Clickers in Pre-K?

How can you get your students engaged in taking a quiz or test that they actually want to take? Put a clicker in their hand... their remote to the mind. Sounds great, but how will it work for my kids, you wonder. Are you gearing up for TAKS practice? Are you looking for the drill without the kill? Try checking out a set of CPS clickers from the library and setting up your next quiz in the program for students to use. You will not only have your students wanting to do the "paper/pencil" worksheet first so that they can put their answers into the clickers, but you will also get:
- a chance to give students immediate feedback on quizzes and assessments
- an assignment that is graded for you to go right into your gradebook
- brownie points from your ITS and administrators
- a room full of students that want to do their best

I've made a video tutorial on a quick and easy way to print your progress reports so that they are ready to go home next week. I've also sent out a Step by Step "How To" by email that I will also upload to the documents box of this blog. These directions are very similar to the ones sent out last nine weeks, but the dates and some heading have changed. I will also post a "How To" on the technology blog for you to view at your convenience. I will not be here on Friday, as I have my monthly ITS meeting. I am at HGE for the rest of the week this week and will be available to help. Next week I will be at Lexington Creek. Please plan accordingly if you need help.

Required Computer Usage Documentation Form

As teachers you are probably aware that you have a set of technology TEKS, including power standards that you are required to teach. Each month our school has to turn in a report showing how we used the computers and technology that we have to apply and integrate these Technology TEKS into our teaching. Please watch the short video tutorial on how you document computer usage by filling out the form on fortshare each time that you go to the comuter lab or use computers in the classroom for instruction.

Go Green! Save ink and paper... How to Access the New Grading Policy from Fortshare

Web Video on how to enter PAPI, DRA2, MSI Scores into D2SC

Some of you have started asking how to enter PAPI and DRA2 scores. Click on the link below to open a pre-recorded Webinar that you can watch and practice inputting your own scores as you watch. It is pre-recorded, so you can pause this tutorial. The testing department created it for teachers to learn how to input their scores.

http://fortshare/testing/Shared%20Documents/Inputting%20DRA2%20PAPI%20MSI%20Scores%20into%20D2SC.pdf**

**Please note, since it is a link from fortshare, you must be at school to view the tutorial.

Video Tutorial on Creating a K-1 Progress Report Template (Deficiency Report)

Click on the tutorial to see how to create a Progress Report Template or Deficiency Report for the K-1 (Standards) gradebook. You may make the video larger by clicking on the small rectangle in the bottom right hand side of the video window.

By watching tutorials this way, you may view whenever and wherever you want to. You may pause, replay, and do it as you go. This is a great tool for our visual learners. I plan on making more tutorials, and hope to help you in this way.

It is also a great way to organize all of the information that I send you through emails. I will be subscribing you to this blog, which means that you will automatically receive an email if I have updated the blog. I know with file storage limits in our H-drive and email we are all trying to clean out things as much as we can. This will hopefully cut down on memory space. I will post a link to the fortshare site, the campus website, and you may want to bookmark this site as well in your web browser.

A Message from Your New ITS

I'm so excited to get started and really look forward to the opportunity that I have as an Instructional Technology Specialist. I have found the world of blogging to be a great educational tool, and it has been something that I have used in my own classroom as a teacher.

I woud like to be a great resource to the school in not only helping to integrate technology in the classroom, but to also help everyone feel comfortable with technology. I am happy to help in anyway that I can. Mrs. Plost set up a wonderful resources page on her school webpage. I wanted to make sure that we had a place to store all of these websites, if any changes are made to the campus website over the summer.

If you are interested in creating a blog of your own, they are very simple and easy to create. I would be more than willing to help you. Blogs can be used in a variety of ways. I have used my gaggle blog as a Student Response Board, and I also have a class blog that is used as a bulletin board for students and parents. Feel free to check out either one.
www.rochaclass.blogspot.com