Deb Norton Tech

Today is December 10, 2021! We are already in the double digits of December.   This week I was fortunate enough to be able to attend the SLATE Conference . SLATE stands for (School Leaders Advancing Technology in Education).  I can't even tell you how nice it was to be back in person to learn and share with educators from all over the Midwest. I feel so inspired! Here are a few quick takeaways from SLATE.  Spinnerwheel.com lets you add more than one wheel to your screen. As a matter of fact, you can add and save up to eight wheels on a page!   You can add images, text, numbers and percentages.  The  wheels can be used independently or at the same time. There are many settings to choose from for each wheel, including colors, backgrounds and sounds. This  Christmasify extension will add falling snow to any webpage.  The DF for YouTube (Distraction Free for YouTube) extension eliminates all adds for YouTube videos including the ads at th...

 🍂🍂 Happy November all! 🍂🍂 If you live in Wisconsin or the midwest I hope you are enjoying the fall-like weather and the cool temperatures. I feel as though we have finally gotten into a rhythm of day to day school, teaching and learning.  It's been a creative week of STEM projects in our Innovation Lab. During Excel this week my colleague, Teri and I, led a Cricut Design Space Activity to create a personalized name plate. Students were able to show understanding of scale, positioning, layers, welding and weeding, which are all graphic design concepts. Another project my youth apprentice and I worked on is a balsa wood airplane cut out on the Cricut machine. We wanted to add weight to the nose of the plane, so we used Tinkercad.com to design and then 3D print pieces to add to the nose.    It may seem like a simple project, but a lot of design, critical thinking and troubleshooting went into these gliders.   On Monday we plan to have a friendly comp...

Hello! How was your week? The weather in Wisconsin has been perfect this week and I'm loving getting outside each day to enjoy it. My goal has been to walk at least 2 miles each day and I've held to that almost every day this year since January 1, 2021!  It has helped me with stress management and energy levels.  Here is a little peak at a few things that have made my week. 1. A few teachers have asked me what type of wireless mouse I recommend for a Chromebook. I like the Logitech brand. One teacher shared with me that she purchased this mouse and this usb adapter and she loves it! 2.  I watched the new Cinderella movie over the weekend and I loved how Cinderella is portrayed as a girl boss who aspires to be a fashion designer. To top it off the cast members are amazing and music is so perfect and enjoyable! I've been listening to the playlist on Spotify all week. I highly recommend this modern remake of Cinderella.  3. I listened to a few podcasts this week....

As you may know, we started a Makerspace in our High School LMC starting this school year. We've been switching up the activities, experiences, and technology on a  monthly basis. Here are a few pictures from September, October, November and December: With all of the various activities, students have been checking in regularly to see what is new and to spend some social time in our Makerspace with their peers. And all of a sudden it is January and time to revamp and plan for new and creative activities and technologies for the Makerspace.  Here is what we are planning: #1 - I wrote a grant for a 3D printer and was awarded the grant. Thank you AEF (Appelton Education Foundation) So, we now have a Dremel 3D Printer in our Makerspace. We've been busy learning how to use the printer and one of our maintenance personnel, Craig, has been a huge help. He has a great knowledge base about 3D printing. I'm so thankful for his involvement.    One activ...