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Book Creator is one of the 8 district purchased tools and a great way for students and teachers to get creative in crafting digital books. In Book Creator you can combine text, images, audio and video to create:
Recently, Book Creator added numerous accessibility improvements in their latest update. A few of their updates are:
Add Captions to video and Transcripts to AudioNow you are able to auto-generate captions for videos that you add to Book Creator. Generate the captions and then manually edit them as needed. When recording audio, you can now add transcripts to your recording. Book Creator developed speech-to-text functionality in November 2017, but now they’ve supercharged it so you can dictate your text in 120 different languages. Directions: Add Captions to Video Directions: Generate a Transcript Directions: Use Your Voice to Type the Words Navigate using the KeyboardThese new features support those with vision impairments. Some people with hand tremors find using a mouse very difficult and therefore usually use a keyboard. Keyboard navigation can help those who have difficulty with the hand-eye coordination required for using a mouse, and also supports those who may struggle locating the pointer on a screen. Improved Color Contrast Updates have been made to make the screen easier to read. Fonts and images have been updated. Read to Me FunctionRead to me is a great feature that allows students to have books that are shared with them. Not only is the book read to them, but students can change the settings to have the speech rate changed, the page displayed changed, and have the book read in different voices and language. For more information: intercom.help/bookcreator/en/articles/2398649-read-to-me-in-book-creator What does this Mean for Education?Equality. Inclusion. Differentiation. These are important considerations as technology becomes more and more prevalent in education, and we want to remain right at the forefront of accessibility in education. ~Dan Kemp, Book Creator Tools for School’s Marketing & Community Manager Other FeaturesAlong with the added accessibility features, book creator has some other great features that add some amazing functionality to your books. A few of these features are autodraw, app smash, embed media, and insert audio to name a few. Let us know what amazing things you've been doing with Book Creator to enhance creativity and provide accessibility for all students! Ed Tech Resources
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It's been a while since we've had information about Schoology shared out so here are a few quick items to help you stay up-to-date.  In case you haven't heard, back in late 2019 PowerSchool purchased Schoology. What does this mean for current Schoology users? Nothing is changing, and we will see enhanced features and options in the future according to our Schoology connections. We will keep you updated as new features become available. If you want to read more about the acquisition, click here.  Digital Assessments in Schoology Assessment season is right around the corner and many teachers and students are working on preparing to share their amazing learning and knowledge. Did you know Schoology can serve as a robust platform for digital assessments providing practice opportunities for students of all ages? Schoology Tests/Quizzes have a wide variety of options for teachers to create customized assessments in a variety of ways.  A few of the customization features for teachers include:
For more information on how to use Schoology assessment features, you can visit the Schoology Help Center. Check out the Course Materials resources or more specifically resources for Tests/Quizzes to get started. Schoology Kiosk for Jeffco Chromebooks  Schoology has a Kiosk available for students on any Jeffco owned Chromebook. The Schoology Kiosk allows students to enter Schoology and work only in Schoology on their Chromebook without having access to any external content such as a web browser. The Schoology Kiosk can be a useful tool for teachers to provide students learning and assessment experiences in a more controlled environment. To learn more about using the Schoology Kiosk on district-owned Chromebooks, take a look at the Schoology Kiosk Google Doc. There is also a link included on the document for access to a quick video demonstration. Course Deletion Issue  Jeffco Schoology is set up to automatically create courses for every teacher coinciding with their class rosters in Infinite Campus. Teachers will see their classes auto-populating the Course Section of their Schoology account. It is asked that teachers DO NOT DELETE these auto-created courses in Schoology. When a teacher deletes an auto-created course, it creates a backlog of Schoology sync issues and also causes students issues with seeing current or future courses they are auto-enrolled in. Once an auto-created course is deleted by a teacher, it cannot be reinstated. It is asked that if teachers aren't using those courses, or they don't want them interfering with current courses, they move them to the bottom of their course list. This can easily be done in the My Course section of Schoology by dragging courses in the order of desired preference. Teachers can delete any courses they have created at anytime without issue, this only applies to the auto-created courses within Schoology. If you have questions or would like further support, please reach out to either Nick Steinmetz or Lisa Summit in the Jeffco Educational Technology Department. More Schoology updates, new features, and opportunities for learning will be coming in the next few months. If you have questions about Schoology you can contact the above supports at anytime or reach out to your Jeffco Ed Tech Specialist.
 Nearly any content area unit at any grade level involves learning important academic vocabulary to help students understand and articulate their knowledge in a manner that shows their newfound comprehension. Vocabulary comprehension is a critical skill when it comes to demonstrating understanding on the CMAS assessment, as well. Students are not able to comprehend vocabulary without picturing, and technology is able to engage support students in that task. Pear Deck’s Flashcard Factory is a little-known feature that helps engage students in this work in a new, game-based way! Pear Deck explains, “In the Flashcard Factory, students work together to create the best example sentences and illustrations for your vocabulary terms. At the end of the game, you can review and choose the final flashcard set as a group. Finally, print the final set or export it to Gimkit for free. Students can play review games with their cards at home, and all of the fun examples they created will help them remember and better understand the terms.” Getting started with Flashcard factoryStep 1 - Create a vocabulary list Go to peardeck.com and log in as a teacher (use your jeffcoschools.us email address!) to open your Pear Deck Home. Please note: You must use a Google account to play the Flashcard Factory game at this time! When you reach Pear Deck Home, click Start a Vocab List:  Step Two: Add Vocabulary Terms to your List Teachers can find a Vocabulary List by Subject, paste in their own list, or type in terms. Merriam-Webster is on call to help you fill in definitions as you go. You get to choose whether or not to provide students a definition. Learn more about creating a list.  Step Three: Play the Flashcard Factory Game When you're ready to begin, click the blue Play Flashcard Factory button (see the image above). Pear Deck displays instructions on your screen (the Projector View) telling students how to join the game. Just like they enter a Slides Session, students need to go to joinpd.com, log in with their Google Account, then enter the code to join. Students' names will appear on the teacher’s screen as they join. Students are automatically assigned a partner to create example sentences and illustrations for the new terms during the game. Once they have joined the session, teachers will click Clock in to enter the Production Phase. Students can then start creating their cards. As a class, students can review the cards on the Projector View and choose the best examples to be included in the final Flashcard Set. Learn more about how the game is played. Step Four: Choose the final Flashcard Set When you are ready for students to stop working in the Production Phase, and you want to decide which cards to send to the final set, go to Quality Control.  In Quality Control, you can approve cards for the final set (or dismiss them). The students can get in on the fun here as well!  After completing the Quality Control phase, click on the Shipping Phase button. Step Five: Export, Print, and Review In the Shipping Phase, click on Print or Export Set.  A new window opens. Click on Print Flashcard Set or Export to Gimkit. If you choose Print, the Print menu opens. If a Flashcard does not have a definition, example, or image, we provide space for students to fill in their own copy or image after printing.  You can also play fun study games on products like Gimkit! We hope you find a way to utilize this secret gem of a game/instructional tool soon! As always, if you have questions, please contact your EdTech Specialist to get started. Resources:This blog post is by Tracy Peronard, a math teacher at Dakota Ridge High School. She has had a fascinating career track and shares some amazing insights into how Book Creator can be used for creative instruction and to set examples for students when using Jeffco Digital Tools. Tracy has been teaching in Jeffco for nine years, eight of which have been at Dakota Ridge. She is from Atlanta, GA. and has a BS in Management from Georgia Tech. Tracy also completed a post-baccalaureate program at Georgia State University in Secondary Mathematics Education and is working to finish her Masters in Mathematics in the fall. Tracy and her husband moved to Littleton, CO. in 1998 where she was a stay at home mom for the first few years. In 2001, she went to work for the Lakewood Police Department as an Investigative Technician. She then left the LPD in 2010 and returned to the classroom. Her son graduated from Dakota Ridge in 2011 and her daughter graduated from Lakewood High School in 2014. She likes to run, play soccer, and go to the gym. Tracy currently teaches trigonometry and Integrated Math 3. The Math 3 class is comprised entirely of juniors who are working on a math Capstone Project to fulfill the new graduation requirement. Tracy uses technology almost everyday in her math classroom. Thank you Tracy for sharing your expertise with us! Dakota Ridge High School went 1:1 three years ago. I was excited that my students would each have a device of their own. I dove head first into the technology pool. Despite a lot of groaning from my geometry students, I had them use Geogebra for many tasks that once had been paper and pencil lessons and activities. By the end of the first six weeks, most students were able to successfully use the technology that I presented to them. Through Google Classroom, I provided links to various resources for my students. Since Chromebooks were new for both myself and my students, there were some bumps along the way. My students let me know what was good and more importantly what was bad. This school year, I started teaching Trigonometry. The school has a set of books that the students can use in the classroom but the students cannot take the textbooks home. I saw students taking pictures of problem sets from the book. They did not take pictures of any of the examples, definitions, or formulas. I also noticed that students rarely used the textbook if they had access to the material electronically. Nick Steinmetz (Jeffco Ed Tech Specialist) and our DTL Robin Luster, did professional development training at the start of this school year that included a brief overview of the new digital tools that were available throughout Jeffco. Book Creator was one of those tools. Initially, I was not interested. Nick used the example of English teachers using Book Creator; and I thought how fun it would be to have my math students write pages of a math book. From that "aha" moment came a spark. What if I wrote a book for my students?  Trigonometry is a one semester class. The first unit covers some topics that I taught my Honors Geometry students. I knew that I had some electronic resources that I wanted to share with my students; so I decided that I would write a book for this first unit. I worried that the book might flop, but I had not invested a lot of time writing a book covering only one unit. I decided not to start Unit 2 until I had feedback from the students. The best part about writing an eBook is that you can include links to Geogebra activities, Khan Academy practice problems, and my own videos showing how to do select problems. The other advantage to putting all the resources into a book was that students did not have to search Google Classroom to find one old video or link. I watched a YouTube video to learn more about how to use Book Creator, then I started writing. This is a snapshot from the Unit 1 book. It has a link to a Geogebra activity and an example video about Coterminal Angles.  Like all new tools, there was a learning curve. I clicked on every button to see what would happen. Sometimes, I discovered things by accident. The first few pages were slow, but by the time I had written the material for the first lesson, I felt fairly competent. I was hooked. I worked on the book on and off for a few days before school started. Once it was complete, I was proud of myself. It did not matter how enamored I was of the Trigonometry Unit 1 book, because the true test was whether or not the students found value in it. I put a link to the book on Google Classroom and told the students that it was there. Not only did the book contain the Google Slides presentation that I would use in class but it had so much more, including homework for each lesson. Below is the Google Classroom post I showed my students when I introduced them to the book.   When it was time for the first test, the book became a valued resource to some of the students. I knew that some students would not use it, but my hope was that a few students would. Much to my delight, I had students ask if I was going to write a book for the next unit. That was all I wanted to hear. You can see the Unit 1 book here.  Since the first book, I have written one for each unit of Trigonometry and they have been easy to revise. The students like the interactivity of the book and students who want to work ahead now have a resource available so they can be self-paced. I use the same language when I talk in class as what is written. The two biggest sells for writing an eBook are that I am not trying to fit my way of teaching to a textbook that is 20 years old; and that I am presenting material to my students in a format that is tailored to their way of learning.
 Exciting developments in the Jeffco EdTech world! We have been hard at work compiling and curating new and improved content for our YouTube channel. These new playlists are directly aligned to many of Jeffco’s Eight Digital Tools (Book Creator and DiscoveryEd content is coming soon!) These handy playlists briefly go over commonly used functions and provide step-by-step guidance on how to access and use features. Someone having trouble with how to create a PearDeck? There’s a playlist for that! WeVideo collaboration and creation? There are videos for that! These playlists (and our channel as a whole) are constantly growing, so subscribe if you haven’t already, to get updates!
Here are the current playlists. Please share this resource with your staff and fellow teachers! EquatIO Pear Deck Read&Write for Google Seesaw Soundtrap WeVideo We’re constantly working to make this a better resource. Please reach out to your EdTech Specialist if you have ideas for videos or questions that aren’t answered with the current video offerings.   At Governor’s Ranch Elementary, the Digital Teacher Librarian, Rachel McKenzie has been using WeVideo with several groups of students. Recently, Ms. McKenzie had her 2nd grade WIN group use WeVideo to explain their understanding of severe weather. They started with hurricane research, coming up with some guiding questions together about what they would need to know to do a weather broadcast (wind speed, common locations, etc) and then she had the kids look through library books and resources she sent them in Google Classroom to research. They organized with thinking maps. They used the research to build their script for the video, trying to put realistic facts into the video that were inspired by their research. They watched weather forecasts on YouTube so that they could try and use similar vernacular, such as "back to you in the studio!"  Ms. McKenzie and the students wrote the script together with the students dictating what they wanted to say. They did a lot of table reads and practiced the script everyday for about a week. Kids decided what props they needed and then started filming! The students learned about using a green screen and determined what backgrounds were needed in order to make the video look authentic. Once they were ready, Ms. Mackenzie filmed each student in front of a green screen. Using a Green ScreenVideo Editing After filming, students were able to collaborate on the video and decide what they wanted their post production video to look like. Ms. McKenzie, with student input, edited the video, added transitions and captions and then had the students give their critiques. Once the students chimed in, the video was completed. Finally, the group showed it to their classmates and community so they could see their learning. This lesson was a great way to show how WeVideo can be used to help synthesize learning and allow students to show their understanding through their own creations. The students stated that they loved having choice in their project. They got to decide what to research and how to create the video. They said it was fun, engaging, and even though it was a lot of work, they really learned a great deal. One student said that it was really cool to come to WIN and they were so excited to share with friends and family. Channel 189 News Severe Weather reportJeffco 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 &
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