Friday, November 15, 2013

Create an Interactive Presentation with Nearpod

Nearpod looks like a great presentation tool. You can upload your powerpoints and add in interactive features such as open ended questions, quizzes, polls, and even have students annotate an image.  When you are ready to present, the site gives you a room number that students use to login, which means there is no need for students to create accounts!  As the teacher you can see the activity of all students and manage the flow of the presentation.  Nearpod can be accessed by students and teachers on any web browser (PC/Mac) and there is a free mobile app.  Essentially Nearpod allows you to take a powerpoint you already have and make it more interactive for students. You can add in open ended questions, polls, and quizzes to gauge student understanding of the presentation. Checkout the video below for a demo of Nearpod.  Give it a try today and create a free account!




Wednesday, November 13, 2013

BHS Lunch & Learns

Lunch & Learn demo of Flubaroo
BHS staff have an opportunity to learn about the latest edtech tools available to them by attending a “Lunch & Learn” workshop. These workshops, presented by the Digital Learning support team, provide instruction on tools such as Google Docs, Google Forms, Flubaroo, Doctopus and more. Watch for the weekly emails that announce the upcoming Lunch & Learn topic.

In today's Lunch & Learn, Digital Learning Coach, Tim O'Connor demonstrated the use of Google Forms in the classroom as a quick and easy tool to use for formative assessments. Tim also showed the work flow of using Flubaroo along with the Google Form to create a self grading quiz. Below is the Lunch & Learn schedule for the 2013-2014 school year.


Monday, November 11, 2013

Online Learning Management Systems

Online learning management systems are used to give students 24/7 access to the course materials. In addition to more access to the material, they allow teachers to more efficiently share resources with students on a daily basis.  Using an online learning management system teachers can post assignments and supplementary material, create formative assessments that give students immediate feedback, build a wiki, and create discussion forums. The video below is testimony from Barrington High School students on the benefits of online learning management systems.



Thursday, November 7, 2013

Collaborating with Google Docs

Google Drive is an incredibly versatile tool for the classroom.  In its basic use, Google Drive can be a place to store all of your files.  You have 30 GB of space in your Google Drive account!  Once your files have been uploaded to Google Drive you have access to these files on any computer, table, or smart phone.  In addition to uploading files you can also create Google docs, presentations, spreadsheets, and drawings.  The most powerful feature of Google Apps is its collaborative nature.  Students and staff can share and collaborate online in realtime.  Below is student testimonial of how Google Docs has helped them in the classroom.


Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Welcome to the BHS EdTech Roundup

Welcome to the EdTech Roundup - the place where technology and education meet. The digital learning support team will share our knowledge, skill and work process, promoting the effective use of digital tools and resources in the classrooms of BHS

A good place to start is the ISTE Standards. ISTE are the standards and best practices for learning, teaching, and leading in the digital world. There are many benefits to ISTE and they include inspiring, guiding and preparing students for their future. The ISTE website offers a multitude of resources to help teachers and administrators learn about the ISTE standards and how to use them including: Standards for Teachers, Standards for Students, and Standards for Administrators.

We look forward to sharing what we know, learning from you and inspiring each other!

ISTE