Join JCS for a live Hangout on Air with Santa on Wednesday, December 17th!

Calling all Kindergarten classes! 

Fuquay-Varina Elementary has been invited to join!

You can watch our their hangout with Santa at the North Pole on 

Wednesday, December 17th at 2:45pm EST. 

Santa will be answering questions on the weather and geography 

of the North Pole and how it relates to North Carolina!

Use the hangout link above to connect to the hangout when it goes live.

The Hour of Code

December 8 - 14 is this year's designated week for "The Hour of Code."

Visit code.org to learn more.

Our 3rd graders will be trying their programming skills out during Digital Den this week, but it's open and available to everyone! Try it out!

Here's a collection of resources from Common Sense Media for the Hour of Code.

Enjoy!

Your Study Island accounts are ready!

Study Island accounts are available at FVES for students in grades 3, 4 & 5 for ELA and Math. 5th Grade also has the Science module. 

To get started:

Go to www.studyisland.com

Click Login in the upper left hand corner of the screen.

Teachers:

Your username is your Wake County username@fvesnc (ex. ksiegert@fvesnc)

Check your email for your password. 

Students:

Usernames are their lunch number@fvesnc (ex. 9441234@fvesnc)

Check your email for their password. 

On the iPads:

While at the moment there is not an app for that, you can add the Study Island Mobile link by going to Safari, www.studyisland.com/cfw/mobile, and add the link to the Home Screen. A suggestion would be to rename the icon Study Island, rather than the default "Login." 

Or you can have the students use it through the Chrome App. 

Teachers will be prompted to verify their email and grade level when logging in.

I believe I have your classes set up for you. Please let me know if something isn't correct.

There is a great Help section- Click Help, then How-To, then Teachers. 

If you are not familiar with Study Island, there are lessons, videos and assessments for each standard. It is self paced. You can give assignments or let the students choose. Students earn access to educational games when they meet certain criteria. You can set that criteria in your class preferences. Note: How well they do in the games affects their overall score.

The students really seem to enjoy using this program! 

Please let us know if you would like help getting started :)

NCTIES Student Showcase Call for Proposals Closes November 30th

Student Showcase Call for Proposals

Welcome to the registration portal for our 3rd Annual Student Technology Showcase at NCTIES. We are excited to invite students and teachers from Kindergarten to grade twelve to share the powerful teaching and learning that is occurring in schools throughout North Carolina by Making IT Personal. If you are interested in sharing a project that your students have participated in this year, we encourage you to submit a proposal for the Student Technology Showcase. It will be held on Thursday, March 5, 2015 from 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. on the main floor atrium/lobby area and along the hallway or 3rd Floor.

Registration Link: http://goo.gl/ASXYJy
Proposals Open: October 15, 2014
Proposals Close: November 30, 2014

Selection notifications will be sent to presenters by the first week in December.

Making IT Personal is the theme.

Good luck!!

Walmart Chromebook Sale Started Today

Starting today, Walmart will have the Silver Samsung Chromebooks on sale for $199 with a $50 Walmart gift card. Please note these are the models with 2 GB of memory and other counties currently suggest their schools buy 4 GB models to be compliant with newest versions of Imagine Learning and i-ready. This is a great deal for staff and parents looking to buy a Chromebook for personal use.

The sale lasts until supplies run out or Thursday, November 27th.

25 Best Math Apps

Smart Board Care and Maintenance

After attending a SmartBoard session at the Wake County Fall Convergence Symposium yesterday, I was reminded of some helpful tips.

• Our students should be using the SmartBoard ~75% of the time. It should not be used as "a glorified white board."
• When not using your SmartBoard, turn off the projector. Bulbs are expensive! If you are going to lunch, recess or have your planning, turn off the projector.
• To clean your SmartBoard, use a soft cloth. If you need to dampen it slightly, that's ok, but never spray water or cleaner onto the board. 

Virtual Field Trip Opportunity - October 29

Field Trip to the White House Kitchen with Discovery Education
Grades 3 and Up
 Click on the image for more information and to register.

From JCS Tech Contact Blog

Google Apps Training

PowerTeacher on the iPads

Do you want to be able to take attendance while you're walking around the classroom? Enter observation grades in real time? You can use your iPad.

• Download the App from the iTunes store (PowerTeacher)
• Click No when asked to find the District Settings
• Click on Settings
• Click on Server (see picture 2)
• Change the server name to wcpss.powerschool.com
• The port number stays 443.
• Click the Login Button
• You can now log in.

NOTE:  THE USER NAME IS CAPITAL WCPSS******

Echoing Computer Sounds

Does your computer sound odd? Is it kind of echoing whenever it makes a sound?

Try this to fix it: 

Double click on the red volume button on the taskbar (somewhere near the clock.)

Click on the Sound Effects tab

Click Reset

Click Ok

That should do it!

How to See the New FVES Staff Google Calendar

1. Start by using the Chrome browser.  Google plays best with Chrome! It doesn’t always work well in Explorer.
2. Go to www.google.com
3. In the upper right hand corner, click Sign In   
4. If you see someone else’s name, or your personal gmail account listed there instead of the Sign In button, Click that name and choose Sign Out.
1. If you have used your computer to sign in to google.com previously, it may remember you. If so, just enter your password.
2. If you see a list of names, and yours is not there, Click Add Account
3. Otherwise, just enter your username@wcpss.net (i.e. ksiegert@wcpss.net)
5. Uncheck the Stay Signed In button. (That way if someone comes to use your computer, they cannot get to your google drive, etc)
6. Your password is the same as your email password.
7. You will get a (new) window that says Wake County Public School System
8. Enter your username without the @wcpss.net (i.e. ksiegert)
9. Again, your password is the same as your email password.
10. Click Login
11. Click on the Apps icon in the upper right hand corner and choose --->
12. On the left, Click My Calendars
13. Choose FVES Master Calendar
14. If there is a white box next to it, click in the box.
15. You should now see all of the FVES events.
16. You can click in the box again to stop displaying this calendar

Want to be notified when this calendar is updated?

1. On the left side of the screen, click the down arrow next to the FVES Master Calendar
2. Choose Reminders and Notifications
3. You may check to receive an email for New Events, Changed Events and Cancelled Events.

4. Click Save

Need an App or Website for Your Lesson?

Need a place to find a great app or website to go along with what you are teaching in class? Graphite is a great resource for locating these tools. Organized by Common Core Standards, Graphite makes it easy to find resources that have been reviewed expert educators and your fellow teachers. Graphite even provides tips on how to use a new tool or even one you have already been using.

Start by going to http://www.graphite.org/ and create your free account. Once logged in, there are several ways for finding apps/websites of your choice. 

Shared by Brandy Whitley

Create an mClass an icon on your iPad:

Here's how to create an mClass an icon on your iPad:

Click Safari
Type mclasshome.com/assessment in the top bar
Sign in to mClass
Click the page with the up arrow (top left)
Click Add to Home Screen

Instructions for Saving and Sharing the New 2014-2015 PLT Template

1. Start by using the Chrome browser.  Google plays best with Chrome! It doesn’t always work well in Explorer.

2. Go to www.google.com
3. In the upper right hand corner, click Sign In   
4. If you see someone else’s name, or your personal gmail account listed there instead of the Sign In button, Click that name and choose Sign Out.
1. If you have used your computer to sign in to google.com previously, it may remember you. If so, just enter your password.
2. If you see a list of names, and yours is not there, Click Add Account
3. Otherwise, just enter your username@wcpss.net (i.e. ksiegert@wcpss.net)

5. Uncheck the Stay Signed In button. (That way if someone comes to use your computer, they cannot get to your google drive, etc)

6. Your password is the same as your email password.

7. You will get a (new) window that says Wake County Public School System

8. Enter your username without the @wcpss.net (i.e. ksiegert)

9. Again, your password is the same as your email password.

10. Click Login
11. Click on the Apps icon in the upper right hand corner and choose Drive  
12. You should have received an email from Amy Hendrickson where she shared the Template for PLTs with you. Click the link in that email now, if you have not done so already.
1. If you had already clicked on the link to the shared document, click Shared with Me on the left.
13. Once you have the file open, Click File
14. Click Make a Copy
15. Click File -> Make a Copy
16. In the Pop Up window, rename this file: Your Grade PLT Template (i.e. 1st Grade PLT Template) NOTE: This will be the file you copy EACH month. Do NOT write in it.
17. Now, Click File--Make A Copy (again)
18. In this Pop Up Window, rename this file: Your Grade PLT Date (i.e. 1st Grade PLT 9.4.2014)
19. You may enter your notes here
20. When finished, click the Share button in the upper right hand corner.
21. Enter Rene Herrick’s and Amy Hendrickson’s name in the Invite People Box
22. Click Done
23. Remember- No need to “save” in google docs. It saves for you every few seconds.

Note: For the 2nd meeting, you will log in to google, go to drive and click on your PLT Template file. Then follow steps 17-22.