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Granite School District > Educational Technology > Blog > Technology Tips

Technology Tips

TIP Cards Revised and Expanded for 2018-2019

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:

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

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 TitlePresenter(s)
Don't Be Afraid of Technology: How To Establish Successful Classroom ProceduresMelissa White (School Technology Specialist, Oakridge El. and Valley Crest El.)
EdpuzzleEdna Habel (5th Grade Teacher, Western Hills El.)
Ross Pope (School Technology Specialist, Arcadia El. and Whittier El.)
Engaging All Students with Classic ToysQuinn Rollins (Social Studies Curriculum Specialist, Curriculum & Instruction Dept.)
Engage Students Like a BossTricia 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 ClassroomAndy Misco (School Technology Specialist, Eastwood El. and Twin Peaks El.)
Hyperdocs: Engage, Educate, and InspireRebecca 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 OzobotsBrandi Gollinger (School Technology Specialist, Armstrong Academy)
Jayanne Unander (School Technology Specialist, Pleasant Green El.)
Makerspace: How to Build a Solar GreenhouseLaurel Udy (Special Education Teacher, Hunter El.)
Meet KIBO in this Hands-on Session for Robotics for PreK-2nd GradesJaneen Johnson (Kindergarten Teacher, South Kearns El.)
Jennifer Millett (Kindergarten Teacher, South Kearns El.)
Micro:bit by BitSherri Harris (School Technology Specialist, Wilson El.)
Kathleen Riebe (School Technology Specialist, Fox Hills El. and Frost El.)
Micro:bit CodingSarah Eyring (School Technology Specialist, Granite Technical Institute)
Samantha Mitchell (School Technology Specialist, Academy Park El. and Gourley El.)
Mixology: Structures and Strategies for Blended LearningPam Moeai (Specialist/Team Leader, Educational Technology Dept.)
Jennifer Peirce (Specialist/Team Leader, Educational Technology Dept.)
Online Library ResourcesTricia Fenton (School Technology Specialist, Vista El. and Western Hills El.)
Raspberry PiJohn Smith (School Technology Specialist, Bacchus El. and Plymouth El.)
School News Production and Film Made EasyJen Johnson (3rd Grade Teacher, William Penn El.)
3D Printing and Engineering Design in the ClassroomDave Pendleton (4th Grade Teacher, Armstrong Academy)
Teacher Leadership in Utah: Utah Teacher FellowsDeborah Gatrell (Social Studies Teacher, Hunter Sr. High)
UEN Canvas Modules for your classMikelle Gordon (1st Grade Teacher, Sandburg El.)

Kearns Junior High Hacks the Attendance Problem with QR Codes

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

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.

Chromebooks in the Classroom Online Training

Are you a teacher just getting started with using Chromebooks in your classroom? Are you a parent or student curious about how Chromebooks and Google Apps work in education? The Granite Educational Technology department has just published the Chromebook Basics and G Suite Online Training with a new site and updated content. [Read more…] about Chromebooks in the Classroom Online Training

Technology Tip: Embed Fonts in Office Documents

Have you ever created a document with a unique font on your personal computer and then wanted to edit that document on another computer, or share it with other teachers or students, while maintaining your custom font? Microsoft PowerPoint, Publisher, and Word all provide the ability to embed fonts in documents, so that the fonts are preserved when shared or edited on other computers.   [Read more…] about Technology Tip: Embed Fonts in Office Documents

Coming Soon: Technology Integration Progress Cards

For the 2017-18 school year, teachers in Granite School District will receive a printed set of “TIP Cards” — Technology Integration Progress Cards. Designed to be a quick desk reference, they provide instructions and tips for classroom technology tools and digital learning resources. [Read more…] about Coming Soon: Technology Integration Progress Cards

Technology Tip: Create Virtual Manipulatives With Google Drawings

A set of math manipulatives for students can be very expensive. A set like you see below can cost around $250.00.

You can create virtual manipulatives for all of your students for free using Google Drawings! Students can use their own set of virtual manipulatives on their Chromebooks or other devices.  [Read more…] about Technology Tip: Create Virtual Manipulatives With Google Drawings

Technology Tip: Google for Education Training Center

Google for Education Training Center - Site HeaderHave you heard about an exciting new Google program? Do you want to learn everything about your favorite tool? The Google For Education Training Center has collected help, training lessons and educator-created materials for all of Google’s products. Below are just a few of the Google Tools and Devices you can learn more about.

Google for Education Training Center - Tools and Devices Screenshot

Visit the Google for Education Training Center for even more information.

Post Creator: Teresa Bruin, Granite District Educational Technology Specialist. This originally appeared in our Granite EdTech Monthly Newsletter.

Technology Tip: New Features in Canvas (4/23/2016)

For our secondary teachers and students, as well as those using Canvas for professional development, here is a screencast showing new features and changes in the latest update to Canvas, which was applied to our system yesterday.

2016-04-23 New Feature Screencast from Canvas LMS on Vimeo.

Check out the comprehensive release notes: https://community.canvaslms.com/docs/DOC-6638

To view subtitles for this video, click the CC button in the tool bar and select a language.
– – – – –
Sign up for free CanvasLIVE instructional webinars: http://LIVE.canvaslms.com
Access all of our help resources: http://community.canvaslms.com
View the script for this tutorial: https://goo.gl/cQJViH