TI­² Blog

Check out the latest edition of The Tech-Know for insights into the many keys for a successful beginning to the school year when it comes to the use of instructional technologies in classrooms and libraries. https://bit.ly/SW1technewsletter

TI² launched a new newsletter just in time to provide returning and new teachers with important need-to-knows, including Endorsed App updates, device care reminders, support contact information, and special events. https://bit.ly/B2Stechnewsletter

TI² would like to remind you of a variety of professional learning sessions available for educators in the month of April. As always, you can search Kickup to find the most recent offerings from Technology Integration & Innovation.      

Arlington ISD’s adopted resource for keyboarding and digital literacy instruction is Learning.com. An online platform that houses the district’s adopted digital curriculum for the Technology Applications TEKS in grades pre-K through 6, it provides students with interactive lessons in keyboarding, online safety, coding, and other tech skills, including the use of word processing, spreadsheet, presentation…

TI² would like to remind you of a variety of professional learning sessions available for educators in the month of March. As always, you can search Kickup to find the most recent offerings from Technology Integration & Innovation.

Camp Innovation is a free week-long camp that allows students currently in 4th – 9th grades to use technology in a variety of creative ways. Each camp will include robotics, programming and a lot of other fun activities. At Camp Innovation, students are exposed to a variety of innovative technologies and learning experiences that: • Build…

If you are searching for a way to have fun with friends, learn something awesome, and earn your final exchange credit hours, then look no further! Join TI² for our first annual 🏝️🌺🍍Luau of Learning🏝️🌺🍍! Secure your spot now and ride the wave of educational innovation with us!      

TI² would like to remind you of a variety of professional learning sessions available for educators in the month of February. As always, you can view our Professional Learning Calendar for these sessions and other upcoming events.

TI² is happy to announce the launch of the new innovative equipment website – www.aisd.net/innovativetech. This new website better showcases the TI² inventory and provides new resources like getting-started guides and filters for enhanced searching. Additional resources for the various pieces of equipment will be added throughout the year and will include lessons, curriculum integrations…

To make content in Canvas more interactive and engaging for students, TI2 and Arlington ISD adopted a tool called H5P in the summer of 2020. The state of Texas introduced redesigned STAAR, EOC and TELPAS tests during the 2022-2023 school year to include what are called technology enhanced items. Many of these new question types…

While TI² has no face-to-face learning opportunities scheduled for the month of December,  we’d like to remind you of several asynchronous PD sessions for educators in the month of December.

Janelle Athens Bryant Elementary – Third Grade “(My students) really thought they were fun and did not want to stop!” That’s how Janelle Athens, third-grade teacher at Bryant Elementary, described her students’ first experiences with the new Plug & Play technology integration activities. These prepackaged activities were unveiled at elementary and secondary districtwide professional development…

The beginning of the school year brings new excitement, new students, new expectations and experiences. This year, there’s one more new thing to add to the list. Elementary courses in Canvas have gotten a makeover! That’s right: the head-turning new look is designed to improve the learning experience for younger students by providing a simpler…

The Technology Integration & Innovation Department is excited to offer a number of relevant professional learning sessions in October! The easiest way to identify upcoming sessions is by using the embedded calendar on the TI² Department website.

Unlock the potential of seamless technology integration in education with our groundbreaking professional learning opportunity, PowerUp! Tailored to meet educators at their unique ability levels, PowerUp offers a dynamic and tiered learning experience that empowers teachers to thrive in the digital classroom.     Don’t miss this chance to revolutionize your teaching and transform your classroom…

The Technology Integration & Innovation Department is excited to offer a number of relevant professional learning sessions in September! The easiest way to identify upcoming sessions is by using the embedded calendar on the TI² Department website. Bookmark this URL: https://bit.ly/ti2plcalendar and check frequently to see what sessions have been added.  If you are unable…

📢 Exciting News: Join TI² for Fall Professional Learning Events! Are you ready to take your teaching skills to the next level? Look no further! We are thrilled to announce that TI² will be hosting a series of dynamic and enriching professional learning events this fall. Get ready to explore the world of educational technology…

Canvas, Arlington ISD’s learning management system for grades 3-12, was adopted in the 2015-2016 school year. Usage during the 2020-2021 school year skyrocketed because of virtual learning. Post-pandemic, many teachers remain highly motivated to leverage technology to enhance their instructional practices and students’ learning experiences. As the school year draws to a close, TI² celebrates…

In Arlington ISD, we have a vision for technology integration: All students have consistent, authentic, and equitable opportunities to leverage technology to effectively communicate complex ideas and demonstrate their learning in a variety of ways by producing creative artifacts. We have many teachers in our district who are empowering students through technology integration!   Jolie…

The Technology Integration & Innovation Department is excited to offer a number of relevant professional learning sessions in April! The easiest way to identify upcoming sessions is by using the embedded calendar on the TI² Department website. Bookmark this URL: https://bit.ly/ti2plcalendar and check frequently to see what sessions have been added. We hope to see you at…

While this tool has been an approved web application and many teachers have been using it in recent years, we are excited to announce that Blooket has been added to the Technology Integration & Innovation department’s list of Endorsed Apps! If you are not familiar with Blooket, it is a free website that offers educational…

Technology Integration & Innovation is excited to announce that we have a new endorsed app available for use by teachers and students in AISD! Wakelet is a curation tool designed for Teachers and Students to collect their information all in the one space. You can add a range of multimedia types to create a collection;…

The Technology Integration & Innovation Department is excited to offer a number of relevant professional learning sessions in March! The easiest way to identify upcoming sessions is by using the embedded calendar on the TI² Department website. Bookmark this URL: https://bit.ly/ti2plcalendar and check frequently to see what sessions have been added. We hope to see you at…

Learning.com is the state adopted digital literacy curriculum designed to help students master the Technology Application TEKS. Students in pre-K- 6th access this student-driven curriculum through Rapid ID. Learning.com’s Asynchronous Learning Pathway is assigned to all pre-K-6 homeroom classes in Learning.com. Teachers are encouraged to provide students with opportunities throughout the instructional day to engage…

The Technology Integration & Innovation Department is excited to offer a number of relevant professional learning sessions in February! The easiest way to identify upcoming sessions is by using the embedded calendar on the TI² Department website. Bookmark this URL: https://bit.ly/ti2plcalendar and check frequently to see what sessions have been added. We hope to see…

Staff across Arlington ISD have impressed the technology integration and innovation department (TI²) by earning credit for more than 5,000 self-paced courses in the Ready, Set, Go(ogle)! learning series designed by the TI² department and facilitated through the MobileMind platform. This opportunity allows staff members to engage in learning over the Google Workspace for Education…

Have you ever heard of a tool called Classroomscreen? It’s an online tool that includes 19 widgets to create clear expectations for your students, support your time management, collect feedback and much more! With Classroomscreen you have many possibilities to support your class activities, stimulate engagement, and help your students get to work. If you…

The TI² (Technology Integration and Innovation) department has worked with elementary campuses to launch the new standards-based Seesaw Lessons collection for pre-K-2nd-grade. These  lessons are readymade and address phonics, data talks, calendar math, STEM and SEL, along with other important learning priorities. Lessons can be quickly assigned to students for independent practice opportunities in stations…

The Technology Integration & Innovation Department is excited to offer a number of relevant professional learning sessions in November! The easiest way to identify upcoming sessions is by using the new, embedded calendar on the TI² Department website. Bookmark this URL: https://bit.ly/ti2plcalendar and check frequently to see what sessions have been added. We hope to…

Check out the Canva Templates resource in the October Newsletter! New to Canva and want to learn more about using it in your classroom? Check out the Canva Design School Resources for something self-paced and the Canva for Education sessions offered online by TI² this Fall!  Access the full October Newsletter in Canva.

The Technology Integration & Innovation Department is excited to offer a number of relevant professional learning sessions in October! The easiest way to identify upcoming sessions is by using the new, embedded calendar on the TI² Department website. Bookmark this URL: https://bit.ly/ti2plcalendar and check frequently to see what sessions have been added. We hope to…

In 2019, the 86th Texas Legislature passed HB3906, mandating a redesign of the STAAR program. As part of those changes, and via a subsequent adjustment to the legislation in HB321, the new STAAR assessment includes a 100% transition to online testing and includes a cap on the number of points that can come from multiple…

Campus Technology Advisory Committees (CTACs) have been an important part of campus operations for many years and played vital roles in supporting teachers during pandemic-driven remote learning. Despite this, some staff may wonder, “What is CTAC?” CTACs are campus-level committees made up of teachers, librarians and instructional leaders who meet three times per year to…

Come spend a Saturday morning at the PDC with the TI2 staff learning about tools and strategies for technology in your classroom! Topics include Canva, Genially, Discovery Ed, Seesaw, Canvas, and more! All sessions for this event are approved for district exchange time in the 2022-2023 school year. Visit https://bit.ly/techadventure22 to see all session times,…

Canvas, Arlington ISD’s learning management system for grades 3-12, hit record-breaking high usage during the 2020-2021 school year because of virtual learning. As face-to-face instruction resumed in full force for the 2021-2022 school year, teachers returned inspired by many technology silver linings from the previous year and implemented practices to enhance the traditional classroom setting….

Four years ago, Arlington ISD made Pear Deck available to all teachers – a technology tool that serves to increase student engagement throughout all phases of instruction from bellringer to exit ticket. In addition, it’s a fantastic tool for formative assessment that empowers teachers to check for understanding on the fly, clarify misconceptions immediately and…

The Apple Classroom app is available for Arlington ISD iPads and can be used by a teacher to manage iPads while in student use. Using an iPad with the app installed and designated for teacher use, a teacher simply opens a class in the app to start a new session. All connected iPads will populate…

After a break for the past two summers, the technology integration and innovation department is happy to announce the return of Camp Innovation – a week-long camp that empowers students to develop relevant, future-ready skills via a variety of innovative technologies. Camp Innovation includes rotations involving robotics and programming, as well as a lot of…

Shout out to our Seesaw teachers! Take a few minutes to celebrate all that you have done during this seesaw kind of year!        

This week’s Snippet will explain the End-of-Year procedures for Seesaw for Schools and cover how to create a Sample Class so that you can access your Seesaw libraries over the summer.

Are all those files saved on your laptop backed up somewhere? What would happen if your hard drive crashed or something happened to your laptop? And why save files to your laptop at all? Google for Education users have unlimited storage and backup capabilities. Learn how to install and use Google Drive for Desktop (formerly…

Learn how you can expand your knowledge of Seesaw by becoming a Seesaw Pioneer!  

Summer is coming! Do you have plans to do some course design in preparation for the new school year? If so, new changes are coming! Beginning June 1st, you will no longer be able to design new content using the older/existing Google Integration and the New Google Integration will be in full effect. If you…

Learn how to directly link to a book in the Tumble Book Library and add the link to a Seesaw activity.

See how to upload Screencast-O-Matic videos to Seesaw activities! The great thing about uploading Screencast-O-Matic videos is they play right inside a Seesaw activity!  

See how students can record across multiple pages in Seesaw! By clicking on the microphone tool in Seesaw, students can record audio and movement across multiple pages creating one video!  

Learn some tips for searching in the Community and District Seesaw Libraries and how to access endorsed apps templates and ready-to-use activities created by TI²!

This video is a quick overview of our updated PreK-2nd Technology Resources Website. You can add this website to your bookmarks to quickly access it when you are looking for Seesaw resources!      

Have you tried the newest features in Seesaw? This video highlights the new audio and locking options.  

Do you have a website that your students frequently visit? Wouldn’t it be convenient to just add that shortcut to your Canvas course navigation menu? With the Redirect tool, you can! Whether it’s Student Self-Serve, RapidID, a technology tool, or a curriculum-related website, using this is a huge timesaver for your students!      …

Do you ever wish you could provide students with a link to a specific place within a Google Doc rather than telling them to open the document, scroll 3 pages down, and find the paragraph beneath the picture of the girl running in the park? Using Google Doc headers (headings) will allow you to do…

So you’ve made this awesome H5P interactive in your Canvas sandbox or course! But when you share it with other teachers it doesn’t work right- and you see the scores of other students in your own H5P dashboard! This will show you how you should be sharing your awesome work! This one is a little…

Do you ever find yourself with dozens of tabs open in multiple browser windows and searching for a particular tab? This built-in feature to Google Chrome can simplify your life!            

When a student leaves your class, they are NOT dropped from Canvas automatically but should be removed manually by the teacher. “Do I really have to conclude the student? Can’t I just leave them on my roster?” There are some negative implications of leaving unenrolled students in your Canvas courses. Listen in and hear why…

When you need to send students to a specific part of a webpage, this extension is perfect! Instead of saying “Click on this link, scroll about 2/3rds of the way down, and find the heading that says ___” you can simply make a link to that exact spot and give that link to others!

“I swear that assignment/page/quiz was in my Canvas course yesterday- and now it’s gone!” Does this ever happen to you? Maybe you share a course with some other teachers who are… less than savvy when it comes to technology. And you find that some of your created items have disappeared somewhere along the way. Don’t…

Do you have websites that you go to frequently? You can save yourself a few extra clicks and some time by bookmarking your frequently used websites to your bookmarks bar with this helpful tip!        

Did your Canvas page get messed up (by you or another teacher in a shared course)? Did you accidentally delete some text, images, or videos from it that you need back? You can “rewind” your page to a previous version using this helpful tip!

Did your Canvas page get messed up (by you or another teacher in a shared course)? Did you accidentally delete some text, images, or videos from it that you need back? You can “rewind” your page to a previous version using this helpful tip!