“As we saw in this pandemic, reading digitally is not going anywhere… and, in fact, is what made learning even a possibility the past year and a half.” ~ Dr. Lauren Trakhman
If reading digitally is not going anywhere, how can we help our kids learn to read digitally?
Encourage them to slow down while reading. Digital texts encourage behaviors such as skimming and keyword seeking. We also assume that reading faster means that it is better understood. Encourage your child to take deliberate moments to stop, think, and reflect on what he/she is reading - Do you agree with the author? Why or why not? You can also balance digital reading with writing key points on paper.
Be familiar with the digital environment and environment. Not knowing how to use digital tools to annotate adds another complexity to the task of reading. By the time the student has figured out how to use the tools, he/she may have forgotten what the text was about. Take some time to use the digital tools with simple, familiar text before complex reading. For example, enroll in Parent University to be familiar with the digital tools in Schoology to help your child.
Minimize online distractions. It is easy to get distracted when reading online, with having multiple tabs opened and notifications set. Minimize those distractions by muting notifications while reading.
If possible, change the view of the document. Most readers retain and comprehend the digital text better when it is in a page view, as opposed to scrolling. One of the reasons why is because we associate the text and ideas with their placement on the ‘paper.’ When reading for knowledge and comprehension, try to change to page view to simulate page-turning, as opposed to scrolling.
These are some of the tips summarized from The Science of Reading’s podcast interview with Dr. Trakman and Dr. Alexander. For more, listen to The Science of Reading: The Podcast - Season 4, Episode 4: Learning to Read Digitally vs. in Print.
LockDown Browser locks down the testing environment within Schoology until the test is submitted for grading. It blocks access to other applications and websites during exams. Students cannot copy, print, or take screen captures with LockDown Browser. This feature works for both Test/Quiz (green puzzle piece) and Assessment (blue puzzle piece) in Schoology. It updated this 21-22 school year. Here is documentation on how to set up and implement Schoology LockDown Browser while testing.
New this school year - and what many of you have been requesting - LockDown Browser in Schoology is now possible during video conferencing! (For both, Zoom and Google Meet.) Be sure to read through the entire document thoroughly. It is highly recommended to practice these procedures with your virtual students before the real exam. As with any new updates, you may encounter some live troubleshooting issues that you will need to problem-solve.
Google Slides are not just for presentations; they can be used for interactive notebooks, choice boards, games, and breakout rooms. We’ve mentioned before how Slidesmania and SlidesCarnival have free templates and how to's for Google Slides.
Another similar, great resource is from Ester Park. Ester Park is an instructional designer that creates amazing digital materials. You can access anything from graphic organizers to Bitmoji stickers with videos. Most of her materials are free on her website. Check them out today!
This post was originally posted on December 9, 2020, and has been updated as a reminder or a tech tip for Virtual Campus parents.
Help your child navigate to a video conferencing room with just a click of a button! To do this on the Parkway-issued student Chromebooks:
Click on the teacher’s video conferencing link to get the web address.
Highlight the star at the end of the web address to add it as a bookmark.
Change the name of the bookmark to the teacher’s name or the subject.
The icon with its name will appear below the web address.
Now all the student has to do is to click on the icon or name and he/she will go directly to the video conference. You can also create bookmarks with shared Google Docs/Slides agendas. No need to click and search for the link in Schoology. Here’s a short video (less than a minute) to help guide you through the process. Good luck!
If you have many tabs open (even if you group your tabs), all of your extensions will run on those tabs which slows down your Chrome web browser and computer. Check out Extensity for quickly enabling and disabling all of your extensions for Google Chrome. It keeps your toolbar clean and you can quickly turn all extensions off (and back on) with a single click.
Teacher Tip Dualless
Having a second monitor is extremely productive for virtual teaching. If you do not have a second monitor, check out the Dualless extension. It splits your browser window two by just 2 clicks. You can choose one of the preset ratios according to your needs. This will be helpful when you are sharing your screen at the next virtual faculty meeting with only your laptop :)
Take out the guesswork for students - include images, tutorials, and/or gifs of how to submit materials in Schoology from this new shared folder of Schoology Images, Tutorials, and Gifs. These are student-centered instructions and views to help them navigate through Schoology.
Above is a gif for students on how to submit/import a Google Doc created in Drive. This is found in the new shared folder.
Do you need other student instructions in a tech gif, image, or video? Submit your request through the Google Form.
You’ve found a wonderful, new website or video to share with your students tomorrow and are so excited for the lesson. Then when you start the lesson the next day, you realize that it is blocked and students can’t use it during class.
Does this sound familiar? Good news! Parkway now has a new filter that allows you to check the website's availability. Follow these instructions to check for website availability. Please be aware with this new filter, we have had to reset some allowances. Contact your building Technology Specialist or the Technology Help Desk for these allowances.
What will you do this summer? Play this Mad Libs to find out!
Keep you and your family's digital skills sharp with Google’s Applied Digital Skills courses. The Applied Digital Skills curriculum consists of free resources designed to build digital literacy in education and for jobs. For example, you can have fun with digital arts and games by making Mad Libs such as the one above and making pixel art with Google Sheets. Or take virtual field trips and explore art from home by going on a scavenger hunt through Italy or exploring the History of Humankind in Kenya. Model positive digital citizenship by evaluating the credibility of online sources or understanding your digital footprint.
Many of us are familiar with and use the 3-2-1 instructional strategy. Mix it up with A-E-I-O-U! This AEIOU slide gets students to summarize big ideas, think about how they feel, decide what was interesting and be curious about the reading or media. If you’re interested in using this template, please go to File and Make a Copy.
Spice it up with the videoconferencing waterfall chat strategy. Have one group of students type in their AEI (adjective, emoticon, and interesting fact) and the other group type in their OU (Oh!’s and Umm…?’s) Remind students to wait before sending their answer so that all students can participate and not feel pressured to follow-up with the latest comment in the Zoom Chat.
Providing students and parents/guardians with a checklist allows families to manage their own time and space efficiently. We see and hear how Parkway teachers are staying organized with checklists. For ideas on staying organized in a virtual classroom for students, check out this shared Checklist Bank folder. It has examples of checklists from K12 virtual teachers. Make a copy of these checklists to use from the Templates folder.
Providing timely feedback to students is important, yet time-consuming. One way to be efficient with feedback is to provide voice feedback with Mote as previously mentioned. Another method is to set up canned feedback in Preferences of Google Docs. To do this, go to Tools > Preferences and choose the Substitution tab. You will notice that Google already has some automatic substitution listed and you can continue to add some of your own. Just type in your personal abbreviation for a canned response and it will appear in the document when you use that abbreviation. You and the students can also use abbreviations with personal papers and notes.
This can also be done in Google Slides, however, you will need to repeat these procedures for Google Slides. (The canned feedback will not transfer.)
In order to highlight the changes to the students in green, you can change from Editing mode to Suggesting mode for Google Docs. Giving feedback in suggesting mode also makes your edits pop up as comments. The Suggesting mode feature is not available in Google Slides.
Have you ever created a Jamboard and then forgot to make a ‘new’ version for your next class? Instead of undoing all the changes, now you can do it through version history! To do this in Jamboard:
Go to the three-dot snowman of the Jamboard and select ‘See version history.’
In the right-hand panel, choose an earlier version.
Next to the version you want to copy, click on the snowman and select Make a copy.
Enter a name for your copy and choose where to save the file to stay organized.
Additional Tips
You can also find who edited the file and the changes they made in the color next to their name.
To name a version, double-click on the name and name this version. You can name it as the ‘Original copy’ or change it to the year you used the version
To restore to an earlier version, at the top click Restore this version > Restore.
How is restoring different from copying? Restoring only keeps one Jamboard in your Google Drive while copying makes a new Jamboard in your Google Drive.
To go back to the current version, go to the top left and click the back arrow.
Version history is also available with Google Docs, Slides, and Sheets.
The directions are slightly different; you have to go top, click File > Version history > See version history.
Happy Spring! Take time to get some fresh air and enjoy the beautiful weather. Integrate technology into your family’s outdoor experience to encourage an appreciation and a deeper understanding of the natural world.
iNaturalist
Take photos of plants, fungi, and animals (or even evidence of animals such as tracks, nests, shells, or skulls) and iNaturalist can help you identify these organisms. You can also connect with other scientists and naturalists who can help you learn more about nature. By recording and sharing your observations, you’ll create data for scientists working to better understand and protect nature. iNaturalist is a joint initiative by the California Academy of Sciences and the National Geographic Society. Thanks to the generous support of many organizations and individuals, it is FREE for anyone to use. iNaturalist is available on Google Play and Apple
Google Lens
Similar to iNaturalist, Google Lens can identify plants and animals from a photo. You can also take a self-guided architecture tour with Google Lens. Just take a picture of a building or a landmark and you can learn more about it. If you have Google Lens, be sure to look out for the Google Lens icon with the photo. Google Lens work slightly differently between Android and Apple devices.
What are you waiting for? Go out, explore, and learn more about the world around you today with technology.
Icebergs float because they are less dense than water. But how much of the iceberg floats?
10% (very little floats)
50% (about half of it floats)
90% (most of it floats)
Depends on the size and shape of the iceberg
Have your students predict the answer above and then test their predictions with this Iceberger simulation. Students can share their iceberg creations with others. After sharing, students can find patterns with their creations in order to justify the answer to the question above. This would be a great community-building activity while learning about density (sinking and floating), patterns, shapes, geometry, percentages, and more! So how do you think the iceberg (letter ‘E’) above will float? Test it to find out!
Thisissand.com
Thisissand is a unique playground for creating and sharing amazing sandscapes on your computer or mobile device. It’s free and easily accessible online, just click ‘Play Now.’ You do not need to create an account or sign in with Google or Clever. This could be a good community-building activity, having students share their creations with others and notice different patterns that can be made with falling sand. Or do it yourself and make it as your new Zoom background. Start pouring away to experience this special sand piling on your screen!
Get students engaged with the Zoom chat by using the waterfall response strategy. Here are the directions:
Split your class into 2 groups.
Read the question or prompt. Students in Group 1 type an individual response into the chat, BUT DO NOT SEND.
Group 1 students release his/her response when instructed by the teacher. (“on the count of 3.”)
You will see a waterfall of chat where everyone’s responses come in at the same time. Allow time to read.
Now ask Group 2 to review the responses and publicly comment, BUT DO NOT SEND until the teacher says so. (“on the count of 3.”)
Allow time to read the waterfall.
Debrief. Follow-up if necessary and as appropriate.
Switch roles with a different question or prompt.
Benefits to this strategy: By delaying when students release their responses, all students can participate during Zoom and not feel pressured to follow-up on the latest comment or remark in the Zoom chat. Even if students have similar remarks or comments, the individual students still have ownership of his or her response and he or she feels engaged in the class.
Be sure to ask questions that foster conversation as opposed to questions that kill conversations (e.g., Should the US have entered into World War 2? vs. When did the US enter World War 2?)
Here is a Google Slides view-onlywaterfall template to help you get started. The first slide has directions for the waterfall strategy with space for students' names. The following slides have space to insert a question and sentence starters to help students get started with the conversations. If you are interested in using this template, please go to File and Make a Copy.
Extra tip: If you’re monitoring and reviewing participation later, quickly save the Zoom chat by clicking on the ellipsis button in the Zoom chat and select Save Chat. This will save as a text document file, most likely under Documents > Zoom > folder of meeting date.
Digital Self, ISTE Standard for Educators Citizen 3D
Assignment: Investigate the privacy policies and terms of use of 3-5 web tools that you or your students use. (Hint: look for the site's "Terms of Service" or "Legal.")
Write and publish a blog post about what you learned about how your data might be used. Discuss: the age restrictions, if any, on the use of the website; what surprised you or concerned you; what changes you might need to make in your decision-making about the use of apps and websites in your classroom, school, or district.
The 3 web tools I choose to investigate are EdPuzzle, YouTube, and Kami.
I’ve used EdPuzzle extensively and have copied Jonathon’s EdPuzzle lessons for my class. I appreciated the EdPuzzles greatly, especially for ‘flipping’ my lessons! But when a highly respected educator in the physics education field requested this and then took down his EdPuzzle lessons, I became curious about the EdPuzzle platform itself.
EdPuzzle is consistent with the requirements of COPPA (Children’s Online Privacy Policy) and its service is not intended for students under the age of 13. If students are under the age of 13, the school needs to obtain parental consent to use the platform. Teachers and schools in our district have ‘COPPA letters’ requesting consent from parents and informing them of how the digital tools are used. It is upon researching EdPuzzle that I also learned about the Student Privacy Pledge 2020. EdPuzzle committed to this pledge, along with another web tool I researched, Kami.
As I read EdPuzzle’s privacy policies and terms of use, EdPuzzle seems to collect data in order to enhance the EdPuzzle user experience and tools. The data is also shared between the teacher and student (such as grades and viewing of video), but not between students. As far as I can tell, they do not give out personal information to other companies. (Although they do make a point that if a teacher is to integrate EdPuzzle with a third-party service, the information collected by this third-party service is on the third-party service and not on EdPuzzle.)
One of the conditions I found interesting was that EdPuzzle will delete an account if the account has been inactive (not accessed) for 18 months or more. While I think this is great in terms of privacy, I wonder if it is also due to the storage of data on their end.
After researching EdPuzzle’s privacy policies and terms of use, I’ve concluded that I will continue to recommend EdPuzzle to teachers, especially to those who are interested in flipping their instruction. While I understand Jonathan’s point of view, and any aspiring influencers for that matter (especially since a lot of kids wanting to be YouTube stars), EdPuzzle and Jonathan have different end goals and thus, can’t be truly compared. While EdPuzzle does not meet Jonathan’s goal, I do think EdPuzzle provides a safe, digital environment for students to learn and for teachers to monitor feedback. I do appreciate how others have found a workaround/compromise to this problem, by making Google Forms with Jonathan’s physics videos.
YouTube
Naturally, after Jonathan’s plea to use YouTube as opposed to EdPuzzle and then after reading about EdPuzzle’s privacy policies and terms itself, I had to learn about YouTube’s privacy policies and terms. Although I’ve always been aware of YouTube’s collection of personal data, to actually read and see it in print kind of punched me in the stomach, realizing how much data they actually collect and ‘control’ what I see.
YouTube (Google-owned, so it follows Google’s Privacy and Terms) collects some information about your activity. Activity information they may collect include: terms you search for, videos you watch, view and interactions with content and ads, voice and audio information when you use the audio feature, and people with whom you communicate or share content with. A user can control some of the data YouTube collects by managing his/her settings.
Some of this data is used to improve user experience with YouTube. And some of this data can provide specific services to the user, such as recommending the next YouTube video the user might like. While YouTube highlights this as ‘personalized services to you,’ I do fear about ‘pigeon-holing’ a person into similar, limited views instead of broadening their views. While I, as an adult, am conscious of this possibility and intentionally seek out different points of view and think critically about the media in front of me, I wonder if a young student would do this. It’s much easier to click next or to let it autoplay, rather than to search for something else. I do think Google’s digital citizenship program (Be Internet Awesome) addresses this and therefore is proactive about this. But I wonder if parents and families are aware.
Regarding age usage, YouTube states:
“You must be at least 13 years old to use the Service; however, children of all ages may use the Service and YouTube Kids (where available) if enabled by a parent or legal guardian.
Permission by Parent or Guardian
If you are under 18, you represent that you have your parent or guardian’s permission to use the Service. … If you are a parent or legal guardian of a user under the age of 18, by allowing your child to use the Service, you are subject to the terms of this Agreement and responsible for your child’s activity on the Service.”
I find it interesting that of the 3 web tools I researched, YouTube is the only one to mention about kids being over 13, but under the age 18 - how it is the still parent’s or guardian’s responsibility for their child’s activity on YouTube.
Currently, our district does not block YouTube, but if a student uses YouTube inappropriately and not for school, he/she can be banned from YouTube. Parents can also request their child to be blocked from YouTube. While I worry about certain terms and conditions and privacy settings with YouTube, I do not think that YouTube should be blocked. There are a lot of great educational videos on YouTube, such as Jonathan's Flipping Physics videos. Blocking a web tool does not help the learning process because kids will just learn how to get around that firewall. (Similar to how prohibition did not work.) Blocking YouTube also goes against the new age of digital citizenship. When using YouTube, I think it’s important to teach kids about their digital safety and citizenship. To do this, I will recommend to teachers to use Google’s Be Internet Awesome digital citizenship curriculum.
Kami
Our district bought Kami this year for students and teachers to annotate a PDF document. This helps Virtual Campus students to not require a printer at home. I have used Kami before and found it helpful for physics and chemistry worksheets, especially with word problems. I did not and have not had the opportunity to use it to its full potential because I only used the free version. Nevertheless, some teachers in our district rave about it. The reason for wanting to learn more about Kami’s privacy policy and terms and conditions is because some districts have not bought Kami for their teachers due to privacy concerns. So, I wanted to learn more about it and investigate that claim.
Similar to EdPuzzle, Kami is only intended for use of people over the age of 13, except for educational use which comes with an appropriate COIPPA & FERPA-complaint student data privacy policy. Kami has also committed to Student Privacy Pledge 2020. Kami also collects and analyzes data on how the service is used in order to improve and enhance its service.
As a district, we use Google Workspace for Education and Kami works seamlessly with Google Drive. Teachers and students use Google Single-sign-on to access their Kami account. I can see why some school districts may not want to use Kami because when Kami is used with Google Drive, Kami can access the documents in Google Drive. But it does state:
“Documents may be uploaded to Kami by users in order to share them with other users for collaborative processing. Kami does not store these files once the sharing process is completed. Annotations made by users are stored on the site in order to display them to other users viewing a shared document, and to display them to the user if the same file is later re-opened.”
To me, it seems that only the annotations are stored with the document, and Kami does not store the actual document itself. It also says:
“Your data is also encrypted at rest on the servers hosted by our services partner Google Cloud Platform, which we selected because of their compliance with COPPA, and their stringent security measures.” And “none of the annotations is shared with any third parties without the teacher or school’s consent.”
In addition to annotating, Kami can be used as a collaborative whiteboard, although in my experience is slower compared to Google Jamboard. This means that it has more sharing capabilities compared to EdPuzzle, in which case the student can share information with another student if they have the same Kami whiteboard or document. A teacher can also share information with the students. Kami mentions in its privacy policy that this sharing exists only if the link is shared. Kami does not intentionally share the shared links with others.
Unlike EdPuzzle, Kami does not actively delete inactive accounts. You can request your Kami account to be deleted by contacting them directly and they will respond to that request within 30 days. I do wonder if that’s another reason why some districts are hesitant to use Kami - because Kami does not actively delete accounts and therefore, store all annotations. I also wonder how much space it takes up on a server. (Although probably not as much as EdPuzzle videos, which may be why Kami is not actively deleting them to make room.)
I did not find any alarming terms and privacy policies with Kami. I will continue to recommend Kami to teachers and encourage our district to continue paying this tool for students and staff on Virtual Campus. Kami encourages a paperless classroom and also has some great accessibility features, such as the dictionary feature and text-to-speech (reading the text out loud to the students and auto-typing the students' audio response).
