We predict that this will win the next science fair at school

Those cool coders at Google made an Artificial Intelligence terrarium that models weather conditions around the world.

Project Oasis, as its named, allows you to use the Google Assistant tools to ask about the weather in various parts of the world.  For example, you can ask “What’s the weather like in Grand Rapids?”, and the little terrarium will mimic the location with mist to simulate fog or clouds, light and even a bit of rain. I’m thinking that if you ask it what it’s like in Grand Rapids during the winter, it probably won’t respond with snow quite yet.

Check out this quick video on how it works.

The unit is powered by a Raspberry Pi and an Arduino and you can get more details and the source code for your own little biome here.

#ai, #arduino, #raspberry-pi

Everyone Can Code Professional Learning at Kent ISD – June 27 & 28, 2018

Coding is an essential skill for today’s students. Learning to code is valuable because it can teach students how to solve problems and work together in creative ways. This fun, two-day workshop is delivered by Apple Professional Learning Specialist who can help you get started teaching with the free lessons offered in the iPad apps, including Tynker.

Participants are required to bring their own iPad.

Register for the Kent ISD session here.

Everyone can code

#apple, #coding, #ipad

Life’s Better When You Blend! K-5 Grade – June 27

Are you a K-5th Grade educator looking for ways to incorporate technology in your classroom?

Wondering how you can utilize whatever technology you have to support quality teaching and learning? Then this event is for you!

Participants Will:

• Explore practical ways to implement blended learning in the classroom
• Maximize the technology you have to engage and support students
• Investigate digital tools that assess and capture student understanding
• Intentionally design a blended lesson suited to your classroom needs

Lunch and SCECHs Provided!

Registration is limited, so hurry and choose this great PD opportunity before all the seats are taken.

Life’s Better When You Blend! 6-12 Grade – June 28

Are you a 6-12th Grade educator looking for ways to incorporate technology in your classroom?

Wondering how you can utilize whatever technology you have to support quality teaching and learning? Then this event is for you!

Participants Will:

• Explore practical ways to implement blended learning in the classroom
• Maximize the technology you have to engage and support students
• Investigate digital tools that assess and capture student understanding
• Intentionally design a blended lesson suited to your classroom needs

Lunch and SCECHs Provided!

Registration is limited, so hurry and choose this great PD opportunity before all the seats are taken.

#blended-learning

Beat the Post Spring Break Blues

‘Tis the season of testing and student squirminess. That means many schools experience reduced access to student devices, and teachers need to dig deep to engage students in the waning weeks of school. Here are a couple options that might help:

1.) Digital Breakout games.

You are likely familiar with Escape Rooms and Breakout EDU. You can run similar games in your classroom with just one device (though a couple more would help). Follow these steps:

• Start by making a copy of one of these Google Form templates: Digital BreakoutEDU Form or A simpler Form version. Note: you need to adjust the response validation to make the answers what you want. (Credit to Alex Milton for the templates)
• Create questions that require students to explore your content in order to find the “codes” to enter in the Form. You can see this set of examples or this set of examples for  some ideas.
• Run the game by loading the Google Form link on a classroom device or by directing students to access it on their phones.

2.) Use one of the options from our REMC Maker Kit. See our list of available options that you can check out – FOR FREE – for 1-2 weeks. Your students could design objects to be printed on the 3D printer, explore circuits with Little Bits, record with a green screen, and much more. Ron and I are available to train and to help facilitate activities with students.

Let us know if you have questions or needs we can help with. We are here to serve and connect.

 

#breakoutedu, #educational-technology, #maker

Learn how to delete online accounts in a jiffy!

Almost every day, we’re required to register for and set-up accounts on more and more websites to use services or receive information. But what happens when it comes time to stop using a service or a site? What do you do when you hear of a data breach? Most of the time information on how to remove your account from these hundreds of places where we’ve deposited our digital footprint is not easy to find.

If you find yourself in that situation, where there is a particular site or service that you wish to remove your account and information from, then you can try visiting accountkiller.com.

Accountkiller.com is a site that gives specific information on how to remove and/or delete your account from hundreds of popular sites and services. The site offers direct links to remove your account when possible and helpful information for sites that don’t offer an easy out.

You can search by the name of the site, look through popular sites, and also see what sites are ranked by the ease of account termination. Blacksites mean that removing your account is more difficult vs the whitelist where there is usually a direct and easy way to remove yourself.

Check it out today to minimize your exposure of personal information loss.

#delete

WIN A MEDIA ROOM MAKEOVER FOR YOUR SCHOOL!

Need a new media room? Just answer 1 question, submit a few photos, and your media room could get a total makeover!

The Grand Rapids Griffins and Farm Bureau Insurance are teaming up to provide a media room makeover for one deserving elementary or middle school in Kent County, Ottawa County, Allegan County or the Thornapple-Kellogg district, through their fourth annual Media Room Makeover contest.
Click here to submit your entry.

Depending on the winning school’s needs, its media room makeover could consist of a variety of new resources for its existing media room, computer lab or library, such as computer hardware, software, books, furniture, paint, carpet and light construction, with a value up to $15,000.
Following the application deadline on April 6, all entries will be reviewed by the Griffins and Farm Bureau Insurance and narrowed to a pool of three finalist schools, each of which will receive a site visit as part of the final selection.

The Griffins and Farm Bureau will choose the winning school by April 30, assist school officials in the makeover of the school’s media room this summer, then host a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the start of the new school year in August or September. The two runner-up schools will each receive $250 toward upgrading the amenities of their current media rooms.

Check out the link for details.

#media

Farewell Andrew – Now What?

We are sad to announce that Andrew has accepted a position with Plymouth-Canton Public Schools. He has been an excellent colleague and friend over the past six and a half years, in which he amassed a notable body of work. It has been a pleasure to learn from him and grow with him through our collaboration, and we wish him well in his endeavors.

You may be wondering what’s going to change for the Kent ISD Ed Tech team. The good news is that Andrew will remain as a contributor to this blog, though I am not sure he will be finding much time to post to it. Ron and I will be supporting many of Andrew’s continuing projects, and, as with everything we do, we will strive to optimize them for those we support. Please contact us to explore how we can coach, train, consult, or build around tech integration with you.

Craig Steenstra – craigsteenstra@kentisd.org – 616.447.5673

Ron Houtman – ronhoutman@kentisd.org – 616.365.2320

hackGVSU – Coming April 14

 

The eLearning and Emerging Technologies department invites you to the “hackGVSU” event at the main campus of Grand Valley State University.

This will be held on Saturday, April 14. The goal is to provide opportunities for students and teams to work together on programming projects. There are HTML, LTI, and REST API integration possibilities with Blackboard providing training on these during the event.

More information is available at: http://www.gvsu.edu/elearn/hackgvsu

#gvsu

Personalized Learning Conference: #PLCON18 Call for Proposals is Open!

Kent ISD is pleased to announce the hosting of the third Personalized Learning Conference on May 2, 2018 and is searching for presenters to share their experiences in this evolving educational practice. Personalized Learning is a model of learning that promotes flexibility within the learning environment to allow students’ needs to drive instructional strategies, assessments, use of time, and materials.

We are searching for presentation proposals that include the innovative and systemic use of blended learning and/or technology to drive or support elementary, middle and high school learning to ensure students are college and career ready. In particular, we seek case studies, action research, and stories of success related to innovative learning that facilitates one or more of the following:

• Blended Learning Implementation
• Individualized Instruction
• Assessment & Feedback
• Authentic Practice
• Promoting Transfer and Universal Design for Learning
• Active Learning
• Mastery Learning
• Data-Driven Decision Making
• Project-Based Learning

Click here to submit your proposal for the Personalized Learning Conference

Proposal submission deadline is February 23, 2018 at 11:59 p.m.