Tuesday, December 11, 2018

Tech & Innovation Welcomes Robert Jensen & Eric Delgado!

Please join the Department of Technology and Innovation in welcoming our two newest members to the team, Robert Jensen and Eric Delgado.

Prior to joining the Team as a Technology Support Associate, Bob Jensen was a Campus Activity Attendant at BHS. He also spent four years as a Mainframe Storage Admin for IBM and fifteen years as a Programmer at Experian before that. He also served in the U.S. Coast Guard at a Search and Rescue Station located on St. Simons Island, Georgia.

Bob enjoys reading mysteries and science fiction, watching black and white movies, especially Abbott and Costello, and has been married 29 years with a son and daughter.

Bob says, “I enjoy working with technology because it is very black and white. IT is very binary, 1 or 0, on/off, it works/it doesn’t work. There is logic to good technology that makes sense to me.”

Eric Delgado joins the team as a Technology Support Associate as well and comes to us from District U-46 in Elgin where he spent six years. He was drawn to technology after being introduced to coding/programing during his high school years and likes to learn new things and work with new tech.

Eric enjoys drawing, writing, and hiking, as well as cooking and eating!

Eric says, “I attended Larkin High School in District U-46. During after-school hours, I was part of the school broadcasting club where I helped produce the Larkin High School website. My instructor made the final touches, but the majority of the website layout was my doing.”

Crushing it through Creativity: Three Keys to Better Student Projects, Part 2 of 5

Overview

Apple recently published a series of three books on the topic of Educational Leadership. Written in partnership with SRI Education's Center for Technology in Learning and with contributions from Apple Distinguished Educators, this series highlights the latest research and knowledge about great teaching and learning. In fact, the book Elements of Leadership even features the Barrington 220 District Technology Committee as an example of shared leadership in instructional technology (page 21).

This bsd220tech series focuses on the book Elements of Learning which discusses powerful instructional strategies that engage learners and empower them to believe that their work matters.  This month, we'll explore how some important tweaks to traditional student projects can take them to the next level. Check out last month's entry for thoughts on collaborative teamwork.


Elements of Learning—Part 2 of 5: Communication and Creation

Teachers are challenged with the task of trying to evaluate what their students know. Sometimes, simply asking students to recall information they have learned is a quick and effective way to collect data on student learning. This can take the form of teacher questioning, student discussions, quizzes, and traditional tests. However, trying to develop a sophisticated assessment that challenges students to communicate their understanding in complex ways isn't so simple. Developing learning activities that ask students to create a product to demonstrate what they know is a powerful way to assess student learning. Often, these products ask students to analyze or synthesize information for the purpose of explaining or persuading others. This type of activity is magnified when students have the opportunity to "flex their creative muscles." Asking students to create an original product as a means to communicate their understanding is a good start, but paying attention to these three elements when planning can greatly enhance the learning outcomes.  

Ask students to consider audience

Often, students create products for an audience of one, the teacher. Widening the audience to a larger, more authentic group has the potential to raise a student product to the next level. Students tend to take a project more seriously and have more fun if they know that what they are making will be seen by a larger group of people than just the teacher who is evaluating them. The more authentic the audience, the better. Some creative thought about community members, local businesses, or other grade levels in the district who would benefit from seeing the product can raise a student project to the next level. Asking students to consider a specific audience for their message adds a layer of rigor and can tell you more about their thinking.  

Give students flexibility in selecting their means of expression

There is no rule that states that students must all use the same medium or create the same product to demonstrate their learning. Allowing flexibility in deciding how to demonstrate knowledge can give students extra motivation and may produce higher quality results. For example, rather than asking all students to produce a traditional essay, widening the options to include video, photography, audio, and music allows students to add an element of creativity that can take their project to the next level.  

Expect students to follow a set of design principles 

Setting and communicating clear expectations is an important aspect of developing a learning experience. Adding an element of design principles to these expectations should be considered during this process. Do you need students to develop a persuasive argument? Why not develop a newspaper editorial, newscast or follow a debate format? Asking student to select a format that follows a set of design principles acts as insurance against unpredictable and possible low-quality finished products.  In addition, it creates an expectation for professionalism that encourages students to raise their game.  

Using digital formats such as digital portfolios, movies, or presentations for creating these products can add a level of professionalism. This becomes important as you challenge students to create authentic products for real world audiences.  


Want to Learn More?

The book is available right now, including examples from multiple grade levels and content areas. Download the multitouch book, Elements of Learning, in the Apple Book Store:
  1. Open the Apple Books app already on your device in the Applications folder of your MacBook Air or from the App Store (or Self Service) on iPad.
  2. Search for Elements of Learning.
  3. Click or tap Get.
  4. Enter your Apple ID and password when prompted.
  5. Start reading!



Great Twitter Follows for December 2018


Are you new to Twitter? Are you looking to get more out of it? Twitter is a great tool for staying connected with what is happening in Barrington 220. Many Barrington educators, clubs, groups, and teams have Twitter accounts.

Twitter can also be used to develop a customized, up-to-date stream of rich professional development resources. By following great accounts on Twitter, you can stay informed, challenge your thinking, and get the latest research on what works in education.

Here are some great Twitter follows to consider this month:


Alfie Kohn@alfiekohn

Profile:
"author and lecturer on topics in education, parenting, and human behavior" (Adapted from @alfiekohn.)

Number of Followers:
72K

Why you should follow:
Alfie Kohn is a longtime favorite of educators. He Writes original articles on the topics of human motivation, educational policy, and related topics. He tends to also comment on current events and politics and is not shy about his political leanings.

Some recent posts:
College Campuses are far from radical
High stakes testing is a flawed measure of students
Rewards are still bad news (25 years later)



Daniel Pink@DanielPink

Profile:
Author of 6 books. Father of 3 kids. Husband of 1 wife.(Adapted from @DanielPink)

Number of Followers:
414K

Why you should follow:
Daniel Pink is an expert on human motivation. Although he doesn't always write directly about education, his posts relate well to understand why students do what they do. Topical and fascinating articles about people. You may even learn something about yourself.

Some recent posts:
The strongest predictor of mens' wellbeing isn't family or health
The act of drawing something has a massive benefit to memory
The school cafeteria manager has gone bananas. The kids love it.

Tools to Provide Access to Reading Materials

Kelly Key's Top Picks Using Text to Speech & Additional Tools to Provide Access to Reading Materials

Did you know you can have any reading material on the iPad or MacBook Air read out loud regardless of what format it is in? Yes, even if it is a locked PDF or a picture of a text!

This month I will feature reading tools available on the iPad. Next month I will share tools for MacBook Air laptop reading supports.

Text-to-Speech in Settings

If you have not seen this feature in action, you MUST check out this video demonstration! Click here

This is a terrific tool for reading text on the iPad out loud. You can select text to be read out loud (i.e., reading a digital book, website, editing a writing draft, etc.), press Speak and it will read it to you.

There is also an option to hear what you are writing as you type (each letter or word) by adjusting the typing feedback.

To turn this on, go to Settings > General > Accessibility > Speech > Speak selection - On, to have it highlight text as it reads, go to Highlight Content - On and choose words, sentences, or both. You can also choose the type of highlight, (underline or background) as well. Click here to see a video on how to set this up.

I highly recommend choosing Alex as the voice! He takes a deep breathe when there is punctuation and he sounds very natural. 

Claro PDF Pro App
If you only have a paper copy of a document or if it is digital in the form of a locked PDF, you can use Claro PDF Pro to make it accessible!

This app will convert (OCR, optical character recognition) a picture/scan of text to text and will read the document out loud. It also has an annotate feature to type, write, draw, or highlight on the document and share it back to the teacher. Click here for step by step directions on how to use the app.

To obtain this app, it must be noted in accommodations on the student’s 504 or IEP that they benefit from text read out loud. Then, the special services app request form must be completed for each student. The app request form can be found here: bit.ly/220ATapps

Learning Ally App & Site
Your student must qualify for this resource: they must have an IEP or 504 plan and qualify for a print disability, i.e., reading disability/ goals, physical disability, vision impairment or written in their plan as a reading accommodation. Once they qualify, I will register the student to have access to audio and digital books through Learning Ally. The majority of the books have the text, as well as a natural voice, that reads the text out loud. Once the student has an account, they can download the app from self-service and sign in.

Did you know you can change the look of a website? 

The iPad has a feature built in that allows a student to "de-clutter" a website, change the background color, and even change the font size and type!

Clean Up/De-clutter a Website
When on the site, press on the 4-line icon left of the search bar, and it will clean it up for easier reading! NOTE: there must be text (vs just links) on the site for the lines to appear).

Change background color and font on a Website
When on a site, press on the 4-line icon left of the search bar (as described above to put it in reader mode). Then press the AA tool. This will allow you to change the background color, font, and font size.


Please contact me with any questions or if you would like to learn more about these or additional features to support your students! I am happy to train staff and students on these amazing tools. kkey@barrington220.org

Ride 360 Parent Transportation App

Knowing when the bus will arrive is especially important as inclement weather arrives. District parents are using the Ride 360 app connected with Barrington 220 bus routes and downloaded from the App Store to view estimated arrival time of the bus. Estimated arrival times are based upon current bus location and driving conditions. The Ride 360 app shows the estimated arrival time for the ride to and from school.



Ride 360 uses the planned district's bus routes and GPS technology to know where the bus is when in route to pickup or drop off at school or home. Ride 360 takes advantage of the bus GPS device to estimate bus arrival at the student's bus stop, taking into consideration driving conditions, accidents, trains and unexpected delays.

The estimated arrival time is updated every 20–60 seconds, and shares updated arrival times through the app with students and parents.

Want to know more? Click here for more detailed information shared with district parents.


Wednesday, December 5, 2018

Staff Emergency Calls

Inclement weather has arrived early this year! After a year of no emergency messages being sent, this would be a good time for all staff members to review personal contact information in Infinite Campus.

Click here for instructions on how to review personal information and contact my office if you need assistance. 

June Nilles
Director of Student Information
847-842-3503
jnilles@barrington220.org

Karen Jasonowicz
kjasonowicz@barrington220.org
847-842-3512
Central Registrar

Obtener ayuda en español:
Yazmin Aceves
District Translator
847-842-3534
yaceves@barrington220.org

Tuesday, November 13, 2018

Barrington 220 Students Offer App Demos to Parents & Community

On October 30, 2018, Barrington 220 co-hosted our second @Home in the Digital Age event with BStrong Together. The featured speaker of the evening was Dr. Devorah Heitner, author of Screenwise: Helping Kids Thrive (and Survive) in Their Digital World. You may remember that Dr. Heitner addressed Barrington 220 staff last year, and at this event she offered a similar message to parents about how they about how they can support our students by becoming digital mentors instead of digital monitors.

Immediately preceding Dr. Heitner’s talk, more than twenty Barrington 220 students set up their devices and demonstrated to parents and community members exactly how apps and digital tools are used in our classrooms. Using iPad and MacBook Air devices may seem commonplace to us, but many parents and community members have never experienced a school environment where every student has access to learning with technology at any time.

Students from both Barrington Middle School Prairie and Station Campuses who are members of "iSquad" volunteered to demonstrate apps. iSquad students are both interested in learning more about technology and offer their services throughout the school day as tech helpers for their peers and teachers. Barrington High School students from various computer science courses offered their help in demonstrating apps and services used at the high school level.

Thank you to all student app demo presenters from October 30, 2018!

Alex and Brian show how they use Explain Everything to demonstrate learning by recording their own voices and whiteboard animations. 

Aidan shows how he uses Stop Motion Studio to create stop-motion animated videos to demonstrate his learning with the help of some LEGO minifigures.
Alex shows how he uses Schoology to keep track of assignments, turn in work to teachers, and manage his learning. 
Brad shows how he uses Adobe Spark to create a journalism project with stunning visuals and descriptive writing. 
Elise and Kelsey show how they use Google Drive to organize a wide variety of class work and files. 

Faiza and Rida show how to use Google Docs and Google Keep to store and organize class work and send reminders. 
Gavin shows how he uses Photoshop Mix to create and manipulate images. 
Hanna shows how she uses iMovie for Mac to demonstrate her learning in biology class. 
Ishaan shows how he uses the Book Creator app on iPad to create digital books to demonstrate his learning. 
Jay shows how he uses Apple Pages for iOS to create reports, papers, and essays with images and graphs.  
Jenica shows how she develops iOS apps in our MobileMakersEdu Swift app development program. Jenica’s app allows teachers to easily collect feedback from students. 
Lilah shows how she uses Quizlet to create materials to help her study and organize her thinking. 
Madison shows how she uses iMovie for iOS to edit and create original videos to demonstrate her learning. 
Peter shows Superintendent Dr. Brian Harris how he develops iOS apps in MobileMakersEdu Swift app development program.
Riya shows how she uses Google Docs to organize her Project Lead the Way class work and manage information and materials.
Roshan shows how he uses the Notability app to take notes in any class by hand or with text and then hand it to the teacher using Schoology.

Monday, November 12, 2018

Congratulations to Barrington High School, Apple Distinguished School

Barrington 220 is pleased to announce that Barrington High School has been recognized as an Apple Distinguished School for 2018–2021. BHS received the recognition for our implementation of the One to World initiative, which provides all students with a MacBook Air.

Apple Distinguished Schools are centers of innovation, leadership, and educational excellence that use Apple products to inspire creativity, collaboration, and critical thinking. They showcase innovative uses of technology in learning, teaching, and the school environment and have documented results of academic accomplishment.
 



“We recognize that the changing needs of our students and the world for which we prepare them demand of us that we continually audit our practices and push ourselves to be better,” said BHS Principal Steve McWilliams. “At Barrington High School, our One to World vision allows every student to be immersed in a culture of learning in every classroom. Three key values drive our decision making: equal access to rigor, personalized learning and growth mindset.”

As part of the process to become an Apple Distinguished School, we had the opportunity to create a multi-touch book that documents Barrington High School’s technology-enabled programs. The book features content contributed by several BHS teachers, Department Chairs, and other administrators. Featured throughout the book is the stunning photography of Mr. Ron Johnson, one of the Campus Attendants at BHS.

We invite you to download the book now to any Apple device with the Books app installed.




Earn Your Apple Teacher Recognition and PDH

With Apple Teacher, teachers learn and build skills on iPad and Mac that can be used in the classroom with a self-paced learning environment that provides tips, inspiration, news, and learning resources. Teachers can earn badges and an official Apple Teacher recognition. In Barrington 220 teachers may earn official Professional Development Hour credits (PDHs, formerly known as CPDUs) that can be applied toward teaching certification renewal. Over 100 Barrington 220 teachers participated in this program for PDH credit already and many, many more earned Apple Teacher recognition without applying for PDHs.

In Barrington 220, we call our blended learning course Barrington 220 Digital Teacher Program. The online learning part of the course is the Apple Teacher program, comprised of online training sessions that can be completed over a period of time. The face-to-face part of the course is a meeting with a Barrington 220 facilitator and other teachers who have completed the training. During a one-hour final meeting, teachers share activities completed with students using the content learned in the online training modules.

iPad Online Activities
Each activity is credited 30 minutes:
  • iPad
  • Pages for iPad
  • Keynote for iPad
  • Numbers for iPad
  • iMovie for iPad
  • GarageBand for iPad
  • Productivity with iPad
  • Creativity with iPad
Mac Online Activities
Each activity is credited 30 minutes:
  • Mac
  • Pages for Mac
  • Keynote for Mac
  • Numbers for Mac
  • iMovie for Mac
  • GarageBand for Mac
  • Productivity with Mac
  • Creativity with Mac
Barrington 220 teachers can sign up for the Barrington 220 Digital Teacher Program course, which includes completing the Apple Teacher program, logging online hours, and attending a one-hour meeting. Teachers who successfully complete the Apple Teacher Blended Learning may earn up to 10 Professional Development Hours (PDHs):
  • Complete 8 Apple Teacher iPad online sessions (30 minutes each) and attend a one-hour meeting = 5 PDHs. 
  • Complete 8 Apple Teacher Mac online sessions (30 minutes each) and attend a one-hour meeting = 5 PDHs.
  • If you complete both the iPad and Mac online sessions and attend one one-hour meeting, you will earn 9 PDHs. 
  • Participants who complete the iPad online sessions and attend a one-hour meeting, and later decide to complete the Mac online sessions and attend another one-hour meeting, can earn up to 10 PDHs.
How to Earn PDHs in Barrington 220

Step 1: Sign up for the Apple Teacher program
Use your personal or Barrington 220 Apple ID to sign up for the Apple Teacher program.

Step 2: Log each of your Apple Teacher learning experiences
Sign in to log each module as you complete each digital badge.
(Educators outside of Barrington 220 may view a version of the non-interactive sign-in page here.)

Step 3: Sign up for one monthly face-to-face meeting
Using the log, sign up for one of the monthly face-to-face meetings with a Barrington 220 instructor and a group of your peers. Scheduled meetings for 2018–19:
  • Tuesday, January 22, 2019, 7:15–8:15 AM, James Street Engleking Room
  • Thursday, February 21, 2019, 3:00–4:00 PM, James Street Main Conference Room
  • Thursday, March 21, 2019, 7:15–8:15 AM, James Street Main Conference Room
  • Tuesday, April 16, 2019, 3:00–4:00 PM, James Street Main Conference Room
Step 4: Attend the face-to-face meeting
You may attend any face-to-face meeting after you have completed your online training to complete the course requirements to receive PDH credit.

New Google Apps Document Creation Shortcut

The Short Version

Type doc.new in the web address bar and a new Google Doc gets created.

And There's More

Google released a new shortcut recently that I have already been using frequently. It’s simple and Google helped make it easy to remember how to take advantage of the shortcut. The basic premise of the shortcut is to create a new Google Docs, Slides, or Sheets document, just type a web address, such as doc.new, into the address bar (NOT the search field) of any web browser and a new Google document is created.

Google made the feature work in several combinations to make it as easy as possible to remember:

New Google Docs Document
doc.new
docs.new
document.new

New Google Sheets Document
sheet.new
sheets.new
spreadsheet.new

New Google Slides Document
slides.new
deck.new
presentation.new

New Google Forms Document
form.new
forms.new

(You will need to be logged in to your Google account for maximum efficiency.)

Teamwork: Upping Your Collaboration Game, Part 1 of 5

Overview

Apple recently published a series of three books on the topic of Educational Leadership. Written in partnership with SRI Education's Center for Technology in Learning and with contributions from Apple Distinguished Educators, this series highlights the latest research and knowledge about great teaching and learning. In fact, the book Elements of Leadership even features the Barrington 220 District Technology Committee as an example of shared leadership in instructional technology.

This bsd220tech series will focus on the book Elements of Learning which discusses powerful instructional strategies that engage learners and empower them to believe that their work matters.  This month, we'll explore collaborative learning and discuss the elements necessary for effective collaborative work.


Elements of Learning—Part 1: Teamwork

Collaborative learning, or teamwork, is an effective way to create buy-in from students and ensure that they are practicing the skills that will be needed in their professional lives. At low levels, teamwork merely requires that students participate in group work. Students, working in pairs or larger groups, interact toward a common goal. Teamwork at this level can be as simple as providing opportunities for students to serve as thought partners while they complete work independently.  

This base level of teamwork can be effective if students are being asked to learn in similar ways and should not be confused with higher levels of group dynamics. In lower-level group work, students are primarily completing the same task and working in groups to allow them to gain exposure to more material than would be possible independently. The common drawback of this type of group work is that, if not set up properly, students take on a mercenary mentality and divide up the work seeking the most efficient route to completion.   

More elevated levels of teamwork can require complex groups to take on different roles and rely on each other to complete a shared goal. Students presented with a stimulus challenge are tasked with figuring out not only the solution, but the best way to discover the solution. Rather than splitting up identical work into smaller parts, students must plan, organize, and implement their learning. When designed properly, this will often require different tasks from students and lead to similar, but not identical, learning from members of the group depending on their role. Unique contributions will be required of group members in order to develop a strong solution to the challenge. Students will invest in a problem that allows them to work to their strengths and experience agency as they work toward a solution. The elements necessary for this type of teamwork are a shared product and joint reasoning.  

Technology can greatly enhance the possibilities of elevated teamwork. By improving communication, access to resources, joint reasoning, and workflow, technology can improve the team's efficiency and effectiveness during teamwork.  


Want to Learn More?

The book is available right now, including examples from multiple grade levels and content areas. Download the multitouch book, Elements of Learning, in the Apple Book Store:
  1. Open the Apple Books app already on your device in the Applications folder of your MacBook Air or from the App Store (or Self Service) on iPad.
  2. Search for Elements of Learning.
  3. Click or tap Get.
  4. Enter your Apple ID and password when prompted.
  5. Start reading!




Friday, November 2, 2018

Great Twitter Follows for November 2018

Are you new to Twitter? Are you looking to get more out of it? Twitter is a great tool for staying connected with what is happening in Barrington 220. Many Barrington educators, clubs, groups, and teams have Twitter accounts.

Twitter can also be used to develop a customized, up-to-date stream of rich professional development resources. By following great accounts on Twitter, you can stay informed, challenge your thinking, and get the latest research on what works in education.

Here are some great Twitter follows to consider this month:

Jennifer Gonzalez
@cultofpedagogy

Profile:
"I help teachers crush it in the classroom." (Adapted from @cultofpedagogy.)

Number of Followers:
72K

Why you should follow:
Offers original content in all areas of education. Aimed at teachers and provides a vast amount of content in various formats. Cult of Pedagogy also has links to online courses, webinars, and podcasts.

Some recent posts:
  1. 20 ways to cut your grading time in half
  2. Four things you didn't know about the jigsaw method
  3. 20 practical ways to use Google Forms in class
Apple Education
@AppleEDU

Profile:
Apple Education

Number of Followers:
683K

Why you should follow:
Apple Education offers frequent discussion and posts on maximizing Apple apps and technology for educational use. Posts are both original from Apple Education and retweets from educators all over the globe.

Some recent posts:
  1. Clips is an incredible tool for sharing ideas, telling stories, and showing understanding
  2. Ss create Alphabet books in Pages
  3. Looking for a spooky project to get your kiddos creating today? Teach them about about #diadelosmuertos and how to use shapes and drawings in Keynote.


eSchool News

@eschoolnews

Profile:
eSchool News connects you to the latest on how today's K–12 educators are using technology in the classroom. (Adapted from @eschoolnews.)

Number of Followers:
80.3K

Why you should follow:
Articles on how technology impacts every aspect of education from classroom instruction, social emotional learning, to legislation.

Some recent posts:
  1. Computer science education is expanding, but states have work to do
  2. Immersive technology: asset to the classroom or another tech fad?
  3. How our district uses tech to fight cyberbullying

Friday, October 5, 2018

Tynker, Coding for Grades 2-5


Tynker describes itself as a "pathway to coding confidence" that allows students to learn coding in a fun and engaging environment. The colorful, eye catching graphics are designed to capture and hold your student's attention while teaching them problem solving, coding strategies, and more—all within a game-like atmosphere.

The app offers content leveled by grade and expertise, from beginner to advanced. This allows for differentiated instruction and empowers students to work at their own pace and capability. The Tynker platform contains STEM courses that can be easily incorporated into existing curriculum. The program tracks student participation and skill level, and this information is conveniently collected in the grade book built into the app automatically.


Tynker will be available in Barrington 220 during the 2018–2019 school year for all students in Grades 2–5. District student and teacher accounts will be set up in mid-August, however; free educator accounts are available now. Click here to get started.

Parent Access to Groups in Schoology

If you are sharing important resources and information with parents and students in Schoology, please be sure that you add the parent as a member of the group or supply them with the group access code.

Parents are currently unable to access resources with their "view only" rights attached to their child's account.

Here's the workaround:





A New macOS is Available with Several Useful Features

A new macOS has been released, and anyone who wishes to download and install it is free to do so. The new version of the operating system is macOS Version 14 and the release is named “Mojave.” In my opinion, the two previous macOS updates (Sierra and High Sierra) have been a bit underwhelming from the day-to-day user perspective; however, Mojave has many new features that will be useful for most users while not disrupting the basics for those not as excited about major system upgrades.

Mac O S Mojave
As I have reported in the past, I am one of those people who downloads and installs a new macOS (or iOS) the moment it is available. I enjoy experiencing the new details built into software, and I’m OK with testing things for the first time knowing full well that something may not work perfectly. So far, all Barrington 220 systems I’ve tested have worked as expected in Mojave.

A comprehensive review about Mojave was released recently on the Ars Technica website that I highly recommend for any upgrader. The review is quite long, and there is no need to read the entire article—unless you enjoy this sort of thing—but a few minutes of perusal will give you a good idea about the new features of Mojave. Please take a look at Andrew Cunningham’s excellent review:

macOS 10.14 Mojave: The Ars Technica review (9-24-18)

I am in agreement with Cunningham when he states, “there are some serious productivity improvements here...Apple has done a good job of adding iOS-inspired features to the Mac without fundamentally changing what the Mac is or what it can do. Mojave continues to strike that careful balance...”

Some of the features that I believe may be particularly useful in the school environment include the following:
  • Quick Look—allows quick views of documents without fully opening an app, Mojave adds some basic editing abilities to many file types.
  • Stacks—A very quick new method to de-clutter even my Desktop.
  • Screenshots—Major enhancements and feature additions in Mojave, similar to iOS.
  • Voice Memos app—New in Mojave and similar to the iOS app. Great for easy audio recording.
If one of Barrington 220’s systems doesn’t work as expected in Mojave, PLEASE let me know in the comments below and/or call x.1500 while in the district to speak to our Tech Support team. We will begin troubleshooting ASAP.

Notability 8.0 Is Here!


Notability 8.0 offers several enhanced features that will change the way our students work, while streamlining the search process making it easier to find important notes.

Are your students into sketchnoting? This update allows students to search for handwritten terms in the notes library or in a specific note. Once the app has been updated, the program will "index" the student's Notability library allowing students to find any items that they have written by hand. Students can also easily convert any handwritten notes to text.

A few other new features include:
  • Multi-note: Allows students to work on two notes at the same time on the same screen. Students can view these notes "side-by-side".
  • Note-Switcher: Gives students the ability to switch among notes quickly and easily.
  • Recent Notes: The new recent notes tab in the Notability library displays up to ten recent notes for easy access to your current work.
The new Notability Help Center can be accessed by tapping the ? on the library page. Students and teachers can search for answers, read updated articles, and utilize instructional videos.

Notability 8.0 is available now in Self Service. Be sure to check out the full list of new features and a highlight video from Notability here.

Schoology is Launching a New Look


In October 2018, Schoology will be launching a new user interface that will improve the experience for teachers and students. The new experience includes a new top navigation and footer and removes the left navigation from the home page. The goal for the new design is to make it:
  • Easier to access all of your tools throughout Schoology.
  • Simpler for instructors to get things done with a more streamlined workflow.
  • Better for younger learners, with a visual card layout for courses and groups.
If you would like to get more details about the changes that are coming to Schoology, read the article "What’s Changing with Schoology’s New Site Navigation."

Although the changes alter the layout and navigation, the functions and features remain the same.

Barrington 220 will be enabling the new site navigation on October 18, 2018, at 8:00 a.m. We chose this date so you will have a few non-student attendance days to get used to the new navigation.





Welcome to Ty Gorman, Barrington 220 Director of Instructional Technology!

As many of you may be aware, Joe Robinson, Barrington 220’s Director of Instructional Technology from 2012–2018, left Barrington 220 during the summer to pursue a position at Apple as an Education Development Executive in the Portland area. We spent most of the summer in the process of finding a new leader in our Technology and Innovation Department.

Just after Labor Day, Ty Gorman began in his new role of Barrington 220’s next Director of Instructional Technology.

Ty has served as an educational leader and teacher at Barrington High School for the past seventeen years. For the past four years, he held the position of Associate Principal. Prior to that, he served as the Social Studies Department Chair. Ty began his career at BHS as a social studies teacher in 2001.

Ty holds two Master’s degrees in both Educational Leadership and Curriculum and Instruction from Northern Illinois University. He also holds two Bachelor’s degrees, one from Northern Illinois University in History Education, and another in Psychology with a minor in Sociology from the University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh.

As an Associate Principal at Barrington High School, Ty has overseen the design and implementation of curriculum and instruction and the implementation of the One to World initiative at the high school. Ty has facilitated professional development, has supervised STEM at BHS, and has overseen the science, math, and fine arts departments, librarians, and the blended learning program.

Ty’s experiences as a teacher and educational leader at BHS, including his leadership of technology, STEM, One to World, curriculum, instruction, and professional development—along with his strong communication and leadership skills—provide a solid foundation for the recommendation for Ty to serve as the next Director of Instructional Technology for Barrington 220.

Welcome, Ty!

If You're Asking 'How Can I Use More Technology My Class' You're Asking the Wrong Question!

Image Provided by Matt Fuller
I often find myself discussing instructional technology with teachers and leaders. Almost every time, in various forms, the question gets asked, "How can I use more technology in the classroom?" No matter their current level of technological acumen, teachers find themselves feeling pressure, real or imagined, to use digital devices more than they currently are.

After all, the District has allocated valuable resources for our One to World program. Visitors come to Barrington from all over the country to study our innovative programing. In 2016 our district was named an Apple Distinguished Program and selected to host an Apple Research Project. It's no wonder that many teachers feel that they are not doing enough with digital devices. This may leave teachers feeling inadequate if they feel that their tech skills don't measure up. I have observed many teachers taking their focus off student learning and directing their attention to technology.

But, what if "How do I use technology more?" isn't the right question to ask? John Hattie's Visible Learning research sheds some light on why we should be wary of this focus when it comes to digital devices in the classroom. According to the Visible Learning Institute, Hattie's research "synthesized the findings from 1400 meta-analyses of 80,000 studies involving 300 million students into what works best for education."

Basically, this research organized over 250 factors that influence education and determined what impact each factor has on student achievement. Some factors, like troubled home life, lack of sleep, and boredom, have a negative impact on student achievement. Other factors, like effort, teacher clarity, and feedback, have a strong positive impact. So what does Hattie say about technology? Here are his findings on digital devices in the classroom, when the focus is on how and when to use them:


Anything with an effect size of 0.4 or higher is the desired number to confidently say that a factor has a positive influence on student achievement. Technology, when viewed only as an implementation method, fares slightly better than typical teacher impact.

But now, let's look at the effect size of student learning strategies:






Just looking at the color differences in the two charts, it is clear to see that focusing on learning strategies, particularly strategies that emphasize student agency, will influence student achievement in more powerful ways than focusing on the implementation method alone.    

So, instead of asking how to use more technology as a question of implementation, we need to be asking how we can use technology effectively in high-impact teaching and learning strategies. For example:
  • How do I increase student agency and self-regulation?  
  • How do my students want to reflect their learning?
  • How do my students consume and process information?
In other words, we need to recognize that technology is part of the natural learning environment in which our students thrive and create. A digital device is not a tool to be awkwardly thrust into static teaching methods; nor is it an add-on to be layered into everything we do. Technology for our students is a ubiquitous aspect of our learning environment that affords comfortable and efficient choices for creativity, expression, organization, and collaboration.

When considering Hattie's Influences on Student Achievement, figuring out how and when to use digital devices becomes clear. After all, 40 years ago we weren't asking "How can I use more paper and pens in my class?" Paper and pens continue to be an assumed and obvious aspect of our learning environment; digital devices play a similar role for our students today.

Check out Hattie's most recent 250+ Influences on Student Achievement, now referred as Visible Learning plus: bit.ly/hattieeffectsize2017 

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