Angi Teaches Tech Blog

2018 Doodle for Google Winner, "Dino Doodle" by Sarah Lane-Gomez, a 2nd Grader from Falls Church, VA Some people think I'm a Google fanatic. It's not that, so much. It's that I am an opportunity fanatic and I try to position myself to be exposed to the best of today's opportunities for our kids in technology. For example, who of your reading this post knew about the Doodle for Google contest? Well, the 2018 winner was just announced today. She is a 2nd grader named Sarah Gomez-Lane. She drew a picture of delightful dinosaurs to highlight her dream of becoming a paleontolog ist. As the winner of the contest, Sarah got to collaborate with the Doodle team to transform her artwork into an animated, interactive experience which you can see (today only) on the top of the Google search page at google.com. She also received $30,000 toward a college scholarship, and her elementary school in Falls Church, VA will receive $50,000 to spend on technology to help s...

I just heard the news. After 3 years in the making, the new Scratch 3.0 is finally here! It's one of our favorite programs to get kids introduced to coding (created by MIT). Can't wait to dig in with my 9-year-old!!! Woohooo! See more information here

I'm on a mission to change that.  Join us!

As you may have heard, Google Classic Sites are being updated to the new Google Sites platform.  To help with the transition, Google has created an automatic migration tool to transfer Google Sites from classic Sites to new Sites The tool will start rolling out to end users on June 19, 2018. The tool makes it quicker and easier to move sites created in classic Sites to new Sites. The tool automatically creates a draft of a classic site in new Sites. This new draft site will have the updated look and feel of new Sites, and contain the content from the classic site. When the new site is ready to go live, it can either be published to the URL of the classic site (to replace the original site and automatically redirect viewers), or published to a new URL. If you are an admin, you can get the full details on the tool and how it works, by viewing  Google's announcement for the admin preview of the tool .  If you own a classic site you can also use Google's ...

One of the major concerns of educators today is that they are preparing their students for a solid financial future when it comes to job preparation.  In our current digital age, technology is moving faster than our ability to keep up when it comes to the education sector. That's why I love the Google for Education platform.  It's Google's effort to equip today's teachers and students with the relevant technology to succeed in today's world.   For example, their Applied Digital Skills program is a set of  free computer literacy courses designed to prepare learners for a growing number of jobs that require basic digital skills.  These are the skills companies are looking for in today's employees.  Use this free resource to add to your digital course curriculum.  All these classes are created by Google and are aligned with ISTE standards.     Visit the Applied Digital Skills Website:  https://applieddigitalski...

I just read a very informational article The St. Cloud Times about the increasing demand for science, technology, engineering and mathematics-related careers, which create some of the highest paying jobs right now. Here are some insightful views from the interview with Tirthankar Ghosh, a professor of computer science and information technology at St. Cloud State University. My key take-aways were: 1) He advises that If high school students are thinking of pursuing a profession in computing in general, taking some AP (advanced placement) classes help. AP computer science is a must, he says. If students come to a two-year or four-year college with some programming courses they already took, that really prepares them for the profession. AP statistics and AP calculus and those types of courses also help. 2) When they surveyed area employers, the three or four skills that came to the top were critical analytical thinking, problem solving, communications and technical competency . Emp...

Have you heard of the Chicago STAR Scholarship program?  It's for CPS students  who graduate from with a 3.0 GPA (and a few other requirements) to help them be able to pursue an associate degree at City Colleges of Chicago at no cost - free tuition and books.  After obtaining the associate degree, students may work with a transfer partner to provide a smooth transition to a four-year college. Check out the following resources for more information: City Colleges of Chicago Chancellor Juan Salgado talks about free tuition program:Chicago STAR Transfer Partnership Program Chicago STAR Scholarship program Chicago STAR Transfer Partnership Program