I’ve enjoyed collaborating with Brianne Gartenmann since I joined Noblesville Schools eight years ago. She was then a K-5 Technology Teacher at Promise Road. Brianne now teaches Third Grade at Promise Road Elementary but still brings her tech-forward mindset to the classroom. Brianne and I recently met to catch up and talk digital tools, and here are three of her moves you can try tomorrow.
Canva for inspirational graphics
✏️ Need help getting started with Canva? Try their one-hour Teacher Essentials Course.
ParentSquare for permission slips
Promise Road eagerly adopted ParentSquare in 2022 to communicate with families. Considering its diverse student population, staff appreciate its powerful translation features. Music Teacher Emily Drabyn has also led several staff training sessions. Brianne’s team has tried the permission slip forms and online payment features this school year.✏️ Read more about NS teachers using ParentSquare on this blog.
Magic School character chat
Brianne’s students recently read Kate DiCamillo’s Because of Winn Dixie as a class. As an enrichment activity, Brianne created a character chatbot using Magic School. When finished with their work, students could enter their MagicSchool room to chat with various characters from Winn Dixie. Students could not wait to get started!✏️ Still hesitant about getting started with Magic School? Do what Brianne did! Invite your Media Specialist to partner with you.
Don’t let Brianne’s technology savviness intimidate you. She will be the first to admit less is more with technology. I hope this theme has shined through on the blog. Keep shining, Brianne!
Kristin Patrick
Blended Learning Coach
What a great idea to use Parent Square for parent permission slips! I feel like those can easily get lost by papers being sent home.
ReplyDeleteI love Magic School! The character Chatbot is a great way to get students engaged with the text.
Hi there! I have also used the character chat bot to ask students to ask "authentic" questions of a person they are researching. For instance, if they were doing a presentation on Nelson Mandela, they would research his work first, and then use the chat bot to hold a "conversation" with him. I also like it as a tool for students to read and ask a question in response to a response...a true interview practice session!
ReplyDeleteI didn't know about the character chat feature of Magic School - what a fun and interactive way to introduce students to AI! I can imagine that they would enjoy the opportunity to "test" the AI to see if they could find any areas where the responses aren't as accurate as they could be. Thanks for sharing :)
ReplyDeleteBrianne is a rockstar in and out of the classroom. While I've worked with her for years, I didn't know how much she uses AI and tech to help her out! Good job, Brianne!
ReplyDeleteI've used the Character Chat tool in Magic School to have my students "chat" with key contributors of the American Revolutionary War. After doing that activity for a couple of years, I noticed that the bots were responding differently. They initially responded in the first person as the character but then "evolved" to responding in more of the third person. I will still use the tool.
ReplyDeleteLove that I get to work by your side!! I love hearing how you used the chat bots for students to interact with from Because of Winn Dixie. I want to come see that!!
ReplyDeleteI worked with Brianne many years ago when we were both technology teachers. I love how she had her students make a chatbot with MagicSchool! In her technology teaching days she was always so innovative with her students, I am not surprised she's continued to do that in her new role!
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of making a chatbot with MagicSchool so students can interact with the characters in the novel that the class is reading. So fun!
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