This is the handout from Friday September 21, 2012 SKYWARD I trained the staff and faculty last Friday on Skyward Employee Access. I think it went well and a few teachers need some extra help but overall I think I accomplished my three goals which included adding "favorites", look at check history, and enter in time off requests. I have also been helping a long term sub learn Skyward. She had trouble logging in using Chrome on a PC. Help desk said they have gotten reports of this same problem for other users. Good to know! TESTING STAMP testing will be next week and CRT's will start the following week. I will be training the ELA department and the Counselor will be teaching the Science Department what they need to know in order to do the testing. I feel more confident now that we did the Science testing in January. Bobie’s Notes from
Skyward Training on March 27, 2012 There will be at several updates to Skyward over the next six months beginning April 2nd. The following training needs to be scheduled for each school 1. Employee Access for all faculty and staff in mid April. 2. Gradebook training for teachers early next fall. More details about this update will be forthcoming. The District will provide training on Skyward Student for Secretaries and Counselors because Citrix will cease to exist after September 14, 2012. More details to follow. The Online back to school registration training has started. Another training will be scheduled for the week of May 15th. Ed. Tech are to provide support but cannot be available at any one school for the entire registration period. Therefore, it is important that the office staff understand the procedure completely and have the ability to help parents through the process. School computers will need to be made available for any parents who do not have computers at home with internet access. Field Tech, Alice Jensen and myself will be available to help solve problems and assist office staff but our time will be split between our two schools. WOW! What a weekend. UCET was really great. I learned some new things and I was amazed at all the smart people all around me. I attended an iPad class taught by John Kelly. He discussed apps. So much for me to check out I can't wait.
While finishing up my lesson plans on my interdisciplinary unit for the Ed Tech endorsement class, I found a podcast on stress and another assignment on creating a blog on stress. I included it with my unit. I am going to do both assignments with my students. I need to check with the health teacher and make sure she doesn't use it. Happy leap year! Today is a day we don't have every year. Parent Teacher Conference is tonight. It makes for a VERY long day. I will get Friday off which is nice but I am going to the UCET Conference so, I will be up early and going full speed much earlier than I would be otherwise. I haven't been to UCET so I don't know what to expect. I was given some recommendations by a co-worker and I am going to check those out tonight when I don't have parents to meet with.
I interviewed for the full time Ed Tech position yesterday. I think it went OK, time will tell. This time of year all the shuffling begins. One teacher told me today that he plans on retiring at the end of the year and another teacher is going to stay at home next year. So for sure two teachers are leaving. Lots of changes are coming to Albion. New school building next year and at least a couple of new teachers. Should be very interesting as things develop. I heard that Facebook is no longer a blocked site and I want to check that out today. I also need to set up an iPad and figure out what is wrong with a document camera. Never a dull moment. I think that is part of what I like about this job. Always 25 times to do! I prepared for the DWA training I am teaching tomorrow, all afternoon. I created a PowerPoint and a folder for each teacher with their students test tickets and the teacher script they will read. Our practice test is next Tuesday March 6th and the test is next Wednesday March 7th. I think everything is under control.
I do need the MIST icon added to the mobile lab laptops since we have some very large classes and will need additional computers. I sent Ryan an e-mail and I am waiting to here back from him. Time to go home! I have been trying out a new word processing device called a NEO2 from Renaissance Learning. This can be used in place of a regular computer. I can envision two possible uses.
First, it could be used in place of paper and pencil. For example, a teacher could have a student who doesn't write legibly, type his or her answers to questions or it could be used when taking notes in class. Another use could be for typing up research. Students could use the computers to research a topic and then switch to the NEO for the typing. There are several print options once a document has been create. Students can connect directly to a printer by using the included cable. The information is printed out in a block format using a standard font. If, however, the teacher would like a different font or format then the student can connect to a computer and the NEO will send the document to the NEO manager using the included software. In the NEO manager the document can be copied and then pasted into a word document. The student can format it any way they like. Another option is to send the document created on the NEO wirelessly to a computer. I did not purchase the receiver so I have not used this option. Dan Olds has used the NEO is a classroom setting and he thinks it is a great option for teachers who prefer typed documents. No need to occupy the computer lab with a NEO lab in the building. I now plan to discuss this option with several departments and see if the teachers are interested in having a classroom set of the NEO's in addition to our computer labs. Yesterday was our regular Ed Tech meeting. Jared showed us Safari Montage. This is a cool site the district has subscribed to for teachers. They have video and more to use in the classroom. The video's can be shown in small clips or a teacher can create their own clip. No need to show an entire video. I am not sure when it will be available to everyone but, I defiantly want to train our teachers to use it as soon as it is available.
Another Ed. Tech. created a list of applications to use to help teachers improve opportunities to respond in class. See her list here. Another discussion item was scanners. Darren has committed to purchase a scanner for every school. I recommended that he get one with an automatic document feeder. He would like the info on the scanner I selected for our school. I will send that to him today. Today I created a YouTube channel for the school. I posted a Film Festival entry so we can link to it on our website. I also have been loading the software for the new NEO 2 we received a week or so ago. Turns out that to use the wireless capability we will need to buy a receiver. I think that if we want to use these for an entire class the receiver is a must. I neeed to look up the cost and then talk to the Vice Principal. I have class tonight so I will be leaving soon, that it going to be all I get done today. Time sure flies!
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AuthorMy name is Bobie and I am the Educational Technology Specialist at two MIddle Schools in Salt Lake City, Utah. Archives
February 2013
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