SDPC TechSavvy Bits & Bytes
November 2022
Thankful for You!
November is National Gratitude Month, which encourages us all to embrace the power of celebrating our blessings. Beyond simply saying "thank you," research has shown that practicing daily gratitude can enhance our mood, decrease stress, and improve overall health and well-being.
As we enter this time of gratitude and Thanksgiving, please know that we are thankful for the work you do to teach and support our students daily across SDPC. We are blessed with amazing teachers, hard working support staff, and supportive leadership, and it is truly our pleasure to be able to provide the support you need to make magic for our students each day.
We hope that you'll continue to find this monthly newsletter is a helpful resource for all of your instructional technology needs! Our team is here to serve you and your students, so please don't hesitate to reach out to us.
R.I.S.E Technology Challenge
Next Challenge: Tech the Halls- November 28th. The teaching content will be added to our PD Schoology Group with directions. :)
LANSCHOOL UPDATE FOR GRADES 3-5
Teachers in grades 3-5 (updated 11/7/22) and 6-12, there has been an update to LanSchool! You will now access LanSchool Air through Launchpad. Your classes should be automatically rostered. This new update includes easier navigation and the ability to transfer classes easily. Read this TeachSavvy Tip to learn more about using Lanschool Air. Reach out to Kimber or Katie if you need any additional support! Teachers in K-2, you will continue to use LanSchool Classic on your desktop.
Grades 3-12 teachers without classes scheduled in PowerSchool should continue using LanSchool classic.
Tech Time Lesson of the Month
Hip Hip Hooray!
Great job to the following classes for trying out Nearpod this month!
Britton's Tech Time Focus
Nelson's November Tech Tool Focus
Are you new to SDPC? I would love to meet you and show you our great resources available. Please let me know how I can help you.
Discovery Education Virtual Field Trip: Tundra Connections
Travel to Churchill, Manitoba with DE to learn about the polar bear's environment and the people who share it. On this live Virtual Field Trip, we'll discover what enables this unique species to survive in the arctic tundra, explore different ways you can work with polar bears, and identify how you can protect polar bears and our planet.
When: November 9th at 12PM with Q&A at 1:30PM
Flip.com Virtual Field Trip: The Wellington Avalanche of 1910 November 10th
When: November 10th
Spotlight on Discovery Education
DiscoveryEd November Newsletter
Already thinking ahead to November? Give teachers our November Newsletter for resources that support timely events like Native American Heritage Month, Election Day, Veteran’s Day, Thanksgiving, and much more!
Tundra Connections Virtual Field Trip
Travel to Churchill, Manitoba with DE to learn about the polar bear’s environment and the people who share it. On this live Virtual Field Trip, we’ll discover what enables this unique species to survive in the arctic tundra, explore different ways you can work with polar bears, and identify how you can protect polar bears and our planet. Learn more and register today!
Monthly Calendar Activities:The Activity Calendars are LIVE. These ready-to-use activities will help teachers plan their lessons while providing engaging experiences for students. View the Activity Calendars (K-2, 3-5) or see all past calendars in the Activity Center.
Discovery Ed is now in Schoology
Teachers can now pull content from Discovery Ed into Schoology for students. Here is a quick video on how to do this. Please contact Kimber or Katie if you would like some training on using Discovery Ed.
Spotlight on Strategies-Vocabulary
PearDeck Flash Card Factory
Google Apps for Education.
Vocabulary Twitter
1. Use this template and assign it in Schoology through "Make a Copy".
2. Give students a word or list of words to pick from.
3. Have students create a tweet as if they are using the vocabulary word. Students should add #Hashtags to clarify the meaning of the word.
4. Have student post on a discussion board to share.
Create: DitchThatTextbook
SOS Instructional Strategy: Vocabulary Scavenger Hunt
Schoology Tip of the Month
- **NEW** Canva for Education is now integrated in Schoology! TST Using Canva inside of Schoology
Canva Tips (until we can get it fully integrated inside of Sgy)
Create an Assignment in Schoology (using a template)
Students Complete Canva Assignments in Schoology (and Submit)
We share TechSavvy Teacher Tips to communicate important updates, new features, and/or information about troubleshooting regularly used tech tools. You can find links to our most recent TST below along with the link to the TechSavvy Tips Index where we house all the tips, troubleshooting, and training presentations. To receive TST as they are shared, join our Schoology TechSavvy group by using the Group Access code of TX5TP-CWQSM. You do not need to be tech savvy to join!
Meet Our Team
Katie Britton
This is my 9th year in education. My background is in Special Education- Multicategorical and Elementary Education. I most recently taught in a 2nd Grade classroom and taught virtual school. I am excited to be a member of the Pickens family and have loved meeting so many wonderful educators. I am passionate about combining strong instructional practices with collaborative technology tools. Please feel free to reach out if you need assistance with tech, want to introduce a new tool to students, or want support planning technology integration into your lessons.
Email: katiebritton@pickens.k12.sc.us
Phone: 864-397-1121
Twitter: @KatieBrittonITC
Kimber Nelson
I have been in education for 26 years. For the past 4 years, I have been in this current role. I love working with our SDPC staff and students in helping them with any and all instructional technology needs. Please feel free to reach out to me if you need assistance in any way. I look forward to hearing from you.
Email: kimbernelson@pickens.k12.sc.us
Phone: 864-397-1108
Twitter: @knelsonteach
Jessica Preisig
Assistant Superintendent for Technology Services
This is my 19th year in public education and 6th year here in SDPC. After ten amazing years teaching 6th graders Math and Science, I served as an Instructional Technology Coach for K-12 teachers in ASD1. In that role, I discovered a passion for working with adults to make magic happen in the classroom. My journey led me to RC Edwards Middle to serve as Assistant Principal among the most amazing faculty and staff. Though I miss my #RCEfamily, hugs, high fives, and Spirit Week, I'm very excited to be a part of the magic-making team here at AITS.
Email: jessicapreisig@pickens.k12.sc.us
Phone: 864-397-1104
Twitter: @PreisigJessica