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ArchiTECHs of Learning
Our latest blog posts…
TechCoach Tip: Speed up your feedback
by Bob Harrison If your experience is like mine, giving feedback can get a little mundane sometimes when you need to repeatedly enter the same feedback for multiple students. Things like "Please use complete sentences," "Please use proper capitalization," and "Don't...
Have You Joined the Wordle Craze?!?!
Have you noticed a bunch of black, yellow, and green bar graphs showing up on your social media or in your text messages lately? What is this tiny, colorful graph that is taking over the internet? It’s Wordle, and there are some great ways to use it in your classroom!
Where are my courses?? (and a couple other tips)
Remember that at the end of the semester for secondary courses, your Schoology Courses are Archived…
Tech Coach Tips
As we finish the first semester of learning, here are a few tips to keep in mind:
I’m Back!
Let me know how I can support you!
Please Note!
Due to the teacher shortage, both Tech Coaches are teaching in classrooms presently. If you need assistance, please reach out to the Help Desk at 837-3003. Hopefully we will be back to supporting teachers soon!
A Quick Refresher
Since there has been a district mandate that all Schoology courses should be updated weekly to keep staff and students comfortable with using online resources, I thought it would be a good idea to post some refreshers on posting common online resources, as well as...
8 Winter-Themed Activities Brought to You by Eric Curts
Looking to put some fun, winter-themed activities for your students into your Schoology course? Look no further! Eric Curts over at Control Alt Achieve has provided us with some engaging and educational activities you can use today. These Google-based activities can be put in your Schoology course very easily, and students love them! Check them out!
It’s Time! (To Update your Zoom Client)
Zoom is making updates that improve function and use. Dearborn Public Schools personnel have the Zoom desktop client installed on their district desktop computer and can check for updates. To start this process, click on your zoom desktop icon that appears like the...
Where are all the Chromebooks?!?!?!
The district has purchased 15,000 Chromebooks to replace most of those that went home during our period of virtual learning. So where are they? The tech team has been working hard on the weekends to get the Chromebooks in the hands of students, and I spent last...
Seasonal Ideas Across Grade Levels
As the weather turns cooler and the leaves on the trees start to change color, our thoughts turn to jack o' lanterns, broomsticks and all things haunted. Some of our favorite EdTech people have shared some pretty cool Halloween activities, and we wanted to share them...
Heads Up!
Unfortunately, due to a staffing shortage in the district, everyone's favorite secondary Tech Coach, Bob Harrison, has been returned to the classroom for the time being. If you have questions for Bob, or would like to set up a Tech Coach appointment, please contact...
Quick Activities to Make Learning Relevant to Students
Working virtually with students has its challenges, for sure. But keeping the students engaged in their learning, while they are at home with unlimited distractions, can be one of the toughest. Let's talk about engagement for a minute. We know that in...
When Engagement Becomes More than Entertainment
As a Tech Coach, I often hear people say that technology is used to "get students engaged." Oftentimes, the term "engagement" is used synonymously with the word "entertained." While this is partially true, student engagement goes far beyond just entertainment and...
How Can the Tech Coaches Help?
If you are reading this, you probably know that we are the district Tech Coaches, and that we are available to collaborate with you on best practices in technology integration. However, you may not know exactly what we do, or can do.
New ArchiTECHs of Learning Podcast Now Available!
The Tech Coaches are proud to announce that our first podcast of this school year, Ready or Not, Here They Come!, is now available on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher and Google Podcast! Join us as we discuss what learning in a (sorta) post-pandemic world looks like, and how...
Practical Ways to Implement Voice and Choice in the Classroom
One of the hallmarks of a student-centered classroom is student agency. Effective learning happens in a meaningful and relevant context, in which students have voice and choice in the learning process. This often seems like a lofty, unrealistic goal…
Tech Coach Appointments Available!
This is just a reminder that Tech Coach appointments are now available. The Tech Coaches are happy to meet with you, whether in person or online, and help you with technology integration in your classroom.
#TechCoachTip | Create a QR code for any site you open in Chrome
You can now quickly and easily generate a QR code for any site you have open in Chrome. Here’s how…
Welcome Back Digital Activities (and A Plug for PLNs)
Looking for ideas for digital activities that students can do using their Chromebooks in the first week of school?
Chromebook Essentials
As you are now well aware, Chromebooks have become one of the essential school supplies for students of all ages. However, many students are still not using them to their greatest potential. Here are a few tips and tricks that every student should know to get the most...
Technology for Lifelong Learning
Our Goal
The goal of instructional technology coaches is to help teachers become effective at using technology to provide the most technology-rich, positive learning environments possible. To this end, we believe effective teachers…
- Facilitate and inspire student learning and creativity.
- Design and develop digital age learning experiences and assessments.
- Model digital age work and learning.
- Promote and model digital citizenship and responsibility.
- Engage in professional growth and leadership.
from Standards for Teachers.
