MANSFIELD SCHOOL DISTRICT TECHNOLOGY PAGE

Welcome to the Mansfield School District Technology Page. The information provided on this page is intended for teachers and staff, but can also be used as a resource for anyone in the community that is interested in Educational Technology.

GOOGLE DOCS TUTORIALS

• GETTING STARTED WITH GOOGLE DRIVE
• In order to use Google Drive, you will need a Google account. Google accounts are free, and signing up for one is fairly simple. In order to create a Google account, you'll need to enter some information, like your name, birthdate, and location.
• CREATING GOOGLE DOCS
• Google Drive gives you access to a suite of tools that allows you to create and edit a variety of files, including documents, spreadsheets, and presentations. There are five types of files you can create on Google Drive: The process for creating new files is the same for all file types.
• UPLOADING FILES TO GOOGLE DRIVE
• Google Drive makes it easy to store and access your files online in the cloud, allowing you to access them from any computer with an Internet connection. If you upload files from compatible programs like Microsoft Word or Excel, you can even edit them in Google Drive.
• MANAGING YOUR FILES
• After you've been using Google Drive for a while, you might find yourself having a difficult time keeping track of all your files. Fortunately, Drive offers several features to help you manage and organize your files.
• SHARING AND COLLABORATING
• Google Drive makes sharing your files simple. In addition, Google Drive allows multiple people to edit the same file, allowing for real-time collaboration. Whenever you share a file from your Google Drive, you can let others view and even edit that same file.

RECENTLY ADDED GOOGLE ARTICLES

• 5 GOOGLE APPS THAT HELP TEACHERS DIFFERENTIATE INSTRUCTION
• Meet Janelle, an intelligent, creative, computer-literate animator in training, who is a self-motivated sophomore. Meet Tony, also intelligent, creative, shy, somewhat computer-literate, and an English-as-a-second-language junior.
• GOOGLE PLAY NOW OFFERS A FREE APP OF THE WEEK
• There aren’t a ton of reasons to use the Amazon Appstore over Google Play, but one key exception is the free app of the day. Until now, Google hasn’t offered any similar type of promotion, but that seems to be changing with a quiet new promotion for a “free app of the week.”
• HOW GOOGLE PLAY FOR EDUCATION FITS INTO K–12 LEARNING
• As one-to-one initiatives gain speed, more apps are making their way into the classroom and into teachers’ hearts. The Google Play for Education store is one way for teachers to find and download student-focused apps that have an impact on learning.

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RECENTLY ADDED CHROMEBOOK ARTICLES

• MAKE YOUR CHROMEBOOK EXPERIENCE EVEN MORE EFFICIENT WITH THESE TIPS
• One of the many reasons to use a Chromebook is efficiency. The platform was designed around the idea that simplicity is akin to efficiency. In that regard, Google was dead on. That doesn't mean, however, that the platform is perfectly efficient for everyone.

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RECENTLY ADDED WEB APP ARTICLES

• ANOTHER GREAT TOOL FOR CREATING BUZZFEED-STYLE QUIZZES
• August, 2015 Riddle has recently rolled out some new features that should be especially useful for the upcoming school year.
• FREE TEACHER-TESTED TOOLS TO TRY IN YOUR CLASS
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• A COLLECTION OF THE BEST WEB TOOLS AND APPS FOR CREATING EDUCATIONAL SCREENCASTS
• August 9, 2015 A screencast, also known as video screen capture, is a great way for teachers to create and share instructional videos and explanatory step by step tutorials with students.
• APPS FOR ANY BUDGET
• 30hands Pro: 30hands Pro from 30hands Learning unlocks all the features in the free 30hands app, such as: importing video clips, Dropbox/Google Drive integration, and Hi-Res video exporting.
• CLASS TECH TIPS
• The Answer Pad Interactive Learning Tool Design summative and formative assessments, monitor student progress, score essays and tests, and broadcast student responses with this comprehensive and completely interactive tool.
• MICROSOFT IS LAUNCHING A SITE TO HELP TEACHERS MASTER 'MINECRAFT'
• Minecraft has proven to be an invaluable tool for educators and students. Not only is the game popular with children and adults, but its open, customisable nature means it can be used for all sorts of different purposes.
• CHAMPION READER - A NEW READING GAME ON TEACH YOUR MONSTER TO READ
• Teach Your Monster to Read is a series of fun game designed to help students improve the speed and accuracy with which they recognize letters and sounds. Students play the games as a friendly monster avatar.
• HOW TO CREATE IMAGE-BASED QUIZZES AND POLLS ON RIDDLE.COM
• Last week I shared a new service called Riddle that enables you to quickly create image-based polls and quizzes. In the video embedded below you can see just how easy it is to create a poll or quiz on Riddle.
• 9 IDEAS FOR USING CLASSDOJO
• In my previous post I mentioned my new-found appreciation for ClassDojo. More importantly I have a new appreciation of why kids like it so much.

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RECENTLY ADDED ED TECH IMPLEMENTATION ARTICLES

• A TPACK-BASED APPROACH FOR AN EFFECTIVE INTEGRATION OF TECHNOLOGY IN YOUR TEACHING
• August 11, 2015 Technology is definitely a game changer in today’s classroom. Its pervasive widespread in educational settings speaks volumes about the growing importance we come to place in it.
• 14 DO’S AND DON’TS OF SUCCESSFUL TECH INTEGRATION
• Embarking on a technology integration plan or beginning a technology pilot can be daunting. However, mapping out a clear path, being flexible, and communicating the stakeholders can help that plan be successful.
• THE GUIDE TO IMPLEMENTING DIGITAL LEARNING
• Supporting states and school districts in successful digital learning implementation With the influx of new technology and increased connectivity, focused strategic planning is more important than ever to ensure digital learning opportunities for all students and educators.
• TRANSFORMING LEARNING THROUGH STUDENT CONTENT CREATION
• This week I am hosting some guest bloggers. This is a guest post from Adam Schoenbart. Students must create. That’s my big epiphany this year. Learning is better, more fun, and more memorable when you make something that lasts.
• TO PUT TECH INTO ANY LESSON, START WITH THE LESSON
• Seymour Papert begins his landmark book “Mindstorms” with a story about a set of gears he played with as a child. The tangible experience of working with gears accelerated his understanding of physics in a way that would have been much harder with only books and lectures.
• ASK THESE QUESTIONS BEFORE USING TECHNOLOGY IN THE CLASSROOM
• We have a lot of technology floating around our classrooms these days. And while that can be, and is, a good thing given our digital age, we often find that our technology-related efforts aren’t paying off for us quite as we’d hoped.
• 12 WAYS TO ADOPT GOOGLE APPS FOR EDUCATION
• A new digital resource offers tips to safely use Google Apps for Education A new resource from Gaggle and Amplified IT offers technology facilitators 12 tips to help ensure that Google Apps for Education safe for teachers and students to use.

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RECENTLY ADDED ED TECH TRENDS ARTICLES

• THE ED TECH TRENDS ON THE CUSP OF MAINSTREAM
• This year, BYOD and makerspaces have their stars on the rise—they could be in 20 percent of classrooms by year’s end.
• 21ST CENTURY STUDENTS CRAVE DEEPER LEARNING
• As a professor, I work hard to help my graduate students in education attain knowledge and skills such as teamwork and collaboration, reasoning, innovation, appreciation of diversity, conflict resolution and much more.
• THE MOBILE LEARNING PHENOMENON IN EDUCATION
• As education evolves, so does the way we teach and learn. This report focuses on one of the newest trends, still in its nascent stages—mobile learning.
• K-12 EDUCATION: 6 TRENDS, 6 CHALLENGES, 6 INCOMING TECHNOLOGIES
• On May 12, the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN) and the New Media Consortium (NMC) gave a small online audience a taste of the nation’s K-12 education technology trends for 2015.

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