2106 STEAM Toy Recomendation

Happy December! 

I have had several colleagues ask me for STEAM related toy suggestions for their kids ranging ages from 3 -9 so I figured since I had done the research I'd share them with the world. I should state that I have no affiliation with any of these companies nor have I been asked to promote them

3-6 Year olds Computer Alternatives.  One of my colleagues was looking for a way for her almost 4 year old to type letters, without buying a computer.

• LeapFrog Scribble and Write  -helps with learning to write letters and numbers, 
• LeapFrog Clickstart My First Computer -this one appears to hook into the TV or a computer monitor, but it looks like it needs games to be used. It also is an older item so more expensive and not as easy to find.
• VTech Little Apps Tablet - this item has a keyboard and small screen so it looks sort of like a big blackberry. It also has piano key in addition to letter keys.
• VTech Tote and Go Laptop -similar to above but looks more computer like, it have lost of activities so it's not just for typing letters.
• Fisher-Price Fun-2-Learn Smart Tablet  - this one is able to work in both English and Spanish,  helps with learning letters and number, looks more like a table than a laptop or computer.
• AlphaSmart Dana or Neo2 Alphasmart - I used items like this many years ago at a public school I worked at, it was a keyboard and a small screen, it could be hooked to a computer and the text could be imported in later. If you're looking just have your little one type though this is more expensive it's the best option.
• Chrome Book - web based laptop that has lots of apps to add onto it, however since 3-6 year olds are far too young to have their own Google Accounts you'd have to be trusting (or closely supervising) you little one on this tool.

6-9 Year olds STEAM/Robotics toys:

• Snap Circuits Jr. SC-100 Electronics Discovery Kit - I have not used this but it looks pretty neat especially given the low price tag.  It claims to have over 100 different projects to make.
• OWI Super Solar Recycler OR OWI 14-in-1 Solar Robot- These also look neat and have a low price tag.  This company has several other STEAM/STEM products on their site. These two products remind me of EV3 and NXT but on a more simple level.
• Ozobot - this company has several different robots to choose from.  Mid price range I have used these at a conference very neat product but I could see kid tiring of it quickly.
• Sphero - I have used these at a conference also a very neat product. They have a few different models to choose from even one that looks like BB8 from Star Wars.
• Lego - this is always great if he's into legos because it's an investment.

 

Fake News

In recent weeks there's been more and more attention draw to news and fake news.  I recently ready two different article on the fake news topic.  The first was about outsmarting fake news in news feeds (like on Facebook). This article has some tips ad trick to spotting fake news.

The second was out of Macedonia, where a teenage shares what he knows about fake news with AP as an insider.

 

So how do you spot fake news?  Here's a few things to keep in mind before you click on that every so interesting headline:

1. If is sounds to good to be true it probably is (wise old saying but still applicable)
2. Even real news sites (like CNN) have fake stories
3. Do you know the person who posted it or is it an ad?
4. Snopes, do a quick search for the headline on Snope.com and see if it's a real story or not.

Do you have tips and tricks on how you determine if news is real or fake? I'd love to hear about them.

BrainPOP time Zone X

 

Did you know that BrainPOP offers learning games?  Students and play and submit them electronically to you.  Once submitted you can see a students' level of understanding. Time Zone X is one of these learning games.  It is a timeline game about historical themes such as:

• The American Revolution
• Mars
• Impressionism
• Jazz
• Civil War
• Egyptian Pharaohs
• Roman Republic
• Athens
• New Deal
• and many more

Time Zone X is ideal for grade 3 and up.

Don't forget that you all have teacher accounts and your students all have their own logins! How are you using BrainPOP?

BrainPop Sortify

 

Did you know that BrainPOP offers learning games?  Students and play and submit them electronically to you.  Once submitted you can see a students' level of understanding.  Continents is one of these learning games.  It has topics such as: 

• Parts of Speech
• Nouns
• Current Electricity
• Musical Instruments
• Natural Resources
• Continents and Oceans
• American Indian History
• Multiplication
• Angles
• US Constitution
• American Revolution
• Elements of the Periodic Table
• Nutrition
• Space Exploration
• World-Changing Women
• Dinosaurs
• Median, Mode, Mean and Range
• Factoring
• Similar Figures
• Rounding
• Ocean Life

Don't forget that you all have teacher at my school have accounts and your students all have their own logins!

MassCue 2016

I first heard about MassCUE last September but at that time I was brand new to my school and to Ed Tech here in America.  I was longing for Learning 2 and sad that it did not exist here in the States.  I attended the iPad Summit here in Boston last November and hear Guy Kawasaki speak and learned about Canva from him.  I also learned about Explain Everything from Reshan Richards and fell in love with it. So I had high expectations that MassCUE would have similar amazing learning opportunities for me.  Though I did enjoy MassCUE perhaps I had built it up too much in my mind.  Or perhaps I simply did not pick the best presenters to see/hear.  Whatever the case my be I left not feeling that intense and excited post conference feel that I had, had from Learning2.

My highlight of MassCUE was Critical Creativity by Dan Ryder an English teacher from Mt. Blue High School in Farmington, Maine.  I ended up in his presentation by accident I was walking with Maggie Cerjan my colleague and friend from CHS when she mentioned she was attending this session so I decided to go with her.  I am very happy I did as Dan Ryder was a dynamic presenter and I left with a few new idea in my head.

Google Sites is Changing

 

Google Sites is Changing

"Here's what’s special about the new Sites:

• Just like Google Docs, the new Sites is really easy to use and allows you to collaborate in real-time.
• Sites look great on any device by default.
• Deep integration with Google Drive makes editing, managing, and sharing sites even easier.

By the way, you will continue to have full access to the current version of Google Sites on sites.google.com. And any sites created on the new product will continue to work once it launches to everyone." taken from an email shared with me originally from:  Matthew Moran

The transition will begin in 2017. Starting 2018 Google will send timelines and directions about the gradual shutdown of classic Sites.  A specific shutdown date has not yet been determined, however Google has pledged to give a full years notice prior to the final shut down of classic Sites.

Zing!

 

Zing is a new service that offers thousands of free non-fiction and fiction ebooks to teachers and students. On Zing you can browse for books by genre, guided reading level, available level, theme and topic. You can read the books in your web browser on a laptop or tablet.

Zing is more than just a repository of free ebooks. In the Zing reader students will find a built-in dictionary and tools for taking notes while they read. Users can create a customized library.  Some books are even available as Audio eBooks and audio eLearning.

CBE BrainPOP Educator Workshop

 

BrainPOP Educator Workshop

Saturday, November 5, 2016 from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM, Framingham, MA $15.00

"The Certified BrainPOP Educator Program is a free certification program offered to teachers who have demonstrated exemplary commitment to and creativity using BrainPOP resources with students.

To become a Certified BrainPOP Educator, attend an in-person or blended training workshop with the BrainPOP Educators team, fulfill supplemental requirements and participate in our online community. Certified BrainPOP Educators are the first to know about new developments at BrainPOP and may receive opportunity to beta test new features, provide advice to developers, and more.

Most CBE workshops are held in a classroom setting at conferences around the country. In these sessions, led by our BrainPOP Educators team, attendees learn about BrainPOP’s latest and greatest features through hands-on exploration and modeling via large-group, small-group, and partner activities."

Election 2016 Resources

Election 2016 Resources 

Teaching Tolerance has a great list of resources resources on the current election season. They have resources on: Countering Bias, Civic Activities, Getting Along, How To and Election Sites.    

The JFK Museum also has some Civics Resources that might be helpful for some of you as well.

Can you tell fake news when you see it?

 

Can you tell fake news 

when you see it?

The Washington Post recently wrote an articel about digitally altered photos. Using some of the photos from Nightingale’s experiment, The Washington Post created a version of her test. See if you can match (or even beat) the 60 percent her participants scored.

Mass CUE 2016: Global Connections, Digital Learning

 

Mass CUE 2016:

Global Connections, Digital Learning

Massachusetts Computer Using Educators (MassCUE) and the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents (M.A.S.S.), host a conference at Gillette Stadium each fall.  It is a two day conference but you can just attend one day.  It is October 19 and 20.  This year our parent/teacher conferences are on Oct. 20th so if you're interested in attending you would only be able to go on the 19th. The cost for non MassCUE able is $210 for one day. If you wish to attend  please sign up here.

Why and When you should change your Google Profile Picture and how to do it

 

Why and When you should change your Google Profile Picture

and how to do it

 Now you might find yourself asking why is this so important?  

Well there are several reasons but I will not bore you all with a long list, I will just share a few that I feel are important. 

Changing your Google Apps profile image can help with name recognition so that parents begin to put a face with a name as soon as they start receiving emails from you.  Now I know that you're thinking: but, it's April my students parents already know who I am.  It also let's others outside our community put a face with a name, for example a tutor that works with one of your students, members of a PLN.

When should I do this?  The start of the school year is always a great time to do this.  You should look at your Google Apps profile photo yearly and see if it still looks like you.

How do you do this?

Step one: click on the photo or icon in anyone one of you Google apps.

Step two: click on the tiny camera

Step three: If the image is on your computer you can either search for it or drag and drop it in to the box that appears. Or you can search through your Google Photos.

 

 

 

Step four: Here you can crop and rotate you image. Once you have it the way you want pess "set as profile picture".

 

Treating Yourself

There are many discounts given to teachers here are some for us in the Greater Boston Area.

Shopping

Aerosoles shoes offers 15% off items pries $39.99 and higher.

Apple offers discounts on computers and iPads for teachers and students.

Banes and Nobles give 20% off the publisher's list price on all Classroom related purchases. 25% off on Teacher Appreciation Day.

The Container Store Their Organized Teacher program offers educators  discounts throughout the year to help organize your classroom!

J. Crew Offers 15% off to all teachers in stores only.

JoAnn Fabrics Their Teacher Rewards program offers 15% to teachers.

Loft Loves Teachers, offers perks like 15% full priced items, grants, sweepstakes and teacher appreciation nights.

Michael's Offers 15% off items for classroom use, some restrictions and exclusions apply.

The New York Times offers discounted rates to teachers on subscriptions.

Staples earn 2% back on all purchases, free shipping on orders over $14.99 and $2 back in rewards for recycling ink cartridges.

Talbots offers 15% off regularly priced items.

Teachers Rule is a teacher supply store on the South Shore in Hanover, MA and offer 10% off for teachers.

**To obtain these discounts you need to have your valid teacher ID, some places will accept a pay stub.

Attractions

Boston Children's Museum: K-8 Teachers from MA, NH, CT, RI, VT, and ME get free admission and access to Learning Resources.

Broadway / New York City: Teachers and students receive deep discounts to hundreds of Broadway and Off-Broadway shows, museums and other productions by registering with the School Theatre Ticket Program or by acquiring a membership with the Theater Development Fund. Not sure if this truly is an option if your not from NYC.

Busch Gardens: MyEducationDiscount negotiated an education discount with Florida Ticket Station for Busch Gardens Tampa Bay and other FL attractions! See this page for details and coupon code. "Just for Teachers" activities and complimentary classroom resources are also available.

Clearwater Marine Aquarium: Free admission is available to educators with a valid teacher ID at the admission gate. Details can be found in this PDF information flyer. Also available are free resources, including an educational planner and curriculum. 

Colonial Williamsburg: Special admission rates available with valid institution ID. Discounts are given only at Colonial Williamsburg walk-up ticket sales locations. More info can be found at the bottom of this page.

Crayola Experience, FL and PA: K-12 educators receive free admission. Simply contact them 5 days in advance with appropriate information. See Orlando, FL location details here and Easton, PA location details here. Be sure to bring your school ID or paystub with you on the day of your excursion. Plus, other members of your party receive a $5 discount by purchasing tickets online and using store name EDUCATION. 

Denver Art Museum: Educators and students receive discounted membership as well as access to educational resources.

Discovery World, Milwaukee, WI: Teachers and homeschoolers get unlimited free admission, free VIP tours of labs and studios, access to professional development events and much more when they join Discovery World’s Educator Community -- it's free!

Disneyland: Educators who are members of ACSA, CTA, and CRTA get discounted Disneyland tickets through TSA Special Member Services. TSA also provides discounts on other theme parks, aquariums, seasonal events and more.

Disney World: MyEducationDiscount negotiated an education discount with Florida Ticket Station for Walt Disney World and other FL attractions! Click here for details and coupon code.

Florida Aquarium: Teachers get in for free with a school ID and current paystub with teacher payroll code.

Graceland: K-12 teachers are offered complimentary admission to Elvis Presley's Graceland in Memphis, TN. Free lesson plans are also available for educators looking to share their experience with their students.

Grand Canyon Railway: Free tickets for teachers, discounts of up to 35% for students, and specially priced rooms and meals are available via the Grand Canyon Railway's Conductor's Club program. See details at the bottom of this page. 

Grand Ole Opry, Nashville: Discounted admission to the Grand Ole Opry (and a number of other Nashville attractions) are available to educators who book an overnight stay at the Gaylord Opryland Resort ... That's in addition to their special teacher appreciation hotel rates.

Las Vegas: There are a number of teacher discounts in Vegas. For example, Davidoff Bar currently offers free champagne and 50% off wine & beer every day from 2-5pm. Caesars Entertainment spans over a dozen hotels brands and provides discounted hotel stays via this online booking form. The Mob Museum offers discounted admission with a valid Teacher ID. Past teacher discounts include Miracle Mile Shops, Le Reve at the Wynn, and other shows & exhibitions. So be sure to present your school ID when making any purchase in Vegas -- it may help you save some money!

Legoland: In Florida, free admission is available to Florida teachers in grades K-12. Residents of other states can receive discounts via Florida Ticket Station. In California, Legoland provides free admission for teachers on select days throughout the year.

National Parks: Show a valid school ID at most National Park Service visitor centers across the nation and receive 15% off your purchase. Free curriculum and other tools are also available. Plus, 4th grade teachers and students can receive free access to hundreds of U.S. parks, lands, and waters for an entire year via the Every Kid in a Park program.

New England Aquarium, Boston: Through their Teacher Pass Program, the Aquarium allows all New England K-12 teachers to receive free Aquarium admission, discounts at the Harbor View Café and Gift Shop, free access to their Teacher Resource Center and much more. Learn more and apply here.

Philadelphia Zoo: Certified preK-12 teachers, principals and assistant principals can take advantage of free admission during summer months by registering for the Summer Break Teacher Pass. Full registration details are available here.

Sea Life Aquariums: Sea Life has five U.S. locations, including the famous Mall of America in Minnesota. Educators receive discounted membership rates and free admission during Teacher Open House events.

SeaWorld: Free teacher admission is available to SeaWorld Orlando, San Diego andSan Antonio through the SeaWorld Teacher Fun Card initiative. Must be a resident of FL, CA, AZ or TX (use links above to access appropriate registration info). Non-FL residents can receive discounts for SeaWorld Orlando via Florida Ticket Station. Complimentary classroom resources for SeaWorld Parks are also available here.

Six Flags: Teachers and students of grades K-6 are eligible for free admission via theSix Flags Read to Succeed program. Or save 5% on tickets and in-park purchases by simply using your Discover card after signing up for their cash back program.

Universal Studios, FL and CA: MyEducationDiscount negotiated an education discount with Florida Ticket Station for Universal Orlando and other FL attractions. Discounts to Universal Studios Hollywood are available to members of ACSA, CTA, and CRTA via TSA Special Member Services, as well as to faculty and students of these participating colleges.

New way to Welcome your Students

New way to Welcome your Students

 

Welcome to the 4th Grade, "Instead of sending out the boring, old, 'Welcome Back' newsletter, Mr. Reed, a first year teacher from Chicago, wrote a rap song for his 4th grade students, and recorded a music video to go along with it! The song and video emphasize the reality that hard work is a must, but that school and learning can certainly be fun!"

 

 

Professional Development Opportunities 2016-2017

Hi CHS faculty and Staff I will keep a running list of professional development opportunities for this school year here.  I will share "new" or "featured" listings in my weekly Tech Email. 

Sept. 24 Code.org FREE training Waltham, MA 
 
Sep 30 K–5 Keyboarding & Digital Citizenship Workshop in Boston

Sept. 30 Finding Your Myth at the MFA "Sanjay Patel tells a story of fitting in and finding his identity."

Oct 6-7 - Everyone Engineers! MOS, Boston

Oct. 8 Code.org Training Nashua, NH 

Oct 9 - Greek: Oedipus and the Sphinx through Art and Music at the MFA

Oct 14 - Robert Brooks The Power of Mindsets: Nurturing Students' Motivation, Resilience, and Learning in New Hampshire

Oct 15 Code.org FREE trainings Waltham, MA; North Smithfield, RI

Oct 18-20 - MassCue (Annual Technology Conference) Gillette Stadium Foxborough, MA 

Nov. 2-4 - Innovation Summit (previously the ipad summit) in Boston

Nov. 5 - Code.org Training FREE URI Tyler Hall, Kingston, RI

Nov. 6 - Pre-K Literacy & Math Workshop, Pre-K Readiness & Writing Workshop both in Boston/Waltham

Nov. 7 - K–5 Handwriting Workshop in Boston/Waltham

Nov. 10 -  Code.org Training FREE All Saints STEAM Academy, Middletown, RI

Nov. 17-19 - Engaged, Empowered Minds "Using Brain Science To Educate Ethical 21st Century Citizens And Problem Solvers" in Boston at the Westin Copley

Nov. 19 -  Code.org Training FREE URI Kingston, RI

Nov. 30 - Greg Tang Teacher Workshop in Natick "workshop is on 'Best Practices,' but not just in the usual way! Greg will start with tips and strategies on 'best practices' for teaching math more effectively – from using multiple representations, to using visuals, to moving away from visuals, to effective math talks, to differentiating instruction, to constructive constructivism, to teaching algorithms, to formative assessments, to increasing rigor."

Dec. 3 - Education on Air, an online conference from Google 12 PM EST

Dec. 5 - The Connected Teacher: Partnering for Progress  Four Points by Sheraton, Norwood, MA "Designed specifically for teachers at all levels and from all disciplines, this conference will highlight the innovative approaches teachers are taking to break down curricular and grade-level silos, promote global connections, and empower partnerships among internal and external communities. Through an interactive environment that facilitates “teachers teaching teachers,” attendees will leave with practical and useful ideas that can be implemented immediately in their own schools."

Dec. 7 - Strategies and Structures for Teaching Reading  Jennifer Serravallo, Woburn, MA 

Dec. 8-10 - NAIS People of Color Conference Atlanta, GA

Dec. 9 - Robert E Probst Reading Nonfiction: Notice and Note Stances, Signposts, and Strategies "During this workshop, the authors will share strategies that are helpful for getting kids into reading nonfiction texts, helping them throughout their reading, and then extending their thinking after they've finished reading." Freeport, ME

Dec. 12 - Fall in Love with Close Reading,  Christopher Lehman and Kate Roberts "Close reading is more than text-dependent questions! Spend an engaging and thought-provoking day with Christopher Lehman and Kate Roberts, who will support you with practical methods for teaching the skills of deep analytical reading in ways that enchant students and transfer to their independent work." Cromwell, CT 

Jan 6 - Ralph Fletcher Teaching Non-Fiction Writing from Scratch: Practical Strategies for Improving Informational Writing in New Hampshire

Jan. 10 - Keyboarding Without Tears webinar, FREE  8:00PM

Jan. 11 - Impressionism: A Closer Look, MFA 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm FREE

Jan. 19 - Code.org All Saints STEAM Academy, Middletown, RI 8:30-3:30 FREE

Jan. 25 - Engineering Goes Underwater and Bringing You Up to Speed on the Practice of Using Mathematics and Computational Thinking, Higgins University Center, Clark University, Worcester, MA 9:30 am – 3:30 pm $40

Feb. 2 Susan O'Connell Math in Practice: Everyday Strategies for Building Confident and Capable Learners Manchester, NH

Feb 9 - Code.org All Saints STEAM Academy, Middletown, RI 8:30-3:30 FREE

Feb 16 - An Unexpected Path to the Antarctic and Communicating About Climate Change: An Interdisciplinary Challenge, Higgins University Center, Clark University, Worcester, MA 9:30 am – 3:30 pm $40

Feb 22 - Googlepalooza brought to you by MassCUE, Montachusett Vocational Technical High School,

March 1-3  NAIS Annual Conference Make Your Mission Matter: From Vision to Values; Baltimore,MD

March 8 - Stories in Art, MFA 4-6 pm FREE






March 10 - Leveraging Technology to Empower the Whole Child, brought to you by MassCUE, College of the Holy Cross

March 12 - “Close to Home: Autobiographies, Memoirs and Family Stories for Young Readers and Writers” Ralph Flecther, John F. Kennedy Presidential Library, Boston, MA

March 16 - Alien Solar Eclipses: The Importance of Modeling in the Search for Exoplanets and Sunny With a Chance of Simulations, Higgins University Center, Clark University, Worcester, MA 9:30 am – 3:30 pm $40 

April 5 - Mindsets + Skill Sets = Results! This seminar is applicable for K-12 teachers, special education teachers and support staff, educators of gifted learners and instructional leaders at the school and district-level. Dedham, MA Early Registration $199

April 12 - Imitating Mother Nature to Improve Chemical Reactions and “I’d Like to Have an Argument”: Making Meaning Through Conversation, Higgins University Center, Clark University, Worcester, MA 9:30 am – 3:30 pm $40 

April 26 - Reading and Struggling Readers, This seminar is applicable for teachers, special educators, psychologists, social workers, speech-language pathologists, literacy specialists, and school and district level administrators. Dedham, MA

April 27 - The Science of Learning,  This seminar is applicable for PreK-12 teachers, instructional coaches, and instructional leaders on the school and district level. Dedham, MA

Apri 28 - Mindsets Matter in Math,  This seminar is applicable for K-12 mathematics teachers and instructional leaders at the school and district level. Dedham, MA

May 8 - Place Value, Greg Tang Math - Place Value & Number Sense for Grades 1-6, Location in MA TBD.

Summer

Ed Tech Teaher Summer Workshops: Various Dates, Topics such as iPads, Innovation/Maker Spaces, Flipped Classroom and much more.

On Going/On Line

Teach for Google FREE "Teach for Google is a brand-new collection of resources designed to help teachers get the best from Google Apps for Education. You’ll find many short courses that bring together strategies and best practice from leading educators. Each course comes complete with templates, forms, tips and other top-quality assets to help you deliver better teaching that boosts student engagement and actual attainment."

Google Apps for Education, Certified Educator. "The Google for Education Training Center offers in-depth training for educators at every level. Courses are self-paced, guided, and designed to address real classroom needs."