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See something new here that you want to learn?  Set up time with me!  I am happy to help you!

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See something new here that you want to learn?  Set up time with me!  I am happy to help you!

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Email me at kgasser@oceanschools.org or click the link above to schedule time with me!

-Kristin Gasser, TOIS EdTech Coach

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Flip (formerly Flipgrid) Is Being Discontinued!

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Flip (formerly Flipgrid) Is Being Discontinued!

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Flip has been merged with Microsoft Teams. Unless you have a Microsoft Teams account, you will no longer be able to use Flip.

What can you use in place of Flip? Have you checked out Padlet? Padlet and its new AI feature make ita fantastic alternative to Flip! Check out my video on how to get started!

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Learn about the latest features on Padlet!

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* Gradebook -> Grade Assignment

- Added a new flag when grading assignments called "Collected".
- If Collected has been checked but no grade or flag has been entered, the Parent/Student Module will show the
assignment as 'Collected'.

- If a grade has been entered, the grade will be shown instead of 'Collected'. If the assignment is hiding the grades
from the Parent/Student Module, the entered grade will be hidden and instead 'Collected' will be displayed until
the assignment is updated to show the grades.

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Have you seen MagicSchool for Students? Create your own room that students can use with teacher-selected AI tools. MagicSchool is constantly adding new features for teachers and students to use, so check it out!

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MagicSchool for Students (MagicStudent) Customize Tools Before Launch

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Jamboard is sunsetting in October 2024! What can you use in place of it? Have you tried FigJam? Here is a video on how to get started!

Convert your Jamboard files to FigJam before Oct 1st. The Jamboard-to-FigJam importer is live, and can turn hundreds of Jamboard files into editable FigJam files in just a few seconds.

If you have used FigJam before, did you know that FigJam can now Share to Google Classroom with just one tap! Easily distribute shared files or personalized copies directly to students' Google Classroom feed.

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How to Get Started Using FigJam With Students | Tutorial for Teachers

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There is a free trial of available for Mystery Writing for Grade 5! This provides lesson plans that are ready-to-go from Discovery Education that focus on teaching the writing process.

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During the recent ISTELive 2024 in Denver, Discovery Education unveiled Mystery Writing by Discovery Education by offering elementary educators nationwide the unique opportunity to participate in the development of its latest product through a free, year-long trial.

Mystery Writing is a dynamic and engaging writing program designed specifically for students in grades K-5. This innovative curriculum captivates young learners with "wow!" content that not only sparks their interest but also builds their confidence in writing.

One of the standout features of Mystery Writing is its no-prep, open-and-go lesson plans, which make it exceptionally easy for multi-subject elementary educators to implement. Teachers can effortlessly provide differentiated lessons tailored to the varying needs of their students, ensuring that each child receives instruction appropriate to their skill level.

The program's structure explicitly teaches the writing process through a series of step-by-step written, visual, and auditory directions. This comprehensive approach ensures that no young writer is left struggling with the daunting "fear of the blank page." By featuring stories and visuals that are of high interest to students, Mystery Writing maintains student engagement and enthusiasm throughout the learning process. The inclusion of visual and auditory directions caters to different learning styles, making the lessons accessible to all students, including those who might need additional support.

Moreover, Mystery Writing's content is thoughtfully designed to seamlessly integrate various subjects, making learning multidimensional and holistic. Students are not only improving their writing skills but also enhancing their overall academic knowledge.

In summary, Mystery Writing is an invaluable resource for elementary educators, providing an effective and enjoyable way to teach the writing process. Its innovative design ensures that students remain engaged, confident, and fear-free when it comes to writing. With Mystery Writing, teachers can foster a love for writing in their students that will last a lifetime.

Elementary school educators interested in claiming their free trial can visit the Mystery Writing website here.

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Mystery Writing by Discovery Education - EdTech Digest

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During the recent ISTELive 2024 in Denver, Discovery Education unveiled Mystery Writing by Discovery Education by offering elementary educators nationwide the unique opportunity to participate in the development of its latest product through a free, year-long trial. Mystery Writing is a dynamic and engaging writing program designed specifically for students in grades K-5.

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Instant Pear Decks is an AI-powered content generation tool to create interactive, standards-aligned lessons for any topic quickly. You can also upload your own materials to turn them into engaging lessons.

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Pear Deck Learning was founded by teachers, for teachers. We understand firsthand how time-consuming it can be to create engaging, standards-aligned instructional content - because we've been there, right in the classroom, doing it too. That's why we've made it our mission to harness technology and AI to simplify lesson planning, allowing you more time to focus on what you do best: Teaching.

This commitment has led us to develop Instant Pear Decks, our AI content generation tool that not only allows teachers to create lessons in under 30 seconds but also empowers them to customize each lesson. Imagine teaching math through the daily routines of local town heroes or explaining a science concept with characters from a popular video game. With Instant Pear Decks, you can tailor every lesson to fit the unique needs and interests of your students.

Instant Pear Decks allows you to select a subject, and generate interactive, standards-aligned lessons for any topic. But it's not just any lesson; Instant Pear Decks creates engaging, thought-provoking learning opportunities where students actively participate and explore topics together, making every classroom moment count.
Ready to see the difference? Create your first Instant Pear Deck.
AI for teachers, by teachers

Teachers were a critical part of how and why we developed Instant Pear Decks. Guided by insights from our partnerships with teachers in our Innovation Incubator program, we've tailored our approach to generative AI to prioritize the needs of educators. Instant Pear Decks not only enhance efficiency; they enable educators to infuse creativity and personalization into their lessons effortlessly.

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"Instant Pear Decks is a game-changer for educators! I love that it can transform my end-of-unit assessments into interactive lessons, truly embodying the pedagogy of backwards design. Instant Pear Decks can not only save teachers precious planning time but also makes sure that every lesson directly aligns with their learning standards and assessment questions. The result is a more focused, engaging, and effective learning experience for students which deserves an A+ in my opinion!" -Emily Tighe, District Digital Learning Coach, Fayette County Public Schools

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With the power to create engaging lessons in less than 30 seconds, we're carving a path to integrate AI into the classroom to enhance student learning and reduce teacher workload. Using advanced language models, Instant Pear Decks generate high-quality, interactive, and customizable lessons that meet the diverse needs of your students with ease.

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"Instant Pear Decks allow teachers to instantly create interactive, thought-provoking lessons that engage and ignite students' interests, encouraging students to actively explore topics together. Imagine a full eighth-grade algebra lesson built around your local community's landmarks, with all of the best parts of a Pear Deck lesson mixed in. You can even go a step further and tailor your lesson around specific student needs such as reading level or language." -Tyler Shaddix, GoGuardian's Co-Founder and Chief Innovation Officer

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This AI-driven tool lets teachers refine and customize content, making lessons more relevant and enhancing engagement in the classroom. The ability to adapt teaching materials for deeper relevancy not only sparks student interest but also significantly enhances the efficacy of concept introduction.

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"The tool saved me valuable time by effectively covering all important elements of each topic, and so quickly. The lessons were relevant, and the tool was so easy to use. I love that the slides are editable! This is a game-changer for educators seeking to optimize their teaching and work more efficiently." - Stacy B., Grade 6 ELA teacher

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With Instant Pear Decks, educators have a powerful teaching assistant at their fingertips, enabling them to optimize their teaching and work more efficiently while delivering a focused, engaging, and effective learning experience for students.

Using AI in the classroom for engaged learning

Introducing new concepts: Quickly create comprehensive decks that introduce new topics with engaging, interactive elements.

Reviewing before tests: Imagine you have a set of test items or a particular test you want to use for student review. You can take a picture of the test or specific test items and upload it into Instant Pear Decks. The Instant Pear Decks feature will then analyze the uploaded image and generate interactive practice items based on the content.

Project-based learning: Enhance collaborative projects with tailored content that supports deep learning and student engagement.

Transforming traditional notes: If you have handwritten notes you've relied on for years or are a new teacher who has inherited a co-teacher's notes, Instant Pear Decks can transform these into engaging, interactive lessons. Simply take a picture or scan the handwritten notes and upload the file into Instant Pear Decks to generate a fully customizable lesson within moments. This feature allows you to retain valuable information while enhancing it with interactive elements that engage students.

Instant Pear Decks are incredibly versatile, fitting seamlessly into various educational scenarios. Here's how educators are using them in their classrooms:

"The AI tool in Pear Deck is AMAZING!! It is a time saver for sure and will help you get your creative juices flowing. As an educator, who has time to sit and constantly come up with new exit tickets or questions to embed in your deck to check for understanding? I know I don't, and this tool will definitely give me back some time in my day. I highly recommend it. You have nothing to lose, but a bunch of time to gain!" - Dr. Cecelia Gillam, AP Environmental Science and Honors Biology, Benjamin Franklin High School

Ready-to-go standards-aligned content
Dive into our Content Orchard for ready-to-go, standards-aligned content.
In addition to Instant Pear Decks, teachers now have infinite content to engage students across content with Math and ELA certified content for grades 3-12 in the Pear Deck Content Orchard. Like Instant Pear Decks, these certified lessons are fully customizable, allowing you to instantly kick off a lesson or tailor it to meet the specific needs of your classroom.

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Building Engaging Lessons with Instant Pear Decks - Blog | Pear Deck Learning

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Discover how Instant Pear Decks helps teachers enhance student learning by transforming lesson planning with the power of AI

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Diffit has a new resdesigned Activity Library that allows you to navigate, sort, search, and preview templates with ease.

Diffit is also now partnering with Ditch That Textbook to export your Diffit content into engaging new templates!

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Updates for Grades 3-8 include a reorganized (and added to!) the teacher topic page. These new features include:

New grade-leveled activities that encourage students to practice and apply vocabulary and comprehension skills.

An assignment building tool that empowers you to easily assign auto-graded activities to your whole class, small groups, or individual students.

Teacher resources that include alignments to state content standards, a lesson guide that gives use cases, time estimates, and examples of each activity, and a Teacher Toolkit with tips on how you can use BrainPOP in your classroom.

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BrainPOP has always been there to support teachers. From new activities that promote differentiated, standards-aligned learning to free events on how to better use BrainPOP, our commitment to teachers is at the heart of everything we build.

That's why we're excited to introduce our redesigned BrainPOP (3-8) topic page, which lets you find the tools that fit your teaching needs-faster than you can say "beep." Featuring easily accessible (and newly leveled!) learning activities, a brand-new lesson guide, and state standard alignments, the redesigned view for teachers is more than just a new look: it's a tool to support your instruction.

Everything You Need-In One Place

Whether you're spending 10 minutes building background knowledge on a new topic or dedicating the week to your next unit on the American Revolution, it's easier than ever to adapt BrainPOP to your instructional needs.

Let's explore three new areas of the topic page you won't want to miss.

We've streamlined our menu of learning activities so you can focus in on the ones that drive the most differentiated impact (and, of course, fun!).

Plan with confidence

We've created a Teacher Resources section so you can get ideas, alignments, and elevate the instructional impact of your time on BrainPOP.

This is your guide to making the most of any topic on BrainPOP. From watching a BrainPOP movie with the whole class to assigning individual students Leveled Reading, our learning designers have compiled their top ideas for incorporating movies and activities into any lesson.

Perfect for those who are new to BrainPOP (or just want to learn more), this online hub features videos and resources that'll help you get started, get going, and become an expert on BrainPOP in no time.

Note: the Toolkit will be on the topic page by the end of August-but it's available to you now!

Standards Alignment: See how each topic connects to your state's relevant content standards.

Assign with ease

Our "Assign" button is now front-and-center, making differentiating as easy as a click, click, click. Once you're in the assignment builder, you can easily set up differentiated groups and assign auto-graded activities for your whole class, small groups, or individual students.

Bonus: Auto-grading itself also saves you time and helps provide instant feedback to students-giving you more time, and information, to plan your instructional next steps.

Want to learn more about BrainPOP?
AnnaLiese Burich is a product marketing manager at BrainPOP with a history of Edtech writing experience. She holds an MA in Magazine Journalism and an MA in English Literature.
Get going on our Growing with BrainPOP hub, where you can learn more about getting started on BrainPOP, the learning science that powers our activities, get back-to-school tips, and more!

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We've reorganized (and added to!) the teacher topic page so you can get right to what matters most: teaching.

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It's a long video, so here is a quick summary! The bottom line - Bulk Create is still available, Magic Erase and Magic Grab have a new "click object" function, and there is now an audio enhancement option to remove background noise from audio clips!

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What's New Wednesday - August 2024 Edition

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New Back-to-School Digital Citizenship Resources are now available.

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From screen time to social media, help students thrive in a world full of media and tech.

It's easy to forget just how much media and technology are infused into everything we do-including at school. But Common Sense's free resources can help you and your students take a healthy, balanced approach to tech and screen use, in the classroom and beyond. Here's a collection of our best back-to-school resources to help you and your students make this year a success!

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Free Back-to-School Resources for Grades K-12 | Common Sense Education

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Common Sense Education provides educators and students with the resources they need to harness the power of technology for learning and life. Find a free K-12 Digital Citizenship curriculum, reviews of popular EdTech apps, and resources for protecting student privacy.

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New Math Benchmark (LevelUp Math Benchmark) takes 45-60 minutes to complete, and it is available in Spanish

IXL rosters can now support multiple co-teachers for one class

IXL Quiz Library - Create and instantly share assessments making it availablt to both teachers and admins in our district

Introducing IXL Common Assessments - this new feature puts administrators in the driver’s seat of student evaluation, allowing them to build assessments by drawing standards-aligned questions from IXL's comprehensive curriculum

IXL is now available in more than 50 languages

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IXL Updates Archives - IXL Official Blog

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Get precise benchmarking data on K-8 math while maximizing instructional time! Introducing the IXL LevelUp™ Math Benchmark Assessment: the only unified solution that enables students to move seamlessly from assessment back into personalized practice. The...

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With the latest vocabulary features, you can:

Create word lists from any of your reading passages and resources

Add an image for any vocabulary word

Use any of the five new image-rich activity templates

Just click the link above, and then click the "A Vocabulary List" tab to get started!

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Google's Applied Digital Skills Back-to-School Collection - This collection features engaging, scaffolded lessons that build digital literacy, self-expression, well-being, and organization, and the easy-to-use lesson plans make it a breeze to jump right in! Explore the possibilities of Artificial Intelligence with your students or promote the importance of digital citizenship and internet safety.

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Kick off the school year with lessons that help students express themselves, build relationships, and stay organized while learning new technology skills.

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NONE AT THIS TIME, but need some ideas?

Try recording a welcome video with the screen recording extension!

Flipping back-to-school night for students’ families!

Use Live Mode as a first-day icebreaker!

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Easily create beautiful interactive video lessons for your students you can integrate right into your LMS. Track students' progress with hassle-free analytics as you flip your classroom!