Welcome new hires!

We are so excited to help you begin your BISD Digital Learning journey! We have designed the following activities/tasks to help you get started.

In each activity below, you will read about an important part of Digital Learning in BISD. Each activity includes a task for you to complete.

If at any time you need help completing a task, please email your Digital Learning Specialist (see Activity 1, below). We would be happy to help you!

When you have completed all 5 tasks, you will receive a BISD New Hire Digital Learning Certificate.

Empowered, Innovative Learning

"Moving education forward through:
-Innovative design
-Empowering teachers and students to take ownership of their future
-Learning experiences beyond the classroom"

What to Expect from your DLS

-Meet and plan together with Professional Learning Communities (PLCs), teacher teams, and individuals
-Co-teach lessons with teachers
-Provide face-to-face professional learning sessions to large and small groups
individual coaching

1. Look at the list above to identify your Digital Learning Specialist (DLS).
   
2. Send an email to your Digital Learning Specialist. Be sure to include your campus, grade level, & content area!

Note: If you have any trouble with the tasks in this Smore, please email your DLS for help.

Image Credit: https://shakeuplearning.com/blog/g-suite-education-need-know/

Birdville ISD is a Google Suite for Education (gSuite) district. All staff and students grades 3-12 have Google accounts in the Birdville Google domain to facilitate communication, collaboration, and publishing work.

To log in to Google Drive go to http://drive.google.com.

Your BISD Google login is firstname.lastname@birdvilleschools.net

Your password will be:

Capital B your birthdate and a dollar sign *Example B12021996$

If you are unable to log in, contact the helpdesk to reset your password. You can reach them by calling x5888 from your classroom phone or 817-547-5888 from home/cell.

1. Go to http://drive.google.com
2. Log in with your @birdvilleschools.net account.
3. Accept the Terms of Use (if prompted).
4. Click the blue "New" button.
5. Choose "Google Docs".
6. Click in the "Untitled Document" area and give your new document the title: New Hire Notes/Questions.
7. Use your new document in all of your new hire sessions to take notes or keep track of questions.

Image credit: https://wronghands1.com/2013/03/31/vintage-social-networking/

Social Media (Twitter, Facebook, etc) is a growing and respected platform for creating a Professional Learning Network (PLN). We encourage all staff to use social media accounts to connect with other educators for just-in-time proffessional learning. Please watch this short video to learn more about Professional Learning Networks.

#BirdvilleLearns: Use this hashtag to share your own professional learning, learning happening in your classroom, and any resources you would like to share with other Birdville ISD stakeholders.

#BISDShines: Use this when you want to share something great in Birdville.

#wearebirdvilleisd: Use this when you share photos of yourself or another BISD staff member.

Can I use more than one hashtag in a Tweet? Absolutely, but you don't want to #spam #with #too #many #hashtags. Best practices recommend using no more than 3 hashtags in a post.

Click here to learn more about hashtags (#) and use them to find people to follow to grow your PLN.

1. Use your Twitter or Facebook account to connect with us on Social media using the links above.
2. Share a new hire selfie with #WeAreBirdvilleISD on Twitter or Facebook!

The Digital Learning Team has created some very useful resources to help you learn more about digital learning!

The Birdville Digital Learning Platform converges with the BISD Learning Platform to simply 'put it all together' - best practices for holistic high-quality teaching and learning environments. The shift from traditional to digital learning is non-negotiable for future-ready students.

Click here to visit the Digital Learning Platform.

1. Visit the Technology Help Desk - https://helpdesk.birdvilleschools.net
   
2. Locate the "Welcome 2019-2020 Birdville Staff!" announcement at the top of the page.
3. Read the announcement for tips for setting up your desktop computer and more!

Thank you for taking the time to dive in to Digital Learning with us!

To earn your BISD New Hire Digital Learning Certificate, you just have one more task!

1. Click here to fill out our New Hire Digital Learning Activity/Task Completion form.
2. Submit the form.
3. You will receive your certificate by email!