In this presentation by John R. Sowash you can learn
Click HERE to access the slidedeck!
With Earth Month upon us, April’s newsletter features topics ranging from Humans and the Environment to Wangari Maathai, environmental activist and Nobel Peace Prize recipient. Use these movies and more as a launching pad for discussion with your students about caring for our planet.
April is also Poetry Month and Financial Literacy Month, so enjoy their collections of related topics in this edition of the Teachers’ Lounge.
Also in this month’s newsletter:
Click HERE to get to the full BrainPop teacher lounge!
On March 23, Canva held an event called Canva Create. The purpose of the event was to showcase some of the newest features and announcements coming to Canva. Please note that some of the features announced are still in BETA mode. This means that the public can provide feedback to Canva if there are inconsistencies or stability issues with the newest features. Below are just some examples of what was provided at Canva Create. To learn about these tools and MUCH more, click here.
Magic Design– Upload an image into Canva, and Canva will preview different mediums and ideas for you.
Magic Edit– Use AI to replace part of an image inside of a design with a virtual brush.
Translate– You or your students can now translate over 100 languages into Canva Designs
Need to know how to enroll in a course? Want to remember what courses you took in previous years? Want a record of PD for yourself? View the PCCS Canvas Catalog Guide to get all your catalog questions answered!
Below is a direct link to where the Grammarly extension can be installed.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the technology department by submitting a service ticket.
Kids are naturally curious. They ask why and how? They imagine. They create. When kids create, they solve problems and think up new solutions. Young creatives need to be nurtured, so that their originality shines. So their ideas can take shape and become real. When we celebrate their innate creative mindsets, children view the world with wonder. They embrace innovative thinking. They create possibilities. Join Crayola Creativity Week, and help children create the future.
Check out the full calendar of events here!
January 23-29, 2023
Sign up here!
Happy holidays all!
For those of you about to begin a well deserved two week winter break, which we hope will be all you hope for and a bit more, on THURSDAY before you leave (and possibly, if need be, again on Friday)….
WOULD YOU PLEASE SECURE ALL VALUABLES in the classrooms and office spaces you inhabit. This includes laptops, document cameras, Apple TVs, remotes, and interactive pens.
Further, would you please make sure all iPads and ChromeBooks are in their carts and those CARTS ARE LOCKED and plugged in before leaving.
Finally, would you please also POWER OFF any of the following equipment, if it is equipment you handle:
THANK YOU for your cooperation.
Grammarly is a Chrome browser extension that reviews spelling, grammar, punctuation, clarity, engagement, and delivery mistakes in English texts. It detects plagiarism and suggests replacements for the identified errors. It also allows users to customize their style, tone, and context-specific language.
The Grammarly Chrome extension has been force installed on student Google accounts for the past several years, however, it recently started creating an issue with the built-in spell check feature in Google Docs. Its interference with Google’s native spell checker means that when students or staff are using Google Docs and words are misspelled, these mispellings aren’t identified with a red underline. While Google’s spell checker can still be used, the lack of underlining requires you to launch it by depressing Ctrl+Alt+X and using the arrow keys to cycle through words of concern.
To address this issue, the district will no longer force install the Grammarly Chrome extension on student accounts starting Monday, January 16, 2023. (Staff will not be impacted by this change since the Grammarly extension is not force installed on their accounts.) Unfortunately, when Chrome extensions are no longer force installed, they are automatically removed from the impacted accounts. If students would still like to use the Grammarly extension after it is removed, they must manually install it from the Chrome Webstore. Below is a direct link to where the Grammarly extension can be installed.
Grammarly Chrome Extension from Chrome Webstore
After the extension has been reinstalled, users will be able to use it as they have in the past, but also will be able to disable it when desired, such as when using Google Docs.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the technology department by submitting a service ticket.
Many teachers like to use video clips to help engage students with their content.
Below are some websites built for teachers that offer usable classroom clips.
Classhook: Search for clips from popular movies and TV shows by grade level and clip length. Or browse by subject to find something to fit your needs. Their free plan includes up to 20 ad-free clips per month with an embedded question as well as access to discussion starter templates.
The Kids Should See This: Self-described as “smart videos for curious minds of all ages.”
The Literacy Shed: This site has video clips and lesson ideas, including many of the Disney shorts.
Of course, don’t forget the district-provided video content resources like BrainPOP (accessed via Clever) and EdPuzzle (6-12).
Finally, on the TED-Ed lessons website you can sort TED-Ed lessons by grade level by going to the TED-Ed lessons page then looking about half-way down the page on the right-hand side to find “filter by” and “sort by” settings. In the “filter by” drop-down menu you can choose elementary school, middle school, high school, or university. You can combine grade level sorting with sorting to find the oldest, newest, most watched, and least watched TED-Ed lessons.
See also this post from last spring for more online resources offering video clips.
Lately, we have received a few tickets about blocked websites. Please keep in mind that certain websites may not be blocked for teachers, yet are blocked for students. As far in advance as possible before starting a lesson with students that involves an online activity, please confirm that a student can successfully get to the website and the activities you hope to use with them on the site. If the site/video/activity is blocked you can submit a tech ticket to request that it be unblocked. Keep in mind that we have different access permissions set at our three grade levels – elementary, middle and high – and you should confirm with an account of the same level as your expected lesson audience. So for example, if you teach middle school students, but have an elementary student at home, testing a site on their account may not be an accurate picture of access for your middle schoolers.
Related Notes: