Thursday, September 7, 2017

Campus Instruction Control Center Designed for Mobile Devices

Infinite Campus has updated the home page of Campus Instruction and renamed it “Control Center.” This enhancement allows teachers to quickly view current tasks at a glance without leaving the screen. In addition, Control Center is designed with a responsive design to allow teachers the same home screen on a tablet, smartphone, or desktop computer.

Open Campus Instruction 

To open Campus Instruction, click the app switcher and select Campus Instruction in the menu that opens. Use the app switcher to return to the rest of Campus as well by selecting Campus Tools or to access the Campus Community. Be sure to Log Off when finished.


The app switcher in Campus Instruction is located in the top left of the screen. Click Tools to return to the rest of Campus Tools.


In Campus Instruction, choose the Year and School in the toolbar.  Teachers in schools with multiple structures should choose the appropriate structure, i.e., BHS or Pathways; Grade 06, Grade 07, or Grade 08.

You'll only need to select a Section when that context is needed, such as in the Grade Book or Roster. Other tools, such as the Planner, are not section-specific.

The top right corner of the screen is also where you access the Campus Community and where you log off of Campus Instruction. Account Settings are also available from this user icon.

Visit the Control Center for Easy Access to Attendance and Scoring Assignments

The Control Center allows teachers to view current tasks at a glance. Current day attendance and assignments to be score are sorted by period.

This tool has been optimized for use on mobile devices, such as phones and tablets.

Use the Control Center to take attendance and score assignments easily.

Taking Attendance

Sections for which attendance needs to be taken are indicated with a red dot and outline once the period has ended. Prior to the end of the period, attendance that will need to be taken during the day is indicated with an empty grey circle. Completed attendance is indicated with a green check. Click Take to enter student attendance.


Indicate if students are Present, Absent, or Tardy.


Mark the Present, Absent, or Tardy buttons to record student attendance. Enter Comments for absences and tardies if applicable. Click Save when finished.

If attendance has been recorded by the attendance office, the attendance code displays.

Scoring Assignments

The Assignments column allows teachers to score assignments due on or before the current day. To display, an assignment's End Date must be within the current Term. The number in parenthesis indicates the number of unscored assignments. Click Score to record scores.


Unscored assignments are listed by default, with options for All and Missing assignments.

In the panel that opens, unscored assignments are listed by default. Click All to view all assignments in the section or Missing to view assignments flagged as missing.

Click on an assignment to view students. For a specific assignment, view All students (including those with scores), only Unscored, or those flagged as Missing using the buttons at the top.


Score and flag students assignments

Filling Scores

Fill options display at the top of the scoring panel. Mark all assignments as Turned In and score all assignments. Anything entered in the Fill Scores area overwrites data entered on the current panel.

Scoring Individuals

Scores and flags can also be recorded for individual students. Enter numeric scores or select a score from the dropdown for assignments scored using Marks or Rubrics.

Assignments with multiple alignments display with multiple score fields.

Flags

To flag the assignment, click the Turned In button or use the flag dropdown list to select a different flag. Once a flag is selected, click it to remove it. Keyboard shortcuts, such as typing 'M' to flag as missing, cannot be entered in the Control Center.

The Turned In and Missing flags cannot be marked at the same time. If a score is entered for an assignment flagged as missing, options display for resolving the flag.

Student Information

Click on a student's name to open the student information panel. Basic information about the student is listed at the top, with sections for Contact Information and Today's Schedule.





Visit Infinite Campus for Barrington 220 to learn more of what's new in Infinite Campus.

Introducing...the Apple Classroom App

Apple recently released the second version of Classroom. The app affords teachers numerous opportunities to improve instructional practices while using iPad devices. Several middle school teachers piloted the use of Classroom their iPad devices in their classrooms. We are ready to release this great tool for use in all of our PK–8 classrooms. Classroom is available for teachers to download in Self Service on the iPad. Students do not need to download any apps to their iPad device for Classroom to function.

Check out Apple's website to learn more about the Classroom app.

What can teachers do with Classroom?

With the Classroom app, teachers can:
  • create their own classes and easily add nearby students.
  • share documents and links directly to student devices and have them open automatically on their iPad devices.
  • mute audio playing on a student device.
  • view the entire class of student iPad screens or focus on an individual's iPad screen to gather formative assessment data and guide learning.
  • launch apps, websites, or iBooks on all or individual student iPad devices.
  • project student work from their teacher iPad.
  • lock all or individual student iPad devices.
  • create small groups within Classroom app and add/remove students.

How do teachers get started with Classroom?

To get started with Classroom, teachers may download Classroom from Self Service. Follow the steps in this guide from Apple, and/or view the video below from 9to5Mac.

Getting Started with Classroom 2.0 (Apple PDF Directions)


It should be noted that students can choose to leave a class via the Settings app, and students may change settings that are preferred by the teacher on their iPad. For example, students can choose to Always, Ask, or Never allow a teacher device to lock apps and the device, or to use AirPlay or Screen View features. Students can also turn off Bluetooth or restart their iPad and be disconnected from your class. However, after a student has joined your class and attempts leave the class, their avatar turns grey on the teacher iPad device. This makes it easy for the teacher to address this behavior.

Please see any LTA for more information on getting started with Classroom.

Friday, July 28, 2017

Dealing with Digital Distraction Episode 1: How Technology Amplifies Student Engagement, Accountability, and On-Task Behavior with Heather Chvojka

This is the first installment in Barrington 220's Dealing with Digital Distraction series. The series will highlight how Barrington 220 teachers and students continue to learn and use strategies to manage digital distraction.




Digital Distraction Strategies

Heather Chvojka is a math teacher at Barrington Middle School—Station Campus. Her math lessons focus on on-demand, individualized learning experiences that offer student choice. Like many middle school classes, this class includes students who sometimes veer off task and feel attraction to apps, games, and notifications that could easily cause distractions and affect engagement during the entire class period.

How does Heather deal with potential digital distractions? She highlights three key strategies for managing digital distraction:
  • Set device expectations in advance
  • Engage students by engaging with students
  • Create a learning environment of freedom and mutual trust




Classroom Highlights

During the final full week of school during the 2016–2017 school year, I visited Heather Chvojka's math class of Grade 8 students at BMS Station Campus during the final period of the day. This class was similar to other classes in late May—students entered the room with lots of energy and at a high volume.




Within minutes the students engaged in the lesson and remained engaged until the final bell signifying the end of the school day. This short video clip demonstrates that Heather's math class certainly didn't resemble the math classes I remember that were characterized by direct instruction; straight rows of seated students; and a methodical, algorithm-based, step-by-step delivery.




A couple of strategies stood out. After Heather explains the lesson objective and gives the options for how students can choose to demonstrate learning, students select where they wish to sit and with whom they will work independently. Students chose to work with friends, classmates of a similar achievement level, or independently.




Students work to solve problems using multiple modes of media including personal or wall-mounted whiteboards with dry erase markers, calculators, iPad devices, and paper/pencil.




IXL and Classroom help Heather's students students engaged, accountable, and on task. Using these two tools, she can monitor student progress and catch opportunities to provide just-in-time guidance for her students.



Heather uses proximity to guide students toward on-task behavior while simultaneously providing specific, timely feedback and instruction to other students using Apple Classroom.




With Apple Classroom teachers can see all student iPad devices in the classroom and zero in onto specific screens to monitor progress in real-time. When a student raised his hand for help, Heather used Apple Classroom to look at that student's iPad screen so she could respond with the exact instruction needed at that moment, based upon the work she saw on the screen.




Using the online math subscription service IXL, Heather can monitor the live progress of each student; she may also choose to connect the IXL Classroom Dashboard (the "teacher view") to the projector display. The IXL Classroom Dashboard is organized on the screen by Common Core math standards and by the number of questions each student has answered during the time period—all updated and displayed in real-time.


In general, Heather chooses to give students some choice and control, allows them to be engaged, and then supports them when they need on-demand feedback to continue learning.



I would like to convey a special "thank you" to Heather for taking the courageous leap to allow us a glimpse into her classroom, and for sharing her time and insights through her reflections.

The Apple Classroom app is free and built into the iOS 10 operating system installed on our iPad devices. Check out this post about Classroom. The tools described and shown within the IXL program are also available to teachers using other online subscription math programs.

Please see your LTA, Teacher Librarian, or Instructional Digital Age Learning (iDAL) coach for more information.

Monday, July 3, 2017

2017-18 Instructional Technology Software Updates

We have several instructional technology service announcements to prepare for 2017–18!

PK–12 Teachers & Students

For our online technology tool training needs, we will be subscribing to Lynda.com this year (in place of Atomic Learning). Lynda.com provides users with video clips to help learn different technology tools, such as Schoology, iPad, Evernote, Keynote, and many more. You can access Lynda.com:
  1. Navigate to http://www.lynda.com 
  2. Teachers and students login using barrington220.org or bsd220.org email address and password
PK–8 Teachers & Students

Our subscription to Defined STEM ended on Friday, June 30, 2017, since the elementary Science Steering Committee has completed their work using these resources.

Due to a very low usage rate, we are discontinuing access to Gizmos, virtual science simulations, at BHS.

We are shifting from RAZ Kids to Epic! for students in Grades PK–2 and myON for students in Grades K–5. We will continue to have access to RAZ Kids for students in Grades K–1 or in literacy support classes. Read more about Barrington 220 digital texts here.

We are shifting away from Compass Learning and many other math software solutions for students in Grades PK–5 to Reflex Math and TenMarks. Read more about Barrington 220 math apps and services here.

The growth in use of KidBlog in Grade 3 spurred a decision to extend access to include students in Grades 3–5. Here's how you can access KidBlog after July 1, 2017:
  1. Navigate to https://kidblog.org 
  2. Click Login with Google and use your @barrington220.org email. Your email will automatically add your account to the Barrington 220 subscription.
  3. Students will log in and join a classroom using a code provided by the teacher.
You can see an updated list of our subscriptions here: bit.ly/220subscriptions.

Seesaw for Schools

Seesaw for Schools is new for 2017–18. If you use and love the free version of Seesaw, you will find this new option very exciting. While the look and function of Seesaw will be the same, the new subscription offers more features including: school-wide analytics and management, unified portfolios that follow students from class to class and grade level to grade level, a Seesaw for Schools dashboard which offers actionable data at a glance, and formative assessment tools.

All current Seesaw users will be connected to our paid subscription automatically. New users will be added in the next few weeks. Seesaw for Schools is scoped for all staff and students in Grades K–5.



Access Seesaw for Schools
  1. Navigate to https://app.seesaw.me (access teacher dashboard and classes).
  2. Existing Teacher accounts will be added to our subscription by domain (@barrington220.org). New accounts will be uploaded by July 15, 2017. Each teacher will receive a notification when their individual account has been upgraded.
  3. Students will access Seesaw from the Seesaw App downloaded from Self Service. Student accounts will be uploaded and attached to their homeroom teacher by August 15, 2017.
  4. Teachers may also access their class by downloading the Seesaw App from Self Service on the iPad and logging in.

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