Summer Links

Twitter provided hundreds of links throughout the past summer related to innovative instruction. I have whittled the list down to a few that I think any teacher in Barrington 220 would benefit from seeing.

1. Breakout EDU
Breakout EDU is a classroom game designed to provide students an inquiry-based experience of solving problems in order to unlock different types of locks and open a mystery box.

2. How Technology Should Have Already Changed Your Teaching

This article outlines how access to technology can transform the emotional, instructional, and assessment aspects of student learning. While visiting Apple, I experienced how Apple Design Team members interact to shape ideas and implement them into action. That experience makes #8 on the list in the article my favorite.

3. 15 Things Every Teacher Should Try This Year

This infographic/sketchnote includes some very easy ideas for teachers to implement this year to transform the learning experience for their students. The TPACK team in each building (Tech, LTA, Librarian, and iDAL coach) can help you with any of these easy, but meaningful experiences.

4. ISTE- Five Ways to Make Your Classroom Global
This article outlines five great, easy ways for teachers to expand the audience of their classrooms to include classrooms, experts, and people from around the globe.

5. Julie Smith on Mastering the Media
If you're looking for organic, real-life examples of lessons learned about digital citizenship, Dr. Julie Smith's website is a great place to start. She covers basic digital citizenship practices with examples and even scales up to current pop culture and time sensitive issues.

6. Edcamps
Edcamps are becoming all the rage. These grass-roots unconferences planned and run by teachers for teachers are free and popping up all over the Chicago area. This article outlines the idea behind Edcamps and leads to schedules of Edcamps in our area.

Infinite Campus: Campus Community

Your best source for IC training and support is at Campus Community. Log into Infinite Campus and use the link in the top-right to find Campus Community. The videos listed below are available in Campus Community along with a wealth of additional documentation.

Your Campus Community account requires an initial log in connecting you to the Barrington 220 School site.  Once activated accessing Campus Community is a single click when logged into IC.

Visit Campus Community
Log in to Campus Community
Navigate to and from Campus Application
Log off Campus Instruction

Send a Message 
View messages in the Message Center
Create a template for a general message to students and/or guardians
Send a general message to a user-selected group of students and/or guardians

HEAD-Grade Book Setup
Set up Grade Book
Configure Grade Book display settings

Explore the Planner
View schedule details in the Planner
View curriculum details in the Planner
Print schedule details
Print curriculum details in the Planner
Manage the to do List
View student attendance via teacher's schedule
View student attendance via teacher's curriculum planner
Print student attendance for a specific section via teacher's schedule
Print student attendance for a specific section via teacher's curriculum planner
Add an assignment via the Planner
Manage assignments via the Planner

Manage Assignments
Manage all assignments for a section
Manage assignment categories
Add a new assignment
Copy assignments between sections
View categories and assignments in a list
Manage assignments and categories via Assignment Overview
Enter student grades for a grading task and/or standard
Enter grades for a selected student for a grading task and/or standard
Generate list of assignments and standards to which each is aligned
Display all standards aligned to the course section
Manage scored assignment details and alignment in the Grade Book
Enter scores, flags, and comments in the Grade Book
View students' score statistics
View students' score trends

Student Groups and Seating Charts
Set up seating charts
Print seating chart
Group students who should receive the same assignment

Student Attendance
Complete attendance for a specific period
Generate report of student attendance changes for specific course sections
Generate student attendance data for a specific term
Generate summary of student attendance data

Post Grades
Post grades and standard scores

Grade Book Reports
Generate report of missing assignments for selected students
Generate report of Grade Book data for a section
Generate report of student scores for distribution
Generate report of student responses for a selected assessment
View section specific student information
Generate section specific student roster information
Generate mailing or student/teacher labels for a section

Exports
Generate the section roster as blank spreadsheet for use outside the application
Export Grade Book data for use outside application
Generate blank spreadsheet with student names

Next Year Course Recommendations
Create Recommendations for Future Enrollments

Student and Parent Portal
Monitor parents' and students' portal usage

Meet the Tech Support Team

Barrington 220 is pleased to welcome a few new faces to our Technology Support Team—and re-introduce some familiar faces. Although the team is based at Barrington High School, you will likely see our District Technology Support Associates, Technicians, and Specialists in all our buildings across the district. Meet the Barrington 220 tech support team...

Kim Martinez
District Technology Support Specialist

I started working in District 220 in 1995 as the library clerk at Sunny Hill. I have been a Computer Technician for the District since April 1999. Over the past 20 years we have gone from a Mac district to a PC district back to a Mac district. Providing quality customer service has always been one of the most important aspects of my job. Knowing that our staff and students trust me and my ability to service their needs has been very fulfilling.

My life outside of D220? It's all about family for me!

Jason Bryant
District Technology Support Specialist

If you ever emailed or put in a tech ticket request, then you’ve probably communicated with me, Jason Bryant. In 2007, I started my journey as a computer tech in Barrington. With over 20 years of computer technical background, I'm well versed in both Mac and Windows computers. I love all aspects of tech and how it works (and getting new toys to test).

When not at work, I spend most of my time with my loving wife and 2 kids.

Charlie Parkinson
District Technology Support Technician

I find my job to be extremely rewarding. I enjoy working in the school environment and assisting teachers and students with their technology needs. This is my first year in Barrington, and I look forward to creating great relationships with the students and staff here in Barrington 220.

I graduated from Northeastern Illinois University, and I married my best friend from high school in 2013. I am a sports enthusiast and am involved in softball leagues. I also enjoy fishing and billiards.

Josh Beatty
District Technology Support Technician

I moved to the Chicago area from the Oregon Coast in 1999. I completed a Bachelor of Musical Arts Degree from Pacific Lutheran University and earned a Systems Administration and Security Certificate from College of Lake County. My school tech support career began as a summer worker for Barrington 220 and later I worked as a substitute tech in the district. For the last two years, I was a Technology Support Technician for West Chicago Community High School and rejoined the Barrington 220 tech team this August.

I am also a private saxophone instructor for Barrington 220. In my free time I enjoy spending time with my wife and son, playing saxophone in several bands, taking photographs with my collection of classic film cameras, or pursuing the perfect cup of coffee.

Summer Technology Updates (What We Did on Our Summer Vacation!)

It is hard to believe that we are starting year four of our Barrington 220 One to World program! This is the first school year where all students, Grades 1 through 12, have an Apple iPad or MacBook Air available to them 24/7.

While there was much to do on the curriculum side of technology to prepare for the rollout of iPads at the elementary schools, there were plenty of fun projects this summer to work through on the hardware and device side of technology.

• Installed approximately 140 new wireless access points in the elementary schools. While the schools had wireless coverage, they did not have the wireless “density” to handle 20 to 30 iPads in each classroom. Venture into any school classroom within our district and you will now see an access point somewhere on the ceiling or a classroom wall. Each of the new access points is connected to our “wired” network system. Miles of new network cabling was needed to accomplish this task.
• Replaced approximately 120 access points at Barrington High School and other locations, making sure that we have appropriate, high speed wireless technology within each classroom.
• Worked with Comcast to install a new Internet connection to our district.  This connection provides double the speed at less cost. A bit of contract negotiation occurred with Comcast earlier last school year to help make this project a reality.
• Deployed two new firewalls. These new network security devices were needed to handle the new higher Internet speeds.
• Prepared our mobile device management system to deploy 3,000 new iPads and re-deploy 1,500 existing iPads without the use of Apple IDs. iPad apps can now be distributed to students without the need for parental approved Apple IDs.

These were just a few of our more noteworthy projects, but there were many projects on the list. The summer was busy and relatively short. We hope the work that our department was able to accomplish in a short time helps transform the way technology is used within Barrington 220, helping to make the 2016–17 school year a success.

By the way, do you have a technology issue that you need some help with? Our tech department is available at x 1500. Give us a call!

Apple Teacher Professional Learning for PDH Credit

At the beginning of September 2016, Apple announced Apple Teacher, a new program created to support and celebrate educators. The program provides self-paced learning experiences with tips, inspiration, news, and learning materials to help teachers use the iPad, Mac, and built-in apps in the classroom. Teachers can earn badges and an official “Apple Teacher” recognition to share the achievement with the world.

Joe Robinson, our Director of Instructional Technology, and I have completed the Apple Teacher program and both of us highly recommend it! We believe that this program is an excellent starting point for any teacher—and it reaffirms the skills of teachers with more technology integration experience with recognition. At the same time, the process for earning badges is set up to suggest classroom activities for even advanced Apple technology users. Teachers can choose to pursue either iPad or Mac training paths—or complete them both.

Technology Integration Foundations for iPad and Mac

We like this program so much that we have worked with Dr. April Jordan, Barrington 220’s Director of Extended Programs and Staff Development, to create a blended learning professional development course for teachers to earn official Professional Development Hours (PDHs), formerly known as CPDUs. In Barrington 220, we call the course Technology Integration Foundations for iPad and Mac. The online learning part of the course is the Apple Teacher program. The Apple Teacher program is 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

Several Options

Any teacher can sign up for and complete all or part of the Apple Teacher program and receive Apple’s badges and/or Apple’s Apple Teacher recognition.

Barrington 220 teachers can sign up for the Technology Integration Foundations for iPad and Mac course, which includes completing the Apple Teacher program, logging online hours, and attending a one-hour meeting. Teachers who successfully complete the Technology Integration Foundations for iPad and Mac 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.

Online Learning

Each online learning session delivered through the Apple Teacher program includes a multi-touch digital book that is downloaded from the iBooks Store. These books are written specifically for teachers and include ideas for using Apple apps and devices in the classroom.

Teachers demonstrate mastery by completing a summative evaluation at the end of each activity. Each successfully completed module results in the teacher earning a digital "badge." The successful completion of all eight digital badges in the iOS category also allows the teacher to earn an "Apple Teacher 2016" recognition.

The summative quizzes at the end of each online session incude several types of questions, including multiple choice, fill-in-the-blank, and drag-to-reorder questions. A few of the questions, especially in the productivity and creativity activities, suggest interesting ways of using apps in real-world situations.

This question presents potential uses for several iPad apps.

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 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. Schedules meetings for 2016–17:

• Monday, September 26, 2016, 3:00–4:00 PM, James Street Engleking Room
• Thursday, October 27, 2016, 7:30–8:30 AM, James Street Engleking Room
• Tuesday, November 29, 2016, 3:00–4:00 PM, James Street Main Conference Room
• Thursday, January 26, 2017, 7:30–8:30 AM, James Street Engleking Room
• Thursday, February 23, 2017, 3:00–4:00 PM, James Street Main Conference Room
• Thursday, March 23, 2017, 7:30–8:30 AM, James Street Engleking Room
• Tuesday, April 25, 2017, 3:00–4:00 PM, James Street Main Conference Room
• Thursday, May 25, 2017, 7:30–8:30 AM, 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.

Schoology Course

You may also sign up for the Barrington 220 Schoology course:

1. Log in to Schoology.
2. Select the Courses dropdown menu at the top.
3. Click on the Join link in the Courses dropdown.
4. Enter access code X8ZJK-JMXNS
5. Click the Join button.

Future Opportunities

Hopefully, this blended learning structure will be replicable for future PDH opportunities in Barrington 220. Whether you plan to only participate in the Apple Teacher program or also pursue PDH credit through the blended learning course, best of luck! We hope to see the Apple Teacher 2016 recognition in many Barrington 220 email signatures and elsewhere.