NECSD Division of Technology and Information

Interactive Student Created Websites and Flipgrid Commercials at NFA North

NFA North Instructional Technology Facilitator Ms. Holmes is actively working with students and teachers to create interactive websites with Google Sites to display reviews of different books the students are reading independently. They are also using Flipgrid to create commercials that focus on why others should buy or read the books that have been reviewed…

NFA Main Professional Development

There has been a great deal of professional development over the past two weeks. Instructional Technology Facilitators Mr. Decker and Ms. Doulin have been working with teachers on strategies for embedding Newsela assignments in Google Classroom, using Screencastify as an instructional tool, and maximizing the use of Read&Write as an integral tool. In the next…

NFA Main Guidance Counselors Leverage Technology Resources to Serve Students

Last week ITF Matt Decker met with NFA Main guidance counselors to explore how to reach more students through strategically using technology. Specifically, the team explored live streaming using Google Meet with all classes instead of having to visit to each class, allowing more time to meet with students one-on-one. The guidance counselors are also…

ELA Teachers at NFA North Use Online Voice Commenting With Students

December has been a month of student and teacher digital discoveries at NFA North. Students are increasingly engaged in various 3-D printing projects, aligned closely to the work they are doing in classes. Teachers have also been learning various digital skills, including ongoing GSuite strategies, as well as various apps and extensions. A group of…

Google Classroom and 1:1 Chromebooks at NFA Main

NFA Main Instructional Technology Facilitators Matt Decker and Melissa Doulin have been working closely with groups of teachers as they continue to use Google classroom with students. Students in grades 9-11 benefit from the 1:1 Chromebook allocations and the ITF team has visited every ELA class to ensure students didn’t miss the opportunity, even providing…

Prosthetics at NFA North

Newburgh Free Academy North students had many exciting learning activities, and this week featured the planning and printing of prosthetic body parts. Working with ITF Jackie Holmes, students are printing a hand for forensic science class and exploring the ENABLE website.

Modeling, 3D Printing and Co-Teaching at Meadow Hill

Over the past two weeks Meadow Hill ITF John Blakley led a variety of learning opportunities for students and teachers including modeling Flipgrid in Ms. Quiroz’s class and then transitioning to co-teaching. Students used the Promethean Board to teach other how to use the software, and made videos to teach Spanish vocabulary words and phrases. …

Technology as a Tool for Responding to Writing Prompts

Students at Vails Gate learned exciting new ways to respond to writing prompts. ITF Helen Zoutis worked closely with Reading Specialist Nancy Bliss to infuse Read Write, Flipgrid, and Screencastify as digital tools to engage the students. Using these tools and the built in camera, students recorded themselves. They then met with Ms. Zoutis and…

Balmville Parents are Literacy and Technology Partners

Balmville School recently hosted “Muffins for Mom” where more than 160 parents of students in grades pre-k through 5th came to the school to participate. Ms. Sara Feliz, Executive Director for Youth Development and Community Engagement, spoke with parents about the importance of literacy at home. Afterward, ITF Karen Molfese demonstrated how to access district…

Brief: Internet Safety Resources for Families

If you want to start a productive conversation regarding online privacy and safety with children, Google provides a useful publication for families (also in Spanish), Other resources, all of which are available on Google’s Digital Safety Resources: Tools for the Home, include the Family Link app (and corresponding guide). Click on the headline to read the full…