MARCH 7, 2016

DT&L Bytes
Digital Teaching & Learning @ Pine Creek High School

Who Says Digital

Learning Cant Be
Fun?

App Highlight

Students use Sphero Balls to

develop their programming skills
Did you find yourself watching small
white balls rolling around the hallways a
couple of weeks ago? Well, one of Denise
Gardiners programming classes was responsible for that. Using the Sphero app and
an iPhone or iPad, students collaborated in small groups to program those balls to
light up and roll around the hallways. The goal was to race each others Sphero
Balls around the hallways. Races, competition - how much fun is that?! Add in
creativity, innovation, collaboration and a fun way to demonstrate learning and
everyone wins! Thats not where the learning ended with this project, however, but
only the first steps. After establishing those foundational skills, the class moved on
to programming their own retro-style games on desktop computers. Ask Denise
how those games are coming!
Digital learning takes many forms throughout our school. Students and teachers
are partnering to create, innovate, collaborate and demonstrate learning. Share
your stories with each other (and with me). Talk in the pods. Visit each others
classrooms. There are so many amazing things being done with our students and
Denises example is just one. Lets celebrate these moments!
Photo: Students setting up to race Sphero Balls in the 200s hallways.

NEXT COHORT
MEETINGS

NEXT WORKSHOP

NEXT DIGITAL STUDY

HALLS

Thursday, March 3
Friday, March 4

Apple TV & Projecting

Thursday, March 31

Thursday, March 10
Thursday, March 17

Explain
Everything

A unique interactive
screencasting
whiteboard app.
Watch and create
videos, explanations
and projects. Create
original projects or
begin with a
template. Share via
Showbie, Google
D r i v e , Yo u Tu b e ,
email and more!
Animate, record,
t y p e , a n d d r a w.
Import drawings,
pictures, and
videos.
Create, innovate,
collaborate,
demonstrate - all
from one app!
Explain Everything!

Created in Pages

MARCH 6, 2016

Transitioning from the Traditional

Taking the instruction out of the textbook
Its Friday a,ernoon, a 1me when so many students (and some of us) are coun1ng down
to the weekend. Keeping students engaged is o,en a challenge.
Je Kellers Algebra 2 classes were working on the Law of Cosines on just such a day. In
this case, however, they werent coun1ng down the moments un1l the weekend. They
were engaged and having fun and so was he!
Je had the students take their prac1ce out of the textbook and into the building. He
challenged his students to nd or create angles that couldnt easily be measured. The
students then took pictures of those angles, imported them to Notability, and solved
their problems by wri1ng on the pictures themselves.
What is great about this ac1vity with iPads, is students can write all over the picture and
see what the sides of the triangle actually represent.
His students were being crea1ve, and innova1ve with their thinking and problem solving.
They collaborated in groups to demonstrate their learning. What a great example of our
vision!
The vision for digital learning at Pine Creek High School is focused on students as learners
and teachers as their partners in the learning process. Here we use digital tools to create
products, innovate design, collaborate with others inside and out of the classroom, and
demonstrate learning. Our learners will be globally connected creators, communicators,
collaborators, contributors, and construcAvists.

Resources
Dont forget that you have resources available:
Google Drive: Digital Learning Resources
Web: Susan Murray-Carricos teacher page, www.pchsdigitallearning.org
Print: DT&L Monthly Newsle\er
In person: Monthly workshops, Digital Learning Study Halls (most Thursdays plus some addi1onal days)
Your DLC: I can help you & your students during class or meet during your plan period to work on a project or skill
Photos: Je Kellers Algebra 2 classes.
For hard copy, subscribe by email, susan.murray@asd20.org

IPAD TIP & TRICK

Add to Home Screen Button
Is there a website that you or your students visit often? Make your life
easier and add a button to your Home Screen that takes you directly to
the site! When your at your site, click on the share icon (box with arrow pointing out
the top) and then the Add to Home Screen button. Youll now have a direct link to
your site!

Created in Pages