Monday, December 14, 2015

Your child's secret life online: 7 ways to manage it as a parent

A great resource for us moms and dads on managing our children's online life.

Your Child’s Secret Life Online: 7 Ways to Manage It as a Parent

MYP encourages creative, critical and reflective thinking

10 reasons why MYP can encourage learning  to happen...

Monday, November 30, 2015

Gaming for Learning


In this digital age it can sometimes be difficult to filter out the distractions that come with the power of technology.  Social media, viral videos, and video games can pull our attention away from more important tasks in our busy lives.  However, one innovative teacher in the Middle school is trying to take of one of those "distractions" and turn it into a powerful learning tool in his classroom.

In Mr. Gibault's grade eight Humanities class, students have been hard at work learning many concepts related to the growth of civilizations and the impact that growth has on the world at large.  Concepts such as supply and demand, and the importance of geography in the development of societies can be difficult to learn in a vacuum, so Mr. G (as his students refer to him as) turned to a video game called Sid Meier's Civilization V to provide context for these difficult ideas.


Civilization V is not your standard video game.  Students are put in charge of making all of the decisions for their developing civilization; where to expand new colonies, what new technology to develop, whether or not to make peace with other civilizations around them.  The game covers religion, economics, geography, science and technology, diplomacy and every decision the students make in the game has consequences for their fledgling civilizations.  They are constantly needing to weigh the costs and benefits of the choices they make.  But most importantly, they are seeing the concepts taught in class played out in a microcosm that they control.

That is the power in what is happening in Mr. G's room.  Students learn about key concepts by discussing and debating them in class,and then they get to experiment with them in a realistic environment.  In that way, Civilization V transcends a video game and becomes very much like what a lab is to science class: a chance to see learning in action.

If you want to know more about what has been happening with Civilization V, the students have been blogging about their experiences.  Take a moment to browse through the hard work they have done.

Sunday, November 29, 2015

Star Wars Death Star has been rebuilt



Legoland has built a replica of the Death Star. See how they built it and what it can do!
You could try building it at home but you will need 500 000 bricks!

See the news story and video

Young scientists break down plastics with bacteria.



What impact can high school students make on the scientific community? Watch the TEDTalk and find out.

What kind of digital parent are you?


What approach do you use with your children when it comes to their use of digital devices and the online environment? 
Author Alexandra Samuels has taken the highlights from her article for The Atlantic magazine called "Parents: Reject Technology Shame" which has identified three distinct approaches. These trends came from a study of more than 10 000 North American parents.

To read her article: Parents: Reject Technology Shame.




Friday, November 27, 2015

Today's Classroom







Troubleshooting the Beach Ball of Doom

http://www.macworld.com/article/1151583/spinningbeachballofdeath.html


Basically what it comes down to is this:

The beachball shows that your Mac is busy. Something is hogging its processing power (whether hardware or software)

The problem could be that your computer does not have enough RAM. They come with 4 Mb of RAM and this is usually enough but sometimes more is needed. This would be the reason IT suggested turning off your computer and then turning is back on (clear the RAM). Also if you have the beachball, only using the one application (a bit of a pain - I know)

A likely reason could be, your Hard Drive is nearly full so the computer is finding it hard to place files, slowing the process down. The article suggests that you have at least 10 Gb of free space on your computers hard drive - the one that is designated the start up disk. This gives the computer space to move files around and be more efficient.
To check how much disk space you have, do the following:
  • Go to Finder
  • Click on Hard Drive
  • Right-click the icon and select Get information  (This will tell you how much Hard drive space you have and how much is free.)
  • If you don't have a lot of space free, you will need to either move files to an external source (external hard drive or to the Cloud)
They also suggest adjusting your standby mode  in the Power Saving settings. It is hard for the computer to process data while the hard drive is still waking up. You may have this setting set too low causing your hard drive to spin down frequently.
The Power Saving setting can be found under the Apple icon (top left of your screen) in the System Preferences option of the dropdown menu.


Thursday, November 26, 2015

Google Summit Korea Presenters

The Summit is only 7 weeks away. This event is open to educators and parents and will be the best tech summit you will attend in 2015 - 2016! Read about some of the overseas presenters below and sign up for the "on your doorstep" event.

For SFS staff is is as simple as saying "yes" on the Google Form, with the DLC team doing the rest. (the 270 000 KRW will be deducted from your PD account in February - you won't feel a thing!)






Kimberley Hall

Melbourne, Australia

Kimberley is an enthusiastic Google Certified Teacher and authorised Google Education Trainer who recently departed her Secondary English, IT, History and Future Leaders classrooms to work for the Catholic Education Office in Melbourne. Being part of a fabulous eLearning leadership team in an Apple Distinguished School, with 1:1 iPads and laptops, ensured that Kimberley is experienced in empowering others to pursue their own learning journey to seeing technology as an essential ingredient in their teaching and learning. She was also the leading teacher for student voice, engagement and local and global connections which allowed her the chance to collaborate with students on real world projects including philanthropic work.
Kimberley has been invited to present at conferences across Australia and around the world as well as facilitating workshops for both students and parents throughout her local school community. She has also collaborated with educational publishers and departments to produce ICT based resources for schools across Australia. Kimberley believes that ICT enables transformation of practice, can be harnessed to promote higher expectations and create a community of learners.






Molly Schroeder

Director of Professional Development

Molly Schroeder is a Global Digital Age Learning Specialist, Google Certified Teacher and Google Apps for Education Certified Trainer. She presents nationally and internationally at conferences, workshops and conventions on how to integrate Google Apps and other emerging technologies into learning. Her background is in Elementary Education and she also holds a certificate in Educational Technology and Gifted Education.






Jim Sill

USA and Australia

After almost a decade in the video and television industry, Jim Sill hung up his producer hat and embarked on a career in education. Using his industry experience, he created an award winning video production program at El Diamante High School in Visalia, CA. By involving students in real world video projects, they garnered awards and recognition at the local, state, and national level. With experience producing local television and industrial videos for non-profit organizations, many of his former students now work in the industry.
As a Google Certified Teacher, Apple Distinguished Educator, Google Education Trainer and Apple Certified Trainer, Jim leads professional development workshops on Google’s collaborative tools, social media, and video production.
In 2012, Jim was featured in Edutopia and their Teach2Learn series for his work in Building Career Skills in Video Production. He was also awarded The Computer Using Educator (CUE) Outstanding Teacher Award in 2009 and nominated for the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) Outstanding Teacher Award.






Jennie Magiera

Digital Learning Coordinator

Jennie Magiera is the Digital Learning Coordinator for the [Academy for Urban School Leadership](http://auslchicago.org/), a network of 29 Chicago Public Schools, and previously taught math to 4th and 5th graders.
As an Apple Distinguished Educator, Google Certified Teacher and Chicago Public School's 2012 Tech Innovator of the Year, Jennie has been working to redefine education through effective technology use. She explores how to leverage 1:1 devices such as Chromebooks and iPads to increase student metacognition, self-efficacy and creativity.
Aside from her students, Jennie's great loves in life are sci fi, mashed potatoes, Tabasco sauce, her dog and her husband. You can follow Jennie on Twitter at <@MsMagiera> or through her blog [TeachingLikeIt’s2999](http://www.teachinglikeits2999.com/).



Tuesday, November 10, 2015

The Art Of Story Boarding

Storyboarding?!  Why do it?  What's the point?  It takes time I don't have ...
Storyboarding is an essential tool when working with any sort of movie project.  Some say it is storytelling with a pencil.  It is used primarily for planning out story, staging and timing.  A well planned storyboard will save hours of time filming and editing.  Time spent at this stage makes the rest of the process a smooth experience.

As students bounce ideas off each other, they refine their thinking, planning becomes more detailed and focused, which translates across to on-task filming and editing!  They go out with a plan, check off each shot as they capture it, eliminate mistakes in the field, and minimize time spent in the editing room.

Check out these students, hard at work on their storyboards ... you can see their thought process developing and refining as they work at their storyboard.


Students are thinking through how to best stage their shots to create maximum 
visual impact and clarity for the viewer.

What Are the Key Elements For A Storyboard?
The DLCs have a google presentation with notes to share if you would like to teach this in your class.

Story
  • break the story down into the key points and arrange them into a timeline.


Staging - What camera angle and framing best tell the story?

A top down, closeup shot of a puppy.
Camera Angles
Extreme Long Shot
  • also known as wide angle
  • camera positioned some distance away from subject
  • shows the environment the subject is in and their relationship to it
  • often used to set the scene
Long Shot
  • also known as full body shot
  • shows character with a little space above and below head and feet
Medium Shot
  • the "bread and butter" of filming
  • much closer to the subject
  • often cuts the character off between knees and waist
Close Up
  • shows details
  • may be a head and shoulders shot, or hand ... foot etc
Extreme Closeup
  • moves in very close
  • highlights something specific
  • can be used to convey emotion (eg. eyes, white knuckles to indicate fear)

Camera Framing
  • Top Down (and bird's eye view)
  • Front On
  • Side On
  • Bottom Up

Movement
Panning
  • camera moves with subject
  • indicated on storyboard with a direct arrow
Zoom
  • camera moves in or out on subject ("zoom in"/"zoom out") - normally from a mid to close shot
  • indicated on storyboard with a final frame up and direction arrow

The DLCs have a google presentation with notes to share.  If you would like to teach this in your class, please contact a DLC for how we can best help you.

Sunday, November 1, 2015

Looking for a scholarship?

Here is an app that could help find that scholarship you are looking for. See the link to their website below. This looks a useful app for high school students. We have not tested to see if it is useful for students from outside the US.
https://www.myscholly.com/




#TechTuesday Sessions Proving Popular

Tech Tuesday topics for November
These sessions are becoming very popular, with a number of faculty making this part of their weekly routine.
Although the incentive is the tech advice, the breakfast snack and coffee certainly help.

Look out for November Tech Tuesday sessions (events listed on the DLC Events calendar) and our Tech on Tap session taking place in early December.


Nate Walker ran a session on managing your Gmail inbox. 
He covered; using Google labs, labeling,  filtering emails as well as configuring the inbox.


Time Management Apps

Distracted from your work or looking at ways to become more efficient? Here are some free sites and apps that can help you to take control. This list was compiled by Randi Burns in the British School.

Self-Control (Mac) Blacklist websites for a specific amount of time
Cold Turkey (PC) Blacklist websites for a specific amount of time






Focus (Mac) Blacklist websites & apps for a specific amount of time








Time-Out Stressed out? Can't focus anymore? Reminder to take short breaks!
Trello Make lists, set reminders, share lists. Website and app (for your smartphone!) others to check out with similar functions are Wunderlist and/or Evernote







Idonethis! Compile group progress into one email. (pay if more than one person is signing up on  the account)

Below are Chrome extensions (if you use a different browser, simply google the 'firefox/safari/internet explorer' equivalent)

StayFocused (Chrome browser app )Blacklist whole websites or parts of websites for a specific amount of time
Momentum Set your daily goal then be reminded of it!
Time Tracker (Chrome browser extension) Keep track of your time on each website
Adblock Plus (Chrome browser extension) Block ads on websites (including social media like FB!)
Web of Trust (Chrome browser app) User ratings on website trustworthiness and child safety







Friday, October 30, 2015

Check out the Tech Blogs new navigation bar


The SFS Tech Blog has a new navigation bar adding another level of search ability to the site. We are still in the process of labeling posts so this is still being developed.
Not all the labels have a sub menu.

For the headings; Students, Faculty and Parents, the submenus are consistent:

SFS need to know - posts related to what is needed to be known regarding the use of technology at our school.

Tips - posts related to enrich your experience in using technology at SFS.

Tech fun - posts related to technology that may be of interest.

How to - The submenu (at present) is divided into; PowerSchool, Pagoda, iOS, Printing, Laptop, iMovie. (more topics will be added).

Wifi on Campus For Parents!

If you are on campus wanting to check your mail on your mobile device, you are now able to do that through logging in to the SFS.Guest network.  The login uses a social media account to authenticate you (Facebook, Twitter, Google, Microsoft), so if you have one of those, read on!  If you don’t have a social media account we have an option for you too!


Authenticating Through Your Social Media Account
  1. Connect through your wifi to SFS.Guest
  2. Open your web browser
  3. fill in the login details with one of your social media accounts


Don’t have a social media login and password?
There are two options for you:
  1. Create one using the link on the login page
  2. go to the IT office and collect a temporary username and password from Esther (our friendly receptionist).
  3. Follow the steps above, using the id and password instead

All accounts will stay logged in for 7 days and then you will be asked to log in again.

Wednesday, October 28, 2015

Embedding Video from Google Drive

We are often asked where the best place to store videos that either teachers or students have made, and while there are several choices out there (YouTube, Vimeo, etc.) your best option may actually be Google Drive.

Although the videos are not posted to a public site, they are easily shared just like you would share any other Google Doc, and you can also get an embed code to use with blogs or other websites.  In addition, our SFS Google drives are unlimited storage, which is really great when it comes to large files, which videos often are.

Here is a short tutorial on uploading video to Google Drive and getting the embed code:


#TechTuesday Sessions for November

My Goodness, My ASSESSMENT!

SFS teachers, we hope to see you at one, two, or all of the Tech Tuesdays in November. We are focusing on Assessment. We will be showing you some "A Smorgasbord of Assessment Options" as well as answering your questions. Don't forget to bring your devices with you, and please register on the DLC events calendar by clicking on the Event listed on the right side of the screen, scrolling down and clicking the register.


Tuesday, October 27, 2015

Tech Happenings In The Elementary School


Our DLCs work across all divisions to support classroom teachers with integrating technology into their curriculum.  Elementary School has seen some great technological happenings since the school year started ... let's see what is going on!

4th Grade Science Projects
Students have been researching concepts such as force, mass, friction and gravity and then creating videos to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding.  They learnt how to create a storyboard in order to plan an effective movie.


In doing so they learnt about camera angles, framing, panning and zooming and planned their science videos with these concepts in mind.  They then created imovies from their story boards.  You can check these out on their pagoda class pages or blogs.
DLC Mr Walker works with a group of fourth grade boys on
their science videos, using one of the new collaborative tables.
The ES Computer Lab has gone Mobile!
As our lab computers were due for replacement and we have seen a strong transition to an integrated technology model, we replaced the lab computers with an extra cart.  This is available for use with the Grade 2 and 3 classes and will provide much welcomed extra access to technology in these grades, providing for more authentic integrated learning opportunities within the classroom.

A New Green Screen
With the computer lab going mobile, we now have a great flexible space in the old lab and have installed a green screen for video production.  The green screen space is still under construction, but already students are having lots of fun experimenting with it. Although the lighting is not yet in place and the floor space needs expansion, a few lucky fourth grade students recently trialled it out for their projects.  Take a look ...



Pre-K have been up to visit as well, working on fun pictures for a book cover.

Grade Two are excited about using the green screen to do some weather work.   Keep an eye on the lobby monitor during November and December for the latest in weather updates brought to you by your friendly Grade Two meteorologists.

Grade Four /Five Apple TV - Sharing Screens
Grade Five teachers are now mobile.  The addition of apple TVs and iPads means that they are able to walk around students and control lessons from their iPads.  Students can easily share work for discussion and critique ... Used in conjunction with software such as Pear Deck, our new apple TVs are providing exciting collaborative learning opportunities.

New Keyboarding Being Trialled in Grade Two and Three
Good keyboarding skills are critical for our students as computers are very much a part of their lives. After a significant amount of research we have settled on a new programme, designed by teachers for students.  It runs differently to previous typing programs used and discourages hunt and peck style typing, as it will time out if students stop to look at their fingers and keyboards.

Fifth Grade Students Learning Effective Web Search Skills


DLC Mr Hoskin, discussing the information students located and pieced together.
Recently 5L and 5J did some work with our DLCs, solving an age old mystery whilst learning some effective search skills.

Students working collaboratively with google search to solve the mystery.
Students were given clues and keywords.  They had to use these, along with their new skills in google search to piece together the story of a broken sword and Devil's Island.

Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Unable to connect to the Internet? When in Chrome do as the Chromans do.

Did you know that if you are unable to connect to the internet there is a game in Chrome you can play while you wait.
That little dinosaur you see on the page, telling you that Chrome is unable to connect, is the main character in a simple game.

Click your space bar and the fun begins as your challenge is to jump over the cacti!





Friday, September 25, 2015

Printing From The Cloud (Google Docs etc ...)

Are you having trouble printing from your google docs ... follow the easy steps in the short video below and you will be printing trouble free in no time!

Thursday, September 24, 2015

Setting Passwords On Your Computer


Part of good computer security is using passwords.  Your user account on your computer should have a password attached to it.  If you do not have one, you can follow the video below to set one up.

Keep your password safe and only share it with your parents and (if necessary) teacher.  Many accounts that people think are "hacked" are not.  It is more a case of carelessness with passwords!

Good passwords often have 8 characters or more, both capital and lower case letters, and at least one special character ...

For additional security, DON'T set up a password only to have your computer remember it - this means that anyone who accesses your computer easily has access to all your private information.


Monday, September 21, 2015

7 Super Google Add-ons for Teachers

Do you find yourself working with Google Docs Daily?
Do you want to increase your productivity with in Google Docs?
Do you want to do this for FREE? 

Here are 7 Super Google Add-ons that are DYN-O-MITE!




Enabling Google Add-ons for Google Drive is quite simple. View the video below that shows you how to unleash the power of Add-ons.



1. Workflows

As a teacher, do you ever need to collaborate or get agreement on a new document or procedure? Do you have to track a list of students to see if they have done something? Do you need to sign off on student's work? This Add-on is your answer. You could also have peer reviewers sign off on work and track it this way as well. Download Workflows here and see the video below on how Workflow operates.


   



2. EasyBib

Ever have students type an English paper and site their bibliography wrong? Do they ask you how to format sitings depending on the format of the paper they are writing in? Then have your students install the EasyBib Add-on here and see the video below on how EasyBib operates.



3. Mindmeister

Need to make quick mindmaps for a graphical depiction? Need to have students do the same? This Add-on is a fascinating way to convert a table of contents or outline for a paper into something visual. Mindmeister is a quick and easy way to get students to create a different take on organizing notes, thoughts, and processes. Have your students install the Mindmeister Add-on here and see the video below on how Mindmeister operates.





4. Template Gallery

Do you miss the standard Microsoft templates that you used in Office? Did you know that you can access those same templates from a Google Doc file? Did you know the SFS letterhead templates are saved here as well? Install the Template Gallery Add-on to have those templates right at the tips of your fingers again.  Install Template the Add-on here.


5. Kaizena

Have you ever been marking papers at home and wished that you could explain to a student exactly why they received the grade they did? Have you ever wanted to tell a student a piece of their writing was fabulous? The Kaizena App allows you to talk over Google Docs and give instant, precise feedback to a student, either vocally or written. You can download the Add-on here and see a brief video explaining Kaizena's functionality below.



6. Vextab Music Notation

Music teachers rejoice! (Cue the choir... hallelujah) This Doc Add-on lets you render standard music notation, drum notation, and guitar tablature in your documents using the VexTab notation language. You can find our more and download VexTab here.


7. Table of Contents

Ever work with a department to create a multipage document for a unit or a trimester of lessons? Have you spent time searching through the long document for a certain unit or chapter? The Table of Contents Add-on will save you tons of time as it creates a live table of contents on the right side of your screen that allows you to jump to different headings throughout a document. It truly is a timesaver. Download the Add-on here.

There you have it. Now at your next PLC meeting, you can share with your fellow colleagues some of these 7 Super Google Add-ons that will make their lives easier too. You might get the reaction below, but take the time to share an Add-on or two that made your day of teaching a little smoother!





Wednesday, September 9, 2015

Free Typing Programs

We are often asked for recommendations on typing programs and sites. It is surprisingly difficult to find good websites and software for typing. Much of it has not been updated as computer operating systems have changed, resulting in crashes and buggy software that doesn't work well.

We rated the programs out of 5. The criteria used was:

  • Home key based (hands must be grounded on the home keys)
  • students get an accuracy rate (expressed as a percentage) - they should aim to be between 90 and 95% Accuracy
  • lessons progress in small increments, allowing students to build strong neural pathways.

Dance Mat Typing  * * *


Features:
  • interactive site from BBC
  • 4 levels
  • 12 stages of typing


Pros
  • home row key approach
  • great graphics
  • visual keyboard cues
  • fun


Cons
  • no speed or accuracy
  • allows students to progress when they have not mastered the keys.


Best For
  • grades 2 - 4
  • supporting main program at home



ABC-ya * *





Pros
  • fun - space-invaders style

Cons
  • pretty random in terms of letter sequencing

Best For
  • supporting main program at home


Byte Back Typing * * * *


Pros
  • Home row based
  • provides specific feedback on errors
  • Good progression

Cons
  • a lot of reading
  • tells you your errors but not accuracy percentage
  • drill based … no fun!

Best For
  • learning


Peter’s Online Typing Course **


Features:
  • complete course - includes ergonomics
  • minimalist approach
  • 18 interactive lessons
  • 8 exercises

Pros
  • home row key based

Cons
  • lots of text
  • does not give speed and accuracy, only number of mistakes and time

Best For
  • adults


Sense-Lang Typing * * * *

Features:
  • 15 online interactive lessons

Pros
  • home key lessons
  • can add customized text into the tutor (copy and paste)
  • gives speed and accuracy
  • has extra extension typing with articles

Cons
  • reading age in articles.
  • site can be unstable - not consistent in opening

Best For
  • upper elementary


PowerTyping ****



Pros
  • can set wpm goal
  • home row keys approach


Cons
  • does not give you accuracy %.

Best For
  • classroom support and home practice


FreeTyping Games *****


Pros
  • fun and interactive for younger children
  • has typing lessons that focus on two keys at a time
  • can change game levels and the keys covered so tailor it to support keyboarding lessons

Cons
  • no relevant information provided in games except a score
  • some games are too visually distracting to type efficiently

Best For
  • reinforcing skills taught in a drill session on other software.