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April 8, 2025

AI Explained Using Ice Cream John Spencer

1. Sign in and stow your phones out of sight. Log into a Chromebook and complete the WYAW activities.
   
   
2. Your PSAs.......
   
   
3. More with Google Classroom: (s7u67bcp)
• You'll go to the waffle menu and find Google Classroom. Then click + to add our class with the code:
  
  
• We'll do some activities you might want to try in your own (Google) Classroom.
  
  
• We'll do the NearPod activity together as a class with you as students. NOTE: Students can also use teacher created NearPods on an individual, self-paced basis. You will have class time later to explore NearPod lessons.
  
  
4. Communicating with Families
   What are some ways you can communicate with families using old or new technology?
   Old School Tool: Printed Newsletter
   Middle School Tool: E-mails
   New Tools: Remind, Class Dojo, and (drum roll.....)
   SMORE (https://www.smore.com/)
1. Free tool limited to 3 publications total, 200 email "sends" but this refreshes each month with another 200 sends
2. Good for digital communication - email blasts
3. Affordable for educators ($99/year - see if your media specialist or principal will cover it or set up a donor's choose)
4. Let's check out a few things Smore can do:
   
   1. Choose from a limited number of backgrounds, colors, and fonts
   2. Add text to preformatted boxes
   3. Add images and embed video
   4. NOTE: To add images, you have to download and save them and then insert them into your flyer/newsletter
      
      
5. Here are some examples from past students. This may be a great way to introduce yourself to your kiddos in the Spring for Internship!
   • To introduce yourself:
• https://www.smore.com/m6xt5-meet-ms-white Ashlee
• https://www.smore.com/bvab8 Taylor
• https://www.smore.com/9q0z2 James
• https://www.smore.com/vd9nj Hannah
• https://www.smore.com/ctx23-meet-ms-o-dwyer Ashlee
• https://www.smore.com/e14rc-welcome-to-our-2nd-grade-class Bailey
• https://www.smore.com/wxt6m-meet-miss-teryn Teryn
  
  • For international outreach and information: https://www.smore.com/mv0y3-kenya-bound
  • To share or promote your organization: https://www.smore.com/xeb30-let-s-have-a-parade
  • Or a combination of any or all of these: https://www.smore.com/02yt8-we-re-nuts-about-fall
  • It can be useful for personal events as well https://www.smore.com/33zxf
6. YOUR TASK:
   • Relevant text that is polished and grammatically correct;
   • At least 2 text blocks (with text only or with images)
     __ Text #1
     __ Text #2
     
   • One two or three image gallery
   • 1 embedded video
   • 1 event
   • Listing of sources (url is fine) at the bottom of the flyer/newsletter using a text block
     
7. STUDIO TIME: Work on your.....

• smore newsletter
  
  
• Personal Digital Story and/or reflection. NOTE the guidelines for the reflection. Don't mail it in, folks!
  
  
• NearPod lesson for your classroom - you can modify for your curriculum and your students
• Go to https://nearpod.com/ (free for basic tools, commercial, .com)
  • Go back to the lesson that you might find useful in your classroom.
  • Save it by choosing "Add to my lessons" and then edit it "Edit lesson" and change what you wish to make it your own for *YOUR* students.
  • Send me the link in Remind to your CHANGED lesson that you customized to make it your own for YOUR students.