Student Activities

Upcoming Event: FIRST LEGO League Granite District Qualifier, January 25, 2020

January 2020Josh Whiting

Granite’s FIRST LEGO League event is coming soon! On Saturday, January 25, 2020, thirty-five student teams representing twenty-seven schools will gather at Granger High School to show what they have learned and invented, as well as compete in Robot Games. Eleven of these teams will qualify for the Utah North Tournament at Weber State University on February 1, 2020.

Volunteers Needed

This will be a full, fun-filled day for student participants, as well as the amazing coaches and volunteers who make the event possible. We could use more event-day volunteers! If you are interested, please contact Cherie Anderson in the Educational Technology Department to learn how to get involved. Please browse our highlight posts from the 2019 and 2018 district events to learn more about Granite’s event and find out what to expect.

Parent Information and Schedule

Parents can visit the event at any time but should be aware that their students will be engaged in rotations of closed judging sessions and robot game heats, with practice and break times staggered throughout the day. Judging begins at 9 A.M. Robot Games start soon after in the gymnasium and continue until 2 P.M. The event will conclude with a parade and closing ceremony in the gymnasium beginning at 2:45 P.M.

FIRST LEGO League Challenge: City Shaper

This year’s challenge is City Shaper. From the FIRST website description,

Students will observe how cities and buildings grow, thrive, and change. They’ll create new, innovative solutions to help shape an optimal future, using our environment and modern-day tools and technology to make it last. They can use what they learn to help us plan a strong, sustainable, and inclusive FIRST City.

Questions?

Visit the FIRST LEGO League website to find more general information about the program and this year’s challenge. If you have any additional questions about the FIRST LEGO League program in Granite School District, please contact Cherie Anderson in the Educational Technology Department.

Photos from previous Granite events courtesy of Tom Sparks, school technology specialist and freelance photographer.

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!

Hour of Code and Computer Science Education Week, 2019

December 2019Josh Whiting

Computer Science Education Week is December 9-15, 2019. During the week many educators use Hour of Code activities to introduce students to computer science. These activities are fun and easy to run, and can be done not only in a classroom but as an after school or library activity, or at home. There are activities for any kind of computer or device, as well as analog “no-device” activities that teach coding and computational concepts

You can learn more about how to run an Hour of Code activity in these simple how-to guides:

How to teach one Hour of Code with your class (for teachers)

How to do an Hour of Code with your child (for parents)

You can also skip right to the collection of suggested activities by clicking on the image below, or visiting https://hourofcode.com/us/learn

Library Spotlight: Student-led Maker Space at Jefferson Jr. High

May 2019Josh Whiting

Michelle Reed, Library Media Educational Technology Specialist, and students at Jefferson Jr. High were featured in the most recent episode of UEN’s PDTV video series. Watch below to find out how the library makerspace at Jefferson Jr. High works and see the students in action.

Library Spotlight: Upland Terrace Elementary Students Announce 2019 Beehive Book Award Winners

May 2019Josh Whiting

Students from Upland Terrace Elementary announced the winners in the children’s categories of the Beehive Book Awards in this video which was published yesterday!

Granite Battle of the Books 2019-2020 Reading Lists

April 2019Josh Whiting

After sharing hints and clues all week, we are excited to publish the full Granite Battle of the Books 2019-2020 Reading Lists!

2019-2020 Granite Battle of the Books 3rd-4th Grade Book List

2019-2020 Granite Battle of the Books 3rd-4th Grade Book List (High Quality PDF for Printing)

Read or Listen to these books in Sora, Granite’s Digital Library (visit sora.edtech.fun for help using Sora)

Find these books in your school’s library with Destiny Discover (type in your school’s name, choose it from the list, and click “Browse as Guest”)

2019-2020 Granite Battle of the Books 5th-6th Grade Book List

2019-2020 Granite Battle of the Books 5th-6th Grade Book List (High Quality PDF for Printing)

Read or Listen to these books in Sora, Granite’s Digital Library (visit sora.edtech.fun for help using Sora)

Find these books in your school’s library with Destiny Discover (type in your school’s name, choose it from the list, and click “Browse as Guest”)

Highlights from the 2019 Granite Battle of the Books District Competition

March 2019Josh Whiting

Countdown to Battle of the Books 2019 District Elementary Competition

February 2019Josh Whiting

The Granite District competition for 5th-6th Grade Battle of the Books teams is coming up on March 14, 2019, from 5:30-7:30 P.M. at Jim Bridger Elementary.

Our @LibraryMediaGSD Twitter account is counting down to the event with daily tweets featuring videos and other information about the competition, the participants, the books, and more. The countdown tweets are also being gathered into a Twitter Moment, which you can view right on this page:

Upcoming Event: 2019 District Battle of the Books Competition

January 2019Josh Whiting

Post Author: Nikki Gregerson, District Elementary Library Specialist. Originally shared on Granite Media, our library media program website.

As we begin to prepare for our school scrimmages and competitions, here is a look at some of the progress we have made with our Battle of the Books program this school year.

Students who want to participate in team competitions need to have read and passed off at least five books on their list by January 31, 2019. Students who have read five books are also eligible for special prizes and rewards. The district’s big annual prize drawing is done right before Winter Break and prizes are delivered to students and staff members at participating elementary schools. Check out some of the winners for this school year below!

Our District Battle of the Books competition will take place on Thursday, March 14 from 5:00 PM-7:30 PM at Jim Bridger Elementary. 5^th and 6^th graders will compete as teams in a family feud style competition that will test their knowledge of the 15 books on our list. If your school is interested in participating in the program for next year, but not exactly sure how it works, watching battles at our district competition is a really good way to get a sense of how it all works. Here is a quick breakdown of the sequence of events for that evening:

If you have questions about our Battle of the Books program, please contact Nikki Gregerson. Also, check out our highlights from the 2018 Granite Battle of the Books Competition.

Featured Resources: Student Podcasting

January 2019Josh Whiting

Post Author: Teresa Bruin, Educational Technology Specialist and Team Leader. Originally appeared in our Ed. Tech. Monthly Newsletter for Teachers.

NPR Student Podcast Challenge

NPR is currently hosting a student podcast challenge. Teachers of students from grades 5-12 can submit student-created podcasts until March 31, 2019. Two teachers of student groups will win the opportunity to have NPR and/or station reporters come to their school to meet and interview them and their student(s) and have the winning podcast discussed in a news segment that will appear on an episode of NPR’s All Things Considered or Morning Edition.

How To Enter The NPR Student Podcast Challenge

NPR Student Podcast Challenge: Official Rules

Submit To The NPR Student Podcast Challenge Here

Starting Your Podcast: A Guide For Students

Teaching Podcasting: A Curriculum Guide for Educators

Using Synth For Student Podcasting and More

Synth is a simple podcasting tool that can be used to create short podcasts of about 4 1/2 minutes using audio or video.

Bring more people into the conversation. Others can add on their own short podcasts to an original conversation starter. There are lots of ways to use podcasting with students. Use it for interviewing, global collaboration, creating your own audio story, practicing a foreign language, and so much more. Here is a list of 50 ideas for using podcasting with students to get started.