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Barrington 220 Students Offer App Demos to Parents & Community

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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 Statio
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Congratulations to Barrington High School, Apple Distinguished School

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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
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Earn Your Apple Teacher Recognition and PDH

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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. D
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New Google Apps Document Creation Shortcut

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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.)
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Teamwork: Upping Your Collaboration Game, Part 1 of 5

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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
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Great Twitter Follows for November 2019

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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: 20 ways to cut your grading time in half Four things you
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Parent Access to Groups in Schoology

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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:
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