I want to share with you a way to try out neat things in your room or during your itinerant time to determine if they are appropriate for your students before purchasing them or even trying to win them via my monthly essays contests. I have created Google Forms to sign out a Google Expedition Kit, BreakoutEDU boxes, Bee Bots and Mat, Mini Spheros, and Ozobots. If you are interested in using these in your room and would like to sign them out please complete the respected form below. If you need assistance using them, please connect with Lori Blantz or Hillary Holler first to determine a time to teach you how to use or do a lesson for you first. Click on the names below of the item you would like to sign out to access the form. Google Expedition Kit, BreakoutEDU boxes, Bee Bots and Mat, Spheros and Mini Spheros, and Ozobots. An email will go to Hillary Holler and she will connect with you.

This was in a recent email from Code.org founder, Hadi Partovi.

Congratulations goes out to the SEC of the DHH program, Teresa Fleming. She submitted the winning essay that was chosen by the ECSES program supervisors today at their meeting. Teresa shared that she is looking to use this tool in two of her DHH classes she supports at John Beck Elementary School. Teresa and her teacher Elizabeth taught the students coding last year via the online program Code.org. She is hoping to continue having them code by using the Bee Bot during their regular classroom lessons. Congratulations again. For others that either submitted an essay and it was not chosen, or would like to try out a Bee Bot and mat, I do have a few Bee Bots and mats staff borrow for use in their classroom. If you are interested in doing this, please complete this Google Form HereBee Bot Sign-Out form. The form entry will go to Hillary and she will connect with you on how to get it out to your classroom. Thanks again for all you do for your students in our IU13 classes.

Today I received an email from IXL on how to use this tool in classrooms to personalized students learning.

Gina Monteleone, ES teacher at Manheim Central HS was the winner of the BreakoutEDU kit for her classroom. I received 10 essays this month. The voting by our ECSES supervisors was very close, but I think what stood out in Gina's essay would be that she asked her students why a BreakoutEDU kit would help them with social skills and she provided their reasons!!! Great idea Gina and class. Enjoy. Check out the next give-a-way on the right.

Have you ever heard of or used PBS Learning Media? If you haven't, read on and learn about an amazing tool to us in your classroom. PBS Learning Media This site is recently redesigned. They continue to improve it so you can provide high-quality media in your classroom. This is for grades Preschool and above in all subject matters. Do you want to introduce your students to a novel like Charlotte's Web, The Giver, Hatchet, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Outsiders, Great Expectations, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and more? You can use PBS LearningMedia The Great America Read resources to introduce the book by a celebrity, and even the author. There are movies, lesson plans, and all types of teacher resources available for your use. You log in using your Google Account, so no passwords are needed to remember. When you active directory account changes, so does this account. See below the list of the subjects. If you are using Google Classroom or Schoology, you can link your students assignments to these learning management systems (LMS). If you want more information on the tool, either check it out or contact me and we can do over together. It is an amazing FREE site.

 

Hello - I hope your year is getting off to the right start!! Feels more like summer now than summer did. Just wanted to remind about the Spotlight Contest. If you want to earn an OSMO Genius Kit complete with stand, tangrams, words, and numbers please don't forget to submit your entry by Sept 10th. Also, today was the first day of afterschool help sessions. We had one at One Cumberland today and our next one for the month of September is next Wednesday the 12th at Lancaster Burle.  This is the time to get 1-1 help from Hillary or myself on ITT, IEPWriter, Instructional tools, etc. We are here for you!

Today (August 20th) some staff member start back in the classroom. For some, they do not start until after Labor Day. Regardless where you fit in that time frame...WELCOME BACK. Let's make this the best year for our students yet!!! I am very excited for the new year because I have a lot of new ideas, tools, and resources to share in our classrooms. Please call upon me for help and either myself or Melinda Oatman or Hillary Holler will assist you. My first monthly contest give-away is here. Check out the right hand side of this blog for more information. Voting will occur on September 13th and winner announce on the 14th. Good luck!!!

Hello everyone, I hope everyone had a fantastic summer. Can't believe it flew by already but here were are, ready to embark in a new school year. I know I am excited as there are lots of new things occurring. Staying the same bores me so change is always good, but we know it can be crazy at times. Hillary Holler and Melinda Oatman are both with me again this year- YEAH - we are ready to help you with ITT, IEPWriter, Instructional Tech Tools, PowerSchool, and perhaps lots of other stuff. I received two grants over the summer. We now have our own Google Expeditions Glasses set for the ECSES Department. I ran a session this summer that went great and even if you did not attend and are interested in having me come out to run a class lesson sign up on our Google Sign-Up Form. Finally, I want to make this first Blog short- but Hillary and I are after-school tech help sessions each month. They will go from 3-5pm. Come for all of it, come for just some, you get credit for the time you attended. These are informal and here to help you with questions on IEPWriter, ITT, tech tools, using your laptop, etc. If we can't answer your question we will find out who can and connect you to them. We are running one in Lebanon and one in Lancaster each month. Attached is the list of dates. Hope to see you then. Look out for the first contest of the school year. I am giving away an OSMO Genius Kit. This is valued at about $100.00. The company gave one to me this year as a bonus to give away! I will post the blog contest next week and you have until September 10th to email your essay. Good luck!!!