CSDNR Instructional Tech Weekly

The list of District Approved Applications is always being updated. These applications include software procured through LHRIC or BOCES as well as third party vendors who have signed our Parent Bill of Rights and Data Privacy Agreement in order to be compliant with Ed Law 2D. All vendors who collect student personally identifiable information (PII) must sign these agreements. If you are interested in new software not on the list, fill out the Software Approval Form. If you are looking for training on software that is approved, fill out the Request for Training Form.

Teachers can use Nearpod to show YouTube Videos. In order to use this application, teachers need to login to Nearpod, have their YouTube URL handy and click on Create. From there, select Video and add your URL into the YouTube dialogue box. YouTube videos will play on student chromebooks. If you want an easy tutorial on how to do this, take a look at this short video. This video will also show you how to launch a self-paced video lesson via Google Classroom. If you want more information about this fill out the Request for Training Form.

If you are looking for informational text on a variety of subject matter, take a look at Newsela. Newsela has a myriad of articles from a variety of sources. Many articles are in both English and Spanish and can be read aloud in both languages. Mostly all articles come in a variety of levels. Some articles span grades 3 to 12, making the text accessible to mostly all readers. The Spanish articles also come in a variety of lexile levels.

Newsela is easy to use and teachers can assign articles via Google Classroom. There are also videos and graphic content included in the application. The content is searchable by topic, reading level, grade level and even reading skills assessed. Teachers can also browse by subject area including Science, Social Studies and English Language Arts. Newsela also has a searchable repository of Spanish articles, current events, opinion articles and primary sources.

Newsela can also be used for quick formative assessment on reading and writing skills. Teachers can assign the quick quizzes that accompany many of the articles. Additionally, there are embedded writing prompts that can be customized. Quizzes are multiple choice and graded automatically and writing prompts can be assessed in the application. Teachers can provide feedback to students directly on the Newsela site.

If you have not explored Newsela, go to Newsela.com and click on the Google button and use your Google credentials to login. You can connect your Google Classrooms to your Newsela account from your settings. Under settings, you will find a tab that say classes. You can sync your Newsela Account with your Google Classroom. You can assign articles directly to Google Classroom.

If you are looking for fun games to use with your classes, check out Lumio. Lumio, formerly known as Smart Learning Suite Online, offers 12 game templates for teachers to use with students. Lumio is easy to use and is accessible in your Google Waffle. Take a look at this short video on how to create and launch a game.

The District subscribes to Nearpod and its Digital Citizenship lessons for grades K-12. These lessons include topics such as keyboarding, coding, evaluating resources and staying safe online. There is a scope and sequence that includes all of the lessons Nearpod offers. There are over 250 lessons in all. Nearpod also offers an implementation guide for using the Digital Citizenship lessons in the classroom.

The Integrated Social Studies/ELA Curriculum from Putnam/Northern Westchester BOCES is a user-friendly K-8 curriculum created by teachers from the region for teachers throughout New York State. To create your individual account, go to https://www.pnwboces.org/sselanew/registration. Complete the required fields and create your password. Passwords must be at least 6 characters long and must include a special character. You will receive a confirmation email to complete the registration process. Open the confirmation email and select the embedded link to confirm your new account. Sign In and click the Confirmation button. After you click on the Confirmation button you can use your newly created credentials to login to the Enhanced SS/ELA Curriculum.

The District has access to a new writing program for grades 6-12 called No Red Ink. This program helps to build stronger writers through authentic writing experiences. There are four components in the application; Practice, Writing, Assessment and Standards & Tests. Practice includes skill and grammar work. The Writing section is comprised of Quick Writes and Guided Drafts. This section also includes Peer Review and Self Review.

To get started with No Red Ink, go to noredink.com and use your Google credentials to login. Choose your school to take you to the premium content. To learn more about the platform take a look at the Getting Started Section and Video, Video on Quick Writes or Diagnostic Assessments. Additionally, the Instructional Technology Team will provide training for teachers.

The Instructional Technology Website is always being updated. Recently, the site was overhauled to feature the professional learning resources that are available to all CSDNR faculty and staff. Last spring, the Team began vetting and creating resources to help educators learn how to use software applications. The resources include step-by-step videos as well as Google Slide Decks. There are also Google Docs and PDFs. Over the last year, we have added many resources to this collection.