Blended Learning Crew March 2017

March 10th

3/10/17

7:15am

Jim Balotta, Jen Bengele, Gabe Caudill, Sheila Greene, Brian Hayes, Bonnie Meyer

Recent PD

• OETC takeaways/feedback
• Shared BrainHoney to Schoology tutorial with principals
• 
  
• AV/VR Sandbox construction?
• Geospatial esri.com software for geospatial technology http://www.esri.com/connected (Shawn Bergman is working on making it web-based) K-12 applicable (Tracy from ODE)
• Digital newsletters (Rocky River does a district-wide digital newsletter); broadcast cart to film student announcements; Brian Zeller does a digital newscast
• Flippity - turn slides into flashcards
• Coding options - Kodu
• Mobile free apps - Officelens, One Note
• Raspberry Pi build own smartphone or tablet
• Science+Math Think-In at ideastream (Bengele, Beursken, Browne, Hayes, Hughes, Kacur, Meyer, Molenaar, Olsen)
• Simple and practical ideas - scratch jr. & PBSkids iPad apps for B.Hayes, inquiry science for 7th & 8th grades for Janelle Molenaar from Midview Schools, StarLab certification and lesson plans from CMNH for Jen Bengele, PBSlearning Science and growth mindset presentation from Bonnie Meyer http://pbskids.org/learn/
• Jen attended NOECA Tech Integration Network meeting; great idea for a staff training on apps and how they relate to rigor and relevance framework
• PD on Growth Mindset for entire staff, parents, possibly in the fall
• Title I parent meeting on Growth Mindset
• Title I school districts get free admission to Great Lakes Science Center, aquarium?
• Other?

Future PD

• EHOVE’s Tech Summit Tues. March 21
• Jen presenting BreakoutEDU lessons
• LEAD conference needs presenters June 13-14, 2017 http://files.constantcontact.com/32b4c9cb001/ebe45665-3931-4401-af1d-7f3f17a022ea.pdf
• EdCamp March 18th - Bonnie, Jen, Lisa D.https://edcampcle.wordpress.com/
• Our #VLSD chat Monday night 3/13 at 8pm about STEM integration

Program Discussions

• Progress Monitoring programs - recap Aimsweb vs. AR meeting
• Possible streamlining of program usage?
• Planning for next year? Future PD?
• Thurs. 3/16 VES staff meeting 8am

Device Discussions

• Needs for next year?  Additional devices at VES? SMS? VHS?
• WiFi availability to all areas in Vermilion (set up a hotspot in various areas); students able to take home devices they are unable to use; other option by Sprint http://goodworks.sprint.com/1millionproject/?ECID=vanity:1millionproject
• HTC Vive at SMS, needs to be calibrated but all equipment is ready to go
• Old computers to take apart

Makerspace/Tinkering Programs

• VHS space in library next year
• Bring VES classes over to VHS; have VHS students teach VES classes
• Camp Invention (1-2 weeks) - possible teachers Brian Hayes, Mike Kacur,
• Invention Project (10 sessions) - possible teachers Gabe Caudill,
• Open both summer experiences to all district teachers in Vermilion

For next time . . .

Staff/Student Programs:

• Explore Odyssey and Fuel Education
• GradPoint  - do a student survey to assess curriculum

• Send out survey about program needs?  Survey for program usage;
• Stats for AR - Bonnie Meyer
• Stats for Sumdog - Brian Hayes

3D Printing in Progress. Caution: Highly Addictive

As a Christmas present this year for "our son" we decided to purchase a small desktop 3D printer.  I'd be embarrassed to tell you how many minutes I've wasted standing in front of this mesmerizing little machine as it lays down layers upon layers of melted plastic, resulting in a three-dimensional object of my every imagining.  We have used it to create everything from a lime juicer for guacamole to Maya temples for a 5th grade social studies project.  My 7-year old even created heart charms to give away to classmates for Valentine's this year. 

  

In Vermilion over the past year or so, we have been gradually acquiring 3D printers for student use and now have three of them - one at the middle school and two at the high school.  The question that seems to be on everyone's mind is "How do we incorporate 3D printing into our classrooms?".  Before we delve into ways we can leverage these machines for learning, let me show you how easy it is to use one:

After the printer software is installed on your laptop, you can find an object to print, import the file into the software, and start printing in under 4 minutes!  

Some examples of how 3D printed objects have been used for instruction in our classrooms include designing solutions to solve a problem, using printed models as examples and other class activities, and printing out manipulatives used to demonstrate a concept.  For example, a few weeks ago I printed out a replica of a terracotta warrior for a 6th grade social studies BreakoutEDU lesson on ancient China. Also, I have printed ten frames for the Kindergarten classes as well as a capital/lowercase letter matching game. In Mrs. Schneid's art class at the high school, a student designed and printed out a tool to clean the print head on their Makerbot 3D printer which kept getting clogged.  If you are interested in getting your feet wet with 3D printing, the resources below will help you begin.

Design Software:

Tinkercad (web-based, open source software accessible to all students)

Sketchup Pro (available to students and staff in Self-Service)

Scuptris (free downloadable software for teacher use)

Autodesk 123D (free downloadable software for teacher use)

FreeCAD (free downloadable software for teacher use)

Printer Software:

SMS printer located in main office http://www.mattercontrol.com/

VHS printer located in my office http://3dprinter.sindoh.com/Downloads 

Integration Ideas:

So You're a Teacher with a 3D Printer . . . Now What? 

7 Fun & Easy Lesson Plans to Jumpstart 3D Printing In Your Classroom

4 Ways to Use 3D Printing as a Teaching Tool

*Contact me for more information. We can brainstorm ways to use this technology in your classroom!

    

BrainHoney to Schoology - It Can Be Done!

Back in August of 2016,  it was announced that our outdated BrainHoney Learning Management System, or LMS, will be laid to rest at the conclusion of this school year, at least in our Vermilion schools.  Alternative programs suggested at the time to help make the transition a gradual process included Google Classroom (true, it's not a fully fledged LMS yet, but makes work flow a breeze), Schoology, a platform similar in appearance to BrainHoney, and Edmodo, an LMS that looks more like a social networking site.

Good news!  Thanks to the district *team that attended the annual Ohio Education Technology Conference (OETC) back in mid-February, we have learned that there is a way to directly transfer BrainHoney files into Schoology.  Watch the following tutorial to see how to export a BrainHoney course and import that course into Schoology.

*The 2017 OETC team included Sheila Greene, 3rd grade intervention specialist, Lisa Murray, 3rd grade math teacher, Brian Hayes, elementary STEM teacher, Katie Cseh, grades 1-3 community classroom teacher, Gabriel Caudill, 7th grade science teacher, Lori Ozmun, grades 4-7 intervention specialist, and Mark Kuhnle, high school Spanish teacher.  Thank you for bringing back valuable information!