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It doesn't matter if you build a “Geek Squad” of K-5th graders, a middle school full of “Cyber Kids” or a high school-led “Virtual Help Desk,” any flourishing student tech assistant program will share common attributes.(See below)
 1. Recruit and promote- Seek out students who seem interested in how technology works or who value helping others. Invite them to join personally or ask for teacher nominations. Post an application on your school registration form. Tend a table at Back To School Night encouraging students to complete an online application or post a QR code. Muster your troop by searching through the technology clubs e.g. robotics, coding, etc.  2. Provide a value-added program- Both the student assistants and the people they support need to benefit. Through hands-on experience and practice, students can gain valuable technical skills and workforce experience for years to come. Members of the team should walk away with problem solving abilities as well as technical and personal skills which are sought after by future employers. 3. Empower the student- Invite students on the ground level of developing the team. Listen to and encompass their ideas and insights. Build boundaries and expectations of the team together.  4. Provide various training opportunities- Uphold a variety of scaffolded training options that the students can choose from such as, hands-on practice, videos, visuals, infographics, flow maps, step-by-step directions. Encourage other students to teach a training session or to create resources and videos. Often our students are our best teaching resources. 5. Keep it basic- Start with clear, concise tasks. e.g. Provide a video and written instructions explaining how to reset a Chromebook. Let them practice. Access their understanding and celebrate their success (virtual badge, certification chart, etc.) Then, mobilize your troops. Allow students to train and move forward as they gain experience, expertise and confidence. Helpful Tools and Ideas From Teachers: Elementary-Christy Yacano, DTL at Sierra has a “Geek Squad” composed of 1-2 students per class, K-5th. Students are sometimes recommended, but all students can apply via a Google form. The Geek Squad meets monthly, has lunch together, and trains. Their main focus is to assist their classmates, teacher and substitute teacher with technology issues. They also help orient new students to Sierra. New student checklist (Yacano,2020) Other supports they offer include: troubleshooting interactive boards, AV equipment, connections, and Chromebooks The skills the students gain and share, can easily be transferred to learning and leadership opportunities in the future. Middle School- Karrie Zanetti, DTL at Deer Creek Middle School empowers her 6th, 7th and 8th graders differently. She invests time upfront to develop step-by-step resources and video tutorials equipping all students, families and staff to troubleshoot technical issues independently. Deer Creek launches a Tech Help Page, (Zanetti, 2021) on their library website full of ideas which includes: video tutorials, flowcharts, Infographics and checklists to provide a self-service IT pitstop . Karrie also provides next steps and avenues if further assistance is needed. High School- Leah Linblom @Arvada West HS and Jim Bartuska @Chatfield HS both teach and certify Cyber Crew high school students (see video above) upon completion of a credited technology class. They recruit students who seem “techy”, love learning, and/or enjoy helping others. They offer industry certifications upon completion of each of the courses they provide. (Instructor Agreement and Instructions, Lindbolm,2020) The big event that CyberCats and CyberChargers look forward to attending each year is Jeffcon.net This is a tech conference designed for students interested in “all things technology.” All Jeffco high school students are welcome to attend. Jeffco.net launches in late January, 2022. Be on the lookout!  Students of all ages can be valuable members of a technology assistant team. Every program looks different and each student obtains real-life skills and experiences that carry over into nearly every other avenue of their life. Works Cited
Image- Four Boys and Wires- Edsurge.com Beyond the Genius Bar: Cultivating Leadership With a Student-Led Tech Team. 2016 Image- Students in line with device- tophat.com How Does Technology Impact Student Learning? Vawn Himmelsbach. 2019. Image- Students gathered around a laptop- The Edvocate, 2016 Tynan, Dan. School Focus K-12. Schools Tap Students to Provide Enough IT Support. October, 2017.
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 image from European Commission Our students are not like us. They have never lived in a world where almost everyone has a device in their hands almost all of the time. They are digital natives, but that does not mean they inherently know how to use a device in a healthy and productive manner. It is a collective responsibility to teach digital citizenship. It cannot be left to parents or the digital teacher librarian. Just like we are all trying to help students live in a social society properly, we all have to collectively show them how to navigate the digital world too. you are off to a good startFear not! It is not something that has to be added to curriculum as a burden. As a teacher, you are probably already teaching some aspects of digital citizenship. For example, classes involving research and writing typically include how to evaluate a website’s credibility and writing proper citations. Any time students need to search the internet, direct and explicit instruction on the credibility and reliability of information, as well as research tips, are helpful to steer students toward useful information while disregarding inaccurate or unnecessary information. This is organically digital citizenship. But we also need to be intentional. be intentionalDid you know our district has monthly topics? Take some time to familiarize yourself with these topics so that you can support the systemic message in Jeffco.   image from SchoolEducationGateway It is our collective responsibility to teach digital citizenship. These skills are essential to ensure students' safety and protection. While kids today may have no problem navigating the web, they're less likely to know how to vet sources, understand the sensitivity of the information they're sharing and take in the gravity of conversations they're having online. It's up to us and families to reinforce these concepts. There are several distinct resources available. JEFFCO EDTECH WEBSITE
More resources in Seesaw, Actively Learn, Newsela, Google Classroom and Common Sense Media are coming for Jeffco teachers in August. For now, please start thinking about how you can have everyday conversations with students knowing you make a difference daily.  It is hard to believe that it is already May! As we wrap up the 2020-2021 school year, students, teachers and parents are looking forward to summer vacation. Many of us have spent way too much time looking at screens this school year and are hoping to power down and enjoy some unplugged time. We all are hoping to find activities to do this summer without a screen and that will help students stay on track and not be part of the “summer slide.” This slide may affect students of all ages. Studies show that students who read during the summer gain an average of 1 month of reading proficiency. Students who don’t read lose an average of 2-3 months of proficiency and over time, those lost months add up to years. By high school, 2/3 of the reading achievement gap can be attributed to summer learning loss during the elementary years. One way students can avoid the slide is to participate in the Jefferson County Public Library Summer Challenge.  This year's library summer challenge is titled “Wild Ideas.” Registration opened on May 1st and the challenge runs from June 1st to July 31st. The Summer Challenge has many different ways to engage students. The activities are categorized by Read, Explore and Connect. As students complete activities, they are eligible for prizes. This is a great way to motivate students and to keep students learning while school is not in session. Just for signing up, students can either receive a sticker or a PopTart, yes I said Pop Tarts! Other prizes include an Elitch Gardens pass, iPads and of course books. Learn more about prizes and sponsors here.  Participating in the challenge can also provide schools with some much needed funds. The school with the highest number of finishers wins $800. This will help schools purchase books in a time when budgets are low and Digital Teacher Librarians are trying to recoup the loss of books from COVID circumstances. Last year's winners all used their money to build their collections and resources. Tobye Ertelt, DTL from Oberon Middle School, purchased some new graphic novels, fiction and nonfiction books as well as some ebooks. Heather Kramer, DTL from Devinny, Elementary School, purchased more PebbleGo modules so that students, both remote and face to face, had access to this amazing resource. Wheat Ridge High School’s DTL, Debbie Livingston, spruced up her fiction section to entice high school students to check out more books.  Finally, participants earn points which go towards Jeffco Eats, a program that provides food to Jeffco residents. For every 1 million points we earn as a group, Jeffco Eats will get $100, up to a maximum of $500.  As the countdown to vacation is on, please encourage your students to sign up for the Summer Challenge at Jefferson County Public Library. If you have any questions ask your Digital Teacher Librarian.
Jeffco Ed Tech welcomes Guest Bloggers: Janna Golgart and Doug Starkey, from Dunstan Middle School. Future programmers and game designers from Dunstan MS  Learning programming through the Sphero robot At Dunstan Middle School, the computer science department is composed of Janna Golgart and Doug Starkey. Together these two teachers cover a very wide range of computer science material in order to prepare students for high school and beyond. In Janna Golgart’s Computer Science courses students begin by learning the basics of encryption, decryption, using cyphers, as well as learning the basics of binary. From there students progress to block based programming and then on to Python text language. CodeCombat is a wonderful resource for Janna's students to begin Python with, and then advance to CodeHS. CodeHS reinforces and is more challenging which strengthens students’ Python skills. Ms. Golgart's Computer Science course also gives students the opportunity to explore robotics using Spheros. Students learn how to program the Sphero, then create a maze and program the robots to complete the maze. In addition, students learn about physical computing using Raspberry Pi’s and create circuits. This class gives students a strong foundation of computer science. Video Game DesignIn Mrs. Golgart’s Video Design course, students learn the basics of video game design programming and graphic design. Students then use several different software applications such as GameMaker, Scratch, Agentsheets, and Agentcubes to apply their programming and graphic design skills, seeing how the concepts and execution transfer from program to program. In addition, students learn and create animations which is a key part of video game design. Animator and GameMaker are both used to create these animations. This course provides students the opportunity to display their creativity.  Across the hall, in Doug Starkey’s Computer Programming course, students begin by learning the basics of physical computing using Microbits. Students learn the basics of the Microbit, then progress to programming robots using a Microbit. After that students are given the opportunity to learn app development through Code.org’s App Lab. Once the apps are completed the next unit is web design. This is the biggest part of each semester. Students begin with the basics of HTML and CSS then create a rough draft of a website. Once the rough drafts are completed students are taught an introduction to JavaScript. Students return to their website to add JavaScript. From there the course wraps up with drones using CoDrones from Robolink. Students learn the programming then are asked to complete a series of obstacles.  Mr. Starkey also has a separate Robotics course, in which students alternate between an online robotic simulator, Microbit robots, and Lego EV3 robots. The online simulator is through RobomindAcademy.com. This site introduces students to the basics of robotics through script based programming. The Microbit unit combines Makerspace with programming. Students are given the opportunity to create a cardboard robot combining Microbit motors & control boards, then programming the robots to participate in a drag race against other students. The Microbit robots provide a great resource for students to learn different block based programming as well as put some creativity into their robots. The majority of the class, however, is based around the Lego EV3 robots. Students begin with basic movements, then progress to the different sensors available. Students program the EV3 with block code and use the EV3s to complete several different types of obstacle courses. Mrs. Golgart and Mr. Starkey have also participated in several industry related field trips and guest speakers. These include a trip to the Boulder Google campus & Dire Wolf Digital as well as guest speakers from Colorado School Mines, CodeHS, and Amazon Web Services. Janna Golgart and Doug Starkey have dedicated a lot of time and effort into making a strong and respected Computer Science program at Dunstan Middle School.
Thank you for sharing your program with Jeffco teachers and the Ed Tech Team! *Please see the Jeffco Approved Digital Tools page for approved status of tools mentioned above.  Did you know that April is National School Library Month? 30 days to celebrate the staff & collection of resources that come together to support schools. Most Jeffco schools are supported by a digital teacher librarian (DTL). DTLs are teacher leaders, who collaborate and co-teach with fellow teachers. The focus in these collaborations is supporting student learning within the curriculum while authentically integrating technology and information literacy skills. DTLs also work to create a library space that is an inviting hub of the school with a well curated library collection that promotes a love of literacy. Be sure to stop in and say "Hi!" to your Digital Teacher Librarian, they would love to see you! In previous blog posts we shared the partnership with JCPL and the Community Shares ebook collection that is accessible through Destiny Discover. We also shared an update on the State Libraries grant and how all elementary students now have access to PebbleGo Science, while middle school and high school students each have access to an interactive ebook collection purchased for their school (with a print copy for their school libraries). New... Audiobooks! And as of March 24th, students and staff now have ease of access to a curated collection of audiobooks through our Community Shares partnership with Jefferson County Public Library. These audiobooks are accessible on our Destiny Discover library platform. To learn more about accessing the audiobooks on Destiny Discover, please talk with your school's Digital Teacher Librarian. Benefits of audiobooks We Are Teachers, 7 Ways Audiobooks Benefit Students Who Struggle with Reading
From author Jon Scieszka (2008) ‘In my Guys Read work, I’ve met all kinds of boys who are crazy for audiobooks. I think it’s partially because audiobooks appeal to a lot of guys’ love for messing around with any kind of technology. … Guys also think they are getting away with something by listening instead of reading. We don’t have to tell them that they are learning vocabulary, story structure, sentence composition, and a dozen other literacy skills.’ Opportunities AudioBooks provide:
For further reading, from the National Literacy Trust, Audiobooks and Literacy: A Rapid Review of the Literature
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Screencastify and Google Slides"App Smashing", the act of using more than one digital tool at the same time for a student product, can yield creative results. This blog outlines how to "smash" Screencastify and Google Slides for student reflection. From the blog: In her article Digital Portfolios: The Art of Reflection, Beth Holland points out that when students reflect on their learning experiences, “they become more aware of the processes and strategies that make them successful, allowing them to learn from their successes as well as their challenges or failures.” Thus, a reflection journal that also includes video screencasts not only provides students with the opportunity to look back and reflect on their work, but also facilitates a media-rich experience for doing so. Fortunately, Google Slides offers two great features — the ability to easily create links to outside content and the ability to play YouTube videos in a slide — that can be combined with screencasts to enable students from elementary school through high school to create powerful video reflection journals in just a few steps. In all, students could create a media-rich screencast after writing an essay, creating a presentation, constructing a drawing, or creating any type of artifact of learning and reflect on their learning using audio and video. In their reflection, they could discuss their process of creation, their feelings of success, or explore the challenges they experienced along the way. Some reflection questions students might discuss are: Is this my best work? What could I have done to improve this essay? Why was I successful when I created this presentation? What will I do differently next time to augment the process? What did I learn? How did I learn? Why do I think that I learned the way that I learned?  Book Creator
Google Drive is our storage area for all Google files. Read on to see how Drive is so much more than cloud storage. Find it The priority page allows you to access the files you need through a combination of suggestion and work spaces. The prioritized files are the documents that Google thinks are most relevant to you. It will also pull up files that you open regularly at that time of the day or week.
Make it Visual
Manage files Store files in two places at once. You can make a file appear in more than one folder by using shortcuts. This is different than making a copy, as the shortcut traces back to the original file. Anybody with access to the folder can see the shortcut. However, if they don't have access to the actual file, they won't be able to open the shortcut. To make a shortcut right-click the file and select Add Shortcut to Drive.  Convert Microsoft Files and PDFs to Google. Upload a Word file or PDF to Drive by dragging it from your desktop into the correct folder in Google Drive. You can also click the +New button in Drive and then select "File Upload." Then, in Drive, right-click your Microsoft file and choose "Open With" and choose the appropriate Google Match for your file  Keep multiple versions of a file. From Drive right click on the file and click "Manage Versions." You can then upload and save a new version of the same file. Versions will be deleted after 30 days unless you manually select "Keep Forever." App Tips Use the Explore button. You will find a star shaped button at the bottom of each of these Apps that will open a right-hand pane while you are in the program. Sheets: highlight your data and Explore will offer you functions, formatting, data analysis and more! Slides: Explore in slides will offer suggestions to make your slides more visually appealing. Docs: Explore in Docs allows you to do manual searches. You can also cite your source.  See Revision History. When you are in a Google File (Docs, Sheets, Slides etc.) you can click on File > Version History > See Version History. Here you can name versions, see who made which edits, and restore the document to an older version, if necessary. Note: you must be an editor of the file in order to use version history.  Use the right mode for the job. Editing: The standard editing mode. Viewing: Let's collaborators see, but not edit, a file. Suggesting: Each edit you make to the document will strike-through, underlining suggestions for editors to either accept or reject.  Access Calendar and Keep from Google files. This is handy so that you don't have to open multiple tabs in your browser. Simply click on the Calendar, Keep or Task icon in the right-hand menu of your screen in Docs, Sheets or Slides. You can also drag and drop content from your Google Keep directly into your Docs, as well!  Communicate while you collaborate.
Google Drive shows your fellow document collaborators in the upper-right corner. Click the chat bubble next to the collaborator chatheads and type your message. Unlike a private message, everyone else in the file can see your discussion, too. Jeffco Ed Tech Ebooks With the COVID-19 pandemic changing the way students and educators learn and teach, Jeffco Ed Tech has also changed the way we provide professional learning. Sure, we continue to offer in-person sessions on Jeffco Ed U days, but we realize those days and times many not work for all staff. We wanted to give the opportunity for more faculty to engage in the learning we offer, so we began building out our professional learning sessions as eBooks. And, what better way to do that than with our new Jeffco-supported eBook tool, Book Creator? You can find all of the Jeffco Ed Tech eBooks on our our internal Ed Tech website and by clicking on the eBook button. Our eBooks can also be found on respective tool pages, as well. For example, you should be able to find any books related to Pear Deck under our Pear Deck site. Staff that read our Ed Tech eBooks are eligible to earn a 1-hour PD Certificate, which can be used for relicensure. All you need to do is read an eBook of your choice and then fill out the Form at the end of the book. Ed Tech will email out the certificates monthly; you will not find them on your ESS report. EdTechTeam Inc Free Conference ResourcesDid you miss the free conference last weekend? Register HERE and get access to the entire Untamed Learning Recorded Experience for Free! You will get the following: Access to 34+ session recordings, access to all 3 keynotes, a PD certificate form for recertification, and access to all session resources. You will have access for 1 year. EdTechTeam Inc Course CatalogALL Jeffco staff have FREE access to EdTechTeam’s on-demand course library until May 31st, 2021! Course content includes topics such as:
Jeffco staff members will need to create their own individual account in order to access the courses. Use your @jeffcoschools.us account and your Jeffco password when creating your EdTechTeam PD account. Please see the videos on the site for support in creating your account and signing up for courses. * If you previously completed coursework with EdTechTeam Online, then you will not need to create a new account, but will need to complete this form in order to have the subscription added to your account Each course is FREE and requires 15-hours of learning and creation. Your work will be evaluated and graded by a member of EdTechTeam Inc. Upon successful completion of the course, you will receive a certificate of completion that can be submitted to CDE for recertification. Additionally, you may apply for graduate credit through Adams State at an additional cost ($155/credit). Please see specific courses for additional details. JEffco Ed USave the date! The next round of Jeffco Ed Tech Ed U sessions will be on April 30th! Upcoming ConferencesInnEdCO 2021
InnEdCO 2021 will be June 14-18, 2021 in beautiful Breckenridge, Colorado (remote option available)
ISTE 20201 ISTE is going remote this year during the week of June 26-30. Registration information can be found HERE This Friday, March 12, various departments will be gathering (online, of course!) to provide professional learning opportunities for teachers. The EdTech department will be bringing you a variety of options throughout the day to further your skills and knowledge on our digital tools! Here’s is an overview of the sessions being offered by our department this week… Also linked below, some of these sessions come as asynchronous learning eBooks as well! If you have questions about any of these sessions, please reach out to your EdTech Specialist. To join these sessions and to see the full line-up of sessions for Friday, please click here.
 As we continue to teach, work and learn in these challenging times, we all need brain breaks. A brain break is a break from whatever we are focusing on. They may have an elementary notoriety, but they are also needed for teenagers and teachers. The key is to get them in BEFORE fatigue, distractions, or academic overload sets in. According to Morin, “For grade-schoolers, that’s typically after 10 to 15 minutes of work. At that point, they may need a three- to five-minute break. Middle- and high-schoolers can work for longer—up to 20 to 30 minutes before a break.”  Brain break research has continued to show positive effects on academic performance and behavior management. A simple brain break can decrease stress, increase productivity, boosts brain function, and provides opportunities to learn social skills. These can all lead to replenishing attention, improving learning, and boosting creativity. Here are a few tips to get you started (from Understood.org)
Here are a few digital & Socially distanced ideas
Check out our C & I partner's blog - https://www.thepulsefromcandi.com/
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