We congratulate the 2018 graduates of the Educational Technology Endorsement Program (ETEP) in Granite School District! [Read more…] about 2018 ETEP Graduates
Professional Development
Presentation: Teaching with Picture Books in Secondary Schools
For some, the reading of picture books is considered an activity exclusively meant for young children in lower grades. In a recent professional development session for Library Media Educational Technology Specialists in secondary schools, Celia Powell, Cindy Moyle, and Cherie Anderson gave a multitude of reasons to rethink this bias, showing how picture books can be used in junior high and high school classrooms (and even with adults) to engage students and support curriculum in virtually all content areas. [Read more…] about Presentation: Teaching with Picture Books in Secondary Schools
Open for Application: Library Media Endorsement Program
The Granite School District Educational Technology Department is partnering with Salt Lake City and Davis School Districts to provide a Library Media Endorsement Program for interested teachers. To become a Library Media Educational Technology Specialist (LMETS), teachers must have either a Master’s in Library Science or a Library Media endorsement.
The program is designed for a cohort of 30 teachers, with 10 teachers from Granite District. The program will take up to 18 months of graduate-level work to complete. Credit will be granted through Valley City State University out of North Dakota. Classes in the endorsement program will be taught at schools determined by the district sponsoring the course. The cost is $50 per credit ($150 per course.)
Interested teachers can apply by sending the application below to Cindy Moyle (cmoyle@graniteschools.org) by Monday, April 20, 2018.
2018 Library Endorsement Application – Fillable
Registration Opens Soon for Educational Technology Endorsement Program, 2018-2020
The Educational Technology Endorsement Program (ETEP) is an intensive 2-year professional development program provided to a select group of Granite teachers by the Granite Educational Technology department.
Registration for the 2018-2020 cadre opens April 16, 2018, at 7:00 am. [Read more…] about Registration Opens Soon for Educational Technology Endorsement Program, 2018-2020
Granite Presentations at UCET 2018
Last week the Utah Coalition for Educational Technology held their annual conference at the University of Utah. Sessions were led for and by educators, and many of Granite’s teachers and school technology specialists attended and presented at the conference. Below is a roster of the sessions shared by Granite teachers, along with links to resources from the sessions if available.
Granite UCET 2018 Presentations
| Session Title | Presenter(s) |
|---|---|
| Don't Be Afraid of Technology: How To Establish Successful Classroom Procedures | Melissa White (School Technology Specialist, Oakridge El. and Valley Crest El.) |
| Edpuzzle | Edna Habel (5th Grade Teacher, Western Hills El.) Ross Pope (School Technology Specialist, Arcadia El. and Whittier El.) |
| Engaging All Students with Classic Toys | Quinn Rollins (Social Studies Curriculum Specialist, Curriculum & Instruction Dept.) |
| Engage Students Like a Boss | Tricia Fenton (School Technology Specialist, Vista El. and Western Hills El.) Nicole Maycock (6th Grade Teacher, Plymouth El.) |
| Flipping out for Flipgrid! | Krystal Plott (School Technology Specialist, Wright El.) |
| HTML Programming on Chromebooks in the Elementary/Middle School Classroom | Andy Misco (School Technology Specialist, Eastwood El. and Twin Peaks El.) |
| Hyperdocs: Engage, Educate, and Inspire | Rebecca Baggett (School Technology Specialist, West Valley El.) Anastasia Limantzakis (School Technology Specialist, Crestview Elementary and Roosevelt Elementary) Tiffany Simons (School Technology Specialist, Driggs El. and Granger El.) |
| Learn and Play with Ozobots | Brandi Gollinger (School Technology Specialist, Armstrong Academy) Jayanne Unander (School Technology Specialist, Pleasant Green El.) |
| Makerspace: How to Build a Solar Greenhouse | Laurel Udy (Special Education Teacher, Hunter El.) |
| Meet KIBO in this Hands-on Session for Robotics for PreK-2nd Grades | Janeen Johnson (Kindergarten Teacher, South Kearns El.) Jennifer Millett (Kindergarten Teacher, South Kearns El.) |
| Micro:bit by Bit | Sherri Harris (School Technology Specialist, Wilson El.) Kathleen Riebe (School Technology Specialist, Fox Hills El. and Frost El.) |
| Micro:bit Coding | Sarah Eyring (School Technology Specialist, Granite Technical Institute) Samantha Mitchell (School Technology Specialist, Academy Park El. and Gourley El.) |
| Mixology: Structures and Strategies for Blended Learning | Pam Moeai (Specialist/Team Leader, Educational Technology Dept.) Jennifer Peirce (Specialist/Team Leader, Educational Technology Dept.) |
| Online Library Resources | Tricia Fenton (School Technology Specialist, Vista El. and Western Hills El.) |
| Raspberry Pi | John Smith (School Technology Specialist, Bacchus El. and Plymouth El.) |
| School News Production and Film Made Easy | Jen Johnson (3rd Grade Teacher, William Penn El.) |
| 3D Printing and Engineering Design in the Classroom | Dave Pendleton (4th Grade Teacher, Armstrong Academy) |
| Teacher Leadership in Utah: Utah Teacher Fellows | Deborah Gatrell (Social Studies Teacher, Hunter Sr. High) |
| UEN Canvas Modules for your class | Mikelle Gordon (1st Grade Teacher, Sandburg El.) |
Transformational Technology Initiative
The Educational Technology department is currently accepting applications for the Transformational Technology Initiative in the 2018-2019 school year. Elementary school principals are invited to apply to participate in this grant program.
Brochure
Spotlight Video
This video provides a great spotlight on the program, and features Shauna Jensen, principal at West Valley Elementary, one our participants in 2017-18.
Information on the Transformational Technology Initiative will be housed permanently at this page: https://www.graniteschools.org/edtech/professional-development/transformational-technology-initiative/
[Read more…] about Transformational Technology Initiative
Now Open: Google Slides Basics Online Module
The Google Slides Module is now open on our Chromebook Basics and G Suite Online Training site for Granite teachers. The module walks you through the basics of Google Slides, but also includes some additional helpful tips and tricks. [Read more…] about Now Open: Google Slides Basics Online Module
2017 Computer Science Education Week and Hour of Code Coming Soon
Computer Science Education Week is December 4-10, 2017. Many schools, educators, and students participate in an Hour of Code during Computer Science Education Week.
Hour of Code
Last year, students at Farnsworth Elementary and Woodstock Elementary tried out computer programming by participating in Hour of Code activities. In the video above, a few of these students share their work and their thoughts about the coding activities with Joell Wilkins, school technology specialist.
Hour of Code is a worldwide initiative to introduce young people to the basics of coding and computer science through 1-hour coding activities. These activities are especially promoted during Computer Science Education Week, but can be done at any time throughout the year. If you are interested in hosting an Hour of Code event, these how-to guides provide assistance for activities ranging from school-wide events to at-home family coding activities.
Check out these awesome Pleasant Green Elementary students learning to code during their Coding Club. Thanks to Jayanne Unander, school technology specialist, for sharing!
@PleasantGreenEl Code club #kidswhocode #girlswhocode @junander #GSDEdTech #code.orgexpress pic.twitter.com/WMpd4YaXPO
— junander (@junander) October 23, 2017
If you host a coding activity please share it with us! You can leave a comment below or share pictures via social media including Twitter or Instagram, using the hashtags #gsdedtech and #HourOfCode.
About Computer Science Education Week
Computer Science Education Week (CSEdWeek) is an annual program dedicated to inspiring K-12 students to take interest in computer science.
Originally conceived by the Computing in the Core coalition, Code.org® organizes CSEdWeek as a grassroots campaign supported by 350 partners and 100,000 educators worldwide.
CSEdWeek is held in recognition of the birthday of computing pioneer Admiral Grace Murray Hopper (December 9, 1906).
–from “About CSEdWeek” (https://csedweek.org/about)
Why Learn to Code?
See what the developers of Microsoft, Dropbox, Twitter, Facebook and others have to say about learning to code.
Post created by Teresa Bruin, district educational technology specialist and team leader. originally appearing in our November 2017 Ed. Tech. Monthly Newsletter for Teachers. Hour of Code spotlight video created by Joell Wilkins, school technology specialist at Farnsworth Elementary and Woodstock Elementary, and originally featured on this blog last year.
Watch: #GSDEdTech Hands-on Learning
Have you ever wondered what school technology specialists and library media educational technology specialists do on their Friday trainings? Heidi Meenen, one of our Educational Technology team leaders, gives some insights into our department’s Friday professional learning in the video above.
In this meeting, technology specialists learned about a new technology tool, the Explore feature in Google Sheets, and then had the opportunity to engage in a lesson that integrates that tool into learning. They experience first-hand how the lesson works, then take it back to their schools to share with students through co-teaching opportunities, modifying when necessary to meet specific classroom needs.
Additionally, technology and library media specialists spend time at Friday meetings in collaborative groups creating original lesson plans. Each month they focus on one or two specific topics or tools from our Technology Integration Progress menu. The goal is to create and amass a library of lesson plans aligned to specific core standards that integrate innovative technology use and 21st century learning practices such as those described in the ISTE Learning Standards. Technology and library specialists share what they create with each other and bring these lessons back to teachers and students at their schools.
You can see snapshots of some of these shared lessons in action in classrooms by browsing our @EdTechGSD Twitter Feed. As time passes, selections from these shared lessons and resources may also be shared publicly on our Technology Integration Progress Resource Pages.
Spotlight Created by Heidi Meenen, Educational Technology Specialist and Team Leader.
Now Registering: Code.org Winter 2017 Class
Just in time for the Hour of Code, we are offering a two session course in Code.org for Granite School District teachers, geared for anyone with low to high computer skills. Participants will receive 7 hours of relicensure credit.
Classes will be held on two Tuesday evenings, November 28, 2017 and December 5, 2017, from 4:30 P.M. – 7:30 P.M., with a one hour homework assignment to be completed after the first session. Participants are required to attend both sessions. Classes will be held at the Jackling Educational Technology Lab (located on the southeast corner of the Jackling Elementary Campus), 3760 South Atlas Way (4610 West), West Valley City, UT 84120-3702.
You might have noticed that Code.org has updated their content and changed their course structure. Participants in our class will receive a swag bag, a printed teacher’s manual of the new course work, and, after completion of the course work and an end of class survey, manipulatives to assist in unplugged classes. Because this course is so close to Hour of Code, we will also sign up the teachers who wish for Hour of Code as part of the instruction.
Register here for the Code.org Winter 2017 Class.
Please contact Cherie Anderson, Granite educational technology specialist, with any questions.
