Swivl Camera, Boomerang for Gmail, Nearpod, Digital Learning Day

I can schedule an email?

https://gph.is/2hb6JGm

Boomerang for Gmail allows you to compose an email and schedule when it is sent. This 56-second video will help you get started.

Participate in Digital Learning Day on February 22

Digital Learning Day is an international event that showcases students and educators harnessing the power of digital devices, educational software, and mobile apps "to improve the learning experience in K-12 public schools."

You are invited to participate in Digital Learning Day. If you follow social media, the hashtag is #DLDay.

Need some ideas? Think about where you are in your lesson cycle, and click the image below.

https://goo.gl/759auo

We'd love to showcase digital learning in BISD. If you and your students use digital technology to learn next week, please fill out this super short form so we can tell our digital story!

Need more than your document camera to make class videos?

The Swivl is a robotic base for an iPad, smartphone, or camera that pairs with a remote control marker enabling it to swivel or track while recording video of a moving person.

Swivls are great to use to record a lesson, lab, or presentation. The robotic base takes the place of someone holding the video camera.  If the remote is taken off the lanyard, it can be passed around a group. 

The BMS Library has a Swivl that is available for check out. 

If you're interested, this one-minute video gives a little more information.

Want to check one out from BMS? This two-minute video below shows the easy set up process. The Swivl app is available on the iTunes Store and on the Google Play Store.

Edivate Video Spotlight

In this week's video spotlight, fifth grade students apply multiple strategies to solve a problem by working collaboratively using their math journals and sharing their work with each other using Nearpod. Nearpod is an interactive learning platform that offers both free and paid subscriptions. Nearpod works on a variety of devices. Students enter a class code to join a teacher's class.

While this video features an elementary math class, the questioning strategies and digital technology apply to all levels of learning. You will need to login to Edivate after you click the link to the video.

(If you try Nearpod and like it, please email me. Looking for someone who's used it? Talk to Lori Bagwell at BMS or Ashley Chinderle at Alkek.)

Subscribe to a Google Calendar, Google Forms, Free Ebooks, Boomerang, Gmail

Subscribe to a BISD Calendar

Adding events from a BISD calendar to your Google calendar takes just a few short steps. Here's a short video to get you started.

Another Reason to Love Google Forms

If you have equipment or books that you manage, Google Forms can provide a solution for managing the items. Check out Richard Byrne's video on creating a check out system. Some of our innovative teachers at Alkek Elementary are using Google Forms for students to check in/check out of class. What an awesome idea, especially if your students struggle to tell time. Google time stamps the form submission.

Epic Books: 100% Free ebooks

Epic Books offers free accounts for teachers and librarians in the US and Canada. The interface is user friendly and attractive. While I love their fiction ebooks, one of the biggest draws of Epic Books is the extensive nonfiction content.  A simple search for "tsunami" turned up a great combination of fiction and nonfiction texts. Some of the books also provide "read to me" support. This is a great site for science, social studies, math, ELAR, and elective teachers, too.

Need to Schedule an Email?

Boomerang for Gmail may be just the tool you need. (Thanks, Ms. Moseley, for sharing this timesaver with me!). By adding Boomerang to your Gmail. account, you will have access to a "send later" button under the regular "send" button. You can select the date and time to send the email. What a time saver for busy people who don't always have the time to sit down at the computer to get that essential email out! Need some help? There are "how to" videos embedded right on the Boomerang website. Gotta love that! (BTW...you are receiving an email with a link to this newsletter today, but I scheduled the email using Boomerang over the weekend!)