Saturday, December 22, 2018

Online Digital Portfolios Course

Montana teachers! Register for this FREE online course at the OPI Learning Hub. Course begins January 7th and runs through February 3rd. We will use Seesaw as our tool to explore using digital portfolios in your classrooms. 15 OPI renewal units, plus step - up for Billings Schools teachers. Register at bit.ly/OPILearningHub.

Tuesday, December 11, 2018

Epic! Monthly Activity Calendars

I am a little obsessed with these amazing monthly calendars Epic! creates and shares. Each colorful calendar has TONS of activities kids can do at school or with their families. They can visit epic.com or use the Epic! app to help them complete the activities. Check out December's calendar below.

Sunday, December 9, 2018

Monday, December 3, 2018

K-2 Coding

Happy Computer Science Education Week! Hope this gives you some ideas to try Hour of Code with your students!

Wednesday, November 28, 2018

Technology for Little Learners

Allowing our youngest learners access to technology is so important in today's classrooms. These students are digital natives, and many are using tablets and other devices each day in their homes. Teaching them how to use these devices as tools to create, make and do (rather than just play and watch) can be important part of their day. I loved providing my kindergartners with access to iPads as a way to document their learning, take pictures of their creations, and share their voices as they told me stories or read books aloud. Publishing this work to an authentic audience and sharing with parents was a beloved and essential part of our routine in kindergarten.

Teachers often ask me what some of my favorite apps to use with young learners (K-2) are. Here is a list of my Top 5 Favorites. You can see a more extensive list in this Participate Learning Collection.

Monday, November 26, 2018

Using Fill in the Blank on Classkick

Image result for classkick logo
Classkick is one of my favorite tools to use in the classroom - if you haven't tried it, be sure to visit classkick.com to check it out. Classkick is FREE, and can be used on computers, Chromebooks or iPads. It's such a terrific way to send multiple-page assignments to students, allowing them to respond with text, audio, drawing, photos and video. And HUGE BONUS: teachers can watch their students complete work and provide feedback in real time!

Sunday, November 11, 2018

Sunday, November 4, 2018

Saturday, October 13, 2018

Sunday, September 30, 2018

Sunday, September 23, 2018

Sunday, September 16, 2018

Weekly Tech-y News

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Sunday, September 9, 2018

Monday, August 20, 2018

Thursday, August 9, 2018

ISTE 2018



Wahoo! Heather Marrs & I have arrived at ISTE 2018!

Thanks to generous grants from Montana MCCE and the Education Foundation for BPS, I had the amazing opportunity to attend the 2018 ISTE Conference in Chicago this past summer. Attending ISTE was such an incredible time to connect with edtech teacher leaders from across our country, and learn from the best of the best. 

Friday, July 20, 2018

MCCE Tech Summit


There is still time to register for the annual Summer Tech Summit! This two day learning event is a great opportunity to explore new digital tools and see how they are used in a classroom setting. BUT...it is also a time to make connections with educators from around the state and learn from each other!

Visit the MT MCCE website to get more information and to register! Here are some sessions you can look forward to:
iPad apps and activities
Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) tools
Photo editing
Video editing
Digital storytelling
Google "Stuff"

And so much more! This two day summit costs $95, and provides you with 12 OPI renewal units. Step-up credit is available for BPS teachers.

Summer Learning Opportunities

There are still so many fantastic ways to learn and grow this summer!

Wednesday, July 18, 2018

Summer CS Fundamentals Workshops

I am partnering with Code.org and Teachers Teaching Tech to offer two Computer Science Fundamentals workshops, August 6th & 7th from 8:00am-4:00pm. These workshops will provide teachers with basic understanding of the Code.org curriculum and computer science principles, with the hope that teachers will implement this FREE curriculum into their classrooms this fall. 8 OPI renewal units will be offered, and step-up credit is available. Click the links below to register.



The courses are the same, and you may only take the class once. Please choose the date that works best for you!

Friday, June 22, 2018

ISTE 2018!

 
Here are a few #ISTE18 sessions & events I’m looking forward to! So many opportunities to choose from! Can’t wait! 🎉💕@BPSTIS @Seesaw @BookCreatorApp @rpencetech @annkozma723 @AppleEDU @hmarrs24 @smalchow @lekadegroot @bhopteacher Mostly excited to see & meet many of you IRL! 💕 pic.twitter.com/LWj6J12Kyl



Sunday, June 17, 2018

Create a Digital Business Card Using Buncee!


I used the creation tool Buncee to make this digital business card to share with colleagues I meet at ISTE 2018! Buncee is super easy to use for creating and publishing, with the ability to add animations, photos, links, videos and stickers. I had so much fun creating this! Buncee has a page to share digital business cards to connect with other teachers. Once you create yours, you can upload it here.

Wednesday, May 30, 2018

End of Year Seesaw Activities

Check out these fun activities to use with your students at the end of the year! Lots of great ways to reflect and have students set goals for next year. Click on each image for a link to the ready-to-use Seesaw activity!

Click here for the 1st grade version.
Click here for the 2nd grade version.

Thursday, May 24, 2018

ISTE 2018

So excited to be attending ISTE 2018 in Chicago! A huge thanks to Montana MCCE & the Education Foundation for Billings Public Schools for helping fund this opportunity.

Wednesday, May 23, 2018

Summer Learning Opportunities



You can also check out this comprehensive Summer PD Guide put together by Nikki Vradenburg of Montana PBS.

Monday, April 30, 2018

Mo Willems' The Pigeon Seesaw Activities

Here are some Seesaw activities to go along with some of Mo Willems' Pigeon books! Click each image for a link to the activity. Remember, you can customize directions to fit the needs of your objectives and students!




Tuesday, April 17, 2018

Over 275K Items in Seesaw Here in BPS!

Check out these impressive Seesaw numbers! Way to go, BPS teachers & students!

Monday, April 9, 2018

FREE Math Apps for BPS Teachers!

Deana Elder just purchased many licenses for these awesome math apps gone free. If any Billings Schools teachers would like these apps installed on their iPads, they just need to complete a Help Ticket!
SmartCards+ Flashcards System

Math Rescue Games For Rounding

Animal Math First Grade Games

Also, don't forget the growing collection of Math Apps in my Participate Collection!

Thursday, April 5, 2018

Mystery Camp - Breakout Edu Based Camp for Kids

Check out this fun option for a summer kids' camp! Breakout Edu based, facilitated by the amazing Mark Kane! Click above for more info.

Wednesday, April 4, 2018

Summer PD!


Using Classkick for Instant Feedback
June 18th 8:30-11:30 Lincoln Center, room 308
REGISTER HERE

Let's TACO 'Bout PicCollage
June 18th 12:30-3:30 Lincoln Center, room 308
REGISTER HERE

Seesaw Basics (for beginners to Seesaw)
June 19th 8:30-11:30 Lincoln Center, room 308 *NOTE: NEW TIME

REGISTER HERE

Seesaw Activities, Folders & Skills (for intermediate to advanced users)
June 19th 12:30-3:30 Lincoln Center, room 308 *NOTE: NEW TIME
REGISTER HERE

All of these courses are worth 3 OPI renewal units. Don't forget, if you are planning to use any of these courses for step up, you'll need to complete the step up request form online at bit.ly/BillingsPD.

Nikki Vradenburg, Teacher Liaison for PBS Montana, also put together a great list of summer PD opportunities in Montana and surrounding areas. CLICK HERE to view her list! Also, be sure to check the BPSTIS site frequently, as new courses will be posted there as they are scheduled.

Monday, April 2, 2018

Weekly Tech-y News April 2-6th

Click the image to download a PDF.

OPI Learning Hub Facilitated Course: Student Created Digital Portfolios

If you're looking for a great online learning option this summer, check out my FREE facilitated course on the OPI Learning Hub. In the course Student Created Digital Portfolios, teachers will utilize the free digital learning portfolio tool Seesaw to research, analyze and create digital portfolios. Teachers will have the opportunity to collaborate, learn and share ideas in this hands-on learning environment. Participants will research types of learning portfolios, discuss why portfolios are essential in today's classrooms, and compare student portfolios with professional learning portfolios. 

The course is facilitated and will run May 14th-June 10th. Teachers will earn 15 OPI renewal units. Billings teachers, step-up approval has been submitted to the PDAAC committee. To register, visit bit.ly/OPILearningHub. Registration should be open very soon!