September 15 Updates (yeah, I need to come up with better post titles)

A shot of the delivery boat after they dropped off the iPad cases.

The row boat has arrived from China which means the rest of the iPad cases are here. Time for pushing out devices to 6th and 7th! Keep me in your thoughts...

I met with eight PLT's across six buildings this week. I love talking to teachers about their goals and coming up with plans to make it happen. I learn just as much from you! 

Have you tried...

• Discovery Education virtual field trips? They're offered live throughout the year and encourage interaction with your classes. You'll also find a huge selection of archived trips sorted by grade and topic that are ready to view on demand. Visit Discovery Education Virtual Field Trips.
• Schoology's new "Course Dashboard? You can see your current courses in a tile format on your Schoology homepage. Want to make it your default view? Access these directions.

Cool stuff happening in my schools (and can also happen in yours)...

Getting their island brochures started!

• Anne Osborne and Amber Todd started their students publishing with the Pages app. Here we're making trifold brochures.
• Today we used Schoology to record reading samples with Midway first graders. Yes, first graders. Really simple to do and a great tool for communicating progress to parents.
• Shout out to Jennifer Lampe! What did she do that was cool, you ask? Well, she has made a standing appointment with me each week to continue her learning. Yes, you can too! 

Building your digital PLN...

• Firouz Bishara, @FairouzBishara - Gentry Principal. Love how she showcases her students and teachers!
• Abbey Upton, @AbbeyUpton - Mill Creek 5th grade. Great updates of how she utilizes technology to support learning.
• CPS Foundation, @theCPSF - Updates from the CPS Foundation. If you don't know who they are, you should! 

Tech updates that might interest you...

• Any interactive tools you may have used in SMART Notebook last year won't work with the new version (it's a Flash thing). So the dice, random name picker, etc you have in your old files won't operate. Sorry. 
• If you have the new iPads, make sure you delete the preloaded Apple apps. They won't work. Then have students download from Self Service. 
• If your document camera goes out on you, it will need to be replaced with department or building money. There are several good options under $100 on the Technology Services website. Or come talk to me about how to use your iPad to display.

Have a great weekend!