What's a Chrome App?![]() Generally speaking, Chrome Apps are bookmarked websites. Drive, Docs, Sheets, Forms, Slides, Hangouts etc. are all native G Suite Chrome apps. These apps can be found by clicking on the app icon (the "waffle") in the top of your chrome browser. You can also install third-party Chrome apps from the Chrome Webstore; however, fewer companies are continuing to manage and develop Chrome apps, as many people just choose to bookmark the website for easy access. Pro Tip: When bookmarking a website, delete the words to create a simple favicon. This allows you to add many more bookmarks to the top of your browser. What's an Add-On?![]() Google add-ons live within G Suite for Education Chrome apps: GMail, Docs, Sheets, Forms and Slides. Add-ons are often created by third-party developers, and they enhance how the app functions.
Pear Deck, one of Jeffco's digital tools, is an Add-on that functions within Google Slides and is available for all staff and students. It allows for interactive slides that provide opportunities to formatively assess students while delivering direct instruction! Jeffco Ed Tech's G Suite Add-on Webpage What's an Extension?![]() Extensions boost the functionality of your Chrome browser. They customize the experience you have while browsing the internet, and are often created by third-party companies. Extensions can, and should, be managed regularly to ensure your browser is functioning efficiently. If your browser is acting slow or inefficient, clean out the extensions you are no longer using on a regular basis. Also, consider only adding extensions that provide a strong value to your daily browsing experience. Read and Write for Google and EquatIO, two of Jeffco's digital tools, are extensions that alter how the Chrome browser works.
The Power Up Pear Deck extension can also be added to increase the functionality of Pear Deck Slides. This extension ensures that videos, animations, and GIFs embedded in your Pear Deck slides play at full resolution. Jeffco Ed Tech's Extensions Webpage What's an Android App?![]() Android Apps are new in Jeffco and are available on TechforEd 5th and 9th grade Chromebooks; they can be installed through the Google Play Store. Android Apps were built for mobile, touch-screen devices and are similar to iPad apps. Although many of the Android apps also exist on the web (or as Chrome apps) the functionality between both versions may be different. For example, the Google Classroom Android app contains an annotation feature not available on the Chrome App (web) version of Google Classroom. All apps available in the Jeffco Android App store are free to download and have been vetted for student privacy and security. You may request Jeffco add additional Android Apps through the standard district-vetting process. There is currently an Android App for several Jeffco digital tools: Soundtrap, WeVideo, Schoology and many of the G Suite for Education tools. *Currently the Seesaw Android app does not function on student Chromebooks Jeffco Ed Tech Android Apps Webpage Do These tools need to be approved?All Chrome Apps, Extensions, Add-ons and Android Apps used in the classroom should be vetted for student privacy and security. You can find out which have been approved thus far by searching Jeffco's Digital Tools website! To request that additional tools be vetted and added to the site, please complete the district's vetting process. District tool vetting occurs twice a year, during summer and winter break. If you would like to submit tools for second semester, be sure to submit them for vetting by December 1st.
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Jeffco loves Seesaw! Teachers, students and parents across the district are using Seesaw as a digital workflow in their classrooms. What is app smashing and how can that improve the student experience when using Seesaw? ![]() The term “app smashing” was coined by former history teacher and current edtech guru, Greg Kulowiec. Back in 2013, he defined app smashing as “the process of using multiple apps in conjunction with one another to complete a final task or project.” These apps could range from the most basic, like the ones that come built-in on your iPad or Chromebook (think the camera app), to the latest and greatest edtech apps in formative assessment, video-editing and so on. By using multiple apps, not only will you become an edtech legend, but you’ll also create wildly engaging lessons and projects for your students, sparking engagement and keeping your parents and admins happy and singing your Google Draw & Other G-Suite Tools Students and teachers can create in Google Draw and then upload the link to Seesaw to share with their peers and their parents. You can also have students record a voice or caption. You can control the file type. Download as a JPEG and then upload into Seesaw. ![]() There are multiple ways to add a file to Seesaw from the G-Suite tools. The tools in the G-Suite smash well with Seesaw! Making Flash Cards with Flippity![]() Flippity is an add-on, not an app. You need to open a Google Sheet, click on "Add-Ons" and then "Get Add-ons" and choose Flippity from the G-Suite Marketplace. Fippity turns information from a Google Sheet into Flashcards. You can make interactive flashcards around vocabulary. You've heard the EdTech department talking about "digital tools" a lot this year. What exactly are those tools? How do you use them? What do they look like in the classroom? We know it can be confusing, so in this post, we will be de-mystifying the digital tools. Below are the core applications and add-ons purchased and maintained by Jeffco Public Schools for use by students and teachers! Each tool is outlined with a short description and helpful links for getting started or diving deeper with each application. If you dive in and something doesn't make sense or you want to know more, please contact your EdTech Specialist for more information! Book Creator![]() Book Creator is the simple way to make beautiful e-books. Book Creator is ideal for making all kinds of books, including children's picture books, photo books, comic books, journals, textbooks and more. Teachers can use Book Creator to create textbooks and classroom policy booklets. When you're done, share your book with ease, or even publish it with a link to share with parents! You can app smash and include videos, programming, docs, sheets, etc. Book Creator is a highly robust tool with usability for both students and teachers. Where to find it: bookcreator.com How to log in: Use your jeffcoschools.us email address! Logging in and getting started: Tech Tip Resources and diving deeper: MMTS Discovery Education![]() The newly designed Discovery Ed is so much more than just videos! In its new iteration, Discovery Ed is a simple-to-use K-12 learning platform that combines dynamic curated curriculum resources (often including videos), with on-demand teaching strategies, personalized for your needs as an educator. This collection of real world educational content brings excitement and relevancy to the topics you teach, so all students have opportunities to unlock their true potential. The addition of highly filterable content, along with the ability to download and transfer videos to WeVideo (see below!) as well as the board creation tool, allows for a more blended classroom model. Discovery Ed is a highly dynamic and engaging tool for students! Where to find it: discoveryeducation.com How to log in: Use your jeffcoschools.us email address! Logging in and getting started: Tech Tip Resources and diving deeper: MMTS Equatio (Paid for 6-12 grade)![]() EquatIO® for Google is an easy-to-use extension for math equation and graph creation for Google Chrome. It’s a perfect partner for Google Docs plus Sheets, Forms, Slides and Drawings - letting you add mathematical equations, formulas and more to documents with a click. Equatio is pre-loaded on all Jeffco student Chromebooks. They can access it in Chrome from the top right-hand corner. Where to find it: It’s already installed on Jeffco student Chromebooks. Teachers can download from the Chrome Web Store. How to log in: Use your jeffcoschools.us email address! Logging in and getting started: Tech Tip Resources and diving deeper: MMTS G Suite for education![]() The G Suite for education is a collection of apps that make it easier for teachers and students to work together. It includes apps like Drive, Classroom, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Forms, Sites, Jamboard and more. These tools provide opportunities for students to work toward lesson objectives while giving them opportunities to create, communicate, collaborate and think critically. These tools can be used at all grade levels and across all subject areas. Visit Ed Tech's Google webpage for more information on each tool, possible uses, and resources to get started. To get deep training on how to use the tools effectively in your classroom, consider completing the Google Certified Educator training program and take the exam to receive your certificate and badge! Where to find it: docs.google.com How to log in: Use your jeffcoschools.us email address! Pear Deck![]() Pear Deck allows you to add the power of interactive questions to Google Slides! Imagine if you could engage every student in your class, every day. With the Pear Deck for Google Slides Add-on, you can add the magic of Pear Deck’s formative assessments and interactive questions to your presentations. Even if you’re mid-Pear Deck presentation, you can add questions on the fly to gauge comprehension and re-teach needs. It's web-based so it works on any device. Teachers are able to use a variety of question types to check for understanding in their classroom. When teachers use Pear Deck they are able to adapt instruction based on student understanding and students can receive feedback in real time. Here is a recent blog post all about Pear Deck! Where to find it: In your google slides presentation, go to Add-Ons > Pear Deck > Open Pear Deck Add-On Logging in and getting started: Tech Tip Resources and diving deeper: MMTS Read&Write for Google![]() Read&Write for Google Chrome™ provides personalized support, making documents, web pages and Google Drive files (including PDFs & ePub) more accessible for all Jeffco students. Already installed on all Jeffco Chromebooks, this discreet toolbar can help everyone engage with digital content in a way that suits their ability and learning style. See our recent blog post for more information about this tool! Where to find this tool: It is already installed on all student Chromebooks. Teachers/staff can download the extensions from the Chrome Web Store. Here's the link to Read&Write and the link for the PDF Reader. How to log in: The first time you use Read&Write, you will need to sign up for the account using your jeffcoschools.us email address. Installation and getting started: Tech Tip Resources and diving deeper: MMTS Schoology![]() Jeffco Schools uses Schoology as its Learning Management System. All teachers, students and parents have access to Schoology. Schoology houses Courses and Groups. Educators in Jeffco can run a class through Schoology or just communicate with students. The system incudes a robust gradebook in which you can attach standards. Anyone in Jeffco can create a group in order to organize materials and communicate with other stakeholders. Where to find it: schoology for Jeffco How to log in: Use your jeffcoschools.us email address! Ready to create your first Schoology course? Tech Tip Resources and digging deeper: Schoology MMTS SeeSaw (Paid for k-5)![]() Seesaw is an interactive platform for student engagement. Teachers can empower students to create, reflect, share, and collaborate within the app to “show what they know” using photos, videos, drawings, text, PDFs, and links. It’s simple to get student work in one place and share with families, and nothing is shared without teacher approval. This tool is a great chance to regularly communicate with parents what their child is learning at school, and an opportunity for students to share their work with their peers in a protected, safe environment. We recently highlighted a classroom making great use of Seesaw here. Classroom teachers: Log in using Clever: https://clever.com.in.jeffco Not a classroom teacher?: Talk to the classroom teacher you would like to work with. They will have to add you to their classroom. Logging in and getting started: Tech Tip for Classroom Teachers Resources and diving deeper: MMTS Soundtrap![]() Soundtrap is a browser-based music and podcast creation program that harnesses the same simple but powerful approach that make it easy to collaborate with other musicians and collaborators in Jeffco. It comes equipped with a large library of loops, beats, instruments all with additional options to make a project truly your own. Here's a recent blog post from our team with more information about Soundtrap. Where to find it: soundtrap.com How to log in: Use your jeffcoschools.us email address! Installation and getting started: Tech Tip Ready to learn more? Here’s the Soundtrap MMTS WeVideo![]() WeVideo’s online video editing platform allows users to create incredible video stories, using the power of the Cloud to allow students flexibility and collaboration opportunities. WeVideo makes it possible for teachers, students and administration to create incredible videos that inspire, motivate, and form indelible memories. Want to learn more? Visit this blog post from our team highlighting this tool. Where to find it: wevideo.com How to log in: Use your jeffcoschools.us email address! Installation and getting started: Tech Tip Ready to learn more? Here's the WeVideo MMTS "Wait! what about..."Remember, your EdTech Specialist is here to support you! Contact yours with any questions or wonderings you are having about any of the above tools.
Elementary schools: Keri Douglas, Kala Munguia, Amy Oelschlager Middle Schools: Kali Devor High Schools: Nick Steinmetz Central Support: Amie Adams ![]() One of the district provided digital tools this year is Seesaw. This is a powerful tool that allows students to demonstrate their learning through drawing, voice recording, taking videos/pictures and so much more. Teachers gain insight to student understanding instantly. Families can also see their child’s work and communicate directly to the school.
![]() Students in this class also use the recording/video features to share their thinking and learning. Emily finds student recordings the most exciting feature of Seesaw, “I like how I can tell what students are thinking one by one. I can watch their videos at a later time and make adjustments to instruction and developing groups.I do this on an almost daily basis to pull groups for phonics differentiated lessons.” Within Seesaw, students also share videos and comment on one another’s work. Another feature that Emily has found helpful is the Seesaw Digital Citizenship printable posters. “I teach students how to give purposeful comments that are specific to work. They can give positive feedback or comments using the sentence starters I found on Seesaw.” Emily and her 2nd grade team will be using the Seesaw Drawing feature to Create and Reflect as a tool for their IEG in which students share their learning at a DOK 2 or above. They are currently solving math problems and verbally explaining their thinking. When asked where teachers could start, Emily’s advice was, “Don’t be intimidated, start small with the Activity Library to get your feet wet. You can work up to creating your own activities.” Julie Carlson (the DTL at Deane) stated, "Deane teachers are excited to utilize Seesaw in instruction with students. The built in features of video, audio, and text allow our students to demonstrate their thinking and creativity. We are excited that it allows students to be producers with an authentic audience. Emily has been using Seesaw with students to deepen their understanding of content and digital citizenship. Her willingness to support our staff in co-leading PD is an example of her collaborative nature and leadership." extend your thoughts & learning on seesaw...This is not just an elementary/primary tool. Secondary classroom can use Seesaw too. Checkout this video to see the possibilities! Consider getting families connected to your class and print out invites for upcoming conferences by watching this video. The Jeffco EdTech team has put together this text set to help you learn independently or feel free to reach out to your EdTech specialist for school-based learning or questions.
![]() Check out other helpful videos on their full YouTube channel
Using read&write for google![]() Access the toolbar by clicking on the extension next to your Chrome address bar. Use the PDF reader extension in a PDF. Use the R&W extension in the GSuite or on websites. Because Jeffco students and staff have the premium version, all of the toolbar features are functional! jeffco multimedia text setWith "Jeffcoized" video tutorials and Tech Tips Still want more?Ed Tech is hosting a session on Read&Write for Google on Tuesday October 8th from 4-5:30 pm at the Jeffco Ed Center 2A OR Contact your Ed Tech Specialist *Thanks to Susie Speigler, Deanna Duray, & Juli Thomas for all of your work with &
questions about R&W! WeVideo is one of the core digital tools for staff and students in Jeffco this year. As a result, students and staff have access to a wide range of opportunities to engage in deeper learning activities that personalize and authenticate learning through film and multimedia. Getting started with WeVideo is fairly straight forward and there are plenty of resources such as the WeVideo MMTS to help you get started. (Click on the image below to open the MMTS and start exploring.) However, getting started with using film creation and WeVideo for authentic tasks can be a little more challenging. Here we hope to provide a few ideas and inspirations to help you get started. ![]() Capturing and creating videos as part of instruction can seem daunting at first however, it's doesn't need to be a complicated process. One approach is to begin with photo stories. Challenging students to capture or collect photos that tell a specific story and compiling those photos together with a narrative or background music allows us to practice compiling stories and using video editing tools. Photo stories can be about academic content such as a historical time period, scientific or mathematical processes, or about how to maintain a healthy lifestyle. They can also be about personal things such as our daily journey to school or our family history. Everyone has different perspectives so our photo stories can be shared to deepen the learning and understandings. One of the biggest challenges to using technology in classrooms is to ensure it is not a distraction from the larger goals of learning and content mastery. A great way to begin addressing these challenges is to empower students to lead their own learning. As students gain foundational understandings of content, they can be challenged with application of the content and creating products to share their learning and additional understandings. For example in mathematics, we often ask students to memorize key facts and processes but seldom challenge them with application and sharing of the learning. We can empower students to lead their learning by asking them to look for examples in their lives where they can apply the content they're learning and capture those applications to tell their stories. With this challenge, students gain deeper understandings of why content is needed and ways in which it fits into their worlds. Students can then share their creative stories of content application with each other, another class, or students at another school, which leads to deeper learning of the content. One of the essential skills across many content areas involves the ability to effectively conduct research and compile our findings so we can form argumentative or persuasive claims. As humans, we regularly find ourselves in situations where multiple views are represented and the need to understand and respond respectfully to others is a foundational aspect of any democracy. As students conduct research and capture evidence that supports their claims, they can put together short films with photos or video clips to support their stance. When sharing with each other, students have access to practice listening and summarizing skills that lead can lead to civic and global engagement or the continued development of communication skills necessary to succeed in settings beyond the classroom. ![]() Teachers are experts at creating links between outcomes and learning which drives us all to the continuous search for new ideas and strategies. Here are a few tips to consider as you begin to design learning opportunities involving film and multimedia:
![]() Back in July, Teach Thought published a short piece on 6 Powerful Strategies for Deeper Learning in Your Classroom by Dr. Monica Martinez who is one of the leading experts on deeper learning. These 6 strategies are a great way to get students engaged in learning that involves their passions and interests. Film creation can be used in a variety of ways to implement and achieve all 6 strategies. As students are challenged to create films demonstrating their knowledge and understandings, they are provided additional opportunities to share their learning. Not every film needs to be publicly shared, there might be some short films that are simple reflections allowing us to go back and revisit some of the learnings we gained. Think of them more as selfie videos that are for the purpose of journaling or compiling a personal narrative. Ultimately, remembering the last strategy of "Making Technology the Servant, Not the Master" will help us leverage the power of film in more ways. As we use technology to capture and tell stories rather than consume them, we will be the masters of the digital tools we use and the time in front of a screen will have far greater purpose and outcomes. Looking for more ideas on how to use film in your instruction? The WeVideo blog is a great place to find ideas and examples.
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