What’s Irish and comes out in Spring?

... Paddy O’Furniture

We're hoping that luck will be on your side with the Education Foundation grants this year, and everything else that is going on in the district! We hope you will enjoy your Spring Break, and as always, we hope you'll take the time to read about what's going on regarding Ed Tech in Pearland ISD! Please let your ETS know if we can assist you with your Technology Integration!

Don't miss out on your chance for FREE money! The window for submitting your application for the Education Foundation Grant is now open. Did you get a chance to look at our newsletter for some techy ideas? Click here to check it out. From throwable microphones to robotics, there are so many different ways to spice up your lessons. The deadline to apply is March 18, so you still have some time. Click here to take a closer look at the guidelines.

Students at Lawhon Elementary and Rustic Oak Elementary have incorporated Green Screen technology into some of their lessons. This allows subjects to be placed in a variety of backgrounds. You do not have to have fancy equipment to use this technology. Something as simple as green butcher paper or table cloths are perfect backdrops and there are many free apps that can be used to create fun, engaging and memorable videos.

Examples of projects these campuses have done are Turkey Poems, A Thanksgiving Balloon Parade, Martin Luther King Jr. Speeches, Christmas Around the World and Book Reviews.

Microsoft keeps making its products better and better for Education. One of the latest examples of this is the PowerPoint Presenter Coach, built-in to PowerPoint online in Office 365!

Presenter Coach helps you or your students prepare to present in a safe, private way, so that you may give more effective presentations. It evaluates the speaker's pacing, use of filler words, culturally sensitive terms, and it detects when the text on a slide is being read (instead of summarized). After each rehearsal, the speaker gets a report that includes statistics about their performance, and suggestions for improvements (essentially restating what the popups said in the coaching session).

And, of course, it's free!

To get started:

1. Open or create a presentation in PowerPoint for the web (signed in with your Pearland Office 365 account).

2. On the Slide Show tab, select Rehearse with Coach. The presentation will open in a full-screen view, just as if you were actually presenting.

3. Select Get Started at the lower right when you are ready to begin rehearsing. The browser may ask for access to the microphone - be sure to grant it access.

4. As you speak, Coach gives on-screen guidance (in the lower-right corner of the window) about pacing, inclusive language, use of profanity, filler words, and whether you're reading the slide text.

5. When you're finished, press ESC to exit the full-screen view. Presenter Coach then opens a Rehearsal Report (similar to the one below) that summarizes what it observed, and offers recommendations.

The Toontastic app provides an easy way for students to create animated films. Students choose the characters and setting for each scene, then move the pieces around like they were playing with action figures, providing their own dialogue as the iPad records it all. Students can add music with the appropriate emotional tone. The app doesn't just allow students to make their own cartoons, it also teaches the basics of storytelling.

*This app is available on our 3rd/4th grade iPad carts. Be sure to check that the app you want is available on the cart you reserve before use.

Students have virtually unlimited access to all types of digital media including photos, art, music, audio files, literary resources, etc. These resources are super easy to copy and use for school or personal projects. It is important that students understand the meaning of copyright and how to use what they find online or in the real world legally and responsibly. Here is a video and lesson plan from Common Sense Media on how to teach fair use to elementary students. Also, there is a website from SearchEngineWatch with instructions on how to find copyright free images with Google Image search.

Students need to:

- Check who owns it

- Get permission to use it

- Give credit to the creator

- Buy if necessary

- Use responsibly

Did you know that the Littles are active on Social Media? Connect with us!

• Twitter - @pearlandlittles
• Facebook - Feed the Penguins
• Pinterest - Feed the Penguins (or search "The Iceberg" in the Pinterest app
• Instagram - @pearlandlittles
• Blog - Feed the Penguins
• YouTube - Pearland ISD Littles