Hello Conestoga Valley

The purpose of this blog is to provide CV staff with new information regarding technology integration and support for them in their classroom and professional duties here at Conestoga Valley School District. Due to the nature and security of some of the postings readers may be required to enter a password to see a blog posting. If you are prompted for a password, staff should use the same password they use to access the cvstaff webpage.

We hope you will use this blog as a means of support, reference, training, and a forum to ask questions or provide feedback so that we can all work together to meet and develop our technology needs here at Conestoga Valley.

I would recommend that you use an RSS (Really simple sindication) aggregator to keep track of the postings on this blog. What is RSS?

My “reader” of choice is Google Reader! Accounts are free and subscribing is easy. Simply copy and paste this link https://cvtech.wordpress.com/feed into the field that says “add subscription” on the middle left hand side.

 

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Communicating and Collaborating with Forums and Wikis

This is a follow up from a training called.  “Collaboration with Moodle Forums and Wiki’s.”

The training was focused on NETS Student Standard 2, Communication and Collaboration, which states, “Students use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively, including at a distance, to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others.”

Collaborating With Moodle Forums

Having students post to online (Moodle) forums provides them an opportunity to discuss and collaborate online. This is similar to a discussion students may in a class discussion. The key difference is the discussion is viewable and accessible 24/7 for teachers and students to reflect on, so that the learning can continue to take place and it is providing them with an opportunity to learn/practice their 21st Century Skills.

Key features to using Moodle

· Students all already have an account. They log in with same username and password they log onto computer with.

·    If you want to create a Moodle page just contact me.

·    All of them Moodle content is hosted on our district servers, is free, and will not be going anywhere.

Creating forums in Moodle

1.      What is a Moodle forum activity?

2.      How can I use forums in the elementary classroom?

3.      If you want to create a Moodle page just contact me

Collaborating With Wiki’s

What’s a wiki?

1. We now are hosting our own Wikispaces private label site. http://www.cvsd.wikispaces.net
2. Create an account! I recommend username be firstname_lastname and password be similar to the one you log into the computer with. (This one will not change every 30 days)
3. Once your account is approved, go back to http://www.cvsd.wikispaces.net and make a new spaces.
4. Your space name should refer to the Course, Grade, Teacher name, Team , Activity, etc.
5. Use wiki space video tours to learn how to use your new wiki!
6. Continue developing and creating your wiki and use the help link in the top right hand corner of each page to guide you.

 

Personalizing and Sharing the Internet

We discussed and learned about Delicious, Igoogle, and Page flakes.

This is a follow up from a training called.  “Managing and sharing the internet.”

The training was focused on NETS Student Standard 2, Communication and Collaboration, which states, “Students use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively, including at a distance, to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others.”

SOCIAL BOOKMARKING

Check out the video on social bookmarking here

Create a delicious account at https://secure.delicious.com/register (use firstname_lastname as your user id, so others can find you!)

Install buttons on you teacher machine or home machine by clicking here and following directions.

Import the bookmarks already on your computer(s).

Start tagging sites and being social. My user id is Christopher.smith23 and my user id is McGaw

Visit the Wikispaces site for a tutorial on Delicious

CUSTOMIZING THE INTERNET

Page flakes – create and share only the web information you want with your students

1.       Video on how to create an account

2.       Video on how to customize your page flakes or for another good customizing video click here

3.       Video on how to share your page flake(or page casting)

4.       Video on how to customize your page flakes or for another good customizing video click here

5.       Video on how to share your page flake(or page casting)

Visit the Wikispaces site for a tutorial on Pageflakes

iGoogle – take the sites and web information you use and like with you to any computer!

Visit the Wikispace site for a tutorial on iGoogle

1.       Create an Igoogle account click here (use your school email account)

2.       Video on how to customize your iGoogle page

3.       iGoogle Page with directions for you!  CFF Wikispace Page*iGoogle

 

Email Accounts for all CV students

We recently have set up email accounts for all Students at CV using the help and services of Epals. They provided us with filtered email for all of our students and the best part it’s free! I would encourage teachers to allow students to use these emails for communication student to student, teacher to student and student to teacher. Another nice aspect of all students having emails is now they can sign up for web 2.0 apps and actually have valid email address to check and verify account setup with.

 

Epals also allows us to set up teacher’s accounts so you can monitor specific students email if they would like. Keep in mind every email is already monitored, filtered, and flagged for inappropriate content, but if you would like to have your ability to see you specific students please contact Chris Smith with you class list so he can set it up. Let’s face it kids will be kids and that means they will find creative ways around “inappropriate content.” So an extra set of eyes in monitoring them won’t hurt.

 

The “How to” info

Email address: firstname_lastname_cv@epals.com

To log into their email accounts go to www.epals.com

Username: firstname_lastname_cv

Password: 7 digit student ID (teachers can find this in their grade books or class roster)

I would recommend teachers create an excel or spreadsheet document that has the student’s usernames, passwords and their email  so they have it for reference (copy and paste) or so they can quickly upload the information into web 2.0 applications such as wiki’s, Moodle, Google docs, or any other web app that requires and email.

With this new and exciting opportunity will come all types of questions, comments and concerns. I would encourage you to post your thoughts as comments on this blog in hopes to provide valid and useful information to all of our CV staff.

For 10 ways to integrate email into classroom learning check out this video by Kari Stubbs.