Technology Tips

Featured Resource: Creating Student Portfolios Using Google Sites

May 2019Josh Whiting

Post by Teresa Bruin, originally published in our monthly Ed Tech Newsletter for teachers.

We often get asked to recommend a way for students to create digital portfolios. There are several online tools for creating portfolios, but Google Sites is free and easily started straight from their granitesd.org Google Drive.

To start a new Google Site in Google Drive, click the **+ New** button, click **More >**, and choose **Google Sites**.

The new Google Sites has been completely made over. You can create a new Google Site in a short time with its intuitive design.

Creating and Editing in Google Sites – Screenshot

Students will enjoy creating a place to showcase their best work and have an easy way to share it with family and their teacher(s).

Additional Resources

Student Portfolios (Granite Ed Tech TIP Resource Page)

Getting Started with Sites (G Suite Learning Center)

Student E-Portfolios in Google Sites – A Tutorial (Boulder Valley School District)

How to Create Powerful Student ePortfolios with Google Sites (Shake Up Learning)

Take Portfolios with You When You Leave the District (Technology Tip: Backing Up Your @granitesd.org Data with Google Takeout)

Technology Tip: Backing Up Your @granitesd.org Data with Google Takeout

April 2019Josh Whiting

About @granitesd.org Google Accounts

All students and staff in Granite School District are provided with @granitesd.org Google accounts that include unlimited storage space in Google Drive as well as access to numerous other Google tools and services. However, these accounts are only active and accessible while you are a student or employee in Granite School District. When a student graduates from high school, an employee retires, or a student or staff member otherwise leaves the district, they will no longer have access to their @granitesd.org account, and any content that was in that account cannot be recovered.

Backing Up Your @granitesd.org Data

Lesson Design Idea: Tic-Tac-Toe Hyperdoc Template

April 2019Josh Whiting

Post and template created by Sarah Wright, School Technology Specialist, Calvin Smith Elementary and Westbrook Elementary

Sometimes combining best teaching practices and technology is daunting; it can be hard to know where to start. When one of my teachers asked for a simple template to follow, I created this flexible hyperdoc in Google Drawings that can be adapted for any content. The template follows the structure of building for depth: it gives teachers ideas of tools and activities that will help to introduce and reinforce content, as well as tasks for students to apply new knowledge. With a focus on blended learning principles the template includes “tech-free” options as well as digital tools. [Read more…] about Lesson Design Idea: Tic-Tac-Toe Hyperdoc Template

Featured Resource: Google Meet

February 2019Josh Whiting

Post by Teresa Bruin, Educational Technology Specialist and Team Leader. This post originally appeared in our Ed. Tech. Monthly Newsletter for teachers.

Using Google Meet for Universal Collaboration

Google Meet (https://meet.google.com/) is available for all staff in Granite School District to use as part of our G Suite For Education accounts. Granite District staff can create a Google Meet with others outside of our district. Google Meet is not open for students, but students can participate in a Google Meet that the teacher has organized.

A Google Hangouts Meet is easy to setup and easy to join. See the information and videos provided for help with getting started.

Google Meet - Screenshot — Screenshot of Google Meet – a simple interface to start or join a meeting

Below is a list of a few ways Google Meet can be used in the classroom.

Sora: Tips for Finding Books / Horror Book Posters for October 2018

October 2018Josh Whiting

Cindy Moyle, Library Supervisor for Secondary Schools, has put together some display posters featuring the latest Horror titles in Sora for junior and senior high schools. Scroll down to see them, and click on the images to download printable copies for display in your classroom or library. If scary stories aren’t your thing, try and share our quick tips on how to find books in your favorite genres in Sora. [Read more…] about Sora: Tips for Finding Books / Horror Book Posters for October 2018

Featured Resource: Sora, the New Reading App from OverDrive

September 2018Josh Whiting

Sora is a new reading and listening app from OverDrive and Granite School District. With Sora, students and staff can access a large collection of ebooks and audiobooks for independent, recreational, or teacher-assigned reading. Students can read or listen to these books using a Chromebook, desktop computer, or personal mobile device.

TIP Cards Revised and Expanded for 2018-2019

August 2018Josh Whiting

Coming in September 2018, all teachers in Granite School District will receive an updated and expanded set of Technology Integration Progress (TIP) Cards!

You can download a digital preview of the card sets here:

2018-2019 TIP Cards (Full Teacher Version – Requires staff login to download)
2018-2019 TIP Cards (Public Version)

These cards provide teachers with a handy collection of quick help guides for a range of classroom technology tools and digital resources, as well as tips and ideas for new ways of using these tools and resources with students. Short URLs on the cards link teachers to a full menu of tutorials and other resources. TIP Cards comprise just one aspect of the Technology Integration Progress framework, an initiative of Granite’s Educational Technology Department. Read on to learn more about the TIP program. [Read more…] about TIP Cards Revised and Expanded for 2018-2019

Granite Presentations at UCET 2018

March 2018Josh Whiting

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.)

Kearns Junior High Hacks the Attendance Problem with QR Codes

December 2017Josh Whiting

This school year Kearns Junior High implemented a new program in which teachers take attendance by scanning QR codes in student binders at the door at the beginning of class. This simple technology trick saves teachers and students time by eliminating the awkward roll call process, provides more accurate attendance data, makes students more aware of when they are tardy, and gives the teachers the opportunity to greet their students at the door and get to know them better. Toni Blattman, Library Media Educational Technology Specialist, explains the program in the video above.

Spotlight created by Celia Powell, District Educational Technology Specialist and Team Leader.

Technology Tip: Greenscreen Videos With Chromebooks and WeVideo

November 2017Josh Whiting

Why write a report on the Great Wall of China or the Egyptian Pyramids when you can be there as a news reporter telling about it?

You can do that with the magic of green screen video effects! Meteorologists use green screen effects when reporting on the weather. You and your students can create green screen videos using a few simple things.

Items Needed

A green bed sheet, fabric or thin blanket will work for the green screen (most any solid color you won’t be wearing will also work)
Chromebook or other computer
Any device you can record video with such as a smartphone, iPod, iPad, digital camera or other tablet
WeVideo App for Chrome
Optional: keepvid.com is a free and easy web tool if you want to convert Youtube videos to .mp4 to add ready made special effects into your videos

Process

Hang your green screen background in a place where you want to film (even lighting is best where it won’t cast shadows)
Set up your device to record your video in front of the green screen or have someone do the recording (I set the iPad on a chair in front of me to record)
Record your video and then load it by USB onto your Chromebook or computer. I used a Chromebook and loaded it into my Google Drive.
Use the WeVideo app or website to edit your video (see tutorial)
You can add other background pictures or videos to create special effects. The dinosaur and scenery were two that I found on Youtube.
You can use keepvid to convert Youtube videos to .mp4 files that work in WeVideo
Render the video when your editing is complete. I uploaded the final movie to Youtube to easily share it on this web page.

Other

There is also an iPad app called do ink that can be used to create green screen videos.

Tutorials

Post created by Teresa Bruin, district educational technology specialist and team leader, originally appearing in our November 2017 Ed. Tech. Monthly Newsletter for Teachers.