Partnering with Your Technology Coaches
This school year, the Technology Coaches are thrilled to introduce our overarching theme for digital integration: Students as Creators.
In our increasingly digital world, educational technology offers far more than just a new way to consume information. Our goal is to support educators in shifting students from passive consumers to active architects of their own learning. When students leverage their district-issued devices to create, they engage in higher-order thinking, problem-solving, and personalized expression.
Your Instructional Support
You do not have to navigate this instructional shift alone. The Technology Coaches are here to partner with you to make these dynamic lessons a reality. We want to collaborate with you to design opportunities where students can truly showcase their learning through creation.
We are available to support you in several practical ways:
- Brainstorming and Co-planning: We can help you design lessons and identify the most effective digital tools for your specific curriculum goals
- Tool Selection: Whether it is utilizing Google Workspace, SchoolAI, Gemini, or other approved platforms, we will help you find the right fit for your students
- Co-teaching and Classroom Support: We can join you in the classroom to facilitate the technology integration, allowing you to focus entirely on the content and your students
Bringing Learning to Life
To visualize what this looks like in the classroom, let us look at how students can move away from simply Googling an image for a project to actively creating and animating their own interactive elements. This shift allows students to have a more active role in the look and feel of their end product, while also removing the hurdle of finding non-copyrighted images to include in their final project.
Here is how this student creation process works:
- Design the Foundation: Students start by creating a layered image using shapes in Google Drawings, which they then download as an SVG image file. Example Google Drawing
- Label the Components: Using a free, no-login-required site called Hello My Name is SVG, students can select specific components of their image and assign them a name.
- Animate with AI: Students then bring their named image, via ‘Copy Labeled SVG Code’ into an AI tool like SchoolAI or Gemini. Because the parts are named, the AI can apply specific animations that the students describe.
- Publish the Learning: The AI generates the code for this animation, which students can directly embed into a Google Site alongside their research information. Example Google Site
While the example above features a basic owl that blinks, imagine the possibilities! What if a student was showcasing a scientific process, a historical timeline, or a mathematical concept through their own custom animation?
Next Steps for Your Classroom
The animation project shared above is just one way to ignite student creativity and amplify their voices. We are excited to hear about, see, and even participate in the innovative products your students will build this year.
If you need any assistance designing a creation-based lesson or want to try the animation activity in your own classroom, do not hesitate to reach out to your building Technology Coaches for personalized help!