AACPS OIT Byte

By Samantha Wilkinson, Instructional Technology Teacher Specialist The year is 1986. The chief association for the software and digital content industries,SIIA (Software & Information Industry Association), wants to acknowledge revolutionary educational technologies. They want a method for peer evaluation and a way to honor innovative companies, products, and people as leaders in the ed tech field. And so, the CODiE award was born.  As you can probably guess, the name CODiE came from the word “code”. This is a nod to the program’s basis in the software industry. Years later, the logo was redesigned to include the “i” symbol for information. According to their site, “This is to visually represent the CODiE awards’ focus on the software and digital content industries.”  To determine finalists for the award, all of the ed tech products and services nominees are first reviewed by educators and administrators, followed by SIIA members voting. Scores from both rounds determine t...

by Tracey Brown, OIT Teacher Specialist A lot of airtime has been dedicated this year to talking about the new world of virtual instructional days for weather and other unplanned events. Maybe you are still unsure if you’re ready. Most teachers seem uncertain about Asynchronous days. If that is you, check out the January 17th Planning for Asynchronous blog post by Kerri Lambert. But if you just want a refresher on how to teach synchronously, this post is for you! The number one tool in your teacher toolbox for a synchronous VID is Google Meet. Below is a recap of tools and features you may need to dust off and brush up on. Also, it has been over a year since we had to rely on this tool daily for instruction. There are some cool new tools that you and your students should know how to use, and you should know how to manage before they take over your virtual classroom environment. What's New in Meet Push to Talk -  To unmute yourself, press and hold the spacebar. To mute again, relea...

  By Samantha Wilkinson, Instructional Technology Teacher Specialist As we come to the end of January and see February on the horizon, we also approach the 100th day of school. ONE HUNDRED DAYS. Congratulations! This can be a fun milestone to acknowledge in your classroom and below are some easy ways to integrate technology to celebrate.  When I’m 100 years Old in WeVideo : Students will use WeVideo (or Wixie) to record themselves talking about what they hope for themselves when they are 100 years old. They can use text boxes, images, and music to showcase their hopes and dreams for the future. Optionally, students can dress up and speak as themselves from the future! When I am 100 in Wixie: For little learners, consider using Wixie where students write a sentence about when they will be 100 years old.  Have them use the paint tools to create a picture about the sentence. Teach them to use the Microphone tool to make a recording of the sentence. Biden’s First 100 Da...

By Kerri Lambert, teacher specialist, Office of Instructional Technology The forecast is out. SNOW is on the horizon! Everyone is on the edge of their seats with the age old questions: How much snow will we get? Do I have enough toilet paper, bread, and milk or do I risk going to the store? Will the street get plowed? Will the kids have a snow day? And now, add a new question to the mix: will it be an asynchronous virtual day? Wait, what? That’s right, no longer is it a simple question of school or no school. Now the options include a traditional snow day, regular school, a synchronous virtual instruction day or an asynchronous snow day (and don’t forget the possibility of a delay!) There’s a lot to consider in each of those scenarios, but the one teachers are the most unfamiliar with is the idea of an asynchronous lesson when students will be working independently through assignments. So what should you consider when planning for these days? Let’s take a look at a few key points that...

Video Killed the Radio Star⭐ Samantha Wilkinson, OIT Elementary Teacher Specialist On August 1st, 1981 MTV used this song, by The Buggles, as it's first ever track to be shown on the channel. Beware, it's catchy: Now that the tune is stuck in your head, I think we can agree that The Buggles were onto something. Video DID kill the radio star. In fact YouTube, TikTok, Instagram and other video based applications prove video is king by consistently ranking in the top 5 of most active users. Here are some reasons why video reigns supreme: Video displays nonverbal communication cues. Video encompasses all other mediums- audio, visuals, text, etc. Video communicates ideas quickly and succinctly. Video betters social communication and prompts dialogue. Video allows for multiple takes, combining various clips, and allows for faster expression than most other mediums. It’s engaging! In terms of the classroom, video creation by teachers allows them to have recordings for students to refe...

  By Samantha Wilkinson, Instructional Technology Teacher Specialist Happy New Year! I hope your winter break was indulgent, fun, and most of all, relaxing. Now that we are back to school, I bet you are thinking about the potential of snow days. I sure am! As you know, we could be going virtual on those days. In the event it is a synchronous learning day, and you are online with students, I wanted to remind you about some of the great features and shortcuts for Google Meet.  Top 5 Google Meet Reminders For Virtual Instruction: 1. Layout of Meet: In order to see all of your students, you may need to change the layout of your window. Under the 3 dot icon “More options” there is a “change layout” option. The tiled selection shows up to 16 participants when there is no presentation, and when there is a presentation it will be shown on a larger tile while participants are to the side. This can be changed to 49 participants using the sliding tile bar at the bottom. Spotlight a...

  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...