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Checking Reading Fluency in Seesaw

Using Seesaw for Performance Checks Seesaw Activities are a great way to assess student growth. The activity template is simple: there is a screenshot of a short reading. The activity template is a Drawing and students respond with the Record (microphone icon) option. They use the pointer to follow the reading while speaking out loud. This recording is then submitted so I can listen to the student reading. It is nearly the same as sitting next to the student during the read aloud! The student response goes in a folder that only I can see so the students don’t have...

Five Features in Canvas You’re (Probably) Not Using Yet

It’s okay though. That’s why we’re here. Canvas is so full of functionality, it’s easy to miss some of the more helpful options and tools. In this post, we have five quick tips for using Canvas more effectively day to day. 1. Magic “Undelete” If you’ve ever accidentally deleted something from Canvas, you may have resigned yourself to more work and just recreated the item. Next time that happens, use the “undelete” trick to recover that item instead. In your course, add “/undelete” (no quotes) to the address bar and you’ll get a list of recently deleted items you can...

Set ENL Students Up For Success with iPad Settings and Apps

In this post we will show you a variety of features and apps that you can use to customize a student’s iPad to best meet their needs and to scaffold your instruction.

Sight Word Independent Practice with the iPad

Meaningful small group instruction time is a precious commodity in our classrooms. We turned sight word practice into an independent activity to reclaim some back. Using Seesaw, you can create activities that allow students to record their sight word practice. This means you are free to move around the room and help targeted students while still being able to go back and listen to every student practice. Here are some time-saving solutions for you! Provide Examples We created a digital/auditory sight word book in Book Creator or Keynote that allows students to hear the words they are learning. Each page...

The Beauty of QR Codes

What is a QR Code? A QR code, in its most basic form, is a “picture link” to a website, document, assignment, etc. QR codes are scanned using a device with a camera, and link directly to a specific destination.  Why QR Codes? One word: Efficiency. Sharing the code with the class, either printed on paper or in a digital format (presented on the SMARTboard), is one of the fastest way to get your classes on the “same page.” Why not just use Apple Classroom, you ask? Apple Classroom is still valuable as a organization and management tool, especially for...

2 Week Winter Break, 3 NEW Things You Can Do With Seesaw in Your Classroom Next Semester

Two weeks of magical rest is about to begin. With that is mind, we want to share 3 magical ideas that will hopefully make your spring semester simpler and smoother.

Gain Back Instructional Time in Your Classroom by Recording Cold Reads in Seesaw

Having students read out loud is a powerful tool in improving their reading skills. But, how many of us have enough time for each student to independently read to you? Do you wish you could just sit in your PJs and listen to them read?

Upleveling Kahoot and Other Formative Assessment Tools with Apple Classroom

Most of us have heard of or have used digital formative assessments like Kahoot. They are great ways to collect information on what your students know about a given topic. By combining Apple Classroom with a formative tool like Kahoot, I have been able to gain more detailed data on my students performance in real time. Seeing students screens gives me a heads up on who is struggling to login or get into an app as well as who is beginning to fall behind or disengage. Most formative assessment games will generate data reports to view once the game is over or...

Finding Your Online PD Courses

We have more PD available online than ever before. There are some bite-sized courses you can work through individually as well as some YouTube livestreams that were recorded. We’re starting to use real-time video conferencing with Google Meet for in-person PD regardless of where you are physically. With all of these links, how do you find those places later? The PD website is the driver for finding your online course links. Here are two ways you can find the link to your online PD. Method 1: The Welcome Email After registering for an online course or session, you should receive...

eLearning Activity Ideas

Our first eLearning day is coming up on September 30th (remember, this is secondary only). To help you get ready, the Technology Ambassadors worked hard to get a huge document of samples put together. You can use an activity as-is or modify the idea for your class. Remember, these aren’t prescriptive. They’re meant to be samples of how to prepare an activity that is active and available offline. Each sample has links to helpdesk articles and other helpful resources to help get you prepared. If you have questions, reach out to one of your building Ambassadors or contact the Instructional...

Speedy SpeedGrader

The Canvas SpeedGrader works well in general, but it can take a lot of clicks to get a score into the books. We’ve added some customizations to the SpeedGrader that will make scoring assignments on your computer faster. Essay Scoring If you give a quiz in Canvas, you need to manually score File Upload and Essay questions. Plus, you had to score each individual question. We’ve added a tool that automatically scores blank questions with a zero (no credit) by default. Essays with something typed in will remain unscored and require you to manually update the points either by clicking...

Bite-Sized Online PD

Last year, we experimented with creating online PD through Canvas so you can work on buildings skills on your own schedule. We had some success, but the major feedback was that the course was too big and felt overwhelming. This year, we’re going to build out some micro-courses which focus on single, specific skills or applications. To start, we broke out our Digital Instructor course into six micro-courses (three or four short modules each). This means you sign up for what you want to do, when you want to do it. All of the available courses are on the Elkhart...

Summer 2019 PD Offerings

If you’re looking for some summer PD, the website is full of offerings! From the ELA adoption workshops to Instructional Tech events, there’s something for everyone. Highlights ELA Adoption – Grades K-6 have a new ELA curriculum. A two-part workshop series runs all summer so you can get up to speed with the new materials. Elementary 1:1 Workshops – If you’re one of the buildings going rolling your iPads out in the fall, you have a two-day workshop to attend with your colleagues to get ready. Standards-Based Grading – If you’re interested in learning more about a different grading method...