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Device Dilemmas

11/19/2015

 
Submitted by Katie Schmidt
5th Grade Teacher, 
Rodgers Forge Elementary
As with any new initiative, especially one involving loads of technology, there are bound to be problems that arise.  So how do teachers and students deal with these unexpected issues?  Recently, 5th grader Kelsey Annis shared, “The track pad on my device was not working well for a while, and then one day my device just wouldn’t turn on at all.  I let my teacher know, and after we tried to charge it with a different charger and she checked the battery, she sent it out to have it fixed and I got a loaner.  I got my own device back a few weeks later and it is working well.”
 
At Rodgers Forge Elementary, teachers notify the school’s tech team of a problem using an online technology request form.  The request is usually acknowledged within that school day, and it is handled by the Daly representative or one of the school’s tech liaisons.  “We usually have about 2-3 issues to handle on any given day,” says Rodgers Forge STAT teacher, Jen Piet. “Most are easy fixes that require basic troubleshooting. For others that need additional repairs, I submit a help desk ticket in order to have it fixed.”
 
A recurring problem over the past few months has been general day to day issues that have arisen with the BCPSOne learning platform.  At times students are given an error message and can’t even log in, while other times teachers cannot log in to a specific portion of the platform to access curriculum, assignments, etc.  This can sometimes be resolved by using a different web browser or simply closing out the program and logging back in.  Other times, teachers and student have expressed frustration and have had to find another way to complete the activity on the spot.  Second grade teacher Beth Siuta commented, “While I feel that BCPSOne is a forward thinking platform, it certainly has had growing pains this year as more teachers and students are using it. There have been times I cannot access the curriculum which is frustrating since we no longer have hard copies. The students have also had days when they could not access their lesson tiles, so activities and lessons had to be changed at the last minute. I have learned to always have a back-up plan.”  BCPS appears to be committed to improving and fixes these bugs as they are brought to their attention.  Fifth grade, Nora Sevidal, stated, “Even though the devices have problems sometimes, they still are really helpful as a tool to help us learn and understand new things in a fun and engaging way.” 
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Fifth grader Lindsey Lark uses a loaner device while hers is being repaired.

Short Stories Using Stop Motion Animation

11/19/2015

 
Submitted by Chelsea Mazurek​
Art Teacher, Edmondson Heights Elementary

In art class at Edmondson Heights Elementary, students are experimenting with creating their own stop motion animation videos. Stop motion is created when you take many still photographs of objects or drawings, moving each one slightly in each picture. When all of the photos are put together and increased in their speed, they create movement.
 
We are using windows movie maker to edit our photos and music from freemusicarchive.org. Right now students are using found objects to tell short stories through movement. Later on in the year we will revisit this media and create our own stop-motion cartoons or Claymation videos.

Second Graders Become Animal Experts

11/6/2015

 
Submitted by Megan Frank
2nd Grade Teacher, 
Hawthorne Elementary
Second grade students selected an animal to research in order to answer the question: How do animals grow and survive in the natural world? Students read and viewed print and digital media to gather information to answer the research question. Students took notes, composed paragraphs, and added text features to share key information in a class book. Students then made a class video to share interesting facts from their research using Animoto.  
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Ms. Frank's Animal Experts
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Mrs. Evans' Animal Experts
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Ms. Myers' Animal Experts

Blended Learning on the Move in P.E.

11/2/2015

 
Submitted by Kimberly Hahn
6th Grade Mathematics Teacher, 
Windsor Mill Middle
This month in Physical Education, students participated in units on Soccer and Pickleball. Students enjoyed using the devices to record themselves performing Pickleball skills in order to analyze these skills and use the visual aids to improve. Pickleball was a new activity that almost every student had never experienced! Students also enjoyed practicing their soccer skills while experimenting with modern day equipment and colonial times equipment. All current PE students will be taking Health Education class throughout the entire month of November. Physical Education will resume the first week of December. 
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Students Analyze Different Mediums in Language Arts

11/2/2015

 
Submitted by Kimberly Hahn
6th Grade Mathematics Teacher, 
Windsor Mill Middle
Mr. St. Germain’s 8th graders are analyzing different mediums using Malala Yousafzai; a brave girl from Pakistan. She is an activist for female education and the youngest-ever Nobel Prize Laureate. The Language Arts Department at Windsor Mill is on the move. We are building learning capacity and our students are excited about it. We are letting our “Lighthouse” light shine for all to see. 
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Collaboration Helps Students Identify Plot and Theme

11/2/2015

 
Submitted by Kimberly Hahn
6th Grade Mathematics Teacher, 
Windsor Mill Middle
Mrs. Ford’s Language Arts classes are learning about Plot and Theme. Students were first given a short quiz on Kahoot to test their knowledge about plot and theme. After a brief discussion they worked in stations around the room identifying short clips from a story as plot or theme. Students were highly engaged and worked well on this task.
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Let's Use EasyBib.com in Library to Help Cite Sources

11/2/2015

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Submitted by Kimberly Hahn
6th Grade Mathematics Teacher, Windsor Mill Middle
Mrs. Jackson’s Grade 6 Reading Classes visited the Library where Ms. Love taught them the importance of citing sources during their research. Through this activity learned more about Plagiarism. Ms. Love also introduced them to EasyBib.com. This tool is an easy way for students to cite sources. Students will use EasyBib to build their Works Cited Page at the end of their 5 paragraph essay.
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