News

Upcoming Event: FIRST LEGO League Granite District Qualifier, January 25, 2020

January 2020Josh WhitingLeave a Comment

Granite’s FIRST LEGO League event is coming soon! On Saturday, January 25, 2020, thirty-five student teams representing twenty-seven schools will gather at Granger High School to show what they have learned and invented, as well as compete in Robot Games. Eleven of these teams will qualify for the Utah North Tournament at Weber State University on February 1, 2020.

Volunteers Needed

This will be a full, fun-filled day for student participants, as well as the amazing coaches and volunteers who make the event possible. We could use more event-day volunteers! If you are interested, please contact Cherie Anderson in the Educational Technology Department to learn how to get involved. Please browse our highlight posts from the 2019 and 2018 district events to learn more about Granite’s event and find out what to expect.

Parent Information and Schedule

Parents can visit the event at any time but should be aware that their students will be engaged in rotations of closed judging sessions and robot game heats, with practice and break times staggered throughout the day. Judging begins at 9 A.M. Robot Games start soon after in the gymnasium and continue until 2 P.M. The event will conclude with a parade and closing ceremony in the gymnasium beginning at 2:45 P.M.

FIRST LEGO League Challenge: City Shaper

This year’s challenge is City Shaper. From the FIRST website description,

Students will observe how cities and buildings grow, thrive, and change. They’ll create new, innovative solutions to help shape an optimal future, using our environment and modern-day tools and technology to make it last. They can use what they learn to help us plan a strong, sustainable, and inclusive FIRST City.

Questions?

Visit the FIRST LEGO League website to find more general information about the program and this year’s challenge. If you have any additional questions about the FIRST LEGO League program in Granite School District, please contact Cherie Anderson in the Educational Technology Department.

Photos from previous Granite events courtesy of Tom Sparks, school technology specialist and freelance photographer.

Granite Sora Circulation Highlights | 2019-2020 Midyear

January 2020Josh WhitingLeave a Comment

Granite students and staff have checked out nearly 65,000 ebooks and audiobooks since the beginning of the 2019-2020 school year! This is according to the statistics shown on the Granite School District Sora Usage Site kept by Alyssa Carraway, Administrative Secretary in the Educational Technology Department. This infographic highlights some of the statistics collected as of the end of December 2019.

Now Registering: Tools & Materials for Makerspaces (Ed Tech Tuesdays Makerspace Series)

January 2020Josh Whiting

Would you like to learn how to start or improve your classroom or school makerspace or even just learn more about what makerspaces are? Our GSD Ed Tech Tuesdays professional development series for teachers includes a Makerspaces Course, with classes held on the second Tuesday of most months in the 2019-2020 school year. In this course, you will learn:

what makerspaces are and why you should use them,
practical ways to start or improve your classroom or school makerspace,
tools and activities that you might consider including in a makerspace.

Each month, we’ll cover an aspect of implementing a makerspace and spend time doing activities and using tools related to a specific theme you might include in your makerspace. You’re welcome to attend one or all of the classes!

Join us on Tuesday, January 14, 2019 for the fifth session of our Makerspaces course, with the topic “Tools & Materials for Makerspaces” and the theme of Robotics. This class will be held at the Educational Technology Satellite Lab at Jackling Elementary from 4:30-7:30 PM.

Click here to sign up for this and other Makerspaces sessions.

Now Registering: Personalized Learning (Ed Tech Tuesdays Pick Five Series)

December 2019Josh Whiting

The next sessions of our GSD Ed Tech Tuesdays professional development series start up the week after Winter Recess. Join us in the library at Granite Connection High School on January 7, 2020 or at the TLC on January 21, 2020 to explore the what, why, and how of personalized learning.

In personalized learning, students engage in relevant material and instruction that challenges them appropriately and is based on their interests, skills, and needs. When learning is personalized, every student engages with the right material and instruction to challenge them appropriately and get them to the next level. In this session will look at the what, the why, and the how of personalized learning.

Click here to sign up to attend this or other future GSD Ed Tech Tuesday ‘Pick Five’ Sessions.

Makerspaces: Snapshots from Social Media (12/11/2019)

December 2019Josh Whiting

A couple of our elementary school technology specialists recently gave us a peek into their schools’ makerspaces via quick videos posted on Twitter. Check them out!

Creative exploration! Letting my 5th grade helpers lead the way! #MakerSpace #creativity #stemlab @GraniteEdTech @WestValleyElem pic.twitter.com/S3DHV8Mb7h

— Mrs. Rebecca Baggett (@Rlbaggett) December 11, 2019

I’m guessing this is how Ray Kinsella felt playing catch with his dad…@GraniteEdTech @GraniteSchools #HillsdeEdTech #gsdedtech #computerscienceweek pic.twitter.com/e7giRjEpX0

— Keith Reidford (@_reidford) December 11, 2019

We love it when librarians, teachers, and technology specialists share what is happening in their libraries, classrooms, and makerspaces with us. Use the #gsdedtech and #gsdlibraries hashtags or mention us in your social media posts!

Granite Media x Granite EdTech Social Media Updates

December 2019Josh Whiting

After many years of having separate social media accounts for the Educational Technology Department and Granite Media, today we’re updating and integrating our accounts! New content and library highlights from Granite Media will now be shared via the main Educational Technology social media accounts, and Granite Media social accounts on Facebook and Twitter will be retired.

Now Registering: Exploring Spaces and Places for Makerspaces (Ed Tech Tuesdays Makerspace Series)

December 2019Josh Whiting

what makerspaces are and why you should use them,
practical ways to start or improve your classroom or school makerspace,
tools and activities that you might consider including in a makerspace.

Join us on Tuesday, December 10, 2019 for the fourth session of our Makerspaces course, with the topic “Exploring Spaces and Places for Makerspaces” and the theme of Coding. This class will be held at the Educational Technology Satellite Lab at Jackling Elementary from 4:30-7:30 PM.

Click here to sign up for this and other Makerspaces sessions.

Hour of Code and Computer Science Education Week, 2019

December 2019Josh Whiting

Computer Science Education Week is December 9-15, 2019. During the week many educators use Hour of Code activities to introduce students to computer science. These activities are fun and easy to run, and can be done not only in a classroom but as an after school or library activity, or at home. There are activities for any kind of computer or device, as well as analog “no-device” activities that teach coding and computational concepts

You can learn more about how to run an Hour of Code activity in these simple how-to guides:

How to teach one Hour of Code with your class (for teachers)

How to do an Hour of Code with your child (for parents)

You can also skip right to the collection of suggested activities by clicking on the image below, or visiting https://hourofcode.com/us/learn

Now Registering: Integrating Digital Citizenship and Digital Literacy Skills (Ed Tech Tuesdays Pick Five Series)

November 2019Josh Whiting

The next sessions of our GSD Ed Tech Tuesdays professional development series start up right after Thanksgiving Break. Join us at the GEC on December 3, 2019 or at the TLC on December 17, 2019 to explore digital citizenship and digital literacy skills.

In the last couple of years, there has been a shift in focus for how we teach our students about digital citizenship. We will take a look at this shift, discuss why it’s more important than ever to teach and promote digital citizenship and digital literacy in our classrooms, and take a look at some curriculum and methods for teaching digital citizenship and literacy.

Click here to sign up to attend this or other future GSD Ed Tech Tuesday ‘Pick Five’ Sessions.

Video: Granite Librarians at AASL

November 2019Josh Whiting

Last week several Library Media Educational Technology Specialists from Granite School District attended the national conference of the American Association of School Librarians, held in Louisville, Kentucky. While in Kentucky they also visited school libraries in Jefferson County Public Schools and collaborated with them on this video!