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| image from: Sylvia Duckworth
We're in our 5th year of celebrating Computer Science in Education Week(s)!
Check out how far we've come, then take a look at some photos of this year's activities.
(Keep checking back for additional photos to be added!) 
At COHS:
We started a Robotics club after school 4 years ago with 4 students,
and now it's a class, along with learning to build rockets.
We discovered great resources for teaching the Engineering/Robots and Rocketry classes-
Mr. Whiting and Mrs. Everett! Big Thanks!
We've expanded our Video Production and Graphics classes, thanks to Mrs. Patrick!
We've competed in the TCEA Region 6 robotics competition.
Last year we placed 1st and made our first trip to State competition!
This year we hosted the Region 6 competition at COHS. Entries grew to 18 teams from 6 last year! We attended field trips relating to careers in Computer Science and robotics. We wrote a grant and were awarded that grant to get curriculum support
for starting our first ever Computer Science/Programming class at COHS.
We began offering Computer Science as a course for students and have
plans to add more courses next year.
We discovered a great resource for teaching the class! Mr. Heiser!!! Big thanks! At LJH:
We started a Coding Club 4 years ago that meets each year during the Spring semester.
We wrote a grant and were awarded that grant to get curriculum support
for embedding Computer Science/Programming into the Tech Apps class currently offered at LJH.
We discovered a great resource for teaching CS as a class beginning
Fall 2018- Natalie Martin! Big Thanks!
We have a 6th grade teacher who was willing to attend robotics training last June
and now uses sets of Dot and Dash robots in her Science classroom!
We began the CS pipeline this year- giving students the opportunity to know what coding is, so students can choose it for a Language credit when they get to high school!
At CIS:
We have teachers who were willing to attend robotics training last June and
now have sets of Dot and Dash robots with their classes!
We began offering after school clubs 4 years ago to offer coding, robotics,
and maker space activities each Spring semester.
Four years ago, we began including coding activities in our annual Digic@mp, offered each summer to students who have completed 3rd-5th grade.
We have teachers using the online coding curriculum from Code.org as a station during class.
We have teachers who participate each year in the Hour of Code activities.
At JSE:
The pipeline begins here!!!!
We have teachers who were willing to attend robotics training last June and
now have sets of Dot and Dash robots with their classes!
The Education Foundation awarded a grant to have Dot and Dash robots purchased, and given to Pre-K and Kindergarten teachers for introducing programming to the Tiny Tots of COCISD. Fridays are my favorite day of the week because I get to help!
Last year, teachers began using the free version of Kodable, a program that teaches coding to young children , and this year are using the paid version with access to all Kodable curriculum.
Plans to expand our robotics program are in the works, by moving
the Dot and Dash robots up to the next grade next year,
and adding more robots to Pre-K/Kindergarten.
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Our Hour(s) of Code!
Tuesday Tech Bits- Screen/Smartboard Recording Made Easy!
Those Math teachers at Coldspring-Oakhurst High School have got it going on! They want to make sure the students are equipped to help themselves when they are stuck on a math problem!
You can learn the Number 1 Trick of their Trade!!
Use the Smartboard recorder to record parts of lessons!!!
This is not just for Math teachers!
It is such a smart way to remove all doubt from the students' minds when they are faced with the challenge of completing tasks on their own! This is great for a teacher in any content area!
Follow the steps in the video below to learn how to do this!
Need an extra dose of support? Ask a Math teacher at COHS, or Laurie McMurrey, 8th grade Math teacher for guidance!
After you're finished recording, you'll want to upload the file to your web site, so click here to find out how to do that!
And now pat yourself on the back for doing a good job helping students be their best!
Use the Smartboard to record:
Do you need a lift this last week before Thanksgiving? Read on to hear from staff at Coldspring Intermediate School to inspire you!
I'm looking forward to a new tradition we are starting on campus! It's the Turkey Olympics! Students and teachers will be participating in fun, outdoor activities to see which class in each grade level will earn the most points!
In addition, we will have a performance of Junie B. Jones, a play based on the very popular children's book series.
It's going to be a great week here at CIS and JSE!
- Mrs. Mizelle,
Principal at CIS and JSE
We are enjoying Thanksgiving holiday books! We read one
about a turkey that had to camoflage himself, and then the students colored a turkey to blend in with our classroom! It's tough to find those turkeys!
- Courtney Bailes,
CIS and JSE G/T and Intervention Specialist
Can you spot the turkey in these pictures?
I'm looking forward to reading student writing this week! We are focusing on being thankful for our many blessings, and the students are writing to their parents and grandparents about what they are most thankful for.
-Michelle Heflin, 4th grade Teacher
Inserting Graphics in a Google Slides Presentation
Here's an example of what you can find.
The details:
1. In your Google Slides presentation, click on the "Insert" menu.
2. Choose "Diagrams" and choose the type of diagram from the categories on the right of your presentation.
3. Fill in the information that you would like to show.
4. It automatically saves!
My Monday Motivation! Stories from the Classroom
What motivates Coldspring-Oakhurst CISD teachers? Read what's getting some teachers fired up for the week!
What motivates me each Monday? I take the time on Mondays to find an inspirational/motivational video online, share it with my students, and then we spend time discussing it after watching. We usually end the class by writing a response to the video or the discussion, or both. I hope the students get inspired, discover a new way to look at a problem, or just learn to persevere through obstacles in their life. I really enjoy helping the students!
- Becky Jewkes, COHS English and Yearbook Teacher
I'm really excited about this week's spirit activities and all the spirit the students are showing for Red Ribbon Week, Pink Out, and Senior Night coming up on Friday. We've got such a great group of students!
- Marilyn Toney, Dance, Drill Team, and Cheer teacher
I'm really excited to be here today because we are making final preparations for our UIL Marching Band competition, which is Tuesday! We've been working really hard on our program, and the students are ready. This year, we are including some of our junior high school students in the marching program, and they are really excited about the opportunity!
- Suzanne Beavers, Lincoln Junior High
And then we have Lori McGarvey, library aide at COHS library:
What motivates me is that I love my job! I look forward to Mondays because I like to talk to teachers and students. I like to keep the library "neat and tidy." I like to encourage students to come and stay at the library. I especially like to help students work through their problems- how to find a book in the library, what to read next, what to do to bring up a grade, how to study better, how to decide where to go to college, how to prepare for college, etc.
Tuesday Tech Bits!
Uploading Microsoft Docs and Slides to Your Google Drive:
Many people use Microsoft Office products like Word and Powerpoint to create docs. Then they use their Google Drive as a storage place for those Word and PPT files. This is understandable, but takes away some of the best reasons for using your Google Drive- to share and enable collaboration with others!
So, here is how you can upload your Word document (or Powerpoint presentation), but also enable the features to make it collaborative, so that others could comment or edit, if you choose to allow them to! It also is great to do this if you want to use the document or presentation in Google Classroom, so you can allow each student can have their own copy of what you have created.
1. Open your Google Drive.
2. Click on the "Settings" icon on the far right, and choose "Setttings."
3. Check the box to indicate that you want the format to be Google format and click "Done."
4. Now, when you want to upload a Word doc or Powerpoint presentation, it will be uploaded as an editable Google Doc or Presentation. You do this by clicking the blue "New" button and choosing "Upload file." Your file will convert automatically, sometimes with some minor changes.
Best of all, you can now share this with others and collaborate to get the best doc or presentation, without emailing copies back and forth, or storing everything on a USB stick.
You can also share to Google Classroom using "each student gets a copy."
My Monday Motivation!- Stories from the Classroom!
Welcome to my new blog feature! I'll be highlighting teachers across the district that share what their "Monday Motivation" is- something or someone that helps motivate and inspire them.
What's your Monday Motivation this week?
"My Monday Motivation this week is getting to work with my UIL team. I am the coach for the Third Grade Spelling team, and we are off to a great start. I love that so many students have scored really well already!"
- Mary Berger
3rd Grade ELA Teacher
"My Monday Motivation is getting to spend time with a student who is working on improving his ability to show self control in class. It's great to see him work towards a
goal, and achieve it."
-Laurie Bogner,
CIS/JSE Math and Science CLL
"My Monday Motivation is being able to
do labs with my students. They always
enjoy the hands-on lessons because they
get to be scientists, observing and measuring.
They get to talk out what they are
experiencing."
- Lynde Phillips, Biology and AP Biology Teacher
New School Year, New Blog Format!
It's time to switch things up with my blog! In the past, I've mostly just posted information about our district Tech Challenges, but this year I'll be using this blog to communicate about technology tools that are currently being used in our district, and to also highlight and introduce tools that would be a good fit for best instructional strategies in your classroom.
Packing Up Your Google Drive "Stuff"
If you are leaving your school district, follow these three steps to take your Google Drive files with you to your next district.
Follow these steps to make the transition as smooth as possible!
Any files in your Google Drive that you created, you own. That also means that if a Google doc (sheet, preso, etc.) is owned by you, and you want someone in your school or district to be able to keep using that doc, you need to transfer ownership. You can also transfer ownership of folders.
Watch this video to see how to complete this step.
If you want to keep any files that someone shared with you, you should make sure you have chosen the icon "Add to My Drive" near the top of the doc. You can only move Google Docs that are actually in your Google Drive, not just shared with you.
Watch this video to see how to complete this step.
Next, you can follow the directions located here, in the section called "Copy and Transfer Your Files." If you don't have a Gmail account, you need to make one so you can complete the transfer. If you are going to work at a district that has G-Suite for Education, and you already have a district email, you can transfer from your current district Google Drive to the Google Drive associated with your new district.
Click here to see how to complete this step.
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