Khan Academy is a Great Learning Resource for All Ages

Welcome to the EdTech Corner where I will be posting resources for parents and teachers in regards to Ed Tech happenings at Grant School. It has been a while since my last post as Grant continues to move forward with technology at a feverish pace. During the months of February and March our second grade students are setting up their Google Apps for Education accounts. It is exciting to see them begin to type their stories on the computer and add images!

Today I would like to share about a free educational resource that helped my daughter pass her college statistics class this year but can also help our kindergarten students learn to count. It is rare to find a resource that can be adapted for all age groups and many subjects. However, Khan Academy does just that. It also allows students to create a free account with their Google login information. I am sure most of you have heard of Khan Academy, but when is the last time you checked out all it has to offer?  The course offerings continue to expand and Khan offers much more than math and science. You can also find courses in computer programming, history, art, and an entire section on how to get admitted to college.

I love to use Khan Academy’s partner content with our students as well. When our 3rd graders are studying the solar system, I can visit the NASA section of their site. Our second grade teachers were excited to see that the American Museum of Natural History section has extensive resources on dinosaurs. There really is something for everyone if you take the time to explore all it has to offer.

I have used Khan Academy to assist students who need extra practice on a particular concept or for students who desire to learn at their own pace and want to accelerate their learning. Students are motivated to earn the virtual “badges” and change their avatar as they accumulate more energy points. Khan Academy has an effective search engine within their site so you can easily find a lesson on a particular subject or skill. The mission statement for Khan says it all, "You can learn anything. For free. For everyone. Forever."

Welcome to the EdTech Corner at Grant School!

Welcome to the first post of my new blog, The EdTech Corner. I would like to introduce this blog with a Question and Answer format so that you can become acquainted with the purpose of The EdTech Corner as well as some of the happenings at Grant School in regards to technology.

Question: Why have you decided to create this blog and what do you hope to accomplish?

Answer: As an educator, I am very excited about the increase in digital literacy opportunities for our students this year. Here is a list of some of the exciting things happening at Grant:

•  All students in Grades 3-8 have a Google Apps for Education account. 
• Students in Grades K-2 have also experienced more technology opportunities with our updated curriculum and emphasis on keyboarding skills. 
• All of our teachers are utilizing more websites and web tools to complement the wonderful teaching already taking place.
• 23 teachers received new Chromebooks to help implement technology in the classroom. Thank you CEF for the generous grant! 
• Grant School continues to fulfill our mission statement in preparing our students for the future as we move forward with 21st century learning opportunities for your child. As a parent, we want you to be involved too. Hopefully this blog will help you feel more connected to the process and give you some helpful resources to assist your child at home.

Question: Why is increasing digital literacy skills for our students a big priority this year?

Answer: The Common Core State Standards are fundamentally changing the way students learn in the classroom. Today's students need to know how to use technology to acquire knowledge, analyze and evaluate information, explore, draw conclusions, and test theories. In fact, this chart shows the technology skills needed at each grade level to support the Common Core Standards.  Our students need to learn how to think critically and creatively, navigate an increasingly digital world safely, and learn by doing. I have been teaching for 25 years and some educational trends come and go but technology is here to stay!

Question: How can I support my child at home in regards to technology?

Answer: These ideas are in no particular order, but I think they are are essential to ensure that your child is on the right track:

• Encourage your child to practice keyboarding skills at home. We have limited time in the classroom to teach the students to type correctly on the keyboard. Did you know that on the homepage of the Grant School website we have a list of free keyboarding websites to assist with this process? We are always updating these links so it is a great resource. 
• Ask your child to log into their Google Apps for Education account at home and ask them to share their password with you. This is great practice for the students and it is a good reminder to your child that you can access it at any time.  All students in grades 3-8 should be able to do this. If you do not know where to start, I would suggest you go to https://drive.google.com and ask your child to log in. Google Drive allows our students to create and share documents with ease and work on projects at home that they might have started at school. To use all of Google Drive's features, I would recommend installing Google's free browser called Google Chrome. The students will have limited functionality if they use other browsers, but the Google Drive Apps definitely work better when using the Chrome browser. Students have been informed that their Google Apps for Education account, or GAFE is to be used for educational purposes and that we expect all of our students to be good digital citizens.
• Speaking of digital citizenship, all students also need to learn what makes a good digital citizen. Grant School is reminding the students through our daily announcements and lessons in the classroom to THINK before they post. They need to ask themselves: Is it true? Is it helpful? Is it inspiring? Is it necessary? Is it kind? When our students post something online, it is instant and very hard to retract. Having conversations about digital citizenship at home helps pave the way for following the golden rule of online communication in the classroom. As we ¨prepare students for the future¨ our children need to remember that their digital footprint is an impression that others will see when they are applying for college or a job. Just as a reminder, on my website you can access my YouTube channel where I have two playlists of digital citizenship videos depending on the age of your child. I also have other playlists that might be helpful including tutorials on all of the Google tools we are using at school. 

Thank you for reading my first blog post and I look forward to connecting with you again soon!

Mrs. Sumption