Britannica: School Edition

Britannica School, a safe, up-to-date, and age-appropriate information resource for Elementary, Middle, and High School. Discover encyclopedia articles, multimedia, primary sources, games, and other learning resources that support student research and reinforce curriculum standards.

WECDSB students can gain free access to this resource through the Student Portal on the WECDSB website.  

Once students arrive, they can select content at an Elementary, Middle or High School Level.

Once students select a topic, there are multiple ways they can learn:

• read the article
• view images
• watch videos
• listen to the article
• translate to a different language

CS Education Week Starts Today!

Classrooms across the globe are trying out coding for 1 hour this week.  Why?  Coding helps our students develop skills that are valuable no matter what you do!  Computation thinking, problem-solving, self-directed learning, perseverance, brainstorming & collaboration are just a few that come to mind.

There is something for everyone!

Kindergarten Grade 2: Teacher Led Scratch Jr Activities

Example: Can I Make the Sun Set? : Students will get an introduction to programming by making a sun set over a city landscape 

Grade 3 - 8: Hour of Code: Code Your Hero

CS First has a new activity where students get to Code their Own Hero.  Not only does this activity introduce our students to programming through self-directed videos, it's also a great connection into writing for a purpose, justifying your claim and identifying what qualities a hero has. Click the link below to try it out with your class.

Hour of Code: Code Your Hero

Grade 9 and Beyond: Code Your Own Filter

Students love their filters whether on Instagram, Snapchat or just taking a photo.  In this Hour of Code activity, students will use Grasshopper, a text-based programming language to create their own filters.  Talk about blending social media, art, design and coding all into one!

7 Googley Wintertime Activities for Kids

With the holiday season here, Eric Curts has updated his list of wintertime activities and projects that use Google tools. 

The current list includes:
1) Build a Snowman with Google Slides
2) Decorate a Christmas Tree with Google Slides
3) Wintertime Magnetic Poetry with Google Drawings
4) Holiday Greeting Cards with Google Drawings
5) Pixel Art Ornaments with Google Sheets
6) Wintertime Emoji Rebus Stories with Google Docs
7) Holiday Lights Writing with Google Docs

You can access all of the templates and directions at:
https://www.controlaltachieve.com/2019/12/7-winter-activities.html

DoInk GreenScreen App used to present Saint Projects

Green screen allows students to discuss, evaluate and reflect on their learning using their imagination and digital skills. 

Mrs. Edmunds grade 3/4 students at St. Rose have been learning about Saints in Religion class. They learned about and examined the lives of Patron Saints and explained how they are examples of hope that inspire us to live a holy life. Students then chose a Saint that they have heard about or were interested in, and researched 4-5 facts about them. Using a Green Screen, students dressed as their Saint and brought their projects alive.

Check out some of the students samples below.

Clare studied St. Nicholas

Natalie studied St. James

Rory studied St. Joseph

Rubrics are now available in Google Classroom!

Rubrics are now available in Google Classroom! 

Written by: Kelly Campbell-Dries

Are you looking for an interesting way to give students valuable feedback while clearly stating learning goals and curriculum expectations? Then sign up today to be a Beta Tester for the new Rubrics feature in Google Classroom. 

You might think that this is a lot of work, but trust me, it is not. I am currently a teacher at ACS, and I am always looking for new and innovative ways to leverage technology in the classroom. What I like about this feature is that it is extremely simple to use. 

       

You begin by creating an Assignment in GC. There, you will see that there is a “Create Rubric” button where you can build your rubric. In HS, we mark out of four categories that are weighted differently. GC always made the assignment out of 100, so it was difficult to show students exactly how you marked their work in a digital format. With the Beta feature in GC, you can now assign category, with an explanation of what you are assessing. For example:

Here you can see that the criteria is there, and the orange blocks indicate the level of achievement. 

I make mine out of the particular weights according to my department. Here you can see how each of the levels are calculated. 

What I like about this feature, as you will see on the video, the student has the rubric on the left, as well as your direct comments, so you can easily see the valuable feedback you are given the students. 

An extra feature that I like about this as well is that students have the opportunity to respond and reflect on their essay in the Private Comments section. Here you can make goals for next steps, or reflect on their learning.

The possibilities are endless. 

Also, using this feature in GC is wonderful because you have the opportunity to reuse the assignment, even if you archive the class. The rubric comes with the assignment, so it can be used again and again. 

One final benefit of this is that GC keeps all your marks into Google Sheets in a live, updated document. What I am going to suggest to them however, is that it keeps track of the different marks, not just the overall mark. 

If you would like to give this a try, please click on the link below. 

Rubrics Beta Participation Application Sign Up

Please see the following video that explains a little more about the features. 

Google Slides Now Allows for INTEGRATED AUDIO

Google Slides Now Allows for 
INTEGRATED AUDIO

Google has added the functionality to insert audio into slides and to play throughout your presentation.

INSERT - Audio

If the function is not available now it will be by the end of the month.

TED Student Talks Program

How It Works

Students work together to discuss and celebrate creative ideas. Use TED-Ed's flexible curriculum as a guide and help inspire tomorrow's TED speakers and leaders. There are 4 ways to create TED-Ed Student Talks:

• In a Club: as a group of students in an after-school setting, led by student or adult.
• In a classroom: as a group of students in a class, led by a teacher.
• As part of another youth/ed program: as a plug-in to an existing program--for individual or groups of students who are part of programs run by our collaborative partners.
• As individual students developing/sharing an idea on their own or with a partner.

Check out the TED ED website for more details on how you can incorporate TED-ED into your class or school club.  

Flipgrid - Empower Every Voice

Highlight STUDENT VOICE with Flipgrid.

How do you use it? 
Simple... 

1. Teachers assign a question and/or topic.  
2. Students respond with a short video (max 1.5 minutes).
3. Teachers and students can then further engage through comments or response videos.  

Visit the Flipgrid website and see just how easy it is to get started.  

Hyperdocs

Looking for a transformative way to deliver the curriculum in a blended classroom?

As stated on the Hyperdoc website: 

Hyperdocs are created by teachers and given to students to engage, educate, and inspire learning. It’s not about teaching technology, it’s about using the technology to TEACH.

Check out these examples created by our own WECDSB staff:

Kelly Campbell-Dries, English Teacher at Assumption High School shared her  "highlight" HyperDoc designed to teach students to write a CER essay (Claim, Evidence, Reasoning).   Kelly shares the document using the "Make A Copy" feature in Google Classroom allowing each student to work directly their Hyperdoc.




Kelly introduced the Hyperdoc using this video: 

Kelly's self-reflection:  I used this with my class and they LOVED it. When teaching college classes I try to prepare my students for a blended learning experience. Hyperdocs offer this to students in many ways. I really like how we start with the learning goals for the lesson and then explore the topic.

Click the link below to see additional Hyperdocs created by teachers at the WECDSB:
Grade 7 Geography - What are Landforms
Grade 5 Science - Habitats and Communities

You can find additional Hyperdocs and sample templates on the Hyperdocs website. 

Engaging Students With Minecraft

Looking to engage your students?  Check out how Ms. Soumis and Ms. Mencarelli-Sobhi are leveraging Minecraft as a vehicle for learning at Catholic Central High School

Students in their NBE class were asked to get into groups to research about a nearby Indigenous reserve.  They learned about the living conditions of their counterparts in relation to their own city and the amenities provided for them there.  Students were asked to use Minecraft to re-create their specific reserve from an undeveloped patch of land using the building materials provided in Minecraft.

Reflecting upon the learning experience, Ms. Soumis shared that after trial and error the accounts were not able to be linked due to not having an Xbox account, thereby making it quite difficult to build the entire reserve, even as a group.

In the future, they will have each student focus on a specific structure such as a longhouse, or a sweat lodge, and more accurately display the features located inside and outside of the structure.

Students were buzzing with excitement at St. Joseph's Elementary

Kindergarten students in Mme. Pearn & Mme. Bondy's class were buzzing with excitement as they recently engaged in a student inquiry focused on bees.

Check out what caused all the excitement as Mme. Pearn describes the activities that took place in their classroom:

Augmented Reality

It all started when a Bee was flying in the classroom.  Some children were scared while others explained how bees help our environment. We continued a discussion and inquiry about Bees.

The children were asked “Qu'est que vous savez?” (What do you know?) As well as “Qu’-est que vous voulez savoir?” (What do you want to know?)

During our investigation, we invited Mrs. Clement to come in and use virtual reality to investigate with iPads and virtual reality goggles.

Build Your Own Beehive

We continued our learning in the class with different centres for the children to explore.  They used loose parts to create their own beehives. Included were flowers, bee erasers, and wooden hexagon shapes.

Create Your Own Bee

They used play dough and pipe cleaners to make their own bees.

Lifecycle of a Bee

The educator displayed a book and replica toys of the Bee Life Cycle.

Virtual Reality

The children were able to fly garden just like a bee using virtual reality goggles.

Art Center

The children created bees in the art center and documented their own learning for the documentation board.

Overall Expectations

As children progress through the Kindergarten program they:

14 demonstrate an awareness of the natural and built environment through hands-on investigations

14.1 ask questions about and describe some natural occurrences, using their own observations and representations

We know we can do this when……

• we share the questions about things we are wondering about
• we research information with our educators using books, videos, iPads and other technology
• we show what we learned using pictures and/or words

Google Hangouts - Connecting Students in different cities

Looking to expand discussion outside of your classroom walls?

That's exactly what students from Mrs. DaSilva's Grade 12 religion Class did as they debated if and when dress codes are biased with a Grade 12 Philosophy class from London, Ontario.

Mrs. Sobhi, In-School Support Teacher at Catholic Central High School, describes the lesson as follows:

The students were introduced to the topic “When are dress codes Biased?” The pre Hangout lesson focused on how regulating dress codes can be necessary to promote health and safety, but at other times, dress codes unfairly target the appearance of certain groups of people. The teaching ideas below were designed to help students explore how dress codes can be biased and what dress standards in schools should be.

Students were introduced to the topic and watched the video  Amaiya Zafar from the Secret Lives of Muslims. Then, students read the following excerpt from the Elle article Serena Williams's Tennis Outfits Defy the Sexist, Racist Norms Female Athletes Face

Students answered questions in their groups or independently:

1. Who decides what types of clothing or appearance are appropriate or normal in a society? Who makes those decisions for workplaces, schools, athletic competitions or other environments? How are dominant culture, gender, religion and race reflected in dress standards?
2. How can it impact people’s lives when dress codes are biased? How did dress codes impact Amaiya Zafar and Serena Williams?
3. Why might sports leagues have regulations on the attire worn by athletes? Why might schools? How can sports leagues and schools create dress codes that are fair and fairly enforced?

Students then connected with Catholic Central London via Google Hangout to discuss the questions above and collaborate on the questions and opinions with the use of  Google Docs. The follow-up assignment included a reflection on the questions and collaboration with Catholic Central London.

Connecting with classes outside the city allowed students the opportunity to explore different opinions and standpoints on real-life issues explaining and expanding their learning base through technology.

Teachers involved in the Second Project include :

Ms.Catherine DaSilva - Religious Education Department Head, Catholic Central High School Windsor.

Mr. Marc Gelinas - Religious Education  Department Head, Catholic Catholic High School London.

Ms. Christine Sobhi - In School Support Teacher, Catholic Central High School.

Video Note - Virtual Learning Environment

Using video inside your vLE is an excellent tool to make learning online more personal and it is just a click away!


Consider using it to:
* provide reminders for students
* introduce new content
* provide feedback
* collect quick student responses