Ed Tech Blog
News and Information related to Ed Tech
Almost all of the resources listed offer an amount or a duration of free services. There are paid resources in this blog. The presence of these resources on this blog does not mean that CESD has provided licensing for said resources. Choices regarding technology resources are made at the school level, just as decisions regarding textbooks are handled there.
Remove Students from Google Classroom at Year’s End
Google Classroom is a fantastic tool, with diverse uses for teachers from K-12. It is, however, so important that at the end of each school year we REMOVE STUDENTS FROM CLASSES THAT HAVE ENDED. When...
We Video – The Best Bang for Your Buck
If you are planning to record screencasts, want to edit video, or record audio files this year, We Video is by far the best product for the dollar. Through bulk purchasing, we have the ability to...
Coming to IMC – Botley!
Div 1 - Botley is for you! We have ordered ten of these coding sets to be signed out via IMC. These screen-free coding robots are a hit with kids, and with no need for a Chromebook or even an iPad,...
Canva in CESD = Not for Student Usage
As we begin a new school year, it's important that we take a look at FOIP, student data, privacy, and safety. We have applications that are not acceptable for use with students in CESD, and we have...
Introducing… Cue!!
In January 2020 we added a class set of Dot & Dash coding robots to the IMC. Since their arrival, they have been booked solid. These robots are fantastic classroom robots for a few reasons,...
Recording Audio and Screencasts on a Chromebook
Here is a video to demonstrate how to use a Chromebook to screen record (so for recording of lessons) and how to record audio for the purposes of proctoring Diploma and PAT exams.
CESD Google Classrooms – Archiving
Why do some classrooms have small text that says "Leave class, don't archive?" Those classrooms are shared classrooms that may have up to 20 teachers in our district added to them as teachers. (20...
Coding Stories – Screenless Coding for Div 1
20 No-Prep Coding Lessons that do not involve screens Theme: Growth Mindset When we ask children to retell a story, the process is linear. There is a set sequence of events, and deviating from that...
Password Protect Google Forms Assessments
If you are giving a Google Forms assessment to multiple classes, security is a consideration. Different teachers approach this security differently, but it is worthwhile noting that Google Forms can...
Intro and Outro Videos for Christmas Concerts
To try to help your December run a little more smoothly, I have built a selection of video intros and outros that schools can use for their Covid Christmas Concerts and other December activities...
MBot for the Classroom
The MBot is an engaging robot that can be used with beginning coders, and expands to be a great resource for more advanced coders as well. The MBot is more fragile than some of the robots that were...
Dot & Dash for the Classroom
In January 2020 we added a class set of Dot & Dash coding robots to the IMC. Since their arrival, they have been booked solid. These robots are fantastic classroom robots for a few reasons,...
Sphero Bolt for the Classroom
The Sphero Bolt is Sphero's most widely used in-school robot. This robot is larger than the Sphero Mini, and would be described as feeling around the same size as a baseball when held in one's...
Sphero Mini for the Classroom
The Sphero mini is the little sibling of the classic Sphero. These spherical robots are easy to use, and fun to play with; a genuine favourite of kids! They are a great introductory robot for all...
Sphero Indi for the Div 1 Classroom
Sphero Indi is a coding robot designed for younger children by the well-known robotics company Sphero. Indi encourages open-ended, imaginative play-based learning with real-life scenarios as...
Airblock Modular Coding “Drone” for the Classroom
The Airblock is a lightweight, easy-to-assemble modular robot that snaps together using magnets. It can be configured to fly, to hover on land, or to cruise on water. Built of styrofoam, this...
Codey Rocky for the Classroom
Codey Rocky is a favourite among elementary students and their teachers. Codey Rocky is easy to program, fun to play with and does a decent job of meeting kids where they are at. Students who have...
Code and Go Mouse for the Div 1 Classroom
The Code and Go Mouse is a coding robot designed especially for our wee learners. Meant for ages 4 and up, the Code and Go Mouse (cutely named "Colby") does not use a tablet or Chromebook/computer...
Ozobots for the Classroom
The ozobot is one of my favourite classroom robots for a variety of reasons!! It is one single piece. There are no parts that can break or be broken. It's small. A set of these robots does...
Try Before You Buy Coding Robots
A common conversation I have found myself engaged in frequently in the recent weeks has to do with coding products for the classroom. Regardless of how new curriculum rolls out, it is highly likely...
Google Classroom Banners for You!
I am pumped to let you know that I have built an assortment of Google Classroom Banners for you to use to customize your Google Classrooms with some different images than the default images that...
Audio Recording with Mic Note
I was wrong! The first time I took a look at Mic Note for recording audio clips to assist our students who struggle with reading or have written language or other disabilities, I thought that it was...
Google Classroom Changes Coming for Fall
Google is rolling out some fantastic changes to Google Classroom with the expectation that they will be up and running for fall 2021. Keep providing your suggestions to Google via the question mark...
Bitmoji Math Manipulatives Classroom
Here is a one-slide example of a Bitmoji classroom with links. This particular slide contains 17 links to various math manipulatives. 16 of the manipulatives are on the shelving unit of this...
Using Digital Microscopes with a Chromebook
If you've signed out the set of digital microscopes from the IMC, or if you've purchased your own, here is a brief video (it's less than 4 minutes) that you can use to learn how to use them with...
Bitmoji Classrooms
The past [almost] 12 months with the Covid quarantine have created some challenges for educators, but they have also spurred some massive creativity amongst teachers. One of the emerging trends for...
Combatting Online Learning Fatigue
Keeping students engaged in online learning can be challenging. The Google Meet Fatigue is real, and teachers experience it too. Online fatigue is real. Distracted students are real. Teacher...
Digital Microscopes – A Comparison
Jiusion Digital Microscope $30.99 at amazon.caPros Small, Easy to store, takes very good pictures. Adjust lights on the cord of the microscope. Takes very good photos.Cons The stand is not very...
Putting Work Online
There's an old saying: "There is more than one way to skin a cat". This is true of putting work online for students. We are going to look at pen-and-paper type work in this post. First, there is...
Screencastify Tutorial
If you are new to Screencastify and are looking for some help getting started, this tutorial covers the content that we went through in the live Google Meet on Dec. 10, 2020. If you have questions,...
Bandwidth – Maximizing and Troubleshooting
As we move toward a week of at-home learning for all students in Alberta at the start of January 2021, we are offering this tutorial to try to help families maximize the capacity of their home...
Google Meet – Walkthrough of the New Features
When Google rushed Meet to market in March, there were many features in the works that weren't ready yet. The quarantine likely caught them as off-guard as it caught us. But, now, nine months...
Attendance Reports in Google Meet
It's a new feature, and one that we, as teachers, really love. An attendance report provided to us after a Google Meet. Awesome!! As with most new features, the roll-out is gradual. So, sometimes...
Glitches in Google Meet
If you are experiencing challenges with either of these Google Meet glitches, this blog post will offer the solution. 1. The link that Google Classroom generates is glitchy. We have learned from our...
Crash Course in Kami
Originally Kami was built as a .pdf reader for Google Drive. Over time they have added new tools and features to it making it a very powerful classroom application. This blog post offers a short...
Google Jamboard – Your Digital Whiteboard
A newcomer to your Google Suite of Educator Tools is Google Jamboard which provides you with a blank screen and annotation tools. With a touch-screen Chromebook, you can now open a new "jam", and...
Using Google Meet for Parent-Teacher Interviews
In the past few weeks there have been a lot of changes to Google Meet. The new features they have rolled out can make managing online parent-teacher interviews much easier than what you may be...
Adding Parents in Google Classroom
Inviting parents to Google Classroom is a process that must be done using the "invite parent or guardian" link that appears on the people tab, between the student's name and the email icon. This...
Major Updates to Google Meet!!
Google Meet is rolling out MAJOR updates this fall. In the past 6 months, Google has moved the large majority of their software engineers and coders to two products: Google Meet and Google...
Upgrading Your Chromebook
If you are experiencing challenges with your Chromebook, or a student Chromebook, the first place to start is to engage in the simple process of updating the operating system. This step-by-step...
Random Student Generator – Google Classroom
Whether you are teaching online, or in your classroom, this random student generator will assist you with selecting a student for a task. Install the chrome extension, and any time you need to pick...
Mote – Give voice feedback instead of typing
Offering feedback and formative assessment can be time-consuming. The Mote extension for Chrome offers you the opportunity to record your voice giving the feedback as opposed to typing. A great...
Math Aids – Worksheets
Though the website has a very 1990s appearance, Math Aids offers dynamic creation of practice sheets for all levels of mathematics.
Chromebook Cart Sanitizing Instructions
If you need additional sanitization instructions for your Chromebook carts, here are the printable files. Elementary (2 per page) High School (2 per page) Français (2 per page)
10 Tips for Online Instruction
Teaching in a distributed learning environment (formerly called a blended learning environment), has its own pedagogical rules. While many scenarios translate easily from classroom teaching to...