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Technology In Practice

Tips For Teaching w/Technology

We'll Support You In Class!

Do you want help introducing a tech tool to your students?

Aidan, Kris & myself are more than happy to help introduce tech (remote, or IRL) to your class. We can also spend time, or an entire Digital Essentials class period helping your students, or supplementing an existing project in your curriculum!

If it makes sense for one of us to come in more than other (ex: Do you want Kris' database, or Sora expertise? Aidan's website building skills?) We can come into your class even if we don't regularly teach Digital Essentials in that grade. 

Just let us know as a team in advance, & we will work out the logistics.

We are also as excited as you are to help in a more significant way with interdisciplinary projects. Let's collaborate!

About The "Technology In Practice" Guide

This guide is meant as an introduction point for a curated selection of the tech tools that are available to you as Berkeley Carroll teachers. The tech tools (apps, websites, add-ons, etc.), are tools you may be using already, tools you requested extra support for, or tools we thought would be helpful in enriching your classes (both remotely, and in person!)

Please note that the tutorials, and how-to's on this guide are only the basic steps for getting started in using the tool. These include setting up accounts & logging in, and the most fundamental steps in setting up your first project. 

If there is a tool not on this guide that you would like extra support with, please contact me & let me know. Involving the Tech Team in any new acquisition of a tech tool is the best way for us to support you & the students, acquire Pro or Teacher accounts, & even help set up accounts for your students (if applicable). 

How To Use This Guide

The tools in this guide are organized by learning goal. For example, the pages under "Quizzing & Studying Tools" all feature a digital tool that supports quizzing, and study skills such as flashcards. "Screencasting & Video Recording Tools" features tools used for recording screencasts, or video lectures, etc.

There are also pages on this guide for:

  • Streaming Videos In The Classroom: Check out this page if you are planning to stream a movie in your classroom. We will help you figure out the best way to do this, in a format that models Berkeley Carroll's commitment to responsible digital citizenship. On this page, you can also find a video request form to fill out.
  • Tech Support Protocol: Not sure who to email with your tech question? Whether to contact Aidan, Kris, myself or someone from Tech Operations? What about the difference between putting in a HelpDesk ticket & the "techsupport" email? Check out this page!
  • Google Classroom: The ins and outs of Google Classroom (with specific info for BC Middle School Google Classrooms)

Below this text is an example of a tech tool box, and what information you can find for each tool, on each tab.

Still Confused? Email me!

Discussion & Response Tools:

Screencasting & Video Recording Tools:

Interactive Lesson Tools:

Quizzing & Studying Tools:

Skills Assessment Tools:

Tools for Online Organization:

Navigating This Guide: What To Expect on Each Tech Tool Page

About:

This section explains what the tech tool is, and it's primary function.

Technology Requirements:

This section provides an overview of the technology (eg: iPad, laptop, installation via Self Service) this tool requires, both for students & teachers.

It will also explain whether this tool is an app that students will need to have installed, or if it can be accessed on a web browser, or both!

Account Requirements:

This section will tell you whether this tech tool is free to use, or requires payment/a Pro account. If Berkeley Carroll pays for a Pro account for this tool, I will provide any details here on setting up this Pro account.

Creating an Account:

This section includes steps on how to create an account.

Logging In:

This section includes steps on how to log into your account, after you have created it.

Platform Basics:

This section provides the fundamental instructions on setting up your first project with this tool. The keyword here is fundamental! Rather than flood this guide with tons of troubleshooting tips, and/or recreating tech tutorials that may already exist online, I have put links to more tech tips on the "More Resources" tab.

Hopefully between these two pages, your question will be answered! However, if not please contact me via the Tech Tool Support Request Form. If I think it will be a popular question, I'll add the question & answer to the "FAQ" box for that tool. 

This section contains answers, and/or instructions for questions that have specifically been asked by BC Middle School teachers when using this tech tool in the classroom. Chances are - if you've had the question, other teachers have too!

In some cases, I've also added what I've found to be helpful user tips, which may answer a lingering question as well...

Ways you might use this tool:

This section has a few general ideas on how you might use this tool in the classroom.

Examples of this tool in practice:

Want more inspiration? This section has links to actual examples of this tool in practice at Berkeley Carroll Middle School!

Have you created an amazing project using one of these tech tools? If you're ok with me using it as an example - please send me the link!

More Resources:

This section has more tech resources found online (not created by me, but often by the tool creators itself) including:

  • How-to videos
  • Getting Started guides
  • Tech troubleshooting pages/wikis
  • Instructions on emailing Help Desk with an app question (if you're still stumped!)

Connect With Other Educators Using This Tool:

Interested in seeing how other educators are using this tool? Maybe you want to see new features that have been rolled out, or how this tool is tackling remote learning needs? In this section I have embedded official Twitter feeds (if they exist), or other social media platforms that promote/feature this tech tool in action.

Watch a guided tour of this Libguide below. This guide is still a work in progress, and will continue to grow as we learn more about teaching with technology! If you have any questions about this Libguide, please contact me.

You can watch this Tutorial as a video, or view it as a scrollable list of steps (Select "View it - List" on the dropdown menu for this option)

1. There are a few different sections on the Home Page of this Libguide. The first one is an "About the Guide" section. Read this to become acquainted with the mission of the guide.

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2. The next section is "How to Use This Guide," which includes an explanation of how the guide is organized

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3. In this box, you can also find a linked list of "Tools Included on This Guide."

This might be a helpful way to view all  of the individual tool pages, as they are "hidden" in the Libguide menu until you go into each section.

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4. Hovering over the sections will also give you a view of which tools are within each section

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5. Click on a section header to read an overview of the tools in each section

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6. If a tool in the section looks interesting, you can go the tool page straight from here! Just Click on the link for that tool.

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7. Or you can navigate to the tool page directly from the menu

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8. Each tool page is arranged the same way, but the content (of course) varies depending on the process for using each tool!

The tool page will open onto a "What is the Tool" view. This will be a brief overview, and also list technology requirements.

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9. The next tab is "Getting Started (Accounts & Login)".

This section will tell you if you need a Pro account to access all features, how to create the right account, and how to log into your account.

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10. The next tab is for "Platform Basics." This tab will show you the most basic steps in creating your first project, or how to get started using this tool. It will also show you (if applicable) how to create classes, and share projects with your class.

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11. The next tab is for tool "FAQs." This has helpful tips, or frequently asked questions (usually ones I've actually received from BC teachers in using the tool). I will add answers to this, if i continue to get questions I think will be frequent.

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12. The "In Practice at BC" tab has ideas for how to use this tool in your teaching practice, as well as links to actual examples of the tool in practice at BC. Keep this in mind, if you use this tool in your teaching & want to share an example!

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13. In "More Resources" you can find links to help pages, videos, or other tutorials (usually from the tool's help pages).

If you have questions about the tool that you can't find an answer to on the guide, check here for more help tips.

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14. You can also find the "Tech Tool Support Form" embedded here, which you can use to ask me a question about the tool (it's linked to my email, but will help me manage my tech support requests if you use this form for specific tech tool questions).

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15. The last tab is a "Connect" tab. This refers to connection w/the tool, or to other teachers. In most cases, I've embedded the tool's Twitter feed, which I've found is often the most up to date source for tool updates, announcements, examples, & more!

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16. The "Streaming Videos" page has information on requesting help for streaming movies in your class. This holds true for whether we're in-person, remote, or a combination. Please read through this info on the process for requesting a movie.

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17. You can also find information on our the new educational streaming platform we subscribe to (Swank)

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18. The "Tech Support Protocol" page has a lot of information on how to ask for tech help (for yourself, for students, or for parents).

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19. You can also find information on what specific things we need you to include on a tech support request (as well as what is NOT helpful to include)

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Here's an interactive tutorial

https://www.iorad.com/player/1698520/Libguides---How-to-Navigate-This-Guide

More Faculty Resources

Check out more Faculty Resources (including eBook collections; Flipster; New York Times info, and much more!) on Ms. Hartley-Maneri's MS Faculty Libguide.