing the same task over and over while working in a digital environment. Tricks like CTRL + C instead of right-click and scroll down to choose COPY quickly become a game-changer. Below we will share the shortcuts that we can’t live without when working across our devices and digital environments. Universal Shortcuts Universal shortcuts are so named because they work across different devices and different applications. Working on a MAc? Simply substitute Command for CTRL.

  Prep for Conferences with Brightspace Portfolio by Darren Towers, Office of Instructional Technology LMS Administrator There are so many reasons us teachers collect student work samples. One of the main reasons, an essential part of the teaching and learning process, is to show growth and share that growth with all stakeholders. For most of my career these samples were collected at the beginning, middle and end of the year and stored in file folders. Then, at conference times, the student work was shared with parents to show where the student began and where the student is now. Brightspace can help streamline the collection and sharing of the samples we share with parents while enhancing the way we analyze and share the growth our learners have made . Artifact Collection: Brightspace Portfolio allows for the collection of key artifacts, including videos, audio recordings, and multimedia presentations. Hard copies of student work can also be scanned, uploaded and stored. This tool...

By: Koralina McKenna, Instructional Technology Teacher Specialist  Have you ever used a Studio Board in Discovery Education? I hope so, because if not, you are missing out on one of the only customizable digital worksheet creators out there! Today, I am going to discuss two options for using this amazing tool right inside Brightspace. We all deserve to work smarter, not harder so let's get more from Brightspace with Discovery Education.  Embedding a Discovery Education Studio Boards Directly in Brightspace. Studio Boards designed as a way for students to gather information from multiple sources are easily embedded into Brightspace and allow students to manipulate the board directly from Brightspace. Students do not have to leave Brightspace in order to access the board.  Studio Boards make great choice boards or can be used to house a content collection on a specific research topic. The example to the right was used in a 6th grade science classroom. Students used this Stu...

By Kerri Lambert, Teacher Specialist They can’t log in. It takes too much time. They don’t do the assignment; they just play around on the Chromebooks. They need to write and draw and cut and paste! They spend enough time on screens. These are just a few of the reasons we hear on a regular basis as to why teachers don’t incorporate technology into their instruction, especially at the elementary school level. We get it; it can be a frustrating experience that teachers don’t want to deal with, especially during a time when there are so many other stressors and things on teachers' plates. However, technology is a tool that brings much to the table in terms of student choice, accessibility, and engagement that it’s well worth incorporating into your lessons. And did I mention that even at the youngest grades, Common Core standards explicitly include technology ? It’s all about balancing traditional activities with technology, and making sure the activities that are being done are worth...