Tayasui Sketches School

iPad tip

In the last two weeks, I have been in several different classrooms playing with the Tayasui sketches school APP. I ❤️LOVE IT!

Download the school version which is a blue icon and it is free!

Where to start?

We spent one period exploring the tools. Students played around freely with no structure or instruction to use specific tools. The lesson focused on Kandinsky and the concept of synesthesia.*(I just used the intro of the video up to 4:40 please preview before deciding to share). The students listened to Schoenberg Chamber Symphony No.1 Op.9 while exploring the various tools

We also played a bit with Chrome music lab.

Here is the video examples of the where to start.

Ready to try a portrait?

We showed students how to import a photo and draw over top. First, they tried a selfie. During the first try, encourage students to use the paint marker. This yields the best results. During the first try, allow students to work and learn from each other. Some students quickly surpassed us! Next, we did one of a friend. During the second try, encourage the students to focus on the following:

Using the zoom tool to get the most detail
Using the thinnest option available on the paint maker tool
Using the paint fill tool to add shadows
Keep checking in! Use the eye to see how the art is turning out and see what changes need to be made.

Check out the examples below! Some of them needed reminders of which tools worked best so Alex Stewart created a short video and posted it in google classroom for them to review. If you see students struggling, stress that they review the video. We saw some major editing once students realized how to use the tools to get the best results.

Here is the video in French and here is the same video in English.

Finally, students had to find someone they admired, draw a picture of them and add a quote. Here is the lesson outline in French and in English.

Here are some of the results:

Don’t forget there are lots more ideas in the Everyone Can Create Drawing Book.

The iPad in ART

There are so many ways to use the iPad in the art classroom. I recently did and after school session for this http://bit.ly/IPADART.

I am a visual artist and find I use the iPad a lot in my personal art to easily record my process as well as visualize what the painting will look like before committing to canvas.

An art teacher that I find particularly inspiring that was the cornucopia for many of the ideas I shared
in the PD was Tricia Fugelstad you can find a link to her amazing blog here

Everyone Can Create

"That the powerful play goes on, and you may contribute a verse."

I am very excited about Apple's recently released Everyone Can Create series.
What is great about the books is that it guides students and teachers step by step through the process of using iPads to create music, videos, drawings and photos. It has tons and tons of resources.
The guide also includes curriculum ideas as well as rubrics. It has never been easier to discover the power of iPads. I was reminded of the iPad commercial from 2014 that quotes Walt Whitman

Check out the ibook guide here.

Chrome Music Lab

Check out Chrome Music Lab

It is available on any device that supports chrome and is an easy way for students to create their own music.

My favourite is the Spectrogram check out the video below.

Fall 2018 TELP newsletter

Here is the Fall TELP newsletter. Enjoy!

https://spark.adobe.com/page/QugyTjpytlJoI/

Quiver App

Want to start playing with augmented reality? The Quiver VisionApp is a simple way to begin.

1.Print out some of the colouring sheets.
2. Have the kids colour them in.
3. View them through the app on your iPad or phone.

Give it a go!

How to Change your Default Font in Google Docs

If you are anything like me you are constantly changing colour and font to better express yourself or sometimes just so I can visually remember something more easily. Font is important and not everything needs to be in Arial 11. Especially as I do not always wear my reading glasses. 👓

So here is how you can change your default font in google docs to something you prefer.

1. Type some text
2. Change the text to the font and size you prefer.
3. Click on normal text click on the arrow to the right.
4. Click update normal text to match
5. Click on Normal Text again and scroll to the bottom where options are and save it as your default style.

Now whenever you open up a Google doc it will be in that font choice.

Audio Player for Slides

Have you been wanting to add audio to your Google Slides? Well, now you can! You can add music or even narration to your google slide show.

Download Audio Player for Slides as Chrome Extension on your Chromebook, laptop or desktop.

Here is a video showing you how to download.

Here are the directions from the Edtech team;

The brand new AudioPlayer for Slides has been re-written from the ground up with ease and speed of use as primary goals. It’s very easy to use. Just follow these steps:

Install AudioPlayer for Slides
Click the extension icon and authenticate to Google Drive
Open a new Slide presentation
Right-click inside a Slide and click Manage Audio.
Once AudioPlayer finishes searching Google Drive for audio files (the first search takes a while), you will see your list of audio files.
Load one file per slide and you’ll see the audio icon on the left indicating it’s there.
Click present, hear audio!

Whose Land?

This FREE APP will definitely be a great resource when talking about the land acknowledgement on our morning announcements as well as for teaching Canadian History.

Educational videos are available to watch that will give you a better understanding of why land acknowledgements are important, and the way Indigenous people view their relationship to land.

Description

Whose Land is a web-based app that uses GIS technology to assist users in identifying Indigenous Nations, territories, and Indigenous communities across Canada. The app can be used for learning about the territory your home or business is situated on, finding information for a land acknowledgement, and learning about the treaties and agreements signed across Canada.

The Whose Land app is a collaboration between Canadian Roots Exchange, TakingITGlobal, and Bold Realities. The app consists of six different maps of Indigenous territories, Treaties, and First Nations, Inuit, and Metis communities.

Each community's location will eventually host a land acknowledgement video, and other information that the community would like to include on their page. The app will be used as an educational tool to create dialogue around reconciliation. It will be a starting point for conversation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous citizens across this country about land, territorial recognition and land acknowledgement.

End of the Year TELP

Here is the link to the June TELP newsletter. Want to receive this as an email every month? Just drop me a line at Melissa.Dent@lkdsb.net

Keyboard Shortcut

Check out this keyboard shortcut!
Shift Command S will enable the microphone on your google doc.

Calm (free for teachers!)

I was introduced to this website by Colin Pattison who uses it regularly in his intermediate classroom. He says that he will often use the various sound options to help his students focus.
As educators we know the importance of teaching mindfulness both for ourselves and our students. In a world which often over stimulates a center of calm is important.

The website has free functions but also some paid content. Here is the great news, for teachers it is completely FREE!

This is what they say....

In today’s rapidly changing world, children face unique social and emotional challenges. Kids are experiencing greater pressures earlier in life, and feel more stress and anxiety than ever before.

What if their school day began with a few moments of quiet and stillness? Numerous studies have shown the many benefits of teaching mindfulness to children. Through mindfulness education, kids can develop a lifelong capacity for greater self-awareness, concentration, patience, and resilience.

Under this initiative, any teacher with a K-12 classroom, anywhere in the world, can get free access to Calm’s paid subscription service (available on Android, iOS and the web). Teachers will have unlimited access to our growing library of guided meditations and mindfulness exercises, including Calm Kids, our programs tailored for age groups from pre-K through high school.

Go here and sign up.

I have a confession to make. Sometimes I have used independent reading as a way of infusing the classroom with some quiet both for me and my students. I know shocking! Last year I started a silent time instead. For a period of time each day or so (decided after classroom discussion, experimentation and reflection) we were just silent. Students could stare out the window, doodle, close their eyes, read or catch up on work the only rule was... they had to be silent. As a class we found we loved this time let's face it engagement can often mean noise. This gave us a designated time to recharge and refocus.
Why not put a little CALM into your classroom?

Monday Morning Media by Eric Corvers

Every Monday AM, we have "Monday Morning Media" in my classroom.

This is a great way to engage students in Media Studies.

Monday Morning Media is built into our weekly routine...the students know what to expect and report they look forward to our media routine.

Before they enter on Monday AM, I go into Padlet settings and clear the PADLET wall...so they have a fresh wall to post on. I then project it on the SmartBoard so that everyone can watch the wall get populated in real-time!

When they enter class on Monday AM, they immediately pull out their iPads / Chromebooks and start to cruise the Internet for media to share on our PADLET wall.

I encourage students to choose something that interests THEM...and it's important to emphasize that in order to keep the learning enjoyable, students should not post any media that contains inappropriate or disturbing content (they last thing we need is to be "disturbed" on a Monday morning!).

When most students have made a post, I conduct a whole group "take up" so that we can highlight some of the media posted - often we media posts lead us on tangents of deeper learning (e.g., a student posted media on mid-wives which mentioned placentas....other students had questions which lead us on deeper learning about placentas which complimented our Health unit on body systems and our Science unit on cells!).

Monday Morning Media is always a very enlightening and productive learning time...a great way to ease into the week. Here's a screen shot of our most recent Padlet wall.

FEBRUARY TELP

Here is the link to the February TELP newsletter. Want to receive this as an email every month? Just drop me a line at Melissa.Dent@lkdsb.net.

Google Arts and Culture

GOOGLE ARTS & CULTURE

Who is your ART twin?

O.K. I admit it. I have been having so much fun with Google's Arts and Culture App. You take a selfie and it uses facial recognition to match you with some of the world's most famous portraits.

My Dad

Everywhere I go I ask people if I can take their picture.

Tawny Stewart

Over 40 million selfies have happened world wide with people trying to find their art twins. It isn't however without controversy. Some states do not allow access because it infringes on their biometric privacy laws. The App also is not very equitable. There are more than 700,000 items from the United States, more than 75,000 from the United Kingdom, and nearly 60,000 from Germany. Compared to only 16,000 from Mexico. This does tend to limit results to be bias towards white users.
Give it a try and see who you look like.

January TELP, Google Slides and Gif yourself

Here is the link to the January TELP newsletter. Want to receive this as an email every month? Just drop me a line at Melissa.Dent@lkdsb.net

I began to start studying for the Google Certification Course this week. It has exposed me to some of the awesome things you can do in Google. This week I thought I would focus on slides. There are many amazing things you can do in slides. Here are just a few that I have borrowed from Kasey Bell and Eric Curtis.

You can build ebooks
http://www.shakeuplearning.com/blog/how-to-create-an-ebook-with-google-slides/

Do interactive poetry
http://www.shakeuplearning.com/blog/winter-magnetic-poetry-with-google-slides/

Do a collaborative writing/art prompt
http://www.controlaltachieve.com/2016/12/build-snowman.html

You can even build a stop motion
http://www.controlaltachieve.com/2017/04/stop-motion-slides.html

Looking for a new template? Check out all of the free ones available at Slides Carnival

Want to present from a remote control?
Add the Chrome Extension Remote

Open a presentation in Google Slides
On the top right, click the "Present with Remote" button.

Wait until the presentation is fully loaded
Click on the "Show ID & Start Remote" button to view the 6 digit code.
Open s.limhenry.xyz on another device and enter the code on the page.
You are ready to go.

Want to have a video in a slide deck start and end at a specific time?

Right click the VEid

Choose VIDEO OPTIONS

In the sidebar, enter the START and END time you want

Note: clicking the auto-play checkbox will automatically start the video. You can also mute the video so the audio will not play.

Here is a fun trick for those of you who enjoy gifs.

Go to https://andtheniwaslike.co/gifs/new

Here you can create your own gifs to amuse yourself and your students.

Chromebook Shortcuts

Chromebook Crash Course: What You NEED

This past December I spent part of my Christmas break participating in the Ditch that Textbook Summit put on by Matt Miller. I have to say that it was some of the most useful and thought provoking PD I have taken online.

So much so that it inspired me to try to create some of my own online PD this year. (Stay Tuned)

I had a difficult time deciding which one I should focus on for the engage blog but opted to include something you can put into immediate practice! I decided to share some of what I learned from Matt Miller's Chromebook Crash Course. Below find a copy of his chart of useful shortcuts for Chromebooks.

For you visual learners I have a link to a google doc that has a kind teacher (Mrs. Dale) created. It includes graphics you can print out for your students or yourself. Page 2 and Page 3.

Happy Holidays

I found a real treat for you from another educator that I have been taking some PD from via the Ditch the Textbook Summit which offers some awesome FREE PD.

https://docs.google.com/drawings/d/1D2xstdi1c3lCxrOHM27XihVSVu-HgIAlzAYqcEinRsA/preview

Enjoy!

Book Creator, Scratch and Makey Makey

One of the biggest perks of this job is the ability to see into so many different classrooms.
We are blessed to have so many dedicated and innovative educators in our board.
I thought I would share just a few of the many glimpses I have had this week.

Matt Sanders at Merlin
He and his students shared their "Monster Book" project with me.
Matt is going to release an iBook on it soon and I don't want to spoil his unveiling so here is the gist:

The intermeadiate students teamed up with the Kinders to explore their imaginations and debunk some monster stereotypes. They asked for the younger students input and drew up a monster from their description. They met several more times to flesh them out and in the end produced some pretty spectatcular Book Creator books complete with audio and self created Garageband music soundtracks for their learning buddies. Stay tuned for the iBook release in 2018.

Sarah Kerwin at Cathcart

She and her students took a huge leap of faith and created some hidden poetry using pencils.
They then use Scratch and some pretty dramatic voices to bring the poems to life with Makey Makey.
A lot of creativity, a lot of laughter and a lot of learning were the result. Here is a link to the Google slide instructions in case you'd like to try.

Aaron Edlington at Brights Grove
Aaron and his students have been playing with the Makey Makey to learn more about electricity.
They used wonder and notice as their jump off and just explored what the Makey Makey could do.
They have discovered some pretty cool stuff, from making sound when they tap their teacher, to completeing a circuit with an entire Grade 1/2 class.

Digital Breakouts

If we have talked lately you know my new favourite thing is digital breakouts. I discovered these at the conference and have been busy creating and doing them with students.

A digital breakout is much like the breakout ed boxes except it requires nothing but a device and access to the web. Teachers or students are given a timeline (usually 10-45 mins) to search for clues in the form of hidden hyperlinks or images and text all embedded in a google site. The clues lead to puzzles that need to be solved in order to "unlock" questions in a google form. But, watch out sometimes the clues are just red herrings that lead you astray.

These are great to allow students to apply the learning from any subject area to a new situation either as review or consolidation of what they have discovered. It also allows students to collaborate, create and demonstrate GRIT.

Much like break out boxes there are 4 kinds of locks.

COLOUR LOCK

DIGIT LOCK

I would love to co-create one with you if you are interested or just come in and show you how they work. Here are a few to try as well as some links to resources that have been shared with me.

Thank you Jen @virtualGiff for your amazing session.

https://www.breakoutedu.com/digital/

BREAKOUT PLANNING SHEET WITH RESOURCES