COCISD-GO!! Teacher Finalists!

Congratulations to these Trojèmon Hunters who have collected all 7 Trojèmons!  

You've earned a fancyland collared shirt and a bonus!

Samantha Graham

Mary Jane Guerrero

Dana Sweeten

Shalonda Washington

Penny Fevola

Kristi Byrd

Matthew Ritchey

Mary Berger

Michelle Heflin
Erika Crain
Courtney Bailes
Tabitha Nadeau
Chris Gonzales
Brittney Currie
Sarah West

Congratulations to these Trojèmon Hunters who have collected 6 Trojèmons!

You've earned a fancyland collared shirt!

Nina Buchanan
Christina Phillips

* see a mistake? just email me! 
The COCISD-Go! Fall Tech Challenge ends Wednesday, Dec. 21st at 11:59 p.m.

Challenge 6 Update! Teachers Earning Trojémon Badge 6

Congratulations! 

These teachers have earned their Challenge 6 badge:

Mary Jane Guerrero

Dana Sweeten

Kristi Byrd
Samantha Graham
Matthew Ritchey
Penny Fevola
Erika Crain
Nina Buchanan
Chris Gonzales
Christina Phillips
Sarah West
Michelle Heflin
Erika Crain

Challenge 6: Helping Parents Help Students!

Helping Parents Help Students!

Challenge 6:

Our last challenge is to give parents and guardians some tools to use when their children need some extra academic support.  

Log in to your Grade Level web page of the school district web site.  Post at least 2 links to web sites that help students learn basic skills that will help them be successful at school, that are Math, ELA, Social Studies, or Science.  Your 2 links need to be different than the other links already posted, so that your parents/guardians have a nice selection of sites the students can choose to visit. 

Once you've put those links on your Grade Level site, text or email me- no need to send a pic for this one!  Please note, although you may usually have 1 teacher doing all the updates on your grade's site, I would like each teacher to post links to complete this challenge. 

For help getting the links on the page click here.

You have in your email the website address that allows you to access the editable side of the school district web site.  That same email has your login credentials.

Challenge 5 Update! Teacher Earning Challenge 5 Trojèmon Badge

Teachers Earning Challenge 5 Badge:

Dana Sweeten

Erika Crain

Mary Jane Guerrero

Matthew Ritchey

Mary Berger
Penny Fevola
Nina Buchanan
Kristi Byrd
Sarah West
Chris Gonzales
Brittanie Currie
Michelle Heflin

image from: clipartix.com

Challenge 5: Help With Formative Assessments and Vocabulary!

For this challenge you will use one of the tools listed below (that you haven't already used!) to help your students improve their vocabulary skills.   As usual, take a picture or post on Twitter!!!!
Grades 3-5:
Quizlet Live:  Sign up for an account, make a stack that is at least 15 vocabulary words and definitions.  Then follow the directions at this link to create a "Quizlet Live" activity with your students. https://quizlet.com/features/live

Quizalize:  Makes multiple choice online quizzes.  You can import a Quizlet vocabulary stack to make creating the quiz easier for you, but you can also create from scratch.  Check the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4eKfe-fNYs

Quizziz: This is a "quiet" competition- similar to Kahoot! but students play on their own screen, not a projector screen.  You set the questions, and the students compete against each other.

Plickers: This is great because the students don't need a device to participate!  You print out a set of "Plickers" signs and give one out to each student.  You set the questions, and the students hold up a "Plickers" sign to answer the question. You take your phone or iPad and scan the room while students hold up their sign.  Your device shows who got the answer correct.

Grades Pre-K-2: 
Make a Google Form (Google Drive > New > More > Google Forms) with pictures to ask your students a question, similar to this one.  Put the link to the form at your computer station or on your ipad(s) so the students can answer your form. Here's a help video.  Helpful Hint: If you are wondering how you can get that Preview link to your iPad, an easy way to do that is to copy the Preview link and paste it into an email that you email to yourself.  Then open the email on your iPad, click the link, and add that link to your Home Screen.

Just a few more days to complete the challenges!
The last challenge is coming soon!

Challenge 4 and Bonus Update: Teachers earning Trojemon Badge 4!

Congrats to the following teachers, who have participated in this year's Hour of Code, Challenge 4! 

Matthew Ritchey

Dana Sweeten

Mary Berger
Samantha Graham
Kristi Byrd
Tabitha Nadeau
Nina Buchanan
Penny Fevola
Erika Crain
Courtney Bailes
Mary Jane Guerrero
Chris Gonzales
Michelle Heflin
Brittney Currie
Michelle Heflin

Bonus Badge:

Matthew Ritchey

Mary Berger
Kristi Byrd
Tabitha Nadeau
Chris Gonzales
Brittney Currie
Michelle Heflin

images from: http://www.invistaperforms.org/

and DH Leonard Consulting

Challenge 4: Coding With Kids: Hour of Code!

Challenge 4:   

How can elementary school teachers help students be prepared for college and careers?  We can give our students the opportunity to try programming, so that when they get older, they can make an educated decision on careers!  

Computer Science in Education Week is December 5-9, so this week's challenge is to use one of the following sites to give your students the opportunity to try computer programming! 

Pre-K and K:

Play this activity called Kodable with your students. It promotes sequencing and logical thinking, Let them use it on your Smartboard or Mimio during rotations!

Bonus Badge!

Play the If-Then Backyard Coding Game located here.  Don't forget to take some pictures and email to me!  

Grades 1-5:

Use this site: https://hourofcode.com/us/learn and  choose one of the activities.  I recommend:

Angry Birds

Moana, Wayfinding With Code 

Minecraft Hour of Code

CodeMonkey

You can do any of these activities without having to set up accounts for your students!

Please send me photos via Twitter, text, or email!  

Bonus Badge!

Add the link from this challenge to your Grade Level District web site.  That way students can have a an easy way to go back to the site!

Challenge 3 Update! Teachers Earning Challenge 3 Trojèmon Badge

These teachers have earned the Challenge 3 badge- using your interactive whiteboard as a station.

Mary Jane Guerrero

Dana Sweeten

Matthew Ritchey

Samantha Graham

Christina Phillips

Tabitha Nadeau

Sarah West

Shalonda Washington

Mary Berger

Kristi Byrd

Britney Currie

Michelle Heflin

image from: Clip Art Kid

Challenge 2 Update: Teachers Earning Challenge 2 Trojèmon Badge

Teachers Who Have Completed Challenge 2:

Sarah West

Nina Buchanan

Erika Crain

Becky Wilson

Brittany Currie

Kristi Byrd

Shalonda Washington

Tabitha Nadeau

Dana Sweeten

Samantha Graham

Matthew Ritchey

Courtney Bailes
Michelle Heflin
Kathleen Bradford
Laura Manshack
Debbie Forrest
Dinal Johnson
Mary Jane Guerrero
Penny Fevola
Mary Berger
Samantha Graham
Brittney Currie
Michelle Heflin

image from: 

Challenge 3!

When I was discussing ideas with Mrs. Mizelle and Mrs. Bogner, using your interactive whiteboard (the high-falutin' phrase that describes your Smartboard or Mimio) as a station was suggested and I agree, this is an awesome way to allow the students to be up and about, but still working on a skill.

So... click here to find a resource- there are so many! Then use it for a station during the week.  Get credit by taking a pic and texting, emailing, or tweeting with #COgo to get credit for Challenge 3.

If you do not have a Smartboard or Mimio, you will also be finding resources (using the same link from above) for the students to use, Please add the link or links you think are useful to your grade level's COCISD web site.  Then you can show your students how to access those links using the district web site links so they can use them for Stations.  If you need help adding links to your grade level's website, click here.

Challenge 1 Update- Remember, you can do these challenges until December 22!

Earning their first Trojémon badge:

Courtney Bailes

Matthew Ritchey

Mary Jane Guerrero

Sarah West

Tabitha Nadeau

Kristi Byrd

Shalonda Washington (even tweeted out!)

Victoria Watson

Nina Buchanan

Erika Crain

Becky Wilson

Brittany Currie

Shalonda Washington

Courtney Bailes

Dana Sweeten

Penny Fevola

Mary Berger

Michelle Heflin

Brittney Currie

Michelle Heflin

Challenge Two!

Challenge Two is split- there is a challenge for 2nd-5th grade teachers, and a separate challenge for the PreK-1st grade teachers.  When you finish the challenge, take a pic that represents what you have done for this challenge, and either tweet it out using the hashtag #CO-go, email me the pic, or text it to me!  

Visit the Library!

Pick up the Storia account information from Mrs. Hopson, and follow those directions to create a teacher account.

1. Add your students to your class, and send home the notes about how they can access the ebooks at home on ANY device!  You can set the class to be able to access any books, or limit them to only the books you assign. If you are a Math/Science teacher, please talk to the ELA teacher to find out how she or he groups the students for small group instruction.  
2. When you enter your account, please group your students in small groups like they are grouped during ELA instruction.  Browse the book list (by title, reading level, or author.) When you find a book you like, you could assign it to the class, or to a group.  When students open their account, they will be able to see and read any book you have assigned.  
3. You can search by type, Lexile level, genre, subject, format, etc. (Look on the left side after you click on the eBooks tab.)
4. Have your students use their Storia account!

Online Libraries!

Please use the following links to help you choose books to read to your students.  Many students don't have books at home to read, so please put the links on your Grade Level web site.  Reading is a lot like football, if you don't practice, you don't get any better, so this will give parents a resource to use to help their students develop skills!  

Unite for Literacy  

http://www.uniteforliteracy.com/

Storyline Online

http://www.storylineonline.net/

WatchKnowLearn: videos for your classroom- organized by type, click on the Read Aloud link.  Once you get on this site, it’s hard to leave! There are lots of good resources here! http://www.watchknowlearn.org/

This source from Barnes and Noble shows authors read aloud their books.

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/nook-blog/category/online-storytime/

COCISD Go! Challenge 1: Classroom Tools to Manage Your Class!

Our first challenge!  There are lots of ways to help you streamline the actions you do in your classroom and to add a little bit of spark to some mundane tasks, so take a look at the tools listed below, and follow the directions to earn your FIRST Pokemon!

Please check with Mrs. Bounds to see if you have students that are not allowed to be photographed.

Use one of the following online tools for a week to help you with classroom management. Email Kellie with a summary of one child’s behavior from the week. The Great Behavior Game      Help with The Great Behavior Game Class Dojo       Help with Class Dojo

AND… Pick 2 tools from the list below.  Use them more than once during the week. Tweet a pic of them in use using #COgo and @gottasectech or email a pic to me. (To make a Twitter account, talk to a teenager or go to www.gottasectech.com Scroll down and click on “Develop Your PLN Here.”)   One Click Timer is a timer with a gentle sound, times up to 1 hour (it downloads to your Chrome browser next to the omnibox/URL box.) Too Noisy is a free web based tool to monitor noise level, or a paid app for your iOS/Android device Task Timer is a way to set goals for completing tasks, and then timing how long it takes to complete the goal. Bouncy Balls is an Chrome app for you to monitor noise.  After you download the app, you will find it on your Chrome Apps Launcher page. Random Name Picker use this to randomly choose a name. Stick Pick use this to choose a student, choose question starters, and record how well a student answered.  You choose the question stems, based on Bloom’s taxonomy.  This app costs money, so you would add it to your teacher iPad/Android device using your personal App Store username and pw.  That way the app is yours to keep forever! Remind is a reminder tool that uses a web site to push out text messages to parents in your class.  It was originally intended to send out texts, without being able to get texts back, but the recent updates allow for texts to be received if you want it.  Parents sign up for this when you send home the note that is created when you choose that option.  The best thing about this is it keeps your phone number private, because the texts are sent from your Remind account, and you can set them to auto send on a particular day/time.

Welcome to the Fall 2016 Tech Challenge- CIS/JSE Just For YOU!

Sharing is Caring: Changing Ownership of Google Docs

At the end of the school year, sometimes you're lucky: you find out you get to do exactly what you have been doing, in exactly the same room you've done it, with the same exact schedule planned for the next year.  But really, that doesn't happen often.  Whether by mandate or choice, usually there are lots of changes.

If you are leaving your district, changing grades, or changing subjects, there are 2 ways to make sure that someone "left behind" can keep using the Google docs, slides, forms, etc. you shared with them.

1. Tell a person you shared your Google doc with, and tell them to make a copy: that person opens the doc, chooses "file" and then chooses "make a copy."  Now that person is the owner of a brand new doc, and she/he can share it out with whomever.  There is no editing history, and no one else that the doc is shared with.
2.  Tell a person you shared your Google doc with that you are going to make her/him the owner of the doc: click on the "share" button or icon, click "Advanced" and then toggle the editing rights to "is owner" then click "done."  You will get a message box, and if you're sure, you click "yes."  The editing history remains intact, as well as the list of people it was previously shared with.

Either way you choose, you are leaving with a positive memory for the people you've been working with, and that's a good thing because...sharing is caring!

I'm so glad we had this time together...but Kellie, how do I get my stuff out of my Google Drive?

If you grew up watching the Carol Burnett show, you probably recognize my blog title, and remember the antics of Carol and her weekly guests that could hardly get through a comedy sketch without breaking out in laughter before the punchline to the jokes were told.  I think the reason that I liked the show so much is that the actors and actresses were joyful and carefree while performing and I laughed because they were having so much fun during the show.

I feel that way at school a lot- I really enjoy my job, working with adults and with students gives me great pleasure, so it's always bittersweet at the end of the year when I have to say goodbye to teachers and students as they move forward in the pursuit of their dreams beyond Coldspring-Oakhurst CISD. I really am glad we've had this time together!  Thanks for the laughter and great memories.

Oh, and here's the answer to The Big Question "How do I get my Google Docs, etc. out of my district Google Drive and permanently in my personal Google Drive?"  Below the video is a list of directions if YouTube is unavailable.

Using Drive Migrator to Transfer Your District Google Drive Items to

Your Personal Google Drive

In your District Google Account- Prepare the folders, docs, etc:

1. To save yourself time migrating folders, create a folder and name it “From District.”  

(In your district Google Drive, click “New” then “Folder” and then delete “untitled folder”

and type “From District” to name it.)

2. Only docs and folders you own are able to be migrated to your personal account.  So...if

you want to keep something created by someone else, you can open that doc, choose “file” then “make a copy.”  That way you are the owner of a copy, and therefore will be able to migrate it.  

3. Click and drag all folders, docs, etc. to the new folder named “From District.”  

4. Share that folder with your personal Gmail account.

Sign in to your Personal Google Account- Get “Drive Migrator” from the Chrome Web Store:

1. Search “Drive Migrator”

Use “Drive Migrator”:

1. Click on Drive Migrator to open the app, add the app, then “allow” and then click the selection tool:

2. Choose the folder “From District.”

3. Click “Copy.”

4. Depending on how much information was in the folder, it will take from 10 minutes to a day

to migrate all of the contents.  You can close the tab and go on with your business (don’t

log out of your account or turn your computer off, though!)  You will receive an email in

Your personal email account when your data is finished being transferred.  

5. Your folder of information will now be in your personal Google Drive! They’re in a folder

           called “My Backup.” If you look in the folder and some of your docs, etc. didn’t migrate, you   

           should check to make sure you are the owner of the docs- remember that this app will not

Migrate docs, etc. that are not owned by you.  Repeat this process if needed.

Shirts Are In!