LEADERS IN LITERACY
CONFERENCE
LITERACY-BASED DISTRICT-WIDE
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Aiken County Public School District
January 15, 2016
LEADERS IN LITERACY
CONFERENCE
Gale Kulmala
Wagener-Salley Adult Education
gkulmala@acpsd.net
AGENDA
• Hilsman
• What is Blendspace?
• Blendspace Features
• Using Blendspace
• Canvas Examples
• Getting Started
• BYOC
• Sharing Out
• Door Prizes
Hilsman Middle School
• IB Candidate School, UGA PDS, Distinguished Title 1
School District
• Faculty collaboration through weekly data team and
planning meetings
• Moved to Google platform in Spring 2012 in preparation
for “paperless” workflow and 2 to 1 netbook initiative
• Attended UGA technology seminar and examined &
implemented “best practices” in pushing out computer
based instruction, collaboration, and assessment to our
students
What is Blendspace?
• An application to organize and share instructional
education materials, activities, and projects in an
attractive, visually pleasing format
• Monitor, communicate, and assess student efforts
and learning
• Formerly known as Edcanvas……with the “tile” based
projects called “canvases”
Blendspace Features
• Can drop and drag videos, images, documents, drawings, and
links and add text in one of 5 adjustable tile-grid arrangements
• Independent, self-guiding to keeps students on task
• Incorporate quizzes, surveys, and worksheets to build student
accountability
• Canvases can be linked, emailed, or shared for class/flipped
assignments
• Track student viewing, work, questions, and comments
• Easily adapt other teachers’ canvases for your use
• Students can create their own for projects/presentations
Using Blendspace
• Create lessons and projects for class or home preview/review
• Set up workstations to review lessons individually or with peers
• Challenge students with optional content or extended learning
• Use lessons/student work as a “virtual” corkboard portfolio to
share with others, including parents
• Enable students to collaborate on projects such as digital
storytelling or webquests
• Make presentations for PD sessions, PLCs, or conferences
• Store and share resources in a more engaging format
Blendspace Examples
• Hilsman PD (Spring 2013)
https://www.tes.com/lessons/knch4RNv1B_kdA/engage-energize-in-april
• Hilsman 6th Grade ELA (Winter 2013)
https://www.tes.com/lessons/k8WGh9dq0Pg5HA/harriet-tubman
• WSAE GED Science Preview/Review (Winter 2016)
https://www.tes.com/lessons/PNdCuHTaIlSKDA/human-body-systems
Getting Started
• Teacher and student accounts are
available
• Create an account “from scratch” or
login with Google/FB
• Set up classes and include students
via email or class codes
• Yes….there is a Google App for this
• Create a canvas or use/adapt a
shared, public canvas
Build Your Own Canvas
• Determine a content area topic
• Create a canvas with 3-6 tiles
• Experiment with templates and themes
• Search for instructional content…..websites, media files,
Google Drive, Office…..and drag/drop onto your canvas
• Edit the title of each tile
• Add a description or set of instructions for each tile
• Share your “masterpiece”
So….what are the next steps?
• Review the Blendspace steps and resources on the
Blendspace Leaders in Literacy presentation
https://www.tes.com/lessons/H5eoZBK0CY6hLg/blendspace-leaders-inliteracy-conference-acps
• Develop a small “canvas” related to your content
• Pick out a class or group of students to “test drive” the
canvas
• Make observations and collect feedback about
implementation
• Remember that you don’t eat an elephant in one bite!