Category: Technology

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Wide Open School

Curated by the editors at Common Sense, this resource is a must share with your student’s parents! Wide Open School helps make learning from home an experience that inspires kids, supports teachers, relieves families, and restores community.

Wide Open School is a free collection of the best online learning experiences for kids organized by 25 reputable organizations so teachers and families can easily find it and plan each day. 

Wide Open School offers many resources that can be completed offline and on smartphones, as well as bilingual and English-language learner resources.

Example of K-5 menu.

Daily Schedule, Emotional Well-Being, Field, Get Started Learning at Home, Live Events, Math, Reading + Writing, Science, Social Studies, Special Needs, Access For All Students, English Language Learners, Get Moving, Life Skills, Arts, Music, DIY, Virtual Classroom Setup.

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Lions, Tigers, and Bears, Oh My!

Are your kids studying animals and need a project to reinforce what they are learning? Then consider this: Augmented Reality for the animal and a Diorama for the animal’s habitat.

Visualize learning with Google’s new Augmented Reality (AR) mobile / tablet feature that allows you to project a 3D animal on your screen in a setting of your choosing or as an object you can manipulate. It’s easy, no app required.

How To Use

  1. Open Chrome and enter a search for your favorite animal on your smartphone or tablet. (Make sure your settings allow Chrome to access your camera).
  2. Scroll down until you find a new white box that says “Meet a life-sized [animal] up close.” with an animation of said animal under the wikipedia info.
  3. Click on the “View in 3D” icon to the left of the animal within the box.
  4. At this point your screen will change like a pop-out window.
  5. There are two tabs at the top –
    Object – where you can manipulate the animal.
    AR – where your animal will appear in your setting. Wiggle your phone or tablet until the animal appears. Use the diorama for the background setting.

ANIMAL LISTING – Alligator, Angler fish, Brown bear, Cat, Cheetah, Dog, Duck, Eagle, Emperor penguin, Goat, Hedgehog, Horse, Leopard, Lion, Macaw, Octopus, Pug, Giant panda, Rottweiler, Shark, Shetland pony, Snake, Tiger, Turtle, Wolf.
New animals are added periodically.

Look what I found in my backyard!

At any time while viewing your animal you are able to snap a picture. If you hold the button down you can record a video. Try it out!
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Scholastic Learn at Home

Developed for students in grades PreK-9, Scholastic is united in learning to offer reading journeys to keep kids reading, learning, and growing. Daily readings and activities are provided to keep your kids challenged. There is a Shout Out section that allows kids to see what is new, as well as virtual author events through Scholastic’s Home Base.

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Online Teaching Tools

The top two tools in education for online learning or online meetings are Google Hangouts Meet and Zoom. Both are free and easy to use. Short tutorials are listed in this post for a quick start. CCPS will utilize Google Hangouts Meet to meet weekdays twice a day during office hours set by admin while schools remain closed during the Covid19 Pandemic.

GOOGLE HANGOUTS MEET

ZOOM

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Lalilo for Phonics and Comprehension

Lalilo is an online literacy program built by teachers for teachers for kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd grade teachers and students. Students work on adaptive exercises in phonics, word recognition, and comprehension. They journey through different worlds, collecting badges and unlocking stories. The vocabulary-rich stories teach students about nature and animals in engaging and fun ways. Teachers can track whole class and individual progress. They can also assign specific lessons.

Discover the most engaging phonics & comprehension program to help your students learn how to read at their own pace. Lalilo’s free edition is available to all teachers.