Tips, Tricks, & Techniques (Harvey Almarode)

http://harveyshomepage.com/Harveys_Homepage/Welcome.html

Use VISUALs!
brainrules.net John Medina--book on brain, chapter 10 on visuals & how brain reacts

use of cartoon figures/visuals
buildyourwildself.com--take kids to lab have them create their own wildself & use those in your presentations (kids will love seeing their characters)

Phillip Martin--free clip art
http://www.phillipmartin.info/clipart/homepage.htm

32-36 pt font for best viewing of text
we pay attention to color, size, orientation, movement
-erase to reveal

1) Use LOTs of VISUALs
engage students from the title page!
Quadrilateral Family Reunion

(google: cartoon eyeballs)

2) Customize your SB Toolbar!
--fill shape objects with color (then you don't have to click right on the edge of the shape)
save tool properties button at bottom of properties tab after you use solid fill

3) Share it forward!
Put lessons on SMART exchange; Jim Hollis The Notebook Gallery (formerly teachers love smartboards)

4) Beware of amount of FLASH files; use sparingly so it doesn't bog down

5) Alignment blue lines to line things up in your lessons (Format | Alignment | show guides for active objects & snap objects to grid | Apply to settings

6) Clear ink & clear page icons on toolbar

7) Group objects & resize so all objects are resized proportionally

8) Use pull tabs for step directions so you don't take up room on the board (24-36 pt font)
--use your own graphics for pull tabs--google "cartoon pull tabs"; pull guy, paint roller

9) Utilize, use & organize MY CONTENT in Gallery--go only one folder deep in My Content

10) Use ANIMATIONS:
-birds on a wire!
-Petals around the Rose game...animated dice
-hundreds chart (missing numbers)
-reveal from under the microscope

10) LESSON ACTIVITY TOOLKIT
-checker tool
-dice w/ images
-dice w/ text
-firecracker

11) Purple rectangle reveal...
flip purple rectangle over bottom axis to reveal text in same color as background; text in front; rectangle behind

12) Oh Great Swami...
Magic tunnel--two colors of text with image in between to hide screen color divide
Use school mascot as your image in middle

13) Telling time lesson w/ broken clock

14) Interactive Ten frame

15) Large table cell
-word families
-butterfly life cycle (shrink & grow)

16) boring random number generator (lesson activity toolkit) with an image surrounding it to make it more appealing

17) Lesson Activity Builder--puzzle icon tab
Which cube weighs the most on scales?
dragging cubes--light bulbs happy/sad
Puppy Patterns...complete the pattern
Magic Mirror (work in progress)

Beginning sounds kindergarten file

Geeking out with Google Scripts and Forms

Google Forms - part of Google Apps, helps you gather and organize data into a Google Spreadsheet
Overview video of Google Forms
www.google.com/apps/collaboration

Using forms in your school:
Teachers - classroom activities, data collection, assessments
Administrators - data collection, observations, discipline forms, anecdotal notes
Guidance - data collection, completing weekly/daily forms about bullying

Login to your Google Account, go to Google Drive, then click Create and choose "form" from list
Demos available - http://goo.gl/Cu53D
http://goo.gl/L5Jtk

Important features -
Top left "Add Item" and choose item type
Duplicate (top right of each item)
Edit (top right of each item)
Save

See handout for examples of created forms that teachers, administrators, and guidance counselors in Charlottesville City are using Google Forms.

Google Ninja - ***Really neat*** They have about a 90% + participation rate from teachers striving to earn belts.
https://sites.google.com/a/charlottesvilleschools.org/googleninjas/
Do a Google search for Google Ninja program

http://tbarrett.edublogs.org - lots of forms available to use

Ideas for forms
-Intervention log
-Homework check
-Preassessing before a lesson
-Admin walkthroughs
-Exit ticket
-First day of school activity - get to know your students

Google Scripts

Flubaroo - quick & instant feedback - will grade assessments quickly

Doctopus - Gives teachers the ability to auto-generage, pre-share, and manage grading feedback on templated Docs - look into this for AFE form www.youpd.org/doctopus

formMule (aka "The Mule") - allows different calendars to talk to each other - look into this for computer labs, carts, etc. - can use to reserve spaces www.youpd.org/formmule

Google Snooze for Google Mail

Gmail Merge www.youpd.org/autocrat

www.edCode.org
www.youpd.org

See attached presentation

Cooking up SMARTer Lessons: A Recipe for Success

Presenters: Karen Clore/Mary Hefner: ITRTs from Spotsylvania County

SMART products to cover all levels of Blooms
Dr Jennifer King--trainer for them at their own workshop/conference: Retool for School

Bloom's revised taxonomy: see edmodo account for handouts
Find out about Pixie--tech for learning (Scott Loomis is at VSTE--for tech for learning)
Wixie (online version of Pixie)

Rubistar (online making rubrics)
Discovery Education (new: assessments to create quizzes)

Lesson Activity Toolkit | Pages | Title Pages (title page for objectives)
Spotsylvania uses Angel PLN to share resources out to teachers

Handout!

SmartResponseSmartBoard - Recipes for Cooking Success
*Workshops for recertification points where teachers have time to create content.  Teachers were given these guidelines and examples together, then time to create Smart Lessons (all inclusive, adding files as attachments) for Resource drive.

1 -Anticipatory Set - to get kids excited, tap into prior knowledge providing a hook for learning
    -cover picture with ink, kids throw a soft ball like a koosh ball to "uncover"
    -link to an intro video (example of plant parts video)
2 - Direct Instruction - straight up teaching
    -Intro/uncover learning - idea of magnifying glass to uncover answers
3 - Closure - wrap-up, review, and check for learning
    -SmartResponse
    -Connect4 game idea
4 - Guided Practice - model steps for activity, teacher supports as students practice

    -Story Worm in Pixie
    -sort (Native American example)
5 - Independent Practice - give expectations (rubric, sample, directions, etc.) and students work to complete

    -Create comics on famous inventions

    -Students write and perform song about Famous Americans
    -Pixie
    -Students made commercials advertising regions of Virginia using PhotoStory
    -Students made trading cards of Famous Americans
6 - Extension activities - Students extend their learning with directions from teacher

    -Oh The Places You’ll Go – Jamestown!
7 - Assessment - to determine mastery
    -Assessments created in ExamView can import into SmartResponse

Directions here

Digital cameras & Document cameras to capture video/document learning
Pixie: kids created trading cards of famous Americans
PhotoStory: students write scripts & create commercial for visiting their colony; pictures with recorded voices

Teachers need time to commit for content creation--professional learning w/ application