News

#GSDEdTech and #GSDLibraries Social Media Round Up: January 2019

February 2019

Exciting things are happening every day in classrooms, libraries, labs, and makerspaces throughout Granite School District, and a few of these learning activities are shared on social media. We’re going to highlight activities from January involving the Educational Technology Department by rounding up social media posts shared by those who participated.

Leadership in Blended and Digital Learning Site Visit, Upland Terrace Elementary
Granite Elementary Beehive Reading Challenge
Mock Caldecott with Elementary Media Clerks
Classroom Snapshots

From Granite Media: Best Books of 2018

January 2019

Update 1/29/2019: ALA Youth Media Award Winners Added

On Granitemedia.org, our sister site where we focus on library resources and book reviews written by Granite students and staff, we are collecting links to lists of the “Best Books of 2018” and award winners. These lists come from professional library publications, teacher organizations, and general news organizations. We even have a few Granite-specific lists. School library staff use them to find more great books to add to library collections and recommend to students. You can check out the collection of lists as it currently stands below, but we will continue to update the post at http://bestbooks.edtech.fun throughout the season as more awards are announced or come to our attention. No matter your interests or focus you’re sure to find some new books for your “to-read” list.

Now Registering: Code.org Training

January 2019

Upcoming Event: 2019 District Battle of the Books Competition

January 2019

Post Author: Nikki Gregerson, District Elementary Library Specialist. Originally shared on Granite Media, our library media program website.

As we begin to prepare for our school scrimmages and competitions, here is a look at some of the progress we have made with our Battle of the Books program this school year.

Students who want to participate in team competitions need to have read and passed off at least five books on their list by January 31, 2019. Students who have read five books are also eligible for special prizes and rewards. The district’s big annual prize drawing is done right before Winter Break and prizes are delivered to students and staff members at participating elementary schools. Check out some of the winners for this school year below!

Our District Battle of the Books competition will take place on Thursday, March 14 from 5:00 PM-7:30 PM at Jim Bridger Elementary. 5^th and 6^th graders will compete as teams in a family feud style competition that will test their knowledge of the 15 books on our list. If your school is interested in participating in the program for next year, but not exactly sure how it works, watching battles at our district competition is a really good way to get a sense of how it all works. Here is a quick breakdown of the sequence of events for that evening:

If you have questions about our Battle of the Books program, please contact Nikki Gregerson. Also, check out our highlights from the 2018 Granite Battle of the Books Competition.

Upcoming Event + Volunteers Needed: Granite FIRST LEGO League Tournament, January 26, 2019

January 2019

Post Author: Cherie Anderson, Educational Technology Specialist and Team Leader

Students compete in a robot games round during the 2018 Granite FIRST LEGO League competition. Photo by Tom Sparks.

An amazing event is coming to Granite School District, and we need some volunteers!

The FIRST LEGO League Tournament for Granite School District will be on Saturday, January 26, 2019 at Granger High School. It is an all-day event and we need judges, referees, stagers, runners, and table re-setters. If you would like more information on what the event is and what volunteering would entail, contact Cherie Anderson at canderson@graniteschools.org or 385-646-7112. You can also see photos and videos from last year’s tournament here.

Begin the volunteer registration process by following this link:

https://www.firstinspires.org/ways-to-help/volunteer

Enter the ZIP code 84119 and date 1/26/2019 when prompted to find the Granite event.

Check out our blog post, Highlights from Granite’s FIRST LEGO League 2018 Qualifier, to learn more about this event.

Now Registering: Hyperdocs (Ed Tech Pick Five Session)

January 2019

January 15, 2018 – HyperDocs

Making the shift to 21st century teaching just got a whole lot easier with HyperDocs! On the outside a HyperDoc looks like just a colorful Google doc with links, but when you dig in deeper you’ll find a research-based digital lesson with interactive elements tailored to each student.

In this session, you’ll experience a HyperDoc just as your students would, learn what HyperDocs are (and aren’t), and examine the pedagogy behind HyperDocs and best practices for creating and using HyperDocs with your students. You will also have time to find existing HyperDocs you can adapt to meet your needs and begin to create your own from a template or from scratch.

Session location: Technology Learning Center (5300 W Cherrywood Lane, West Valley City, UT)

Time: 4:30 – 7:30 PM

Click here to register for this session.

Pick Five – GSD Ed. Tech. Tuesdays

3rd Tuesday of each month – 4:30-7:30 P.M.

All Granite educators looking to add to or improve their use of technology in the classroom are invited to attend any of our Pick Five sessions. Topics will be announced in our Ed Tech Newsletter each month.

All are welcome to sign up to attend any of the sessions. Relicensure points are available. Attend at least 5 of the sessions and complete a portfolio assignment to receive 1 USBE credit.

Upcoming Sessions:

Google Apps, Extensions, and Add-Ons (December 18)
Hyperdocs (January 15)
Digital Assessment and Feedback (February 19)
Utah’s Online Library (March 19)
Gamify Your Curriculum (April 16)

Visit https://sites.google.com/granitesd.org/gsdedtechtuesdays/pick-five?authuser=0 for more information and to register for any of these upcoming sessions.

New Books in Sora for Winter Break

December 2018

Just in time for winter break we’ve added many new titles in Sora, Granite’s digital library for students and staff. Take some time to read and listen over the holidays. We have several new curated collections, including Best Books of 2018 and 2020 Beehive Hopefuls. Log in with your student number and password at https://soraapp.com or in the Sora mobile app and see what is available. (Visit sora.edtech.fun for more help with using Sora.)

Leadership in Blended and Digital Learning School Spotlight: Magna Elementary

December 2018

Last week Magna Elementary hosted a site visit for the Leadership in Blended and Digital Learning cohort of elementary school principals and technology specialists. During this site visit principals were able to step into several classrooms to see first-hand how teachers are transforming their classrooms using blended and digital learning strategies. In addition to taking what they saw back to their own schools, some participants shared snapshots with us via social media posts that we will share below.

Now Registering: Google Apps, Extensions, and Add-Ons (Ed Tech Pick Five Session)

December 2018

December 18, 2018 – Google Apps, Extensions, and Add-Ons

Learn how you can make your use of Google and Chromebooks more efficient by using Google Apps, Extensions, and Add-Ons. We’ll share several of our favorites and provide you with time to find some of your own.

Session location: Technology Learning Center (5300 W Cherrywood Lane, West Valley City, UT)

Time: 4:30 – 7:30 PM

Click here to register for this session.

Pick Five – GSD Ed. Tech. Tuesdays

3rd Tuesday of each month – 4:30-7:30 P.M.

All are welcome to sign up to attend any of the sessions. Relicensure points are available. Attend at least 5 of the sessions and complete a portfolio assignment to receive 1 USBE credit.

Upcoming Sessions:

Google Apps, Extensions, and Add-Ons (December 18)
Hyperdocs (January 15)
Digital Assessment and Feedback (February 19)
Utah’s Online Library (March 19)
Gamify Your Curriculum (April 16)

Visit https://sites.google.com/granitesd.org/gsdedtechtuesdays/pick-five?authuser=0 for more information and to register for any of these upcoming sessions.

Let’s Get Coding / Granite Hour of Code Social Media Round Up

December 2018

Last week was Computer Science Education Week, and many Granite teachers took the opportunity to introduce students to programming with Hour of Code learning activities. Scroll down to see our round up of social media posts from Granite classrooms where students tried out coding projects. If you missed CSEdWeek it’s not too late to share these activities with students. See the “Let’s Get Coding” section below for activities that can be used in the classroom or at home at any time. [Read more…] about Let’s Get Coding / Granite Hour of Code Social Media Round Up