Waffle Bytes

A powerful, new resource for K-5 educators Introducing   MiTechKids , a new   resource for integrating technology into activities in the classroom, preparing students for real world success. The  MiTechKids site was formerly known as 21Things4kids.net and over the summer, received an easier-to-remember new name. MiTechKids  was developed by a team of Michigan-based education technology and media specialists from ISDs and local school districts to provide important technology learning and lessons for K-5 students. The resources are organized by grade level and support the  Michigan Integrated Technology Competencies for Students (MITECS)  competencies and the International Society for Technology in Education ( ITSE ) standards.  MiTechKids  is provided by the  REMC Association of Michigan , and free to everyone. MiTechKids  provides short activity lessons (20-30 minutes) created for teachers that provide ideas and resources fo...

FREE Event for Michigan teachers - (From REMC & Tierney - ) ExploreEDU is an interactive, discovery-based event designed to teach those new to Google about the transformative power of technology in the classroom Location: Holt High School (North Campus Building) 5780 W. Holt Rd Holt, MI 48842 Register: September 26,  2017, 8:00am - 2:30pm | Reserve Your Seat Tierney Event Contact: Ryan Semans, RyanSemans@tierneybrothers.com Onsite Parking Available Hosted by Holt High School and Tierney Brothers, ExploreEDU is an event designed to introduce school technology directors and administrators to Google solutions. If you’re interested in discovering how technology can make a difference in your students’ lives or would like to imagine the classroom of the future, please join us. You’ll learn about new products and tools, engage in dialogue with peers and embark on a journey of educational insight and adventure.    ...

This week I just found out about WKAR's Curious Crew TV shows .  If you teach science at the lower level - or have a kid that is curious - these shows are worth checking out.  From the site: "Inquisitive kids take a hands-on approach to investigating principles of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) with award-winning educator Rob Stephenson." The show has several kids that test & learn about different science principals using household items.  In addition to the shows (which can be streamed on the site, or watched on live TV), there are "Curiosity Guides" that teachers (or even parents) can use to recreate or explore what is seen on the show further.   Check it out!

Are you an educator in a Title 1 school?  If so, you are eligible to participate in the Open eBooks Initiative! Go here to get more information at Open eBooks .  This does require registering with First Book - which supplies both access to the app and "new books and educational resources - for free and at low cost - to schools and programs serving children in need, from birth to age 18."  From the Library of Michigan: " Open eBooks is an app containing thousands of popular and award-winning titles that are free for children from in-need households. These eBooks can be read without checkouts or holds. Children from in-need families can access these eBooks, which include some of the most popular works of the present and past, using the Open eBooks app and read as many as they like without incurring any costs. The goal of Open eBooks is to encourage a love of reading and serve as a gateway to children reading even more often, whether in school, at librari...

From Discovery Education -   The Smart Farm: Where Technology and Innovation Meet Join the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance and Discovery Education on a Virtual Field Trip to Deere & Company World Headquarters and learn how innovative technologies aid today's farmers and ranchers as they produce America's food. Irrigation systems managed from iPads, animal diets tracked by computer chips, and tractors that drive using GPS are only a few examples of the ways farmers and ranchers are using technology on their farms and ranches to produce food in a sustainable manner. Conversations with leaders in agriculture will allow you to explore new techniques that have revolutionized the industry and the career oppo...

This is a very slick and easy to use way to create a random name generator by Flippity.net! And actually, in addition to being a random name generator, it is also a random group creator, and random seating chart - all in one setup. For my last post, I walked through the setup.  In this post we will look at what it generates and ways you can use it. When you first go to the generated link, this is the screen you see.  Notice at the top it says Mrs. Waffle's Class - that is because I named the sheet with my student names on it.    There are a series of tabs across the top which allow you to use this in different ways.  The first tab is a single name generator.  Clicking the forward arrow will move to the next name - you will go through the entire class in a random order.  If you are looking for fully random names, you can use the crossed arrows under the name - that one will essentially through every name back into the pot each time. ...

This is a very slick and easy to use way to create a random name generator by Flippity.net! And actually, in addition to being a random name generator, it is also a random group creator, and random seating chart - all in one setup.  For this first post, I am walking you through the setup.  In my next post we will look at what it generates and ways you can use it. To set this up for your students, follow these steps: 1. Get the template Google Sheet here. 2. Put your students' names in column A (replacing the ones that are there - you can add and delete as needed, it will adjust to however many names you have in that column).  My recommendation - just use student first names, not their full names.    3. Double-click on the sheet name at the bottom, and replace it if you want your class name when you view the generator.   4. Go to the File menu and select Publish to the web. Click on the Publish button. 5. Copy the link that...

The  MACUL  Conference  is just  a week away!  This is the third  tip sheet  in a series of 4 to help you get ready for Michigan’s largest education conference. Today I'm sharing some general tips for getting the most out of the conference. Checking In : Checking in on Thursday morning can be overwhelming!  Here are some bits of advice to avoid missing the opening keynote session (you don’t want to miss Jamie Casap - Chief Education Evangelist at Google, Inc speak on Iteration and innovation in Education!): If you come into Grand Rapids Wednesday prior to 5pm, go to registration then instead of waiting until Thursday If you come into Grand Rapids Thursday morning, registration opens at 7 am Thursday - plan to get there around that time to avoid long lines NEW! this year there will be "self-check" registration where you check in at a computer, then proceed to where your badge is printed out. Getting Help:  There are over 10...

The 2016 MACUL Conference is now just a week away! (This is the second in a series of 4 to help you get ready and excited about going to the conference.) The conference sessions are all locked and loaded...meaning you can peruse the list at your leisure.  Here are some suggestions that may help you better organize for the conference- Know What You Want : have some idea(s) of what you want to walk away from the conference with.  Use these ideas to help you plan your time so you meet those goals. It's easy to become overwhelmed with all the options, and identifying the walk-aways will make sure you take back meaningful learning.   For example, you are looking for new uses of Google Apps in your classroom, look for sessions about that.  Or, if you are involved in looking for new school purchases make sure to block out some time to spend in the exhibit hall.  Conference App : Check out the Conference app here . This year’s conference app will let y...

There are several additional features to the updated Google Forms which I think are worth making sure others know about. The first is the appearance of the Add-on icon - If you do not see the Add-on icon, you do not have any add-ons turned on.  You can now do this under the more options menu (the three dots to the far upper right) - In addition to the ability to apply form add-ons, there are some interesting new options when viewing responses.  If you do not remember from my last post on the new Google Forms, you no longer must have a spreadsheet tied to the form - responses can be saved right within the form document.  When this first appeared, you could only see the summary of responses; now, there is a choice of viewing individual responses as well - Once looking at individual responses, you can: select which one to view with the arrows or by typing in the one you want (if you have collected usernames, you can select by username also - see 2nd graphic ...

Just received this.  I think it would be a great opportunity to attend! Cyber Innovation Center Resource Showcase ...for teachers and admins. Feb 11, 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. , Aeronautic Building Capital City Airport, Lansing, MI.  Share with middle/high school teachers (math, science, tech, CTE). Opportunity for integration into ongoing and emerging programming for open education resources. Registration and info: http://goo.gl/forms/ti6q4YABRS

Thinking about organization within Google Drive takes a major mind shift.  Instead of thinking of it as the old filing system of organizing, we need to think about it as a tagging system.  The old way, a file was physically located in one place, and there was only one way to retrieve it - by opening the drawer and going to the folder it was in. This method carried over to our computers, we organized exactly the same way.  The biggest difference is the filing cabinets and the folders within them could hold a whole lot more! With Google's way, I tell people to just think of it as a really big room where everything is thrown together.  However, everything has colored sticky notes on it, and each sticky notes stands for something.  When you want to find something, you no longer "retrieve" it...you search for the sticky notes.  If you don't have good search skills, you can spend a long time looking through the files for the sticky notes.  If you hav...

From Discovery Education: Harnes s the Excitement of Football to En gage Students in Math & Science EA SPORTS, Madden NFL, the NFL Players Association, and Discovery Education are proud to introduce EA SPORTS Madden NFL: Football by the Numbers, an engaging middle school educational program designed to translate students' love for football into a deeper understanding of the math and science behind America's greatest game. Engage your students in the quick-thinking world of football strategy by presenting authentic situations where they make the call. Your students will learn and apply math and science concepts as they design strategies, solve problems, and make decisions for their players. Download the Teacher Guide for a highlight reel of tips and information! Later, we'll be transporting your class to EA Headquarters to explore the STEAM that goes into making the world's coolest games. Watch for our Virtual Field Trip, COMING SPRING 2016!

Let's say you have put together a sheet with information you THINK is how you want it.  And after using it for awhile, you realize you REALLY want the columns and rows switched.  Can you easily remedy this without re-entering all the data?  The answer is yes!  Before walking through how to easily do this, let me introduce you to a Google Sheets formula you may not know - it's called TRANSPOSE and it's purpose is to transpose the rows and columns in an array or range.  So, here is some data I have in cells A1-E2:  If I want to flip the columns and rows, I add the formula: =TRANSPOSE(A1:E2) in the cell I want to start the transposed information into.  And...viola!  My data is flipped: It needs to be noted that you CANNOT change data in the transposed cells.  As soon as you try to change the data in the transposed area you will get a REF! error because you have data in a cell it need to do the transposing.  The data is dyna...

This week was the first I've been able to preview the new Google Plus.  Here are a few observations and comparisons (I put my work on the old and my personal on the new).  My biggest take-away - it has a feel not too different than Google Classroom... 1.  The New Home - Here is the change in looks - note the red banner across the top and the menu that does not need to be accessed by clicking.  Also note that the icon for Hangouts is gone.  In fact, it appears that Hangouts are no longer tied to Google +.  The new post area is cleaner and the featured collections has been removed.   Older Google Plus Newer Google Plus 2.  Post from anywhere : You can now post from anywhere as there is a floating pencil in the right bottom corner.  (The menu on the left also floats down the page as you scroll.) 4. Change in menus : The menu has changed - it has actually shrunk in options (new is on the left, old is on the right). ...