 1. Calling all Elementary Teachers to join the brand new Google+ Plus Community. Do you like Pinterest? Well, think of this as Pinterest just for Amherst Teachers. Right now it seem that only Gail and myself are posting but we are asking you to join and share documents as well. We will come to your classroom and help you get started or you can click this link. If you haven't already joined Google+, you will have to join first and then add the ACPS Community to your account. Please let us know if you have questions.  2. Here is a resource I created. I love logic puzzles! Can your students solve the snowflake math problems? This resource and more can be found on our Google+ Community. I post new resources there daily! To download this resource, click on the image and then go to File->Make A Copy.  3. This resource specifies history but could actually be used in reading or science as well. Have your students design a the cover for a video game! Students love this. This idea is one I got from a worksheet someone gave me when I was a classroom teacher. It originally wanted students to design the cover of a movie. I scanned it and turned it into a Google Draw document.  4. Did you see anything new in your Google Drive last week? Last week Google released Team Drive. Google"s Team Drives are shared spaces where teams can easily store, search, and access their files anywhere, from any device. Unlike files in My Drive, files in Team Drive belong to the team instead of an individual. Even if members leave, the files stay exactly where they are so your team can continue to share information and get work done. I have not explored Team Drive much but it seems like a wonderful concept. I am thinking it will work much like our Share Folders on the Seven Dwarf Servers. 5. Friday at the Movies - Africa by Toto on the Floppotron Last week the ITRTs received an email from Jean Weller who is "our boss at the state level." She often keeps us updated with articles on new technology, sends resources, and links to the Superintendent Memos which will affect us as ITRTs. Last week she also included this video just for fun. The music you hear is all created by the sounds of old technology. I love it!  Bonus: Did you try the coding challenge last week? Here is the solution. Can you solve this week's challenge? To open the challenge, click on the image and then go to File -> Make A Copy.
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 1. Gail and I have access to hundreds of Breakouts. The digital versions would be a great anchor activity. Try posting this one and see if your students can work together to stop the bug take-over! The links can also be posted in a Google Classroom and would make a great lab activity for students while you are working with others in a small group. If you don't think you can fit a hands on Breakout into your schedule, ask us about a digital version!  2. Here is a Google tip for you! Check out Google's Remote for Slides. You can get it from the Chrome Web Store. Once installed, this extension allows you to control your Google Slide Show from your phone or tablet.! This is another way to cut the tether between you and the computer and allow you to walk around and interact with your students during a whole group lesson.  3. ReadWorks is an amazing site that allows you to find articles based on subject, Lexile, and/or grade level. There is the option to print these articles or you can create a class and assign these articles to students. Students can use their Google account to sign in. The best thing about this site is that it is FREE!!  4. This week's resource came from Gail Moore. She did a variety of choice boards for a Differentiation Workshop at one of Summer Tech Academies a few years back. This one is adding and subtracting fractions. Please let me know if you would like help on creating your own choice board or if you would like to see more examples. You can click the link above or click on the image to open the resource. Once you open it you will need to go to File->Make a Copy in order to edit this document. 5. Friday at the Movies - I thought that you may need some inspiration. We have had so much time off and getting back into the swing of things may be hard. Just remember, you are needed!!! You are important! Bonus Each week from now until the end of school, I plan to share one coding challenge. These are best for 2-5 grades. This first is the easiest. Let me know if you have any questions. To access the challenge, click on the image above and then go to File -> Make a Copy. Once you have made your own copy, you can post it to a Google Classroom for your students to access.
 1. A couple of years ago Google released Cardboard. Gail and I have been trying to get this in Amherst County ever since without success. The problem is that although the cardboard viewers are not expensive, we need devices to run the programs and we can't find the cell phones to put into the devices. However, there is a website that you can use to give your students a similar experience. 360 Degree Cities has a TON of stock 360 panoramic scenes free for you to use. I know that second grade is beginning to discuss habitats. Why not plan a virtual field trip to the ocean, the tundra, or the rainforest? What fun would your students have then! Is there a battlefield you would like you students to visit? How about a trip to the White House? No matter where you want to go, this site may have a way for you to "get there."  2. The new Google Sites is so easy to use! Have you ever thought about having the students create a webpage on a topic instead of a report or a poster? Students would absolutely love to publish something that the entire world could read. Just incorporate the internet safety lesson about keeping real names off of the site and you are good to go. If you need help, I would love to come in and collaborate on a lesson.  3. Speaking of posters, another interesting project would be to have students create an infographic. An infographic is a visual representation of information. This would help your student to summarize and stick to the main idea. Words are limited. Ideas must be conveyed with images. And although there are many online tools that you could use to create an infographic, why not use one that your students are already familiar with, Google Draw! Here is a site that has 8 templates for creating an infographic.  4. As I was preparing to put together a resource for this blog this week an ITRT from another county emailed me this link. I have visited Eric Curts site before but had totally forgotten about it! I am giving you the main page link to his Google resources. From there you can choose which G-Suite app you want to work in. You are going to LOVE this site! 5. Friday At The Movies- How is a powerful word! In 2017, how was the number one question starter in Google. Happy New Year folks! Since many of us will not be here tomorrow, I thought I would send this out one day early. I hope you enjoy your four day weekend!  1. Here are 5 tricks you can use on your Chromebook!
 3. Some folks have really wanted to use their Smart Notebook documents on a Chromebook. I have discovered a way!!! I have been playing with Classflow lately and I am absolutely in love with Classflow. Best things about it are
 4. This resource would be perfect for second or third grade. This could be offered as a way to help them learn their weekly spelling words. Students can click on the letters and drag them onto the "chalkboard" to spell words. To access the resource, click on the image and then File-Make A Copy. 5. Friday at the Movies - Bloom's Taxonomy according to Nemo. (PS: Scroll down under the movie for two bonuses!) 6. It is time for our General Assembly to start working! If you would like to be kept abreast of what is happening in the Virginia General Assembly, please visit the VEA General Assembly Daily blog for updates. If you are an Association member, check with me and I will show you how this news can come directly to your inbox! 7. There is a free poster on this blog that I really like called 25 Things to Say Instead of Good Job! I printed it off as a 4 x 6 print and have it taped to my desk. It would also be good to stick inside of a teacher plan book. As I sit here and type this, it just occurred to me that this poster would be a good one to hang up and allow the students to refer to it when they are working in small groups!
Happy New Year, Folks! 1. Now that we are back I would love to get together with you and plan a Breakout! Check out the many topics that already have a Breakout created. These were created by the company but we could also tailor something just for your class. Please let me know how you want to integrate this!   2. I know that right before Christmas we made you aware the the Google+ App has just been opened for teachers but I wanted to remind you of what an awesome resource this is. Once you log into your Google Account (email is the Google App you are most likely to log into first), all you need to do is click on the "waffle" in the top right corner and pull down to Google+. Once you are in Google+ explore all the communities that peak your interest. It's a great way to connect with other teachers who are teaching the same content as you do!  3. After reading the above tweet, I was moved to start thinking of ways we can get our younger students' hands on the same technology that we put into the hands of the older students. We are probably never going to turn on the G-Suite apps for each younger student but you can still have them do things in G-Suite. Here is a resource that was designed with Kinders and first graders in mind. These came from a presentation I attended at VSTE. I have been working with kindergartners and first graders using Google Docs, Google Slides, and Google Draw and have developed some other ideas that I will share as well in future posts. I would love to come help you set something up for you.  4. For those of you with older students, here is another example of a hyperdoc. Remember, a hyperdoc is a document with links to other documents or activities. This one is for place value. It would be a great way to review. To access the document, click on the image. Once the document opens, go to File->Make A Copy 5. Friday at the Movies - Just wanted to put some pep into your New Year! |
Melanie LewisHi, my name is Melanie Lewis. I am an Instructional Technology Resource Teacher for Amherst County Public Schools, located in the beautiful state of Virginia. I LOVE my job! I get to work on my hobby, anything that has to do with computers. I get to work with teachers and students, and I am definitely a people person. Plus, I DO NOT have to give grades. Wonderful, huh? Let me know how I can help you better integrate technology into your classroom. Archives
March 2020
ACPS' 1st computers
I know only one thing about the technology that awaits us in the future: We will find ways to tell stories with it. ~Jason Ohler
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