Doodle for Google Classroom Opportunity: Theme of Kindness!

Doodle for Google is an annual contest open to students in grades K-12. Students are invited to create their own Google Doodle for the chance to have it featured on Google.com, as well as win some great scholarships and tech packages for their schools. This year’s deadline for entries is March 13th.

Why is Google doing this contest?

Doodles are meant to surprise and delight people when they visit Google.com. Past Doodles have celebrated some of the most brilliant, talented, and passionate people throughout history. Doodle for Google offers students K-12 an opportunity to display their own artwork on Google.com.

This year’s Doodle for Google theme is:

“I SHOW KINDNESS BY…”

Friendship, smiles, thank yous, and hugs.

But kindness is so much more than just being nice. This year’s theme invites you to tell us how you show kindness. Is it by helping around your home? Volunteering in your community’s green space? Maybe it’s comforting someone who’s down, or picking up trash in the park.

However you define it, let Google know how you bring a little bit more kindness into the world. Take your ideas and bring them to life in your doodle!

ENTER A DOODLE

To check out past Doodle 4 Google winning doodles and thousands of other doodles that have been the home page for Google somewhere in the world, check out the gallery here.

Here’s an article about the 7 year old 2018 contest winner and her winning submission.

Here’s an article about the 2019 winner too.

REMC is Now Offering NINE (9) free Virtual Courses every month!

REMC Virtual Courses program is expanding! Now the REMC Virtual Courses program is offering nine (9) new courses each month.  Registration is free and each course provides 10 free SCECHs.

REGISTER NOW

Nine courses are offered beginning January. Each course is open for three weeks and consists of two (2) one-hour “live” webinars that are recorded and available for viewing later and eight (8) hours of resource review, assessment developments and written reflection. All REMC courses are open to all Michigan school personnel. There are no registration or SCECH fees because REMC SAVE partners provide support for all REMC Professional Learning opportunities.

January 2020  Course Information
January courses begin on Monday, January 6.  The deadline for registration is Friday, January 3.

  • 21things4students – Ready, Get set, Go
  • Coding in the Classroom
  • Increasing Efficiency and Productivity
  • Leading a Culture of Change in your School
  • Introduction to Personalized & Blended Learning for ALL Students, Level 1
  • Literacy Instruction and Technology: Foundational Elements, Level 1
  • A Practical Guide to Global Success Skills in the Classroom for the 21st Century and Beyond
  • Google: Applying Google Apps for Education in Chrome, Level 1
  • Authentic Student Learning & Gamification

Courses descriptions are provided below. If you have questions or need further assistance with your course registration, please contact Erin Rommeck.

COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

21things4students – Ready, Get set, Go
January 6 | 10 SCECHs

Come explore an outstanding that helps students build technology proficiency for real-world success!y in the middle school classroom. Participants will develop a plan for implementing the Michigan Integrated Technology Competencies (MITECS) in their own classrooms and content areas using the project-based 21t4s resources. The 21 Things that are composed of: lesson plans, student quests, roadmaps, assessments, animated videos, and much more. The 21things4students (21t4s) resources are free, high quality, and openly licensed educational resources that are aligned to Michigan standards for Grades 5-9. Teachers say that these engaging resources are helping students build technology proficiency for real-world success! This course will help participants explore and learn about the resources.

Coding in the Classroom
January 6 | 10 SCECHs

Coding is becoming an essential classroom skill. It inspires critical thinking, engages students’ problem-solving skills and promotes creativity. By combining coding and technology to tell stories and create, STEM becomes STEAM! Teachers and students can learn to code using several introductory coding programs designed for K-12 students. We will introduce several free coding platforms, hardware, plus teaching strategies and lessons so that participants will be comfortable coding by the course conclusion.

Increasing Efficiency and Productivity
January 6 | 10 SCECHs

Become more productive, efficient and organized in your professional and personal life. Increase and improve productivity using apps and other simple technology.  In this independent learning unit, we introduce applications that are tried and true. Learn how to use them with students and in classrooms.  Tech Tip: When selecting an app, learn to use it regularly. For example, update and check a calendar each day. Or create tasks in a list app, then complete and check them off.  Tech Tip: Don’t try using everything at once. Start with one or two applications and then add more as needed.

Leading a Culture of Change in your School
January 6 | 10 SCECHs

Explore the essential needs of Leadership and Culture. This course is designed for school, district, and teacher leaders who wish to implement a change effort in their school or schools. Leaders is a broad category and can include coaches, teachers, technology specialists, aspiring leaders, or others interested in supporting school change.  This course will focus on technology initiatives and other ideas that incorporate change.

Introduction to Personalized & Blended Learning for ALL Students, Level 1
January 6 | 10 SCECHs

Getting started with blended learning is simple. Lay the groundwork with effective strategies to support professional growth and applications for student learning. Study different structures in the classroom and outside the school. Explore the different approaches and find the best methods to support students’ blended learning experience.

Literacy Instruction and Technology: Foundational Elements, Level 1
January 6 | 10 SCECHs

The course opens by providing the foundational elements of literacy development from kindergarten to high school, and the importance of teaching critical thinking skills. The literacy component provides an understanding of the developmental stages of reading and writing for elementary teachers.  For secondary educators, the literacy component provides a deeper understanding of how students may struggle with reading content. During the second half of the course, an array of technology tools and resources will be introduced. The instructor will hare differentiated examples of technology integration for elementary and secondary classrooms. Participants will learn how to provide critical thinking opportunities in literacy, and design a lesson integrating technology and encouraging deeper thinking for their students.

A Practical Guide to Global Success Skills in the Classroom for the 21st Century and Beyond
January 6 | 10 SCECHs

Global Success Skills (GSS) are critical to student development to ensure students can successfully navigate college and career opportunities. A 2016 survey conducted by the National Association of Colleges and Employees (NACE) identified a high need for entry-level students and employees to have practical skills in the following areas: leadership, communication, collaboration, and problem-solving.

This course provides an in-depth understanding the Global Success Skills. Learn how to apply the skills in classroom instruction and professional growth lessons. Personalize learning experience by choosing areas to explore using the tools provided in class.

Google: Applying Google Apps for Education in Chrome, Level 1
January 6 | 10 SCECHs

Google Apps for Education provides an expansive repertoire of tools for empowering students and managing instruction. Master the basics: how to create documents and share them with students, colleagues or parents.

  • Understand sharing options.
  • Navigate the Chrome Web Store to find and install apps targeted for student learning.
  • Install, explore and utilize new Google Apps and/or Chrome extensions that leverage the impact of technology integration and using Chromebooks.
  • Appreciate the transformation these tools have on teaching and learning by providing seamless access to information, not confined to the school day or classroom.

Authentic Student Learning & Gamification
January 6 | 10 SCECHs

Explore the many elements of game mechanics that can also be used for classroom instruction! Examine the purpose and use of Gamification and Game-Based Learning. Uncover how Gamification and Game-Based Learning provide rich, unique experiences for student learning. The course itself models the Gamification style so participants will gain deep Gamification experience as well as experience in games that reflect the Game-Based Learning approach.

New Seesaw Feature!

Send Post Back to Student
If your class is set to email sign in or 1:1 devices sign in for students, Seesaw has added a new tool to improve the feedback loop between students and teachers. This feature lets you send back a post to a student so they can do another revision before it’s shared with classmates or families.
From the Unapproved Items screen, use the comment tool to leave them a comment, then tap “Send Back” to send the work back to them. They’ll be notified that the post was sent back and can edit their post and return it to you when they’re ready for another review.

Saturdays With Moodle

The Dearborn Public Schools Technology Department is excited to announce a professional development opportunity for teachers: the Saturdays with Moodle series! They will offer 5 classes all about Moodle and some of its more popular features. Attend as many classes as you desire, and leave with something you can use in your classroom the next week! All classes are at the Administrative Service Center, 18700 Audette in Dearborn, and run from 9:00 am-1:15 pm. Cost is $50 per class.

See this flyer for registration information.
https://docs.google.com/drawings/d/1OZSwiNbbdHkYIp1qHHCBH_5Lu0pucPKMnwUPhOzi1do/edit

Hour of Code Resources in your Clever Portal

Hour of Code begins this month and we’re happy to share resources for our students to engage with Computer Science programs. You can easily participate in an Hour of Code and help our students discover coding apps via the Clever Library or by checking out available options at https://hourofcode.com/us/learn. For teachers who use Clever with their students, if your students do not have already have access to a coding app, simply log in to the Clever Portal and visit the Clever Library to search and install a few on your class pages.

For those unfamiliar with Clever and how you might use it with your students, check out the Clever Academy to learn about its benefit for you and your students.

HOUR OF CODE, FAQs:

What is the Hour of Code?

The Hour of Code started as a one-hour introduction to computer science, designed to demystify “code”, to show that anybody can learn the basics, and to broaden participation in the field of computer science. It has since become a worldwide effort to celebrate computer science, starting with 1-hour coding activities but expanding to all sorts of community efforts. Check out the tutorials and activities. This grassroots campaign is supported by over 400 partners and 200,000 educators worldwide.

When is the Hour of Code?

The Hour of Code takes place each year during Computer Science Education Week. The 2019 Computer Science Education Week will be December 9-15, but you can host an Hour of Code all year-round. Computer Science Education Week is held annually in recognition of the birthday of computing pioneer Admiral Grace Murray Hopper (December 9, 1906).

Why computer science?

Every student should have the opportunity to learn computer science. It helps nurture problem-solving skills, logic and creativity. By starting early, students will have a foundation for success in any 21st-century career path. See more stats here.

How do I participate in the Hour of Code?

Start planning here by reviewing our how-to guide. You can organize an Hour of Code event at your school or in your community — like in an extracurricular club, non-profit or at work. Or, just try it yourself when Dec. 9 arrives.

Who is behind the Hour of Code?

The Hour of Code is driven by the Hour of Code and Computer Science Education Week Advisory and Review Committees as well as an unprecedented coalition of partners that have come together to support the Hour of Code — including Microsoft, Apple, Amazon, Boys and Girls Clubs of America and the College Board.

Only Use Rechargeable Batteries for Handheld Classroom Microphones

Using any non-rechargeable alkaline batteries will leak and corrode the metal terminals in the microphones. That’s BAD news for the microphone and it’s bad news for anyone who gets battery acid on their hands.   So, it’s imperative that ONLY rechargeable AA Nickel based batteries with max output of 1.5v (aka the most common rechargeable battery) are used. Tech integration specialists have had good luck with the Amazon Basics and Eneloop rechargeable brands and consequently recommend them when asked.

Amazon: Eneloop

Amazon Basics

Please keep in mind that battery replacements, as well as the microphones themselves are considered consumables and thus local building budget items, so please consult your building leadership when and if interested in obtaining new batteries or replacement microphones.

Remember To Please Submit a Service Request if/when seeking Tech support

With over 2,000 staff members and over 15,000+ devices to support, it’s important to have a system to track issues, document trends, and assign support to the appropriate technicians or tech integration specialists. If you are needing assistance with anything technology related, we ask that you use the Service Request ticketing system. There are a couple of ways to access this system.

Go to links.pccsk12.com/helpdesk

Once there, to log in, you will input your district GMAIL Email address for your “Username”.

For “Password” you will input your network password (not necessarily your Google password) – Your network password is the password you use to log onto a district desktop computer.

Then you fill out the service form with the details that best describes your situation and support needs.

Alternatively, to locate the service portal…

  1. Browse to the PCCS Website: http://www.pccsk12.com
  2. Hover over Staff
  3. Click on Technology Service Request

If you might submit more than one service ticket during the year, consider bookmarking the Service Desk url by clicking the Star on the right side of the address bar (see pic below), so that it is easy to locate the page again.