TIS & THAT December 2015
Volume 4, Issue 9
Celebrating the Holidays... Holidays can be exciting and overwhelming, but technology can be a big help if used correctly.
Take the Stress out of the Holidays with These Tech Tips:
Use QR Reader and QR Codes to get the best prices
Organize your shopping list with Best Shopping List
Sort and keep track of returns with Return Guru
Buy Holiday cards online - Shutterfly
Load Coupons to Passbook
Shop Online - Amazon
Ong, Matt. "Top Ten Tech Tips for the Holidays." Nerd Wallet, 31 Oct. 2012. Web. 16 Nov. 2015. <https://www.nerdwallet.com/blog/shopping/black-friday/top-tech-tipsholidays/>. Photos: QR Reader - openclipart.com, Best Shopping List - iTunes.apple.com, Return Guru - tapsense.com, Shutterfly - enwikipedia.org, Passbook - justnews.it Amazon - sagalobo.com
5 Internet Safety Tips to Provide Your Students Before the Holiday Break:
“Technology is just a tool. In terms of getting the kids working together and motivating them, the teacher is most important.” – Bill Gates
In This Issue:
Celebrating the Holidays with Technology
Holiday Internet Safety
Hour of Code *Quotes from Students
Top Technology Gifts for Christmas
The Technology of Pearl Harbor
Our Favorite Technology
Never post personal information Never meet up with someone you first “met” on the internet Never respond to mean or nasty comments Never share passwords Never visit an unfamiliar site Photos: Pearl Harbor - metaliteracy.learningtimes.net Drone - brostrick.com Hour of Code - wayto.com Santa - flickr.com Holley - openclipart.org
Quotes from Students about Hour of Code: “Imagine being able to make your own video games or your own animations and being able to show everyone the final product.” “If you are interested in making movies or making video games, then try the Hour of Code.”
Photos Courtesy of cmslearns.org
Hour of Code We all know that our students love to play countless hours on video games, so why can they not be motivated in the classroom to learn math, science, English, and history concepts? Now they can! Students every year are being introduced to the “Hour of Code.” On December 7th - 13th code.org hosted the Hour of Code. The goal of it being to introduce students of all ages to computer science. Students participating in this event were asked to spend an hour to create a portion of a video game, introducing the student to how games can be coded. Once the student completed this lesson, the student could continue working on more challenging programs. Code.org also has coding related to math, science, English, and history.
A Teacher’s Perspective I introduced code.org with some of my students, and what I saw was pretty amazing. Any student could complete the tutorial. Some students were already familiar with how to code, but even those who had little experience in coding, found this lesson fun. Many students made mistakes, but they did not give up. They kept working through the challenge until they figured out how to get the results that they wanted. Introducing code.org to my students has been very rewarding for both myself and my students. -Melissa
“I think the Hour of Code is important because we live in a world that is so advanced that by the time we are adults we might choose a career that involves coding such as NASA or the Air Force.” “You can learn many things through the Hour of Code. “It presents a new source of creativity. After practicing and learning the tools you could create anything you are inspired to make.”
“By participating in the Hour of Code and working on other lessons at the code.org site, I have been helped to strengthen and develop interests in animation, gaming, marketing, graphic design, and entertainment.” “I am interested in coding because I have always been fond of and pretty good with computers. A lifetime dream of mine is to develop an important website or videogame. Now with coding I can do that easily.” -Quotes from News Club Participants at WGMS
Top 5 Tech Gifts for Christmasâ&#x20AC;Ś 1. Amazon Echo $180 The closest thing we have to living Star Trek to date. Hands-free, ask Alexa anything and sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll answer. Plus listen to music because, music. 2. DJI Phantom 3 Drone with Video Camera $1,253 Capture still photos or see video in real time. Built in navigation and auto takeoffs and landings allow for easier control. Operate from the mobile app on an iOS or Android device.
3. Fitbit Charge Wireless Wristband $140 Track workouts, heart rate, distance, calories burned, floors climbed, active minutes and steps. Plus, monitor your sleep patterns. 4. iPhone 6S $199 iOS 9, 3D Touch, 12MP camera, 1080p HD video 5. GoPro Hero 4 Action Camera $499 4K30 video, 12MP camera, built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity
Top Tech Gifts for Christmas 2015 - Pictures Courtesy of brostrick.com
Pearl Harbor - December 7, 1941 December 7th was the 74th anniversary of the devastating attack which lead to the American involvement in World War II. Many people still visit the memorial in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. There are still others who do not know about the original fateful day nor do they even give this day a second thought each year. The Navy is working tirelessly to not only preserve history for those who still remember but also to teach those who do not know. Until recent years, divers would dive into waters darkened by oil still coming from the ships and take pictures or survey to try to replicate the USS Arizona and USS Utah wreckages still under the ocean. The sharp edges and the dangers of getting lost in those waters made this a perilous assignment. Through a partnership with the National Park Service and many professionals, divers are now working towards using 3D imagery or photogrammetry to bring the wreckage from under the ocean into a new light. One of the new tools used to do this is the SONIC 2024 which uses sounds waves and laptops on a dinghy to create the ground work for models that will bring new life and understanding to the World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument in Pearl Harbor. The internet makes it possible to allow classrooms to see pictures of the wreckage and research the events of that day. This new technology may even make it possible for classrooms to take a virtual field trip to help a country remember.
"Techies Gift Guide: Best Selling Tech Gifts in 2015." Brostrick, 1 Nov. 2015. Web. 15 Nov. 2015.
Chavarro, Johans. "Future Technology Brings History to Life Today in Pearl Harbor." America's Navy. United States Navy, 27 Oct. 2014. Web. 1 Dec. 2015.
Our Favorite Technology: Lori - Samsung School
This Edition Brought to You By:
Samsung School is a smart school that is designed for the interactive, technology based classroom. It includes: classroom management tools like screen monitoring and student device control, lesson toolbars for interactive lessons, screen sharing options, the ability to create quizzes and polls, and much more.
Lori Davis
Brought to You by Samsung http://www.samsung.com/us/ business/by-industry/educationsolutions/samsung-school
Melissa Dunbar
lori.davis@k12.wv.us
mrdunbar@k12.wv.us
Melissa - Go Noodle This is a free app that allows you to provide quick exercise related activities to get your students up and focused on the task at hand. As a teacher you may want to start out the morning with a good stretch before beginning your day to get your students awake. There are also activities that you can play that give your student a little break away from the lesson. With Go Noodle you are able to give your students the break they need throughout the day. Brought to You by Go Noodle https://gonoodle.com/
Neavoda - S Health App S Health is a Samsung Galaxy App for Androids that is designed to keep track of diet and exercise along with heart rate and several other health related items. This app is good for personal use and for the classroom. This app is a nice break from the overload of â&#x20AC;&#x153;normalâ&#x20AC;? classroom work. It is a quick and healthy alternative. Brought to You by Google Play https://play.google.com/store/apps/details? id=com.sec.android.app.shealth&hl=en
Neavoda Judy njjudy@k12.wv.us
Happy Holidays from our families to yours!