We successfully completed a pilot of the CMS PL program last year. We will continue to have the support of Lisa Allred and the CMS PL team as we continue to learn how to personalize education.


If PL is something you've not really dealt with yet, you can begin by perusing resources at this link:

For  ready-made resources geared toward CMS middle school, check outthis Google Drive Folder  of content specific ideas.

I was checking out the high school section and found this structural template that gives you an idea of one way to personalize that can be adjusted to any learning goal.

Cutting Edge eduBonus, consider starting at "create!" 

If you would like 1 on 1 brainstorming, lesson demo, help team or unit planning, email me anytime. 
-Lisa Gurthie

Finally, we will be taking advantage of district led PL trainings this year. Please choose the training you are most interested in from these choices 

 http://goo.gl/vlFrLJ


Cast Your Vote HERE

"Automated personalization" sounds like an oxymoron but when you use blended learning tools programs you remediate and enrich students without writing separate lesson plans.

​It gives students a supported challenge and sometimes a choice as well and makes personalization easy if you are trying to implement it on your own.

the CMS Student Portal is one stop shopping for tech sites that will help your students.  

(If you don't know what all those tools are click here for definitions http://www.cmslearns.org/student-portal )


CMS logins and directions for Dreambox and Compass Learning - note student password changes 

if you are looking for a game or tool for a specific topic or objective (like this for DNA or this for multiple topics ) I will be happy to help you find one to suit your goals.



​More Tech Tools:Digital Classroom Resources http://www.cmslearns.org/digitalclassroom/
GAFE (Google Apps For Education) Google Docs, Google Classroom etc.
Free Office 365 for CMS students and staff - up to 5 computers per login 


Related Links:
Sites for Students to Save Your Sanity http://piedmontpd.weebly.com/lesson-ideas/sites-for-your-students
A Primer on Blendspace http://piedmontpd.weebly.com/lesson-ideas/blendspace-bailey-style 
Real Teachers Talk Tech Tools http://piedmontpd.weebly.com/news-and-thoughts/1
We're 1:1 now what http://piedmontpd.weebly.com/piedmont-pd/11-now-what
Chromebook Rollout and Tools  http://piedmontpd.weebly.com/piedmont-pd/11-chromebook-rollout 
includes the student a-z and teacher a-z guides.

Mr. Parkins, Dean of Students notes 

2 new programs purchased for everyone to use. (Passwords must be requested from CMS)

http://www.problem-attic.com/
http://www.edgenuity.com/ (information site)
https://learn.education2020.com/educator/ (educator sign in)

These are in addition to CMS purchase of GAFE (GoogleDrive, Google Classroom) Compass Learning, Dreambox, DiscoveryEd, and others you may already be familiar with.


 Check here for a full list http://www.cmslearns.org/blended-learning/

If you've wondered

• Can I get some PD on how can I use these Chrome books to differentiate?
  
•  Is there more to 1:1 than not having to go to Signup Genius anymore, having to charge the device at night, and creating a class job called "Google jockey" to look up questions that arise?  
  
• Am I using my Google Classroom or Edmodo or Wiki or Weebly its utmost?
  
• Is there a way to more efficiently reach each student so no one is bored or in over their head with my content?
  

CMS offers a quick series of self paced courses for you on the concept of differntiation. Click through them anytime between now and May 15th. You can register for any or all of these courses, do them at your own pace, at school or home, with friends or alone. There is no homework, and they will give you confidence and a better overall vision of how to best use 1:1 to  personalize and blend. 

Want To Register?:

1. Go to MyTalent 
   
2. Log in with the first part of your email address (before the @cms...) as your username.The password is Cm$xxxxx where xxxxx represents the last five digits of your Social Security number.
   
3. search by course number 413905, 413908, 414004, 413980 then click register.Then select the Professional Learning tab to search for the courses above.

• INS Self-Paced Differentiating Learning Environment (Online) 413905
  
• INS Self-Paced Differentiating Content (Online) 413908
  
• INS Self-Paced Differentiating Process and Product (Online) 414004
  
• INS Self-Paced Differentiating Tools of Depth and Complexity (Online) 413980

After registering for a course, return to your Professional Learning page and click on the course name to start!

I did all courses and quizzes in a few hours total, the resources were mostly review but good (except they still link to learning styles quizzes even though learning styles tests are scientifically invalid as we all use different modalities according to task, mood and interest)

To make sure the courses count for renewal contact your district specialist. Apparently there are differences in whether they are accepted or not. 

We have also put in an application for a grant to have experts come in to help us tweak our current system if you want. We'll let you know if we get them and offer anyone who's interested to have a helper come work with you. In the meantime, Lisa Gurthie is happy to come to your room, team planning, or department PLC.

Now that we have 1:1 devices every day; now that we can trust we have access to tech daily, how should that change our teaching? How do we ensure these changes are worth it to us and to the students? 

As Ms. Barone has said, we never want to be a school where children are glued to a screen all day and not doing the active collaborative IB learning that makes Piedmont so awesome. But, how do we use these screens for learning?

The only annoying thing about Google Drive last year was the pain of getting students to turn their work in properly and to the right email and most of those issues are solved with Classroom. Here's how to get started:

How to Create a Class:

• go to classroom.google.com
  

• Sign in using your CMS email the same way you sign into Google Drive
  
• Folllow the prompts on the screen or to make a new class just click the + sign
  
  Suggestions:
• make a different classroom for each section you teach 
• name the class your Course name and include section number day or time as desired.
  
•  in the About section- paste your instructions and weblinks class links here. Also paste any rules you have for using the stream as social media (is it ok for them to post at will, or it only for "business" etc) or other directions specific to your classroom.
  

How to create an assignment and attach a file:
This video shows how to attach a file for students to complete. you can also attach it so students can just read it or edit it together:

More Resources for Understanding Google Classroom:

• Basic tour, including a Rollout Video herehttp://www.google.com/edu/classroom/
• Google Classroom Presentation Slides by Geeky Gafe Girl via Jacob Standish
• Online Traininghttps://www.google.com/edu/training/tools/classroom/level1.html
• IUsing Google Classroom with iPads:http://www.edudemic.com/ipads-with-the-new-google-classroom/
• Support for teachers  https://support.google.com/edu/classroom/answer/6020282?hl=en
  

How to Introduce it to Students: 
follow these instructions or share this link with them
http://piedmontpd.weebly.com/lesson-ideas/student-introduction-to-google-classroom