October 2016 - Connecting and Collaborating
New Brunswick Public Schools
Technology Newsletter
Questions? Comments? Suggestions?

We're constantly working on updating and improving the many aspects of our technology infrastructure and instructional resources. 

Please submit feedback and share any questions, ideas, and/or suggestions regarding our district's technology initiatives by clicking the following link: 


Evan Abramson , Director of Technology
Melissa Morris Inoa , Supervisor of Instructional Technology


Featured EdTech Resource:
Discovery Education 
Did you know that resources and assignments in Discovery Education can be shared directly with your students through Google Classroom? With just a click of a button, you can share:
  • videos
  • podcasts
  • images
  • interactive maps and games
  • primary source documents (and more!) with your students.
Building multi-media text sets and finding resources to meet
a variety of learning styles has never been easier.

With Discovery Education, you can guide your students as they learn to navigate digital content as well as create their own collections of digital resources.

To get started, contact the Library Media Specialist in your building or Melissa Morris Inoa, Supervisor for Instructional Technology, for support in learning about using these resources from Discovery Education.

Here's a video with some of the new Discovery Education content just released this month:

You can also connect with the Discovery Eduction Community and join a supportive learning environment where you can share resources and collaborate on other educational ideas. Here's what other educators are saying about the Discovery Education Community:



Online Unit Assessments

This year, NBPS is beginning our transition to digital unit assessments. We are beginning with Language Arts and Math assessments for grades 3-12. 

Training for administering and scoring these assessments will be provided to all Language Arts and Math teachers. Please see your immediate supervisor and/or content specialist with any questions and stay tuned for future updates about this project. 

October Twitter Chat




New to Twitter? 
Click here for directions for signing up, using hashtags, and joining your first Twitter chat! 

Digital Citizenship: 
Connecting and Collaborating Safely Online 

It's important for our students to learn how to connect and collaborate online with others. In this video, students share their own experiences communicating online and how they stay safe. 



After watching this video, please share your thoughts on the video and ideas for discussing these topics with your students and their families in our Google+ Community. 

NBPS Technology Academy
& other district resources 

NBPS Technology Academy - a collection of technology-related professional development resources for all NBPS faculty and staff. 

Technology Academy content is organized by individual projects, methods of instruction, or professional development opportunities and is updated periodically as materials change or new content becomes available. 

Shared Resource Folder
- a collection of files and resources for many of our district programs and technology resources. Add the file to your Drive so that you always have access to this content. 

Google+ Community - an online forum for NBPS staff to share resources, discuss ideas, make connections and collaborate. This is a private Google+ Community, and you must be logged in to your NBPSNJ Google account to access it. 


Sharing & Collaborating in Google Docs

By design, the apps in the G Suite for Education (formerly known as Google Apps for Education) are collaborative. 

SHARING
Knowing how to share files with collaborators is the first step. This  resource from the  Goodwill Community Foundation  takes you step by step through sharing  settings. 

We also have some helpful tips on sharing settings here in our NBPS Shared Resource Folder


COLLABORATING
Once you've shared a document with collaborators, the real important work can  begin. Here are some other resources and ideas for using Google Docs as a collaborative tool with colleagues and students. 



Software Inquiries

Please remember that a new category has been created in SchoolDude for all software inquiries this year.

If you have a question about access or support for a district program or
application, or are inquiring about a program other than ones supported in-
district please put your request in through an IT ticket in SchoolDude under the category of "software."



STAY CONNECTED
#ALLIN4NB
We're rapidly expanding our social media presence here at New Brunswick Public Schools and encourage all of you to follow us on  Twitter and  Instagram , while liking us on  Facebook. 

Already on Twitter?
 
Share your Twitter handle in this form and start connecting with other educators in NBPS and around the world: 

Always remember that your online posts are an extension of the classroom and school community,  so there can never be negative remarks about students or colleagues. 

We look forward to seeing you online. 

Follow us on social media, and use the hashtag #ALLIN4NB
New Brunswick Public Schools
268 Baldwin Street, New Brunswick, NJ 08901
732-745-5300