Flippity Fun

Looking for ways to create your own custom learning games and activities for your students? Look no further than Flippity! With Flippity, you can easily turn a Google spreadsheet into a set of online flashcards and other cool stuff, including Quiz Shows, Random Name Pickers, Scavenger Hunts, Timelines, Crossword Puzzles, Memory Games, and more. Check out the video tutorial below to learn how you can use Flippity to engage your students.

Build Your Own Tour in Google Tour Builder

Kids love Google Earth. And why not?--it's pretty awesome! Google has created an enormous interactive map for us to play with, allowing us to explore the world in ways we could not have imagined a generation ago, bringing us down to street level to view cities, neighborhoods, buildings, and landmarks in 3D. They have even partnered with NASA, National Geographic, and other 3rd party institutions to showcase travel, nature, cultural, and historical destinations with their Voyager tool. But did you know that you and your students can create your own custom tours using Google Tour Builder? Tour Builder allows users to build a location-based tour much the same way they would build a slideshow. It lets you search and select locations; add photos, text, and video; share the creation; and view it in Google Earth. Learn more about Google Tour Builder here and view the videos tutorial below for a step-by-step walk-through. If you are up for a challenge, you could also check out Google Tour Creator to create your own Google Expeditions virtual reality tours. For more resources, visit this link from Donnie Piercey. 

Part I: Build a Custom Tour with Text and Images

---

Part II: Open and Navigate in Google Earth

Professional Development: Supporting English Language Learners

When New York State adopted the Continuing Teacher and Leader Education (CTLE) requirements for educators who hold "professional" certificates, it was mandated that 15% of professional development be dedicated to language acquisition addressing the needs of English Language Learners (you can read more about Part 154 and Subpart 80-6 of the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education here). It is my goal to invite the professionals at the OCM BOCES Mid-State Regional Bilingual Education Resource Network (RBE-RN) office to conduct at least 3 hours of ELL-related professional development at West Genesee annually so that we may meet our required 15 hours every 5 years. If you were unable to attend the ELL workshop on our most recent Superintendent's Conference Day, you may be feeling anxious about meeting the requirements. Fortunately, the RBE-RN office conducts ELL PD on a regular basis through face-to-face as well as online workshops that count toward CTLE hours. You can review some PD opportunities via the links below:

• Mid-State RBERN PD Calendar
• Video: How to register for RBERN PD via MyLearningPlan

Save the Date: Edcamp Firebird

Teacher Professional Development has come a long way in recent years, thanks in part to the Edcamp movement in which teachers take charge of their own professional learning. Some basic Tenets of the Edcamp Model:

• Free & Open to All: Edcamps never charge a fee, and are open to educators of all levels and subjects.
• Participant-Driven: Edcamps allow participants to collaboratively determine session topics the day of the event.
• Experience, not Experts: Edcamps encourage participants to facilitate sessions by sharing experiences; conversations--not planned presentations.
• Rule of Two Feet: Edcamps suggest participants find sessions that meet their needs to maximize learning.

Edcamp sessions typically range from basic conversations around teaching methods to sessions sharing digital projects by students or sessions based around just having fun. Many Edcamps include sessions about using technology in the classroom, but a technology focus is not necessary. However, it is suggested that you bring a laptop to an Edcamp as many presentations will be interactive. This year, teachers at Phoenix Central School District will be hosting Edcamp Firebird during February Break. See the details below:

Edcamp Firebird

Thursday, February 21, 2019

8:15 am - 12:15 pm

Emerson J. Dillon Middle School, 116 Volney Street Phoenix, NY 13135

Eventbrite Registration
MLP Registration

Superintendent's Conference Day: January 28, 2019

The next Superintendent's Conference Day is scheduled for January 28, 2019. Please take a moment to review the agenda and register for any professional development sessions appropriate for your role.

Click here for the Agenda and all registration links.

Reflecting on the Past and Looking to the Future

Happy New Year! I love this time of year as it offers us an opportunity to reflect on the past and resolve to make changes for a better future. This shouldn't really come as much of a surprise, but the next generation of students that are entering our classrooms will have access to more information than any other generation in history. My godson, pictured at left, is only 17 months old and is mesmerized by the warm glow of his parent's phone. He knows how to swipe through the various apps and open the ones he likes. He also knows how to take a selfie. So how will we as educators meet his needs when he is of school age in just 3 more years? Will we continue to teach as we have always done with the same materials and pedagogical strategies? Or will we accept the fact that access to information is virtually ubiquitous and our role as educators will have to shift to help him and his cohort of students understand how to process all of the information they will have at their fingertips? The infographic below does a nice job articulating some of the generational changes that have taken shape over the years--food for thought as we ponder how teaching and learning will change in Digital Age...

source: http://langwitches.org/blog/2013/08/22/kids-of-the-past-vs-kids-of-the-internet/

Texting to Demonstrate Learning

Fun Fact: According to the Center of Innovative Public Health Research, the average teen sends approximately 3,500 text messages per month (3,952 for girls; 2,815 for boys). While texting in the classroom can certainly be a distraction, there may be instances where we as teachers can engage our students with something they enjoy to allow them to demonstrate learning in a creative way.

The same folks that created Fakebook have another fun learning tool, the SMS Generator, for just that purpose. With the SMS generator, students can create conversations between two historical or literary figures to demonstrate what they have learned about them.

See the video below to learn how the SMS generator works and how student work can be shared.