Wiki

We're working on ways to better communicate with the teachers in the district. Please check out our new training wiki. You can even search for information on specific topics by using the search box on the left.

Visit http://techiesteaching.pbwiki.com

Creating technology stations

We've redecorated our room, and have a little more space to move around. We even have some space around the room to make technology stations. Now we have to decide what to place in those stations. We have a "podcasting" corner, and I think we'll put some sort of scanner system at another one. That way teachers with old documents/photos can scan them to upload into Moodle. Any suggestions for other stations? We can probably have 1 to 2 more.
Thanks!

Setting up your Aeries Gradebook

This tutorial walks you through the basic set-up of your Aeries Gradebook. We will continue to create additional tutorials to give you more information on using Aeries.

Please let me know if you have any questions.
Additional Resources are available here. Just scroll down to find the Aeries material.

Aeries Training

What's the buzz about Aeries? Well as our student management system it does make some things much easier. For example - you will no longer need to input your students into your gradebook program. With a push of a button your students are enrolled in your class and any change in Aeries is modified in your gradebook too.

Also, at "Grade Reporting" time you will no longer have to input grades for each student using the those pesky drop down menus. All you need to do is click on the "Import from Gradebook" link and presto-chango your grades are all there.

We will be putting together another video tutorial on setting up your Aeries gradebook by the end of this week. You can also attend one of our Aeries classes offered September 10 and 17 at the DO.

Video Tutorials

Welcome to Techies Teaching. I will be posting a blog on current trends in technology and resources available for teachers in the LVUSD district and the world!

Check out our tutorial on the teacher website builder found on YouTube.

This is Part 1 of the series and is a demo from Agoura High School. If you are a teacher in the district at another school, the demo will be applicable as soon as you are logged-in to your webpage.



Additional videos including part 2 can be found at http://youtube.com/LvusdTosa.

Digital Cameras

I just returned from a seventh grade field trip to Costa Rica. We traveled with three adults and 14 students for a week. It was a great trip, but what was amazing to me was how beneficial the digital cameras were for the learning processes. The kids would go and explore a section of the rain forest and then come back to our guide and ask questions about the plants and animals they had identified. It made the educational experience much more personal for them because they were the ones bringing the questions to the adults. My colleagues and I were talking about all of the possibilities these cameras could provide. While we were walking we developed a Rain Forest Scavenger hunt that we had the kids do on the next hike. It was fabulous. Next time I'll bring my laptop so we can then put their pictures together for a slide show.

With the implementation of new technology, the way we teach will be changed dramatically. We're now trying to give parents constant feedback by posting grades online and listing homework as well as creating much more interactive environments in which to teach our kids. Whew....no wonder we're always tired.

Careers

I've often asked myself what am I going to be when I grow up and I always have an answer. I changed my major 11 times in college and each time it just felt "right" and I knew it was my true calling. Now, I'm trying to figure out what my next option might be and I'm leaning on the idea of teaching online. I've researched and applied to a couple of different online high schools, and I've looked at some of the online universities and I'm just not sure that I am all that qualified. My undergraduate degree is in English Education with a minor in Educational Technology, and now I'm completing my Master's in Educational Technology at SDSU. Do I need to get a Master's in English to teach online? What are others doing? How did they get their online teaching jobs? What are their qualifications? Is this a career for a much later time in my life? Can anybody shed some light on this future career choice for me?

Addendum: Ok, so I have teaching certificates in Iowa and California. Time to get a National Certification I guess. It is so hard to plan for "anytime" "anywhere".