YouTube, Drive Thurs, Batteries, and Gigi

Happy Friday! These five days weeks are crazy. Here are a few updates from the media center. I've been holding off on emails, so there's a lot of stuff here. I sat in a media specialist meeting this morning where they walked us through how to set up a Zoom meeting. I know. We are so proficient with our practices and things are running so smoothly here at Cedar Ridge. It's so cool seeing all the interactive features of your classes and sheer number of quality posts kids are making to your courses. Great job!!

"Sit and get" Powerpoints are dangerous to your health. 

Library Drive Thru
We've had a nice turnout for the drive thru this week. As of this publication, we have 36 kids come through. We will continue next week with all grade levels. If you are 3rd or 4th grade teacher and haven't scheduled a time with me to talk to your class, you know how to reach me. 

YouTube
This info might not apply to you, but there have been an increased number of blocked videos. Technology Services has indicated they are making changes to the parameters. If you have come across this issue, you are supposed to call the help desk (if you can get through, Larry will buy your lunch the next day). Or send me the link and I'll handle it for you. 

So an email just went out to everyone in the world. I would not worry right now about having your students login to Youtube. I have a few followup questions for Dr. Monroe and then I'll pass along my suggestions. Update: she says that students will still be able to view video without logging in. I would highly suggest you test your YouTube videos by using the Chrome Incognito browser. What the heck is that, you say? Click on the three dots in the upper right corner of Chrome. Choose "new incognito browser". The paste your YouTube video there. That shows you what happens when someone not logged in as you accesses your links. Next level stuff. 

iPads for Justin and Rebecca
Rebecca came to me and asked if she could have an iPad to better support you. What a great idea! So both Justin and Rebecca have an iPad so they can see what the students are seeing and learn more about the apps. Now that I'm writing this, I'm wondering if Emily might want one as well. If you are reading this message, Emily, then come see me! Right now I'm eavesdropping on Ainsley's class as Justin is leading them on a lesson. He's doing an awesome job! Very cool! 

ST Math
Here is a video about how students can get into ST Math. I've also put it on the webpage under the "Learning at Home" tab. 

SeeSaw Courses
Our specialists have asked that our students practice how to go in between courses in SeeSaw. If you haven't already, on Tuesday of next week can you show them quickly how to toggle between their courses? Each classroom teacher will continue to post the schedule on your homeroom course. 

Battery Life
Students are using the heck out of these devices. I see how drained Maggie's and Ainsley's iPads are after a morning of usage. I'd suggest you tell the kids to plug in during their lunch break. If parents are having charging issues, I'd suggest you first have them try a different cable if possible. Those are the most likely point of failure. Lemons do happen, so if it can't be resolved with a cable swap I can issue a new device after we go through all the other variables.

Jamboard
I got to spend some time this week with Nikki's small group work on Jamboard. It's an interactive whiteboard app from Google. There are some pretty cool features and would support cooperative learning with students. If you'd like to learn more about how you might be able to use Jamboard, let me know and we can meet. 

Featured App: Reminders
I've been really impressed with how you are teaching kids how to augment their executive functioning skills using the timers and alarms on the iPad. Next week, see if you can blend in the Reminders app. It's a great way for kids to document things they need to do. You can schedule reminders just like calendar events and can also make them recurring. Students can check off completed reminders as well (everyone loves checking things off their list). Schedule a time with me if you'd like a Zoom breather and I can walk them through it next week. 

Enjoy Your Weekend!