Krystal Plott

Presentations: Google Classroom (Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced)

October 2020Josh Whiting

Looking for tips and tricks for using Google Classroom? These presentations, created by our school technology specialists, have suggestions to get you started and new things to try. These were first shared as part of the professional development menu for Granite teachers at the beginning of the school year.

Topics covered include:

Setting up your Classroom
Creating assignments
Organizational tips
Go Math & Wonders Integration
Google Integration with Calendar, Drive, Meet, and Quiz
Grades, Feedback, and Rubrics
Using Hyperdocs in Classroom
Creating a Grade Level Team Classroom

[Read more…]

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.

Let’s Get Coding / Granite Hour of Code Social Media Round Up

December 2018Josh Whiting

Last week was Computer Science Education Week, and many Granite teachers took the opportunity to introduce students to programming with Hour of Code learning activities. Scroll down to see our round up of social media posts from Granite classrooms where students tried out coding projects. If you missed CSEdWeek it’s not too late to share these activities with students. See the “Let’s Get Coding” section below for activities that can be used in the classroom or at home at any time. [Read more…] about Let’s Get Coding / Granite Hour of Code Social Media Round Up

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

Leadership in Blended and Digital Learning School Spotlight: Hunter Elementary

October 2018Josh Whiting

Elementary school principals and technology specialists from the Leadership in Blended and Digital Learning (LBDL) cohort were recently invited to visit Hunter Elementary School. In this site visit principals were able to step into several classrooms to see first-hand how Hunter Elementary 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. Many thanks to Kayla MacKay (principal), Kris Fox (school technology specialist), and the teachers and students featured below for allowing us into their school and classrooms. [Read more…] about Leadership in Blended and Digital Learning School Spotlight: Hunter Elementary

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.)

OverDrive Digital Library School Checkouts Competition

October 2017Josh Whiting

In September 2017, students and staff in Granite School District checked out nearly 10,000 ebooks and audiobooks from our OverDrive Digital Library. The infographic below reveals the top five schools for the month.

For 2017-18 we are sponsoring a monthly checkout competition between schools, with four traveling trophies that will be awarded to the highest circulating elementary and secondary schools, as well as the “most increased” elementary and secondary schools. Members of the Ed. Tech. team recently delivered these trophies to the winning schools of our September competition.

Elementary September 2017 Top Checkouts: Beehive Elementary

Secondary September 2017 Top Checkouts: West Lake STEM Jr. High

Elementary September 2017 Most Improved: Gearld Wright Elementary

Secondary September 2017 Most Improved: Valley Jr. High

Granite OverDrive Circulation Site

Alyssa Carraway, secretary in the Educational Technology department, tracks these checkout numbers and has used Google Sites to create a simple but beautiful website to share this data with our district throughout the year. She uses Canva to convey the data in infographics, such as the year-to-date information shared below. You can check out the full site for more details on Granite OverDrive usage per school, as well as monthly updates on our OverDrive checkouts competition winners.

https://sites.google.com/granitesd.org/overdrive-circulation-granite/home

Infographics and Granite OverDrive Circulation Site created by Alyssa Carraway, Administrative Secretary, Educational Technology Dept.

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.

New Digital Citizenship Posters

September 2016Josh Whiting

Last week our school technology specialists (STSs) shared information and resources on digital citizenship with parents as part of parent teacher conferences. In preparation, Krystal Plott, STS at Howard R. Driggs Elementary and Gearld Wright Elementary, created the following printable posters and images for digital citizenship displays. She has generously allowed us to share them here. You could print these out for classroom displays, add them to presentations or websites, etc. Click on any image below to download a printable PDF version of that poster series.

You can also find videos, presentations, printable pamphlets, links and many more resources on our Digital Citizenship Resources page.