Back to School 2017

Many of you have already made tremendous progress in prepping your classroom for the school year. As we gear up to welcome our students back, here are some resources that you might find helpful to kicking the year off right with your iPads.

In this newsletter you'll find:

• Name plate templates to use with your class
• Digital Citizenship - video and THINK poster review
• Dos and Don'ts with the iPad handout students received at back to school night
• Information for a class digital citizenship contract you can customize
• Digital Compass - digital citizenship app from Common Sense Media
• Interland - new game based digital citizenship game from Google
• Introduction to Clips - a new app students will have access to in the app portal
• Basics for setting up apps that kids love - Epic, ABC Mouse and Seesaw

Consider using a nameplate template that also functions as a reminder of username, email address and a guide to common iPad app icons that students will need to use often.

You can grab the PowerPoint template in Schoology or through the email, save to your computer and customize by adding student information.

Avoid putting student passwords on the nameplate as that is private information.

As part of your first day procedure discussion, set your students up to be successful with the technology.

Let them know the basics like:

• where they should store iPads safely when not in use
  
• your policy on screen free times and zones
• apps you want them to use often

It would also be a good idea to consider digital citizenship more

• review the THINK posters we used last year
• talk through the Dos and Don'ts sheet students received at Back to School nights
• create a class expectations contract that as a class or on your own to share with students
• share the Digital Citizenship video we used last year (below)

Use the Dos and Don'ts sheet to help develop a class expectations contract for device use.

You can create your own expectations contract using the template found in Schoology or through email, or after reviewing the Dos and Don'ts with your class you could discuss and create a contract agreed upon by the class.

Consider editing the document in PowerPoint, then print to display in the class, or save the document as a JPEG and airdrop to students to set as the wallpaper on their iPads if they often forget the class expectations.

With 3-5 grades, one thing you can do to reinforce the conversations students will be having in the library is to have students download and use the Common Sense Media Digital Compass App and check with your school's librarian to go over some of the key skills they will be covering this year and discuss the way you can help share a consistent message.

You may also want to check out Google's new Interland "Be Internet Awesome" initiative.

In both cases, students can work through Digital Citizenship modules in a game type enviroment.

I was introduced to Clips this summer at ISTE by our very own Katie Leftin and Casey Gesenhues. I love this app. It's quick and easy to use to create videos that include graphics, effects, audio, live titles, images and videos. See the video below for how to use it.

Our kids love using apps like Seesaw, ABC Mouse, EPIC, Sumdog and BrainPop.

Check in with your librarian to get a list of commonly used resources and passwords and set up accounts for the tools that fall outside of the District's subscription services.

Let me know if you have questions or need help setting things up!

Email: heidi.neltner@fortthomas.kyschools.us
Twitter: @ftedtech