In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, we are seeing many colleges and universities transitioning fully to online classes for a period of time. This is putting a spotlight on the online and blended learning practices most colleges have already been using to supplement and deliver instruction. The need for students to have the digital literacy skills to be successful in an online learning environment is clear. It is my goal to help develop these skills in my students. Which is why our course uses Moodle, the number one Learning Management System in the world, and used by colleges like UMass Amherst and BCC. 

This week, I’ve introduced my students to what a live online class might look like using Big Blue Button, an open-source video conferencing tool designed for delivering live online instruction. In the process, we are discussing the pros and cons of learning in both the physical and virtual realm now and in the future.

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Digital Literacy 101 Update

The 6th grade is fully engaged in developing their computational thinking slideshow products. Where they learn how to apply computational thinking to create something from a DIY youtube video that solves a problem. Here is the instruction slide.

This project is due March 20th.

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Digital Literacy 102 Update

The 7th and 8th grade are completing their unit on digital tools. The quiz and competency review should be complete by this weekend. Next week we will begin our unit on “Creating with Digital Tools” where we will learn how to create a google site portfolio and how to use HTML to create a basic website.