Leaving? Don't forget to pack your Google Drive and Blog!

Hi folks!

If you are leaving ISPP and want to make sure your blog and Google Drive contents come with you, this post can help! I made two quick videos to show you the steps, and there is a guide below. We're sad to see you go, but best of luck on your new adventures.

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Blogger
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You can add a personal email account as an author on the blog. 
IMPORTANT: After you accept the invitation from your new email account, you must log into blogger and change the Permissions from Author to ADMIN. 
If you do not do this step, you will be able to write on the blog but not control it.

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Google Drive and Gmail
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The best way to make backups of everything is to have another personal Gmail account. 

BEST WAY: Use Google Takeout Transfer

This will transfer all your files to your personal Gmail account.


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Even without a personal Gmail account, you can download everything to a computer. 


Step 1: Download a backup copy of everything on your school Google Account before it is deactivated. 
You don't need to take everything, most important is Gmail, Google Drive and Blogger, and then submit it to send you a download link to your email.
After you submit it, check your email to download all your files from Google Drive.
It takes about 10 minutes to get the email. 
Inline images 2 Inline images 3


Step 2: Open the .ZIP file that you downloaded to see all your files on your computer, or copy them to your personal Gmail/Google Drive account for a permanent backup





Code Literacy: Computer Programming Resources for Teachers

**Updated**
Here is a video recording of the presentation. Thanks, audience!
Scroll down below for learning resources.

Also, much thanks to the statistics and research from code.org and other sources (listed in the speakers notes). Jambo on YouTube for the coding video and expectation vs. reality idea.





Hi folks!

In support of a little talk I'll be bumbling through during our whole-school staff PD day, I compiled a list of coding resources for teachers who are interested in learning a little bit about computer programming.

Presentation

Here's the presentation, including speaker's notes and citations if you're interested:



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Beginner Coding Resources

If you are in search of ideas for how to use coding in your classroom for authentic, transferable learning that holds huge potential for the future of our students, maybe something from this list can help you out. No experience required.

I'm A Teacher, Not a Programmer! (Pre-made curricula and offline activites)

Edutopia: 3 Steps to becoming A Coding Teacher by Grant Smith
Rated resource lists, standards-aligned learning expectations, and even learning space considerations. A great place to start for teachers with no coding experience who aren't ready to jump into apps and games straight away.

K12CS.org
More than just programming, this non-profit has developed a full set of high level guidelines and practices modeled after those we might find in a traditional classroom. Not very specific, but great for getting ideas about how your normal classroom activities relate to coding projects and computational thinking.

Code.org - A full computer science curriculum for K-12 students and professional learning resources for teachers as well, this non-profit organization exists to spread awareness about the value of code in our children's future. Responsible for organizing the annual "Hour of Code" event.


I Learn by Doing. Got Any Video Lessons?

Khan Academy
From introductory computer programming basics to scripting for scientific research or drawing for web design, Khan Academy is a great place to start as a beginner who wants to learn to code.

Unity3D
Want to learn game design as well as coding, or perhaps involve some 3D design or animation?
This is my current learning and the many game design tutorial videos are fannnnntastic. This FREE real world tool has helped create many world famous games in 2017!

Skillshare.com
Not free, but they have a robust selection of programming tutorials for beginners that are focused on specific languages and areas, for example, Science teachers may be interested in PYTHON, the language most prevalent in scientific research applications.

I Just Want a Fun Project!

Scratch.mit.edu - Want to teach primary students how to make their own game or animated story? You need to make one yourself first, and you'll be surprised how easy it is to follow these detailed step-by-step guides that are fun and easy

TinkerCAD Circuits -  Arduino
Interested in electronics, and the hardware/robotics side of coding? Try the Arduino simulations on TinkerCAD and then perhaps move to using a real Arduino!

I Need To Get Physical (Robots/Electronics)
Don't want to spend all your time looking at a computer screen? These electronics and robotics kits vary in expense but all offer coding experience with a hardware connection and tons of online tutorials to help learn how to use them.

Arduino (ISPP Secondary has a class set of these!) ($25-$150)

Lego Ev3 Robotics (After school robotics club anyone?) ($350-$500)

I Want to Fix the Computer Science Gender Gap!

Made With Code by Google

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I sincerely hope these resources can help you get started as a coding teacher!
-M


Video: How to Make a Successful Blogger Post

Hi folks!

There have been lots of questions from parents trying to help their kids blog at home lately. I asked Grade 3 students "what it takes to make the perfect blog post at ISPP" and then used their success criteria to make this video. I hope it's useful!

Video: How To Make a Successful Blogger Post (Mac/PC)



-M

Resources: Parenting in the Digital Age (Updated - 2017)



This is a supplemental post for the presentation Parenting in the Digital Age, live at ISPP Elementary on Wednesday, September 27th, 2017.

Presentation Slides


Digital Citizenship (Common Sense Media)

Full K-12 Digital Citizenship curriculum for all ages including online and offline activities that can be used both at home and in schools. ISPP Elementary draws upon these resources but it does not represent official curriculum for the IB. Many resources for building understanding about children learning in the digital age.

YouTube


Please check out my previous post, A Parent's Guide to YouTube, for a video including tips on how to get engaged and better understand your child's use of YouTube.



Tools and Digital Learning Resources Used at School

If you're curious about what your child is doing on their device, or looking for something new to try, here's a list of some of the things we're using at school. Always available from the Home Learning link on the blog.

Websites, Apps and Games (2016)

Resources from the Library (Event Handout)

The digital world is a powerful place for students to connect, communicate and create. The Elementary Library suggests these resources to help parents make informed decisions about parenting in the digital age.

StaySafeOnline.org: Raising Digital Citizens
Common Sense Media: Parent Concerns
Netsmartz: Information for Parents

(BOOK) Screenwise by Devorah Heitner (Amazon.com)

What You Can Do

Make time for technology… and no technology.

Know what your children are reading, watching and playing. “Screen time” doesn’t exist. Know the specifics and experiment with the technology they use.

Devices before bedtime are proven to disrupt sleep patterns. Make sure kids power down at least 30 minutes before going to bed, and that devices are not available during this time.

You are not alone. Talk to other parents, teachers and use online resources to learn more about the tools your kids are using.

The New Mathletics and the Flash Player Error

Hi folks!

Most of ISPP Elementary uses the Mathletics website to practice their skills, and lately this website has been changing to a new design.

Some parts of the website use Adobe Flash, an older way of displaying animated content online, and until they get changed to the new system you might see errors when trying to load them.

Here's a quick video on how to enable Adobe Flash for Mathletics when using the Google Chrome web browser:




Flash Player works differently on different web browsers, and on different types of computers. For more information about solving problems with Flash Player and Mathletics, check out these links below:

For Internet Explorer, see Enable Flash Player for Internet Explorer.
For Internet Explorer on Windows 10, see Enable Flash Player for IE on Windows 10.
For Edge on Windows 10, see Enable Flash Player for Edge on Windows 10.
For Firefox on any OS, see Enable Flash Player for Firefox.
For Safari on Mac OS, see Enable Flash Player for Safari.
For Google Chrome, see Enable Flash Player for Chrome.

Hope this helps!
-M