October 18, 2012

Hello again everyone,

Thank you to so many of you who got back to me saying this is a useful  communication habit.  I will do my best to live up to it!  I’m aiming to send them every other week.

Just as a reminder, I am popping into classrooms to observe how we’re using technology.    It has been the highlight of my week to get to watch many of you teach and engage our students.  I know this is always a little disruptive but please feel at ease and know that I’m looking for two things:  what’s working well and ways I can support you with effective use of technology.   

In the last two weeks here are the things I’ve seen and heard:

What’s working:

-         Check out the 6^th grade SWIFT page for pictures of all teachers, links to their respective pages and a shared calendar.  Nice work!  http://teachers.northwestschool.org/nws/sixth-grade-page More of these are planned for other grades.

-         Effective use of SMART boards for projection, interactive activities and note-taking/sharing.  We are also looking to bring in a SMART board trainer to give teachers more ideas on how to use these tools to their full potential.  Stay tuned!

-         Francoise is having a lot of fun exploring subtitles with her students (writing scripts, filming and editing)– they are making their own versions of this classic Youtube video of Henri the cat (who narrates his existential crisis here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0M7ibPk37_U – well worth a watch!)

What’s wonky:

-         The school website’s list of Teacher Pages has changed and you now see a longer list, alphabetized by last name.  We are discussing ways to make this more searchable and easier to use.

-         We’ve seen increased problems printing from a webpage when you’re using IE.  You might have encountered this – when you print a blank page instead of the actual website that is on your computer screen.  The solution at this time is to open the same webpage using Firefox.  You should be able to print without problems.  We are looking into solutions.

What you wish for:

-          Further discussion about an online tool that would let students log in and write their take-home essays in a timed environment.   This would reduce the frequency of students spending 6 hours on essay that is intended to be written in an hour and a half.

Worth mentioning:

-          How to link to documents on the common folder from your email – steps  below:

o   from a new email window, click on Insert (one of the tabs across the top of the window) now click on the Hyperlink icon (the globe with a little chainlink image).  You’ll now get a chance to browse to any folder you have access to.  There’s a drop down list that defaults to My Documents, but just choose Common and browse from there.  Your link will now appear in the email.   This is an alternative to attaching the file – and will work from home now that we have the VPN portal set up.

-          You may have noticed students playing computer games in the library that look at first like a “first person shooter” game.  In fact, they are playing Minecraft – an online game that encourages problem solving and teamwork.  Here’s a bit more about the educational value of Minecraft :  http://blogs.nitle.org/2010/11/16/learning-from-computer-games-playing-minecraft-part-1/

Thanks so much for reading!

All the best,

Catherine

October 3, 2012

Hello everyone,

I write this “everyone email” hoping to make these messages pertinent and helpful.  For folks who are new, last year I began collecting information about how we are using technology here at NWS for learning and teaching.  The emails took the form of what is working, what you wish for and what is wonky.  With a few wild cards.  Alliteration is my strong suit.

As we return I thought I’d ask the question: is this still helpful? Please let me know.

You will also see me around school more frequently dropping in on classes just to see how we’re using technology for learning and teaching and seeing how to better support you all.  I’ll be an inconspicuous presence but just wanted to let you know that I’ll be around more visibly now that we’re into our second month of school!

Here’s what I’ve seen so far…

What’s working

-          Lots of creative use of technology, specifically with the new functionality with SWIFT.  People are creating multiple sites (check out Sarah Porter’s pages:http://teachers.northwestschool.org/nws/sporter) or working together with colleagues to simplify their lives (see Emma and Jeremy’s collaboration: http://teachers.northwestschool.org/nws/physical-science)

What you wish for:

-          Access to files - the portal is on its way.  Having access to files from home has been a big issue and we are SO close. 

-          Wireless access – it is on the list of priority items and we will keep you updated.

What’s wonky:

-          Many of you are using the email helpedesk@northwestschool.org to report issues that arise.  Thank you!  Please continue to submit issues and if you are in a bind don’t hesitate to pick up the phone and call the HELP desk (dial 4357) for immediate response.

-          Please be gentle with the photocopiers in the faculty room – when placing a book on the glass do not crush the book with the top cover (it’s okay if a little light gets in). Turns out the top has been broken twice already this year.  Ack!

Wild card (useful resource and tips)

This excellent podcast from This American Life has come up in quite a few conversations I’ve had here so I thought I’d share it.   It’s based on a new book, How Children Succeed, by Paul Tough http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/474/back-to-school

 

Thanks for reading, 

Catherine

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