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As you know, Digital Teacher Librarians do amazing work at our Jeffco Schools. What you might not know is that DTLs’ dedicated hard work directly impacts families. A few DTLs have shared how their work with Diversity, Equity and Inclusion has created new and loving bonds between our students, their families, and the school library.  Holly Wagner, DTL at Elk Creek Elementary shared this story:  “A grandma at Elk Creek was a former teacher librarian in Texas, Linda Thiebaud. She passed away in August and left Elk Creek $300 to purchase Bluebonnet Books as she served on the Texas State Board for many years. One of the books on the list was The Oldest Student: How Mary Walker Learned to Read by Rita Lorraine Hubbard, illustrated by Oge Mora. I have been reading it to our fourth and fifth graders (last week and this). One of our fourth graders was having a hard time settling, which is typical for him. His teacher sat next to him to encourage him to listen. Once I began reading, he attended. Then, he started bursting to his teacher, "Look, she looks like me!" And then, he couldn't contain himself. He was so eager to tell his teacher about how he has heard on the news that Black people are not being treated fairly and how mad it makes him. He was captivated seeing himself in a book that Mrs. Wagner was reading to everyone. We only have a handful of students of color in our school. Each one matters. If I hadn't read that book to the kids, it probably would have sat on the shelf. What we do matters.”  Suzanne Covington, DTL at Kyffin Elementary school sent this email recently:  “Got an email from a mom this morning that said, "this library book Aiden has was right on time tonight...Thanks it really takes a Village!" accompanied with this picture.” Suzanne shared another story about a family that reached out to her to help find books that could bridge a conversation about Down Syndrome and how their family can be kind and respectful when they visit with a family whose child has Down Syndrome. The ability to share books and resources with families is a key component of creating a safe and welcoming environment for everyone. DTLs do this work in our schools for our families. These stories show how we need books to be mirrors, windows and sliding glass doors by allowing us to see ourselves in books, to see those who differ from us, and to show us how to walk through to a new experience with some knowledge and understanding of another's happenstance in this life. (Bishop, R.S.1990. Mirrors, windows, and sliding glass doors. Perspectives, 6(3), ix–xi.) That is why we need DTLs to put those books into students' hands. Our school libraries and our Jeffco DTLs are connecting with families in significant and deep ways.
This wasn’t meant to be a love letter to DTLs but it is--so thank you DTLs for the amazing and important work you do with our students and families--and thank you to all our Jeffco staff, teachers and administrators who support the work of DTLs because truly we are #bettertogether.
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Friends help Friends Pivot
Teaching in 2022 looks and feels really different than 2019 but there are tools that can help us to work smarter, adjust our sails and embrace the pivot! Your ED Tech TOSA's are here to help! bLENDED LEARNING Tools THAT WORK! Embrace your LMSPractice using you LMS with your students often. Below are a few helpful tips.
Streamline communication Google Meet The district video conference tool for students and staff (the only accessible conference tool for Jeffco students) For the latest updates to Meet, use slides 12+.  Seculy Classroom This classroom management tool helps to guide, monitor and communicate with students during in-person or remote learning on Jeffco provided Chromebooks. EnGageMent - Distance Learning Resources  Book Creator Resources from Ed Tech. students Love video Below is a quick list of best practices and considerations for creating engaging videos for your students, staff or the community!
Students love to watch videos, many say they like being able to start and stop their teachers to learn at their pace. While Screencastify is the premium screencasting tool for Jeffco Public Schools, the hints below are useful even if you’re using another application or web tool!
 “What we need to communicate with others about the issue of hate speech and/or xenophobia is to make sure to prevent ourselves and others from partaking, and spread awareness.” -GMHS student In October Ed Tech teamed up with Green Mountain High School Digital Teacher Librarian, Wendee Vezzetti, to launch a live, school-wide Cyberbullying lesson using Pear Deck. Students and teachers streamed into the live Pear Deck session via Google Meets during GMHS, “Ram Time.” 45 GMHS teachers logged into a Google Meet, muted their mics, and projected Ms. Vezzetti’s powerful lesson on cyberbullying. All the while, 497 GMHS students engaged in live, interactive discussions on the harmful effects of online bullying.  To begin the lesson, Ms. Vezzetti brought in GMHS Student Resource Officers to remind students of the importance of being respectful in-person and online. “What you say online can be criminal.” -GMHS SRO  Next Ms. Vezzetti gave students time to reflect upon any instance(s) of cyberbullying they may have encountered or witnessed. She also pulled in data from a recent GMHS student survey asking students about their experience with cyberbullying. After some reflection and discussion time, students learned about the harmful effects of hate speech and xenophobia. Then Ms. Vezzetti provided students with an example of a digital dilemma, at which students responded with ways to act with empathy and positivity while online. Lastly, Ms. Vezzeti’s lesson featured motivational speaker and author, Lizzie Velasquez’, “Beat Your Negativity” video. Within minutes, students responded to the live Pear Deck with stories of encouragement and connection to Lizzie’s powerful story on cyberbullying.  "Something we can learn from Lizzie’s situation is to
take a bad situation and use it to create something better! Something we can do when experiencing online hate is to tell someone about it. Tell a trusted adult. Talking about it can be the best thing to do." -GMHS student What great work Ms. Vezzetti is doing to raise awareness on cyberbullying. Keep up the good work, Rams! Last week in our blog, we introduced #CSEdWeek celebrating computer science in the classrooms. If you missed our blog post, the 'Hour of Code™' is a global initiative by Computer Science Education Week [csedweek.org] and Code.org [code.org] to introduce millions of students to one hour of computer science and computer programming. This is no new idea for teachers and DTLs familiar with Code.org and their curriculum! This week, the Ed Tech Team met up with Christy Yacano, the DTL at Sierra Elementary, to hear how she organized an entire Day of Code with Sierra Elementary in 2019! She is planning this year's Day of Code on December 21, 2021. Listen to the podcast below for some inspiration.
Planning Your Own Day of CodePodcasting ResourcesWe used WeVideo to record and download this podcast. You could WeVideo or Soundtrap as podcasting resources with students who log in with Google. Check out our Soundtrap ebook for support! Questions? Contact Us!We are so excited to celebrate computer science education this week with a focus of #CSEverywhere! CSEdWeek celebrates the benefits of computer science in schools, the contributions of teachers, and means to inspire more students to get involved. In today’s world, computer science is everywhere! In your home you have the smartphone you use everyday, the programmable holiday lights and washing machines you control with your phones. It permeates every industry, from the DJ who makes music on their laptop, to the scientist fighting infectious diseases. To take part with your students, check out these resources from CSEdWeek or start with Hour of Code.  Why Hour of Code?
What is it?Hour of Code started as a fun way to introduce students to computer science. Launched by Code.org, it was purposely timed in recognition of Grace Hopper’s birthday, December 6, 1906. Go to https://hourofcode.com/us/learn to try a one-hour tutorial designed for all ages in over 45 languages. Activities are designed for pre-readers through high school students.  Myth bustingIn his article in Edutopia, Making Hour of Code Work With or Without Computer Science Experience, Jorge Valenzuela works to dispel some myths about teaching students coding:
Code.org’s newest curriculum, CS Connections
Favorite activities are still here and lots of new ones!Learn Javascript or Python through a video game adventure with Ozaria from Code Combat. Check out all of the Sport +Code activities including skiing, hockey, tennis, archery, and more. Using Blackboard, learn how to use conditionals to create a 90's style screen saver. Or try your hand at Cybersecurity, a high demand field!  Whatever you try, send us pics of your Hour of Code, tweet and tag us! @jeffcoedtech  Additional Resources:CSEdWeek
BreakoutEdu How to Get Started Teaching Coding, Jorge Valenzuela A three-step plan to help teachers in any subject and any grade teach the foundations of coding. New Hour of Code Activities with Sphero Hour of Code How-to-Guide Collaborative Planning
Title 1 Supports
Connecting with Families
 Tony Tochtrop - DTL, Molhom and Courtney Jensen - DTL, Jefferson Jr/Sr High Supporting families Supporting families through a tech-focused family event helps the entire community and strengthens relationships. Equipping parents with this type of learning opportunity reinforces all of the digital citizenship communications that are occurring everyday at school.  Students at Vanderhoof work with Ed Tech Specialist, Emily Elkins to learn WeVideo Entering our third year of TechforEd, the Ed Tech team wanted to create opportunities for our 5th grade students to learn the digital tools through an asynchronous course. Students start by joining a Google Classroom for the following tools: Adobe Spark, WeVideo, Book Creator, or Soundtrap. These four tools all allow for the 4 C's: Critical Thinking, Creativity, Collaboration, Communication. The students have an opportunity to grow their own knowledge and choose how they want to show their understanding of the digital tools through their creations. Using the ToolsEach of the Google Classroom course begin with learning around using the tools designed specifically for 5th grade students. Then the students complete the course by submitting their own creation to the Ed Tech Team. So far we've seen videos, books in Book Creator, music made with Soundtrap, flyers, and web pages. Our 5th-grade student ambassadors are learning more than just technical skills with the Digital Tools Student Course. They are now taking on a leadership role in our school and sharing what they have learned with their younger peers. ~Jessica Jones, Media Specialist, Kendallvue Elementary
 Lucy, a 5th grader, created this story using Book Creator. She was able to import pictures, use existing backgrounds, and write a story about a gorilla told from the gorilla's perspective. Before she created the book, Lucy worked through the course to learn the different elements of Book Creator so that she could utilize the different multimedia tools available.  Beckett at Wilmot created this flyer using Adobe Spark. He chose to pick a relevant topic to show his creativity and was an innovative designer as he worked through the process of learning a new tool. As more and more students complete the course, the more students have the knowledge of the tool and can then help their classmates and teachers too! Learning & Creating Independently"This type of independent, self-driven learning helps differentiate for kids what they are interested in and has them very motivated to learn new technology!" ~Lisa Polacsek, Digital Teacher Librarian, Vanderhoof Elementary 5th grade students all across the district can now learn the functionality of several of the district purchased digital tools. This allows them to have more voice and choice with showing their learning! For more information contact the Ed Tech Team.
 “The way a team works as a whole determines success. You may have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the world, but if they don’t play together, the club won’t be worth a dime.” - Babe Ruth We all know Babe Ruth is talking about the great American sport of baseball in this quote, but the same could easily be said about Jeffco Public Schools. Our district is filled with so many key players: thoughtful teachers, amazing administrators and second-to-none staff members; however, unless we are all working #BetterTogether, then we aren’t meeting our potential worth.  When it comes to solving district-level technology problems, it truly takes a diverse team of players to make sure we are meeting the needs of our superstars: our students. Some of Ed Tech's closest team players in this work are our colleagues in IT. Every day Ed Tech and IT partner together to ensure that students are at the center of every technology-based decision. Simply put, “Learning happens better when we work together.” - Tracy Dorland. 10 Ways your Jeffco Ed tech and IT Teams are #BetterTogether
Share your #JEffcoBetterTogether STory We would love for you to share your success stories of how your school, Jeffco Ed Tech, and Jeffco IT have worked to be #JeffcoBetterTogether! Submit your story below or share your ideas on our social media accounts! Be sure to use the #JEFFCOBetterTogether hashtag and tag @JeffcoEd Tech @JeffcoIT and @TeamJeffco!
STUDENTS SHARE MULTIPLE PERSPECTIVES THROUGH PODCASTS IN SOUNDTRAP “Starting school this year felt like we were a new blended family all moving in together,” Jacquie Hemphill, a DTL at Mitchell Elementary stated. “In August, we had new students, remote learners, teachers, and staff joining us at Mitchell Elementary in person. We had to patiently pursue a new normal together.”  After a gradual reintegration early this year, and a lot of reviewing of the norms…Jacquie and Josh Hallerberg, a 5th-grade teacher wanted to take the learning deeper and infuse technology simultaneously. Josh asked Jacquie to collaborate with him to guide his students to get back on the steeper learning trajectory by working together to create a podcast in Soundtrap. Jacquie had already laid the groundwork last year in introducing podcasts and was ready and willing to team with Josh and the Mitchell 5th graders.
Check out this 3-minute Adobe Spark Video that captures students explaining their podcasts in soundtrap Walk into Becky Wilson’s STEAM or Robotics class at Three Creeks K-8 and you will see engaged students, seamless technology use, and computer science in action. Students are collaborating, designing, iterating and problem solving. This week's Ed Tech blog highlights a morning spent with Becky Wilson, STEM teacher at Three Creeks K-8 in Arvada. Becky teaches STEAM, Robotics, and Digital Design classes. First Period: STEAM and IF/ELSE Statements Red Light, Green Light to Learn If/Else Statements Her morning kicks off with her STEAM class of 6th graders, focusing on conditionals in programming. What better way to learn this than an active game of Red Light, Green Light with a twist? Students adjourned to the basketball court to partake in a quick warm up. With Becky Wilson at the forefront, students practiced conditionals in action-- "If you are wearing long pants take one step forward, else take 1 step backward". Utilizing this game, students learn in an unplugged manner, incorporating movement, and reaching kinesthetic learners to help create transfer for a difficult concept.  When they came in students were given 6 minutes to illustrate IF/Then statements about the weather. They chose different mediums to answer- some answered on paper, some on the table, some on an ipad app. Whichever the medium, the result was imported into their journal in Book Creator. Next, students learned about variables by programming micro:Bits to play the classic game, “Rock, Paper, Scissors”. Becky asked her students, “What is the variable that changes each time you play? How do we program the computer to select this variable randomly?”. Students programmed micro:Bits, a pocket sized microcontroller that holds one program at a time. Using MakeCode students can code in block-based or text-based programming. Since her students gave her feedback that they appreciated when they had a choice in their learning, they were given a choice board of different tasks that they could program the micro:Bit to do after programming their game.
Second Period: ROBOTICS- CUE to the rescue! Next her class of Robotics students arrived, consisting of 6th, 7th, and 8th graders. Students were given a real-life scenario, using robots in search and rescue missions. Using cardboard and legos, pairs of students needed to program a CUE robot to sense obstacles and rescue a mini Lego figure. Teams needed to follow the design process to ideate, plan, build, test, and refine their mission.  They have to work with constraints- the robot should be able to perform the rescue by themselves from the code, humans can't get into all places for rescue, we need to code the robot to assist. Good instruction is evident in everything the kids are doing; real world tasks, learning for a purpose, using the design cycle, dealing with constraints and persevering through a problem. Teams presented their rescue mission to the class, talking through their design process, planning with pseudocode. and casting their code to the projector for other students to see. They were frustrated with constraints from time and materials, but they learn to work through them. They have some video footage of successful runs in case it does not work correctly when they are presenting.
"They learn that the end product does not have to be perfect but that what they learned and how they solved the problem is the focus and the real winner."- Becky Wilson ready for the rescue
A Reflection from Becky"The authenticity of learning is so evident when kids are problem solving through robotics. The immediate feedback that they get from video games and their world, they get with robots, which leads to a higher level of engagement. At first, I designed this big complex project but stopped and said why am I doing all the work? I put the cognitive load on the students, the assignment was better because I put it on them. I have been finding ways to differentiate for my students that need to be pushed. Most are willing to persevere, some have that and are ready for the next piece. I think you need to keep kids where they need to be so they are not overwhelmed, and keep them working toward creating intrinsic motivation to challenge themselves to take on the next level."  When asked how they would change their search and rescue mission--most said they would have added more obstacles to make their code more complex.
You gotta love when students say they would do more work and make it harder! Thanks Becky!!! |
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