CCSBInnovates
By Citrus County Schools
CCSBInnovatesMar 21, 2023
Slice of Tech - GarageBand
Eileen Jenkin and Ashley Kurutz talk about Apple's GarageBand app and some of its possibilities for the classroom.
Tech Time- March edition
Student Productivity Apps
WICOR Writing strategies.
January Tech Time
Falcon News Network Interview
The November Tech Times Newsletter
District Technology Specialist Jim Kelly Shares the November Tech Times Newsletter
Tackling Tech in Citrus Schools
Accessibility Features on the iPad
October Tech Times Newsletter
Matt Biggs interviews Rebekah Paprzycki.
October Tech Time
Five Favorite Ways to Integrate Technology
Online Educator Communities
Jim Kelly Shares the September Tech TimesNewsletter
Tech Time
Windows 10 Features
Dan's Farewell
Dan Koch, EdTech Program Specialist for Citrus County Schools, shares his thoughts with you all before departing on a new career path. ❤️
Coding in Elementary with Jessica Hurley, Media Specialist @ Lecanto Primary
Matt Biggs, Technology Specialist for Citrus County Schools, chats with Jessica Hurley, Media Specialist at Lecanto Primary School about her coding classes for elementary students, and how digital media is transforming learning spaces.
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What's New In Media w/Joe Melito, Media Specialist @ Citrus High School
Jim Kelly, Citrus County Tech Specialist, sits down with Joe Melito, Media Specialist at Citrus High School to chat about some new happenings at the Citrus High Media Center, the impact of technology on the role, and more!
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Sit Down With Sam: Episode 1
Introducing: iPadOS (Coming This Fall)
Dan Koch, district Technology Coach for Citrus County Schools, discusses one of Apple's WorldWide Developer Conference bombshells: iPadOS! This new operating system, which is built using the same infrastructure as iOS, is made specifically for the iPad (think: no more "jumbo" iPhone apps on a big iPad screen) and includes a lot of brand new, iPad-specific features that'll be great for our students and teachers! Dan goes over a few highlights that will have great impact on student work and productivity, and some new accessibility features.
Learn more about iPadOS: https://www.apple.com/ipados/ipados-preview/
Follow Dan on Twitter: @danvkoch
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Self-Directed Learning w/Jerry Swiatek, Academy of Computer Sciences Teacher @ Citrus High School
Jim Kelly, district Technology Specialist for Citrus County Schools, has a conversation with Citrus High School's Jerry Swiatek about the innovative things going on at Citrus High's Academy of Computer Science, where he is lead teacher and coordinator of the program. Jerry talks to Jim about how self-directed learning and problem solving is a cornerstone of their program, how computational thinking is like learning another language, and the pathways available to students entering and leaving CHS' Academy of Computer Science.
Follow Jerry on Twitter: @jswiatek
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New Technology Happenings with Lance Fletcher, Network Project Leader
In this episode, Matt Biggs, District Technology Specialist for Citrus County Schools, talks with Lance Fletcher about some new things going on in the world of technology in Citrus County Schools. Lance discusses some new areas of improvement that'll be pertinent to teachers in the coming school year and some updates the Technology Resource Center will be making over the summer!
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MakerSpaces with Eileen Jenkin, Media Specialist @ Citrus Springs Middle School
Jim Kelly, district Technology Specialist for Citrus County Schools, has a conversation with Citrus Springs Middle Schools' Eileen Jenkin about what the media center means in the year 2019 and beyond, maker-spaces, and reimagining literacy for today's learners.
Follow Eileen on Twitter: @eileen_jenkin
We want to wish everyone well as we enter the end of the year! Be on the lookout for more episodes in the coming weeks with giveaways, teacher shout-outs, and more! #CCSBInnovates!
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Mindful Monday - Week 11
Melissa Bowling, Mental Health counselor for Citrus County Schools, presents Mindful Mondays!
Transcript:
Hi! This is Melissa Bowling and welcome to Week 11 of Mindful Mondays; our final Mindful Monday of the school year.
Last week we began putting together all the skills and concepts we discussed this year.
This week we will finish wrapping it all up 😊
With week 1 self-care, we focused on the importance of taking care of our needs so that we may better serve ourselves and others.
Call to mind the week we discussed gratitude. Did you know that it is impossible for the human mind to feel both gratitude and anger at the exact same time? When we practice gratitude regularly, we actually change our brain through neuroplasticity. Thus, our brains will begin to automatically look for reasons to feel more gratitude. It changes our entire outlook on our experiences.
Remember the week we talked about having a lion’s mind? Each time we take a moment to breathe and give ourselves space to respond rather than react, we are acting with a lion’s mind.
Mindfulness practices come in all different forms, and can be tailored to meet anyone’s needs. Whether you use one of the acronyms mentioned last week (TAP, RAIN, or SIFT), or you choose to formally meditate, you are improving your quality of life. You are actively changing your brain and lessening your suffering.
Through acceptance we are able to see things for what they are. We label thoughts, feelings, and sensations. We accept that we feel and think what we will. We are kind and compassionate to ourselves and our experiences. We live with loving kindness.
This summer I challenge you to adopt as many or as few mindful and self-care practices as possible to fit your needs. Put yourself first, respond to whatever rises within you, and remember this: “As long as you are breathing, there is more right with you than wrong with you.” – Jon Kabat-Zinn
If there are any resources you would like for me to send you for the summer, please don’t hesitate to let me know.
Thank you for listening. Have an amazing summer and I’ll see you next school year 😊
The Innovator's Mindset with Mary Leonard
Mary Leonard, Instructional Technology Coach for Citrus County Schools chats with us this week about George Couros' book "The Innovator's Mindset: Empower Learning, Unleash Talent, and Lead a Culture of Creativity." Mary breaks down some key things from the book that we can all be thinking about and practicing in our own classrooms!
We want to wish everyone well as we enter the end of the year! Be on the lookout for more episodes in the coming weeks with giveaways, teacher shout-outs, and more! #CCSBInnovates!
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Mindful Monday - Week 10
Melissa Bowling, Mental Health counselor for Citrus County Schools, presents Mindful Mondays!
This podcast is for Week 10. Suffering does not have to be inevitable. Acronyms to remember useful mindfulness skills.
Transcript of podcast:
Hi. I’m Melissa Bowling and welcome to week 10 of Mindful Mondays.
Last week we talked further about mindfulness, compassion, and allowing ourselves room to respond.
This week we will begin tying it all together to create the best mindfulness practice for ourselves.
Over the past 9 weeks we have discussed self-care, mindfulness, compassion, gratitude, emotions, and thoughts. We have talked about how practicing mindfulness in all its various components increases our happiness and ability to respond rather than react.
Consider this: “Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional.”
It is a fact that there will be difficult moments in our lives. They will happen to us with no anticipation at all. However, this does not mean that we must suffer when they happen. As mentioned in previous weeks, we can lessen our suffering in a variety of ways. Practicing mindfulness is the number one best thing you can do for yourself to lessen your suffering.
Some easy ways to practice being in the moment and decreasing reactivity, or mindfulness, can be remembered using several different acronyms.
- TAP refers to Take a breath, Acknowledge, and Proceed. With this process you are taking a moment to breathe and recognize and label what is going on inside you, before you proceed with an action.
- RAIN is Recognize, Allow, Investigate, Non-identification. With the RAIN process you are using acceptance and gentle curiosity to see what you have going on during any given moment (most especially a difficult one). However, with non-identification, you do not become the thought or feeling you are experiencing.
- SIFT: Sensations, Images, Feelings, Thoughts. This is simply a practice in labeling while in the moment. We recognize any of the abovementioned things, label them, and then let them be.
This week I challenge you to put together your own mindful practice that will serve you better in your everyday experiences with life.
**If you’re in a school, you can get a subscription to the wonderful app Calm for FREE! Just fill out the linked Calm Teacher Form
Thank you for listening to week 10 of Mindful Mondays. Have a wonderful week!
Gimkit - Like Kahoot, but with Money!
Megan Spelich takes the mic this week to talk about Gimkit, a tool you can use for fun formative assessment and review. Think Kahoot, but with the ability to earn (play) money and shop for power-ups! From their website:
"Students answer questions on their own device at their own pace. Throughout a Kit, each student will get exposure to the questions multiple times to ensure mastery. Students earn in-game cash by answering questions correctly. But be careful, an incorrect answer will cost you!"
We want to wish everyone well as we enter testing season! Be on the lookout for more episodes in the coming weeks with giveaways, teacher shout-outs, and more! #CCSBInnovates!
CCSBInnovates: Episode 1
Welcome to the inaugural episode of the CCSBInnovates Podcast--THE podcast of the Citrus County School District!