Keith Reidford

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 Presentations at UCET 2019 & UELMA 2019

March 2019Josh Whiting

Earlier this month the Utah Coalition for Educational Technology (UCET) and the Utah Educational Library Media Association (UELMA) held their annual conferences. Many teachers, school technology specialists, and library media educational technology specialists from Granite presented at these conferences, and we collected links to their presentations in the table below. [Read more…] about Granite Presentations at UCET 2019 & UELMA 2019

Leadership in Blended and Digital Learning School Spotlight: Magna Elementary

December 2018Josh Whiting

Last week Magna Elementary hosted a site visit for the Leadership in Blended and Digital Learning cohort of elementary school principals and technology specialists. During this site visit principals were able to step into several classrooms to see first-hand how teachers are transforming their classrooms using blended and digital learning strategies. In addition to taking what they saw back to their own schools, some participants shared snapshots with us via social media posts that we will share below.

Leadership in Blended and Digital Learning School Spotlight: Lake Ridge Elementary

November 2018Josh Whiting

Elementary school principals and technology specialists from the Leadership in Blended and Digital Learning (LBDL) cohort recently visited Lake Ridge Elementary in Magna. In this site visit principals were able to step into several classrooms to see first-hand how teachers at Lake Ridge are transforming their classrooms using blended and digital learning strategies. In addition to taking what they saw back to their own schools, some participants shared snapshots with us via social media posts that we will share below. Thanks to Karly Chavez (principal), Keith Reidford (school technology specialist), and the teachers and students featured below for allowing us into their classrooms. [Read more…] about Leadership in Blended and Digital Learning School Spotlight: Lake Ridge Elementary

OverDrive Monthly Circulation Competition Update for December 2017

January 2018Josh Whiting

In December 2017, students and staff in Granite School District checked out nearly 12,000 ebooks and audiobooks from our OverDrive Digital Library. The infographic below reveals the top five schools for the month. [Read more…] about OverDrive Monthly Circulation Competition Update for December 2017

Granite Ed. Tech. Presentations at UCET 2017

March 2017Josh 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, school technology specialists, and library media educational 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.

Session Title	Presenter(s)
BreakoutEDU	Brenda Duford (STS, Silver Hills El.), Stephanie Evans (STS, Monroe El.), and Dave Taylor (STS, Moss El. and Pioneer El.)
BreakoutEDU	Michelle Reed (LMETS, Jefferson Jr. High) and Mary Anne Wiebe-Strong (LMETS, Churchill Jr. High)
BreakoutEDU	Tricia Fenton (STS, Vista El. and Western Hills El.) and Sarah Robinson (STS, Oakwood El. and Calvin Smith El.)
Bringing the World into Your Classroom with Virtual Fieldtrips	Adam Brough (STS, Diamond Ridge El. and Gourley El.), Samantha Mitchell (STS, Academy Park El.), and Will Walden (STS, Bacchus El. and Rosecrest El.)
Code Unplugged	James Baliff (STS, Bridger El. and Jackling El.) and Aaron Kammerman (STS, Hartvigsen School)
Creating Stories, Illustrations, and Collages with iPads	Michelle Hanson (STS, Hillsdale El.)
Creating VR for the Classroom	Becky Schaap (STS, Copper Hills El. and Twin Peaks El.) and Tom Sparks (STS, Penn El. and Spring Lane El.)
Digital Breakout Edu	Tiffany Pontius (STS, Cottonwood El. and Truman El.) and Keith Reidford (STS, Hillside El. and South Kearns El.)
Engaging Students with Toys, Games, and Comics	Quinn Rollins (District Social Studies Curriculum Specialist)
Get Hyped About HyperDocs	Stephanie Mondragon (LMETS, Valley Jr. High), Jenny Peirce (LMETS, Kearns High School), and Stephanie Seely (LMETS, Granite Connection High School)
Go Unplugged: Coding Without Computers (For Kids!)	Cherie Anderson (Granite District Elementary Educational Technology Specialist), Celia Powell (Granite District Secondary Educational Technology Specialist)
Googlizing The Amazing Race	Kris Fox (STS, Elk Run El.), Joell Wilkins (STS, Farnsworth El. and Woodstock El.), and Jaime Woolley (STS, Taylorsville El.)
Incorporating Music and Movement in the Classroom with Go Noodle!	Krystal Plott (STS, Driggs El. and Wright El.)
K-3 Meets G Suite	Teresa Bruin (Granite District Elementary Educational Technology Specialist) and Heidi Meenen (Granite District Elementary Educational Technology Specialist)
La La Land Yourself into Digital Storytelling	Kristen Johnson (Granite District Elementary Educational Technology Specialist)
LEGO League Robot Games	Michelle Reed (LMETS, Jefferson Jr. High)
Maker Space: Mechanical Hands	Sarah Eyring (STS, Granite Technical Instute), Samantha Spangler Mitchell (STS, Academy Park El.), and Davina Sauthoff (LMETS, Wasatch Jr. High)
Motivating Upper Elementary Through Popular Culture: Providing the "Why"	Keith Reidford (STS, Hillside El. and South Kearns El.)
Orange Slice Rubric Creator	Jeremy Smith (Spanish Teacher, Taylorsville High) and Lorraine Wyness (LMETS, Taylorsville High)
Show What You Know - Creative Assessments in the Elementary Classroom	Maggie Tanner (STS, Redwood El.) and Kareena Steed Vance (STS, Mill Creek El. and Sandburg El.)
Sphero Olliempics	Alisha Kerby (STS, Roosevelt El.), Ashley Moore (STS, Lincoln El.), Karen Tinsley (STS, Stansbury El.)
Technology and Educational Equity	Chris Larsen (Director, Educational Technology)
The $10,000 mistake: Essential Steps Every Teacher Should Know	Dale Roberts (Director, Information Systems)
They want formative..Now What?	Misty Butterfield (STS, Beehive El. and Oquirrh Hills El.) and Melissa White (STS, Oakridge El. and Valley Crest El.)
Zubi Flyer - The World's First Interactive, Programmable Flying Toy!	Thomas Phipps (STS, Upland Terrace El. and West Kearns El.)

Thank you to all who shared their ideas and expertise at the conference this year. We would also like to congratulate Chris Larsen, Director of Educational Technology, for being elected to a position on the UCET Board during the conference.

Photo from a BreakoutEDU session at UCET 2017 facilitated by Tricia Fenton and Sarah Robinson.