This newsletter is designed to keep you connected to what's happening in the world of educational technology. It's filled with useful resources for students and teachers. Make sure to bookmark it and check back often.

• December Joke of the Day Slides

• National Geographic Kids: Winter Holiday Celebrations

• National Geographic Kids Funny Fill-In: On Thin Ice

• National Geographic Kids Funny Fill- In: Snowed In

• Fun Facts About Winter Celebrations Around the World

• Winter This or That Activity

• PBS video and article about Winter Solstice

• Make your own coloring pages with AI for free!

Winter-Themed Activities:

• 8 ‘Googley’ Wintertime Activities for Kids

• Winter Story Read Alouds

• Snow globe Activity on Seesaw

• Use AI to Create Winter Classroom Activities

• 10 Winter Classroom Bulletin Board Ideas

• National Geographic Kids: Weird But True Winter Facts

• Make your own coloring pages with AI for free!

Martin Luther King Jr:

• Printable activities for students - great for older students
• MLK color by number worksheets- great for younger students

When using an Epson interactive projector, you may the interactive features suddenly stop working. Typically, in this case, annotation still works, but touch does not. To resolve this issue, there is a tool available in Self-Service. The tool is called “Restart Epson Driver” and once installed will be in the Applications folder. Launching the tool will restart the driver which simulates rebooting and interactive use should resume.

I recommend dragging this icon to your dock. Any time you notice that your projector is not interactive, just click the Restart Epson Driver and it should fix the issue.

Check out this BRAND NEW Taste of Tech Tidbits slideshow. Learn new tricks and tips to become more efficient with Google Chrome, Drive, Docs, Slides, and many other tools. Each week a new tech tip will be added so make sure to check back often!

Canva allows you to create a collaborative board so students can interact and engage with topics of your choice. Find various templates such as a KWL chart, Mind Map, or you can even survey your students.

Do you ever have multiple tabs opened but could never find what you are looking for when you need it? You are not alone, and guess what? There's a way to keep these tabs organized! Click here to learn how.

Did you know that you can create your own Formative Assessments on Seesaw. There is even a self-checking tool. Use this link to learn more.

Learn how to make a Google Slides Photo word. This could be incorporated into ELA Lessons such as defining a Character Trait.

Click here for a short tutorial video or here for written directions on how to do this (scroll down after examples and video).

• Teach Me, Teacher- Here, we learn through honest conversations with real world teachers and administrators in the classrooms we are all experiencing today.
• Teach Happier- This weekly podcast is designed to help anyone working in schools incorporate small shifts. These small shifts, practiced over time, will make a positive impact in school AND at home. In these 5 minute episodes, Suzanne will share a little story and invite listeners to incorporate a small shift in their upcoming week.
• 10-Minute Teacher Podcast- The 10-minute teacher podcast interviews remarkable teachers from around the world. Every weekday get inspired with quick interviews of important trends, topics, and tools impacting K-12 teachers.

Have you listened to podcasts with your students yet? It's a great way to learn something new, travel to a distant location, or get lost in an adventure story. You can access podcasts from iTunes and subscribe so you won't miss a new episode. It's best to preview the show first to make sure it's the right level for your students. Here are some popular shows:

• Brains On!
  
• Wow in the World
• Who, When, Wow
• What if World
• KidNuz

Gen-Z Media podcasts- this broadcasting company produces many engaging and fun podcasts for kids! Make sure to check out all of them, but here are a few favorite titles:

• Young Ben Franklin
• Molly of Denali
• The Big Fib
• The Alien Adventures of Finn Capsian

YouTube on STUDENT Chromebooks: All YouTube videos need to be embedded in a Google product (Classroom, Slides, etc.). In addition, YouTube for students is only available between the hours of 8 AM and 4 PM.

For directions on how to embed YouTube videos into Google products, look for the YouTube section here: https://sites.google.com/lmsd.org/elementary/resources/google-apps/classroom

YouTube on STUDENT iPads (K/1): YouTube is blocked on all Kindergarten and first grade iPads.

Are your students grabbing pictures from Google and pasting them into their assignments? Did they get permission or check the copyright setting of the image? Have you heard of Fair Use? Have your students? You've come to right place. Use the links below to learn more.

For Students:

• That Image is Not Yours. Do Not Touch.

• Taking the Mystery Out of Copyright

For Teachers:

• Picture this! 4 steps to understanding copyright issues

• The Educator's Guide to Copyright, Fair Use, and Creative Commons

• How to Teach Copyright and Fair Use to Students

Do you know about all of the different Google Tools and Extensions available? How can they benefit you or your students? I had so many ideas to share, that I had to create a whole separate page in order to fit them all! Click here to learn how to maximize your Google experience.

• 🚨 NEW: Teacher Center Hub- explore some free, online resources to better support your classroom! Check out the new Teacher Center Hub and discover available certifications, trainings, lessons, and more.

• Google Training Course: Learn Google basics with lessons and a progressive set of tips designed to help educators make the most of Google’s classroom technology. There are different courses for beginners or advances learners to meet your needs.
  

• Earn your Educator Level 1 Certification: Demonstrate your Google proficiency and get recognized for your expertise with the Educator Level 1 certification. The Certification is valid for 3 years and costs $10 for the exam.

• Earn your Educator Level 2 Certification: Validate your expertise and advanced technology integration skills with the Educator Level 2 Certification. The Certification is valid for 3 years and costs $25 for the exam.
  

• Training for Specific Google Products: Looking for specific Google tool trainings? Learn more about Classroom, Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides, or Forms?

• Pear Deck Trainings: There are lots of ways to learn about Pear Deck and their team of educators is here to help! Whether you’re an administrator or a classroom teacher, they have virtual and pre-recorded webinars that can help you get started.

Here are some great ways to learn more about Seesaw:

• Seesaw Help Center
• Seesaw YouTube Channel- Over 400 short videos covering all aspects of using this tool with your students.

• Become a Seesaw Pioneer: Take this 1-hour course to become an official Seesaw Pioneer. After you become official, you'll gain access to exclusive resources and can connect with your fellow Pioneers!

• Easy EdTech Podcast: Dr. Monica Burns from the popular EdTech blog ClassTechTips brings you teaching strategies, tips, and activity ideas. Each podcast focuses on how to make EdTech integration easy with a shout-out to favorite EdTech tools for classrooms.

• The Shake Up Learning Show Podcast with Kasey Bell: The show features a variety of episodes for K12 teachers and educators, including tech tips, lesson ideas, practical advice, on-air coaching, student interviews, and interviews with inspiring educators.

Learn more about all of the other district products and tools that students and teachers use on the LMSD Elementary Teaching & Learning website.

Elementary Technology Specialist

Email: goldbej@lmsd.org
Website: www.lmsd.org
Address: 301 East Montgomery Avenue, Ardmore, PA, United States
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