Our Digital Hays March/April 2019

Our Digital Hays Volume 1 Issue 2 March/April 2019 “Imagine if trees gave off Wifi signals. We would be planting so many trees and we’d probably save the planet too. Too bad they only produce the oxygen we breathe.” - Anonymous

Table of Contents What’s New in Our Digital Hays? Celebrating Innovation ● Genius Educator Award featuring Brandi Snead & Christy Thomason (NES) ● ISTE Making IT Happen Award featuring Jeannine Freeman (C&I) ● TCEA Reflections featuring Caitlin Boyce-Brejcha (TES), Katie Campbell (C&I), WIlliam Reed (HHS), Mandy Taylor (C&I), Leah Munson (LHS), Wendy Saenz (LHS), Wacey Tobler (C&I), & Darby Rodriguez (NES) ● Purposeful Playlists featuring Adrienne Ybarra (HES) ● To The STARS! featuring Ken Domaschk, Lupe Mallen & Yvette Soliz (CRES) ● 100% Hays, 100% Engagement featuring Coach Ferrell (HHS) ● Klingsick Kangaroos Hopping Along with Hyperdocs featuring Jessica Klingsick (KES) ● Growth Mindset featuring Ashley Anderson (BES) & Ella Wade (BES student) ● A Star is Born at Fuentes Elementary featuring Susan Hernandez (FES) Meet the Digital Learning Team Upcoming Events

What’s New in Our Digital Hays? As of January 7th, YouTube has been unblocked for students at the elementary campuses. There are tons of great ways to guide students on YouTube in their learning. View our website at http://bit.ly/hcisdyoutube for more information and as always request help from a digital learning coach if you have further questions. Are you forgetting about our weekly webinars and Twitter chats? If so, we have a solution for you. The Digital Learning Team now has a Remind account. Sign up at http://bit.ly/digitalhaysremind and receive a reminder 1 day as well as 10 min prior to each webinar and Twitter chat.

Genius Educator Award Negley Elementary School's Navigators are celebrating their latest accolades, standout 1st-Grade teachers Brandi Snead and Christy Thomason having been honored with the \"Genius Educator Award\" by the HCISD Digital Learning Team! The team, bearing official certificates, balloons, and the coveted (and always evolving) Genius trophy, joined Negley Principal; Melody Crowther for a surprise walk-in appearance in front of Snead's and Thomason's combined classes. The appreciative Navigators audience learned of the significance of the award (it recognizes exceptional creativity and use of technology in the classroom) and ended up happily posing with their award-winning teachers! Bravo, Brandi Snead and Christy Thomason, for your innovative classroom technology work! Submit a nomination for our next Genius Educator Award winner by clicking HERE.

ISTE Making IT Happen Award At the Texas Computer Education Association’s (TCEA) yearly conference in February, Jeannine Freeman was awarded the Making IT Happen Award. The award is given through TCEA as an affiliate of the the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). The Making IT Happen award honors outstanding educators and leaders who demonstrate extraordinary commitment, leadership, courage and persistence in improving digital learning opportunities for students. Since its inception in 1995, more than 600 educators from around the world have received the award. Jeannine was given the award by the ISTE president. She states that she was honored to receive the award and proud to represent Hays CISD and our vision of a world in which all learners thrive, achieve and contribute.

TCEA Reflections In February, close to 50 teachers and staff from Hays CISD attended the Technology Computer Education Association’s (TCEA) annual conference. We were well represented with multiple presenters from the district. Below are some reflections from the conference. Please feel free to reach out to any of the attendees below or a Digital Learning Coach for help implementing any of these ideas. “I enjoyed the Gerry Brooks presentation and have started a campus Compliment Notebook to support and encourage teachers.” -Caitlin Boyce-Brejcha, 1st Gr at TES, @brejcha1stgrade Putting the Play(list) back in your Classroom Wonders of Google Draw Nearpod: Matching Pairs with Timer Nearpod Resources Research and Resources for PBL/PrBL “I always make Leslie Fisher one of my sessions. She is an awesome presenter and a wealth of knowledge. I went to her Group Smackdown and took away a bunch of different tech tools and chrome extensions that I didn't know existed. Did you know that you can add closed captioning to Google Slides? (Great for screen casting!) I saw Microsoft Translator, which my 6 year old who is in Dual Language (at Blanco Vista) absolutely loves. Insert Learning was cool, and then a website that Leslie didn't know about, http://radio.garden/live/. Check it out and listen to music across the globe! I can think of some great ways to add this in a social studies class!“ -Katie Campbell, STEAM/ES Science Coordinator, @kteachcampbell “TCEA is always a great event! It is exciting to see so many teachers from Hays CISD. This year, I was especially interested in digital literacy tools and how to leverage technology for reading and writing. I am interested in exploring Wakelet as a tool for digital curation.” -Mandy Taylor, Literacy Specialist, @HaysLitTaylor Personalized PD Speed Dating

“I learned about several new tools and new ways of using old tools that will help me better integrate technology in my classroom. I also connected with educators from around the state that I can collaborate with and include in my PLN.” -Leah Munson, Geometry Teacher at LHS, @munson_math Blended Learning- To Technology & Beyond “TCEA was amazing, as usual! One of the things I learned, and already implemented, was using Quizlet in different ways. I've used Quizlet like I do a warm-up to drill and go over information with the students. I've also used Quizlet Live in other ways like 'Quarterback Quizlet' and 'Chaos Quizlet'. Both of these take Quizlet Live to a whole new level (Ditch That Textbook Game). I also learned about using Quizziz in student mode- kids can go at their own pace.” -Wendy Saenz, Math at LHS, @HsMathSaenz “TCEA was the best community experience I've had as an educator. The energy around the conference proved to me that there are still a tremendous amount of innovative educators who are dedicated to improving our profession and the lives of our students. We must persist in pushing our profession outside of the box. We must persist in adopting practices that are best for students. We must persist in changing the negative narrative around public education. We must persist in building a community of next generation education professionals.” -Wacey Tobler, Digital Learning Coach, @Mrtoblersclsrm “I loved the Google Hacks and everything presented by Brooke Lowry with FriedTech. Electric Slides was also fantastic. It provided great ideas (animation, choose your own adventure, virtual museums).“ -Darby Rodriguez, Tech Specials at NES, @darbyrodriguez Presentation of Resources “I found a neat tool that makes 2D images into 3D; Merge Cube. I plan on using the device with my BIO kids prepping them for the EOC test coming this spring. This device provides multiple modalities for students to understand what we are covering. I am also looking at the digital escape room concept along with additional text to speech devices presented. -William Reed, Special Ed Resource for Science at HHS

Purposeful P By: Wacey Tobler Playlists, Hyperdocs, Menus, Game boards - interactive digitally curated resources come with many names and structures. Regardless, when intentionally built and connected to TEKS, these can become a great way of personalizing and self-pacing learning for students as well as providing opportunities to build capacity and agency through digital learning platforms. Adrienne Ybarra of HES decided that she wanted to step her game up and start providing some connected research lessons across three of our biggest and most important elementary resources: Reading A-Z (Raz-Kids for the students), YouTube, and BrainPop. There was one obstacle though and that was her students’ readiness for even signing into the computer. The first step to building an effective playlist is starting with the TEKS. Understanding what students needed to know helped us create different iterations of playlists that scaffolded the actual computer sign-in process (understanding logins), the digital learning apps, and how to interact with Google Classroom. When all was said and done, we had 2 different playlists - each with a different layer of learning! The most important part of building a playlist is giving students choice. Here, Ms. Ybarra was able to increase students’ enthusiasm for research while giving them options to demonstrate their understanding. As they say on the Internet...what happened next will shock you! There were some initial learning moments for everyone, but once students became used to using the Playlist, they were so excited to use them to learn at their own pace. Ms. Ybarra was able to meet with each student individually to monitor progress as well. Click HERE to see Ms. Ybarra’s first playlists. Click HERE for resources to practice Hyperdocing and introducing Playlists.

To the STARS! By: Wacey Tobler Research shows that when a love of reading is fostered at an early age, a child is more likely to be successful throughout his or her life. A joint study through the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development and the Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research found that “reading to children 3-5 days per week (compared to 2 or less) has the same effect on the child’s reading skills at age 4-5 as being six months older” and that “reading to them 6-7 days per week has the same effect as being almost 12 months older.” Camino Real Elementary School decided that they were going to be a part of this literacy solution and help their students become the best readers and writers they could be. Working with Principal Yvette Soliz and Instructional Coaches Lupe Mallen and Ken Domaschk, we created a reading initiative called “To the STARS!” using our subscription to the blended learning digital platform Learning A-Z. The CRES Admin team knew that Learning A-Z could meet students at their specialized reading levels while providing teachers with a depth of resources that help to re-engage students with reading at school and at home. Teachers create their class rosters and then set each student at a specific level based on DRA and Lexile data. Friday, February 1st was the kick off for the contest and I had the pleasure of introducing the features and structure of the contest. The goal is very simple: READ, READ, READ! So far, students have responded in a big way. Since the start of the contest, students have accumulated 1.1 million stars in over 61k minutes of reading logged. We hope to see some amazing progress from this initiative and students see their love of reading soar! For reading contest info click HERE. For more research on literacy & student success click HERE.

100% Hays, 100% Engagement HHS’s Mr. Ferrell Uses Nearpod to create interactive presentations. By: Eric Rodriguez Coach Ferrell regularly uses technology like Nearpod in his classroom. This web based program can turn a simple powerpoint presentation into an interactive learning experience for all students in any content. Even if you have a limited number of devices, students can use their smartphone or access presentations on a PC. When a teacher creates a learning experience using Nearpod, some of the more exciting possibilities for students are the virtual reality tours, and the interactive slides where student can draw or provide their own thoughts and reactions. Nearpod includes options to assess student mastery, which translates into actionable data for teachers to differentiate or individualize for students who may need differentiation. If you have old presentation that you would like to breath new life into, try the quick import feature in Nearpod. It is quick and easy. Let Nearpod provide engaging learning activities for your students. Here are three 1 minute videos about how Nearpod works, how to create a Nearpod lesson, and how to launch a Nearpod lesson.

By: Eric Rodriguez Mrs. Klingsick provides her students access to content and personalized pathways to learning through the hyperdocs that she creates for her students called hybrid lists. These lists allow the students to work through lessons and skills practice at their own pace, while also providing them with flexibility and options for demonstrating mastery of the content for the unit. She has provided opportunities for her students to engage in activities such as podcast book reports, Twitter-like posts posted to Padlet, Flipgrid videos with various scripts, green screen videos, Tinkercad 3D designs, research projects, online book club conversations, scoots, and many more. In Mrs. Klingsick’s opinion, “Hybrid benefits my students because it is teaching them to manage their time, take ownership of their learning, and push themselves to create high quality work. During Hybrid time I am able to meet with students in small groups instead of whole group, which makes my instruction more effective and focused. I have also noticed behaviors have decreased, because students are challenged and know that they are in charge of their performance in my classes. They also love that at school, their work seems more like a social activity. Yes, they are learning and practicing skills that they need. But they are able to do it in a free form environment that allows them to learn from their peers. My students are able to represent their learning in a way that is creative and authentic, which is only possible because of technology.” Click HERE to view some of Mrs. Klingsick’s activities.

By: Ann DeBolt Thank you, Mrs. Anderson Buda Elementary School Fifth for giving your Grade Teacher Ashley Anderson is an awesome role model for her students students as she emphasizes the opportunities to importance of a Growth Mindset. She is open to new ideas to stretch innovate! her own learning as well as her students’ learning. Mrs. Anderson Click here to see is an innovator, always looking for the BES Student new and better ways to teach and Legacy website. new tech tools to help her students. As BES prepared for Legacy Day on March 2, 2019, Mrs. Anderson’s students thought about what they want their legacy to be. After paper and pencil planning, they created their own Google Site. Ella’s passion is art, and she wants her art to be her legacy. She figured out how to use her camera to snap a picture of her drawings and add them to her Google Site. Click here to see how she did it.

“Working in Google has made my job and duties so much easier than I first thought it would. I heard about Google Drive and I thought good grief, one more password to remember, one more drive to work from and add information to! I’ve been using Word, Excel, and Publisher for as long as I can remember - why change now? I’m not against change but I’ve been just fine with what I’ve used before. I no longer feel the same way! Since working in Google, I have become much more efficient in getting information that is asked of me to provide. I don’t have to search through an entire PC or try to recall a folder name. I can work from any device and not have to hit Save or worry about losing power and all my work is lost! I’m by no means an expert but I’m learning and happy to share with others.\" ~ Susan Hernandez Susan Hernandez, Secretary to the Principal at Fuentes Elementary, is an absolute joy to work with! Her enthusiasm is contagious! Even with her busy schedule, she is always excited to learn more about Google. And when I say “excited,” I mean she actually gets tickled by every new Google trick she learns. I’ve seen her clap. I’ve seen her jump up and down. And she’s always smiling. Every time I see Susan in the office, she and I talk about Google and how much we love it. She told me that one of her biggest worries about working in Excel was that she would do something wrong and and all of her data would disappear. She doesn’t worry about that in Google Sheets because Google automatically saves everything. There is NO SAVE button! Google also saves all your old versions that you can revert to at any time! (Click the Google Quick Tip See Version History on the right. Susan also appreciates the ability to search in Google Drive to find documents (video on the right), and she really gets excited about the fact that she can access all of her documents from any device including her phone very easily.

Meet the Team Jeannine Freeman currently serves as the Director of Digital Learning at Hays Consolidated ISD. Prior to this role, she worked as a 1st grade teacher and district instructional technology specialist. Jeannine earned her M.Ed. in Educational Technology and has Master Technology Teacher, ESL, Special Education, and GT certifications. Director of Jeannine’s passion for ed tech has helped her earn numerous Digital Learning endorsements and she is regarded as an expert in her field. Well respected throughout the state, she currently serves as Vice President of TEC-SIG, an EdTech coordinator special interest group in TCEA. Because of her knowledge and drive, she has served on the steering committees for ISTE 2017, TCEA 2017-2019, and has presented at numerous district, regional, state, and international conferences. Emily Herrin is the Online and Blended Learning Specialist for Hays CISD. This is her 12th year in Hays CISD and her 19th in education. She has taught 3rd grade, 1st and 5th grade Bilingual, as well as served as a Digital Learning Coach at a variety of campuses. Online and Emily is passionate about personalizing learning for students, meeting Blended them where they are and pushing for excellence! Technology allows us to Learning innovate in our classrooms and engage learners. Specialist

Ann DeBolt is a District Digital Learning Coach with over 20 years of instructional technology experience. She received her BS in Elementary Education from the University of Texas at Austin and M.Ed. in Educational Technology from Texas A&M University. She is a member of TCEA and Techs4Tex. Ann loves helping others discover new uses for technology to make learning fun. Digital Learning Eric Rodriguez is a District Digital Learning Coach with over 15 years Coach of educational experience in all content areas, elementary through secondary. He received his BA in Behavioral Arts and Social Sciences Digital Learning from Sul Ross State University in Alpine Texas, a M.S.Ed in Coach Educational Technology from Walden University, and is currently a PhD in Education candidate, specializing in educational technology Digital Learning and design. Eric’s philosophy in educational technology is, “make Coach learning visible”. He enjoys helping teachers and students to express their thinking to an authentic audience. Wacey Tobler is a District Digital Learning Coach with 9 years of educational experience with specializations in secondary ELAR and Gifted and Talented. He received his BA in English from Texas State University and his M.S. in Learning Technologies from The University of North Texas. He is a member of TCEA, TEC-SIG, and is a Level 2 Google Certified Educator. Wacey is passionate about helping teachers foster deeper relationships with students by incorporating purposeful instructional technology to create a personalized learning experience in their classrooms. Digital Learning Request a DLC Website

Upcoming Events Twitter Chats are a great way for Hays March 4 Technology Tools for the Win- Tools CISD staff to have an online discussion on That Will Change Your Instruction a particular topic. It is said that two heads are better than one. These chats allow March 11 Engaging All Students for Success many heads to come together and share ideas and best practices. Chats are held March 25 Celebrating Successes- Innovative from 8:00-8:30 pm. We hope to “see” you Ways to Let Others Know They are Growing there! April 1 Multimedia Projects For more help with twitter chats, go to: What is a Twitter Chat? April 22 Students Teaching Students You can also request a DLC at: April 29 EOY Tech Tool Buffet bit.ly/requestDLC *Twitter Chats in Blue and Webinars in Red These webinars are held in the evening and recorded to allow teachers to learning anywhere and at any time. The live webinars have a chat box where attendees can ask questions and interact. For descriptions and a link to each webinar, go to bit.ly/ourdigitalhays and click on PD in Your PJs.

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