Computer Science: Hour of Code Week December 6-12 2021

 Join us as we encourage our youth to persevere and develop interests in Science, Engineering, and Technology.

This year's Hour of Code takes place Dec. 6-12th. Consider donating a short period of class time to talk about Computer Science and Coding.

Here are some  short 4 min videos explaining what Coding means: 
https://youtu.be/j-3eArinB7E
https://youtu.be/P2Fc0Aj_u58

You may want to show a short video like this one to encourage students to try things they are not yet good at: https://youtu.be/ip051U7Rvds

For more short video clips of famous athletes using coding: https://code.org/athletes

Don't feel comfortable teaching coding? No problem! There are 2 basic concepts to coding you can do without even turning on a computer!

1. Following directions and retelling directions. (That is essentially what coding is.)
 Some examples of activities might include: 

             -retelling a story
            -make a quick picture using play dough or Legos, then verbally tell a partner how to make the                     same object    
            -create a "how to......" video or written instructions booklet
            -create a "secret code message" with a key then see if a classmate can crack your code

2. Finding bugs within a program (finding what does not work, or what does not belong)
Some examples of activities might include:

               -show students a tray containing 4 objects and ask which one doesn't belong and why.
               -have students create a map of the classroom, then follow that map from the door to their desk,                     ask if they physically passed anything that is missing from the map.

Free Online Conference from Matt Miller, Ditch that Textbook Digital Summit

Need PGP points? We've signed up for a GREAT free online conference for teachers in December and wanted to tell you about it.

It’s called the Ditch That Textbook Digital Summit. There are nine video presentations from awesome presenters on topics related to tech and solid teaching and learning. Including previous years’ sessions, you’ll have access to more than 60 video presentations! 

Get registered for free at: DitchSummit.com.

HOW IT WORKS: New presentations are released every day from Dec. 14-22. They remain available until Jan. 8 so you can re-watch or catch up on any you’ve missed. They’re pre-recorded, so you can watch them whenever you want until Jan. 8. After that, the summit ends and the videos are unavailable to watch anymore.

FREE PD HOURS: You can get FREE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT CREDITS for watching the videos. There’s a form to fill out after each presentation, and you’ll get an automatic PD certificate emailed to you.

Sign up for the digital summit at DitchSummit.com.

This year’s new speakers include: 

• Dr. Lindsay Portnoy, cognitive scientist, professor, and parent

• Knikole Taylor, educator, lead learner, and Google Certified Innovator

• Dee Lanier, educational technologist, equity enthusiast, and Solve in Time Creator

• Dr. Desiree Alexander, education consultant, presenter, and speaker

• Esther Park, high school ESL / ELA teacher

• Maria Arfanakis (Galanis), innovation curriculum specialist, Google Certified Trainer

• Paula Martínez, designer and slide template creator, Slides Mania

• Nyree Clark, curriculum program specialist, culturally responsive teaching advocate

• Matt Miller, author of 5 books, Ditch That Textbook Digital Summit host

Assessing and Meeting Standards

 It is that time of year when teachers are beginning to think about how they are doing when it comes to covering grade level standards and begin preparing for ILEARN, IREAD and more.  Last week's blog provided links to specific standard support, so we thought it would be a good idea to follow that up with ways to assess students' understanding of those standards.  Below you will find a few easily accessible ways to achieve this task.

How to Assign Specific Skills in IXL

Click here for more information on IXL

How to Assign Specific Skills in i-Ready

https://watch.screencastify.com/v/sG0yVvSUM4Cykz1dza3O

Click here for more information on i-Ready

How to Assess Specific Skills in Edulastic

Click here for more teacher training videos from Edulastic

Changes to find Resources from the IN D.O.E. Website

 Have you noticed that the Indiana D.O.E. website has changed?  This has made it difficult to find the support materials that we have been using for curriculum planning and ILEARN preparation.  It seems there are other support sites that we can utilize to find this relevant information.  They are all free, but require a login to access.  

Indiana Department of Education Home Page

ILEARN Resources

https://www.in.gov/doe/students/assessment/ilearn/

NEW: Supplementary ILEARN Resources Available in Moodle

ILEARN resources that previously appeared on the Indiana Department of Education’s (IDOE's)

website (e.g., test development and scoring resources, English/language arts scoring rubrics,

Lexile® and Quantile® trainings) are now archived within Moodle. Anyone with a valid Moodle

account is able to access all materials archived in the ILEARN course. Please share these

resources with educators and parents whose students will participate in ILEARN assessments

this year. Contact Moodle Support for technical support and the Office of Student Assessment

for content-related questions.

(This content was taken from the Indiana DOE Newsletter from Friday, October 29, 2021)

Standards

https://www.in.gov/doe/students/indiana-academic-standards/

IN Learning Lab

What is IN Learning Lab?

To learn more about IN Learning Lab, check out the Learning Lab Help Resources: https://inlearninglab.com/collections/indiana-learning-lab-help-resources

https://inlearninglab.com/collections

Literacy Frameworks: https://inlearninglab.com/collections/literacy-frameworks

Math Frameworks: https://inlearninglab.com/collections/math-frameworks

Computer Science Frameworks: https://inlearninglab.com/collections/computer-science-frameworks

Science Frameworks: https://inlearninglab.com/collections/science-frameworks

Social Studies Frameworks: https://inlearninglab.com/collections/social-studies-literacy-frameworks

4th Grade Frameworks: https://inlearninglab.com/collections/4th-grade-frameworks

3rd Grade Frameworks: https://inlearninglab.com/collections/3rd-grade-frameworks

2nd Grade Frameworks: https://inlearninglab.com/collections/2nd-grade-frameworks

1st Grade Frameworks: https://inlearninglab.com/collections/1st-grade-frameworks

Kindergarten Frameworks: https://inlearninglab.com/collections/kindergarten-frameworks

Keep Indiana Learning

https://keepindianalearning.org/

    Keep Indiana Learning (KInL) is an empowering, collaborative community with a desire to transform the landscape of education. We want to remove all barriers to equitable, engaging, learning experiences–for educators, leaders, and families.

    Created by the Central Indiana Educational Service Center (CIESC) and supported by the Educational Service Centers of Indiana, KInL provides resources and best practices where educators, families, and students can connect and learn from peers across the state.

Nearpod integration with Canvas

 Nearpod in Canvas

Nearpod can now be assigned to students directly through Canvas!
-Students no longer need to use a code to access a specific Nearpod presentation you have selected.

Here's how it works:

First, be sure you have browsed the Nearpod library for a presentation, then added it to your "My Lessons" library.

Next, log into Canvas, and access your course.  

Click on "Assignments", then +Assignment to create a new assignment.

Add all of the usual details to the assignment; including title, description, sync to SIS, etc.

In the "Submission Type" drop box, select EXTERNAL TOOL. Then click FIND.

Next, scroll until you find NEARPOD in the list. Click on NEARPOD.

It may ask you to verify your Google email. Then it will load your Nearpod account "My Lessons" library.

Hover over the presentation you wish to assign. Select either "Student-paced" or "Live Participation".

When you return to the External Tool window, click SELECT.

Now, you will see a link to your Nearpod in the link box. You will also have the opportunity to have the Nearpod open on student screens in a new window:

Continue to complete the assignment settings as you normally would. 

Click Save or Save and Publish.

Here is what the students see when they click on the assignment with a Nearpod included:

Students click on the rectangle to load the Nearpod presentation.

It will then prompt students to add their name and join the Nearpod presentation.

Nearpod will now work just as it has in the past, using either student-paced or live presentation.