Tech Tip Tuesday Edition 23

At the District Equity Day on March 18th, the Instructional Technology Team led a classroom training opportunity that focused on using tools readily available to all teachers and staff to help support such student (and family/community) needs as translation, dyslexic accessibility font, and student ability inclusivity tools. A few of these tools were demonstrated on Kami. You can read more about how Kami can support accessibility and inclusion in your classroom HERE or watch the video below.

If you have attended some of our more recent trainings, you may have heard us talking about some awesome new features added to Kami. Some of our favorites are the graphic organizers and stickers available under media on the left-side tool panel. Also on the tool panel, you will find some new comment tools featuring the ability for teachers and students to leave text, voice, and video comments on Kami assignments. There is even a screen capture tool under this comment feature.

However, the one new feature we have been waiting for is now LIVE! Click on this LINK to explore the new Kami Library and all that is has to offer! Watch the video below to learn more.

Teachers worldwide are working to create caring, inclusive, and engaging classrooms. They're turning to frameworks such as Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) and Culturally Responsive Teaching. Both approaches encourage teachers to incorporate students' cultural backgrounds, languages, and identities into the learning experience. Canva shares with us some practical ways to do the same and suggests over 2,000 different templates that can help.

Besides templates, Canva also shares these helpful reminders:

• Use correct pronouns: Respecting your students' preferred pronouns will make them feel comfortable and valued.
• Avoid gendered language: Use inclusive language such as 'students,' 'class,' and 'everyone' when addressing your class as a whole.
• Include diverse stories: Include people from diverse backgrounds in your stories, examples, and scenarios.
• Explain idioms: Make sure you explain idioms to students who might not have the cultural background or language to understand.

The Staff Professional Development Course offerings will now be available on the MSD website for planning purposes. Click on the link to view the full calendar and sign up for courses.

PD Calendar

Subscribe to our channel to see more instructional videos and tutorials about tools to use in your classroom.

MSD Instructional Support Channel