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Granite EdTech Monthly Newsletter: January 2017

Granite EdTech Monthly Newsletter – January 2017

The latest edition of our department’s monthly newsletter recently went out via email to teachers in Granite School District. If you missed it you can access it here.

Highlights from our January 2017 Newsletter:

[Read more…] about Granite EdTech Monthly Newsletter: January 2017

Teacher Spotlight: Tricia Fenton and Katy Halliday, Western Hills Elementary

Tricia Fenton is the STS at Vista Elementary and Western Hills Elementary. She collaborates with teachers at both of her schools on the integration of technology into their lessons on a regular basis. Tricia is excellent at all aspects of her job as an STS. which includes front line tech support, helping implement district online tools, and training students and teachers in multiple programs and technologies. She notes that her favorite part of her job is going into classrooms and working with the teachers and students.

Katy Halliday is a 3rd grade teacher at Western Hills Elementary. She eagerly seeks out ways to enhance learning through the use of technology. She isn’t afraid to try new things, knowing that it doesn’t always go perfectly the first time, but that’s what learning is all about. She finds ways for her students to think critically, communicate, collaborate and create with the use of technology.

In this short video, students share the biographies they’ve been working on. They are able to wirelessly cast what’s on their Chromebook screens to the projector for the class to see by using Google Cast For Education. The students have done their research using the Chromebooks and have built their presentations using Google Slides.  Katy sends out assignments using Google Classroom, which makes managing digital assignments a breeze.

Both Tricia and Katy are excellent teachers individually. Teamed up together, they make a Dynamic Duo!

Spotlight created and authored by Teresa Bruin, Granite District Educational Technology Specialist

Teacher Spotlight: Alisha Kerby, Truman Elementary

Ms. Alisha Kerby is a fourth grade teacher at Truman Elementary in West Valley City. I had the opportunity to visit her class and watch the innovative things she is doing in her classroom. Ms. Kerby’s students use Chromebooks in their classroom. While I was visiting her classroom the students were studying fractions.

Her students were actively engaged in the learning process. The students reviewed fraction concepts using Kahoot, and then created their own fractions using Google Drawings. Students created fractions using the drawing tools and then rotated from computer to computer at their tables and came up with equivalent fractions for each fraction drawing.

The students in Ms. Kerby’s class were also working on creating presentations using Google Slides, sharing what they had learned about rocks, habitats, and new year celebrations in other countries. She has created a classroom environment where the students love learning.

Spotlight Creator: Heidi Meenen, Granite District Educational Technology Specialist

Teacher Spotlight: Kirsten Carroll, Redwood Elementary

Kirsten Carroll is a 3rd grade teacher at Redwood Elementary. She makes excellent use of the technology in her classroom, creating fun and meaningful learning opportunities for her students. She finds online resources that help her students better understand the concepts they are learning in class. With several of the online tools, she is able to monitor their progress in real time. At a glance she can see who is struggling and needs help. She is able to provide reteaching and individual instruction in a timely manner. Kirsten’s class recently gained access to a set of Chromebooks for their classroom, and she didn’t waste time putting them to good use. She uses Google Classroom to manage and send out assignments. The students are then able to submit their assignments digitally, creating more efficiency and saving paper at the same time. Some of the other excellent online resources they are using are: goformative.com, xtramath.org or the XtraMath Chrome App, the Prodigy Chrome App,  Google Docs, Google Drawings, and so much more. Thanks Kirsten Carroll for being such an awesome teacher!

Spotlight Creator: Teresa Bruin, Granite District Educational Technology Specialist

Teacher Spotlight: Laverna Benally, Lincoln Elementary

Laverna Benally teaches 5th Grade at Lincoln Elementary in South Salt Lake, Utah. This spotlight begins with her students expressing a few of the reasons they enjoy having Mrs. Benally as their teacher. We see students working on research projects and creating collaborative Google Slides presentations using classroom Chromebooks. One student states that he enjoys using Chromebooks because they help him become more engaged with research. Meanwhile, we see Mrs. Benally roaming the classroom consulting with students individually to meet their needs. Special thanks go to Mrs. Benally, an excellent teacher who engages and supports students in her classroom each day.

Spotlight Author: Patrick Flanagan, Director of Educational Technology, Granite School District

Teacher Spotlight: Katie Ricks, Howard R. Driggs Elementary

Katie Ricks teaches 3rd Grade at Howard R. Driggs Elementary in Holladay, Utah, where she and her students utilize technology daily in the classroom. In this spotlight she discusses how having technology in her classroom has allowed her to differentiate her teaching throughout the day and support students in working at their own paces. She also describes how classroom technology has opened up new avenues for communication, collaboration, and creativity between the students, the teacher, and parents.

Spotlight Author: Patrick Flanagan, Director of Educational Technology, Granite School District

Reading & Chromebooks


Click through this presentation to find a wealth of digital resources and web tools for using Chromebooks (or other devices) for reading, including text-to-speech tools, online reading materials, annotation and note taking tools, and much more. This collection was created by Stephanie Seely, Library Media Educational Technology Specialist at Granite Connection High School, and presented to secondary English Language Arts teachers as part of Granite’s August 17, 2015 professional development sessions.

Chromebooks: What We Know Now

Will you be using Chromebooks in your classroom this year for the first time? The presentation above is filled with valuable tips, ideas, and resources for preparing, managing, and using Chromebooks in the classroom. [Read more…] about Chromebooks: What We Know Now

GSD Chromebook Camp 2015 in Photos and Tweets

Earlier this week, the Granite Educational Technology Dept. hosted a Summer Chromebook Camp for teachers in Granite School District. [Read more…] about GSD Chromebook Camp 2015 in Photos and Tweets

Teacher Spotlight: Jody Lynn Tolley, Skyline High

Jody Lynn Tolley teaches American Sign Language at Skyline High School, and is a member of the first cohort in the Educational Technology Endorsement Program. In this spotlight Ms. Tolley describes how having Chromebooks in her classroom has opened many new ways for her students to learn about ASL and Deaf culture. She also speaks to the value of the Canvas learning management system in keeping students up to speed when they miss her class, as well as giving them valuable skills that enable them to succeed in navigating future college classes.

Spotlight Author: Celia Powell, Granite District Educational Technology Specialist