O'Neill Public Junior-Senior High School again honored as Apple Distinguished School

O’Neill Junior-Senior High School once again has been designated as an Apple Distinguished School for their continuous innovation in learning, teaching, and the school environment. The current two year award was presented to the staff and students by Brent Catlett, Apple Development Executive, during an all-school assembly on January 5, 2018. 

O’Neill High School Class of 2018 with recent Apple Distinguished School designation

High School Principal Corey Fisher commended the entire school for their continued dedication to teaching and learning in innovative ways with Apple technology. O’Neill’s 24/7 Learning Initiative, which gives every student access to a MacBook Air laptop, has led the way in educational technology implementation for over a decade. The junior-senior high school has been honored as an Apple Distinguished School since 2010 and the current designation will last two years, through 2019. 

“Apple Distinguished Schools are centers of innovation, leadership, and educational excellence that use Apple products to inspire creativity, collaboration, and critical thinking. They showcase innovative uses of technology in learning, teaching, and the school environment and have documented results of academic accomplishment.” (From Apple Distinguished School program materials)

Mr. Fisher spoke of the rigorous application process which included video creation, digital book authoring, and the efforts of staff members to become Apple Teacher certified. High School Faculty who achieved Apple Teacher status were each presented with an award certificate during the ceremony. 

A Development Executive from Apple traveled to O’Neill to present the student body with the award. 

Apple representative presented award to OHS representatives Haley Schmeichel, Student Council President, and Kevin & Katie Morrow, Technology Integrationists

O'Neill's Apple Distinguished School application intro video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4BzCpT2yd0&list=PLAGED2vQqhJgF-41QlqZWC5xq4TANW8Kg&index=8

and the book in the iBooks Store:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/dream-believe-achieve-the-oneill-way/id1265700447?mt=11

Dream, Believe, Achieve: The O'Neill Way ... now on the iBooks Store!

O’Neill Public School shares the story of their 24/7 Learning initiative (1:1 learning with MacBooks). Get the newly updated and published book on any device with the iBooks app available at: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/dream-believe-achieve-the-oneill-way/id1265700447?mt=11

Unranked to Unbeaten: Student Produced Documentary

Mrs. Rylee Dexter's Anatomy classes enriched their study with "passion projects" throughout second semester. Sometimes called "20% Time" or "Genius Hour," the idea is that one day a week (or 20% of their class time) students would be able to pursue a topic of personal relevance to learn more deeply. Student projects took on a variety of forms.  From service projects working with elderly citizens, to entrepreneurial projects such as photography and baking services, the work was entirely driven by the students.  One group leveraged the "Cinderella story" of their recent state football championship season and capitalized on their digital media skills to produce a full-length documentary. You can view it here:

OHS January 2016 Technology News

Holograms 8th Grade Science At OHS

https://slate.adobe.com/cp/JFqt5/  

           Instructional Technology at ESU 8

                http://esu8tech.blogspot.com/2016/01/nppd-stem-lab-visits-esu-8-school.html

Sophomore Speech Class Music Videos

https://drive.google.com/a/oneillschools.org/folderview?    id=0B1IxoJpw2fnrSk5PWktReGkzd3c&usp=sharing

OHS speech teacher Kendra Vanderbeek makes speech class fun!

Ms. Vanderbeek said:

"The purpose of the music video assignment is to get the students to think about words and use non-verbal communication to convey ideas."
 "Also, it’s a fun first assignment that gets everyone comfortable with one another."
 "We get to be silly and have fun and realize that’s okay to do those things with confidence."

What a great use of creative minds and technology!   This a a real tribute to our students' creativity, our faculty and student body's willingness to get involved and let learning be fun! What a great culture to be a part of! 

If you need a little creative inspiration or a reminder how the technology we have at OHS can enhance creativity, or maybe you just need to smile, you can always come back to this post.  I promise -You will smile:)! 

NPPD STEM Lab Comes to OHS

Jennifer Swerczek NPPD Addresses Students

Lowell Brown, Science teacher at O'Neill Public Schools has created a great opportunity for OHS students to experience hands-on learning by bringing a STEM Makerspace lab to OHS.    

This Makerspace STEM lab is being provided by NPPD and facilitated by Jennifer Swerczek. What is a makerspace? It's a space where people can gather to create, invent, and learn.  

Most often a makersspace will include 3D printers, software, and electronics. In this post I have included all of the things students can experience at the makerspace at OHS. 

The NPPD STEM lab is currently set up in the OHS library and will be here through January 29, 2016. Anyone who is interested should feel free to stop and take a look and maybe even play with some of the gadgets!

NPPD STEM LAB

Make it DO

• What can you make existing equipment DO with logic, programming, and creative ideas?

Equipment:

Sphero Robots (2) http://www.sphero.com/education CeenBot (1) http://ceenbot.unl.edu/

MakeyMakey (2) http://makeymakey.com/howto.php 

http://makeymakey.com/guides/

Sparkfun Inventors Kit (6) https://cdn.sparkfun.com/datasheets/Kits/RedBoard_SIK_3.2.pdf

Rasberry PI Starter Kits (2) https://www.raspberrypi.org/resources/

Make it NEW

• A “maker’s” take on circuitry, robotics, coding, and unique adaptations of different tools.

Equipment: 

Afinia H800 3D printer (1) http://www.thingiverse.com/

Carvey 3D CNC Machine 

Make an IMPACT

• Making a difference in this world through social innovation takes a keen eye on the needs of your community. Using sensors, tools, and innovative skills, you can make an impact on someone’s life.

Equipment:

Arduino Sensor Station (2 redboards + multitude of sensors) https://www.arduino.cc/

Thermal Camera

Smart Home Little Bits Kits (2 kits) http://littlebits.cc/

Make it YOU

• You are uniquely you. Here is your chance to be creative with design, circuitry, wearables, and personalized touches. Make your statement here!

Equipment:

Lilly Pad Wearables Lab (6) http://lilypadarduino.org/

Conductive paint http://www.bareconductive.com/make/5-things-you-can-do-with-your-electric-paint-50ml-jar/

Vinyl Cutter http://www.instructables.com/id/Vinyl-Cutting-for-begginers/

Sophomores Win First Annual Class Commercial Competition Homecoming 2015

     The first annual themed class commercial competition was held during home coming week at OHS in conjunction with Eagle Olympics. The theme was: "Why is your class the Best Class."     

     This idea was spearheaded by senior leader and student council president, Andrew Burival. Andrew wanted to see change brought to the spirited week of festivities that take place during homecoming week at OHS. For years past classes were given time during the school day to decorate their respective hallways. The hallways were then judged and points awarded to classes with the best decorated hallways. Andrew said, “Let’s do away with this tradition and have a 21st century competition-- after all we are an Apple Distinguished School!" Second year principal Corey Fisher replied, "Who can argue with that?"So he turned it over to Andrew, the class sponsors, and the students in grades 9-12.

     Students took the bull by the horns. Each class wasgiven approximately 90 minutes from start to finish to plan, record and edit their commercials. To kick off Eagle Olympics each commercial was played for the student body and judged by a panel of judges. Spirit points were awarded based on places received in the commercial competition. Guidelines are listed below. All in all this was a great event, and a great way showcase the creativity, leadership and "can-do" attitude of students here at OHS!     

      Congratulations to the Sophomore class for 

their first place finish in this years event!  We all

can't wait to watch this event cultivate in the 

Eagle Olympics Commercial Guidelines

FOCUS—

“Why is your grade the best at OHS?”

Each class will create a video about why their class is the best class to be in at OHS.

60-90 seconds

Can plan before but cannot film before. Have to stay on campus/the city block during filming.

JUDGING---

25 points Participation & Class Chant or Song

25 points School & Class Spirit Demonstrated in the Commercial

25 points Creativity

25 points Appeals to the Student Body Audience & Shows Why Your Class is the BEST

The Student Council is sponsoring a Spirit Contest for Homecoming Week. GRADES 9-12 will compete against each other for the spirit award. Points will be accumulated by each class for:

1. Eagle Olympic Commercial –
1. 20 points for 1st
2. 10 points for 2nd
3. 5 points for 3rd
2. Dress Up Theme Days –
1. 2 males & 2 females – 10 points each
2. Extra credit points are awarded for each class sponsor who dresses up. 2 points for each sponsor, each day with a max of 2 sponsors per day
3. Judging will be in the gym at 7:50 a.m. Monday-Friday
3. Powder Puff/Iron Man Games –
1. 20 points for 1st
2. 10 points for 2nd
3. 5 points for 3rd
4. Eagle Olympics –
1. 20 points for 1st
2. 10 points for 2nd
3. 5 points for 3rd

Newly published student authors at OHS

Several OHS 7th Grade students have recently joined the ranks of published authors as they successfully authored, submitted, and were accepted for publishing on Apple's iBooks Store.

Their original books, authored in 7th grade English class, were the result of a nonfiction writing project entitled "My B-side".  Students chose a personal passion, hobby, or talent-- something that was the "flip-side" to their well-known personality-- and wrote about it. The objective was informative/technical writing, and by choosing a topic that students personally knew so well, they could focus on communicating this real life skill/talent/or interest through their first-person writing, rather than external research.

Students worked through the writing process to compose their drafts and utilized digital tools such as Google Docs, Pages, and iPad apps throughout the process. Each was also encouraged to create original media to accompany the writing. Many students created videos, animations, illustrations, photography, and widgets to bring their writing to life once assembled in iBooks Author.

Out of all the 7th grade authors over a dozen were selected to submit for publishing on Apple's iBooks Store.  Students could choose whether to submit via Mrs. Morrow's Books account under their own name as author or if they wanted to go through the process of creating their own Books account for the iTunes Store.

While we are still waiting on approval on several books, the following titles have already successfully been approved and are live on iTunes!

• How to Penny Board by Andrew Alder
• Showing Sheep by Taya Rainforth
• Softball: Catching and Batting Tips by Chloe Scott
• Cattle Hauling by Sierra Matschullat
• Launching Model Rockets by Samantha Bowland
• KBRX: Running the Board by Michael Poese
• Gymnastics by Makayla Hilker
• Cleaning Your Room by Rosie Nelson
• Volleyball Outside Hitter by Jackie Gonzalez

Congratulations to each and every OHS 7th grade English student... you ARE AUTHORS!

'Our Community: O'Neill' on the iBooks Store!

Mrs. Pistulka’s 3rd Grade Reading class has been busy learning about communities and how they change over time.  As a culminating project, the class researched the history of our community, O’Neill, and created a multimedia book to share what they learned.  

As a result of research from books, local experts, and a field trip to the Kinkaid Museum, each student reported on key events from a historical timeline of our community.  With the help of Mrs. Morrow they compiled their stories in iBooks Author and created a Multi-Touch book that can be experienced in iBooks on the iPad.  

You can see an overview of the book's contents by viewing the class Introduction video here:

Or, better yet, just proceed directly to the iBooks Store to download the book for free and read in the iBooks app!

https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/our-community-oneill/id953365005?ls=1&mt=11 

Get a Glimpse inside the OHS English Department

From a recent school board presentation, get a glimpse into the O'Neill High School English/Language Arts Department and the progression of curriculum at OHS.

Announcing OHS's new digital magazine entitled "The EDGE"

Experience a variety of monthly articles, all written by OHS students in the Digital Publishing Corps, along with media they have produced.  You can currently experience the digital magazine in one of three formats.  To learn more visit http://tinyurl.com/followtheedge

Extra! Extra! Looking for a Digital Publishing Corps

 We’re looking for a few good

 MOBILE JOURNALISTS

If you like to write, 

have an interest in journalism, 

and LOVE technology,

Then you should apply to become a part of OHS’s Digital Publishing Corps

Ten students from grades 7-12 will be selected for the 2014-2015 school year. 

The primary responsibility of the group will be

producing a monthly newsletter entitled 

“The EDGe” (Educating the Digital Generation)

This newsletter will be distributed in a variety of formats

and will feature technology and learning 

at OHS at and beyond

In exchange for your contributions to the group, 

you will be issued an iPad mini 

to use along with your MacBook

all school year long. 

With it you can:

• capture photographs, 
• plan story ideas, 
• or even create media 

to be included in our EDGe publishings. 

To apply to be considered for one of the 10 spots you are encouraged to:

Complete the Google form at http://tinyurl.com/EdgePub by a JUNE 1st deadline to be considered for the 2014-2015 school year.  

You will receive an email by June 15 letting you know of your acceptance status.  

If you have any questions, you can email mrsmorrow@me.com.

**This project is being funded through a grant from Century Link/NETA awarded to O'Neill Public Schools in April 2014

OHS Technology Committee Update: March 2014

The following presentation was shared with the Board of Education at the March 2014 O'Neill Public Schools' School Board Meeting.

O'Neill 8th graders publish book in iBook Store to support Nebraska Troop Support

After a long wait, the OHS English 8 class book is finally live in the iBooks Store! Students in Mrs. Morrow and Mrs. Troester's 8th grade English class wrote, compiled, and enhanced essays about patriotism in a Multi-Touch book for iBooks.  The students are hoping to generate support through the purchase of their book to donate to Nebraska Troop Support.  Download today from the iBooks Store and enjoy some great student writing!

 

https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/48-ways-to-show-patriotism/id764177284?ls=1&mt=11

O'Neill Public School 8th graders express their ideas on what patriotism means and share in the form of this class book.  100% of the proceeds from the sale of this book will be donated to Nebraska Troop Support.

Eagle "Genius Bar" to debut next week

Eagle “Genius Bar”

Do you struggle to organize the apps on your iPad? Do you have troubles sharing photographs with your family and friends?  Are you wanting to know how to use the new OHS app or media from Eagle Eye Broadcasting? 

Drop by the first-ever Eagle Genius Bar next Thursday, Febr. 13th located at the O’Neill High School Concession Stand.  The Eagle Genius Bar will be staffed by various O’Neill High School students, all knowledgeable in the software, apps, file management, and general know-how of Mac laptops and iOS devices (iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad). 

Community members can stop by the high school anytime between noon and 6 p.m. to gain free technology support for their Apple devices. 

Bring by the new iPad your grandchildren gave you for Christmas or let the students at the Genius Bar help you organize your iPhone.  Let them show you how to create a photo or video project on your Mac laptop.  

Be aware that students won’t be able to FIX devices, but certainly can show you what they know about how to USE them.   Hope to see lots of people there!

Digital Learning Day 2014

In an effort to support the effective use of technology to improve education for all students,  Digital Learning Day was celebrated around the globe on February 5, 2014. 

Digital Learning Day is about giving every child the opportunity to learn in a robust digital environment everyday, with the goal of success in college and a career. 

The weather affected our OHS Digital Learning Day plans a little, but we still celebrated our digital learning in 8th grade English in a variety of ways.  Students kept a 24hr “Digitial Lifestyle” log and then analyzed the results. We watched a bit of a live webcast of the National Digital Learning Policy panel.  Then we viewed “Day in the Life of a 24-7 Learning Student” (from the first year of 24/7 Learning at OHS) from which we discussed how things have changed.

In addition to our MacBooks we used personal digital devices to take polls, send tweets, and blog about digital learning both past, present, and future.
Read one student's reflection here:
http://abbief2018.blogspot.com/2014/02/digital-learning-day-dlday.html

 

O'Neill Jr./Sr. High School named Apple Distinguished School for 2013-2015

O’Neill, NE - November 2013

O’Neill Public School is pleased to announce that it has been recognized as an Apple Distinguished School for 2013 to 2015 for its innovative implementation of technology, specifically in its 24/7 Learning Initiative. 

The Apple Distinguished School designation is reserved for programs that meet criteria for innovation, leadership, and educational excellence, and demonstrate a clear vision of exemplary learning environments.

"The selection of O’Neill High School as an Apple Distinguished School highlights our success as an innovative and compelling learning environment that engages students and provides tangible evidence of academic accomplishment,” stated superintendent Amy Shane. 

"Technology opens opportunities for all learners beyond what once was possible,” added Katie Morrow, O’Neill Public School Technology Integration Specialist.  "We hope to continue to utilize technology to push the educational boundaries and support all students in achievement success.”

Read more about O'Neill's exemplary learning environment by downloading this Multi-Touch book:

Download .ibooks file 

(will only work with iOS device or Mac with the free iBooks app)

Nebraska K-12 Digital Citizenship Symposium

"By your digital footprint you shall be known."

A team of two faculty and two students attended the 2013 Digital Citizenship Symposium.  Held across the state at three locations, students, school leaders, and parents were brought together to learn more about digital citizenship and develop ways to improve actions taken in our communities.  

http://NebraskaDCS.wikispaces.com 

The following are just a few of the important pieces of information shared by the professional speakers of the day:

93% of us are online.  We all should have a "digital driver's license."

"The easiest thing in the world to track is your cell phone.  Your phone, your content, your location...  all of it."  ~Nebraska State Attorney General's Office

Create a positive digital footprint

1) Blog and comment

2) Curate and share (Scoop.it, etc.)

3) Monitor (Google Alerts)

4) Manage ("They Loved Your G.P.A. Then They Saw Your Tweets."Privacy Settings)

Nebraska State Patrol investigator claims that:

80-90% of junior and senior boys could go to jail for crimes they are committing with their cell phone-- that they may not even know about. 

• Deleting is NOT deleting.
• Know who your friends are.
• Manage your privacy settings.
• Be careful what you post.  (backgrounds in photos, logos on clothing, license plates)
• Be aware of your surroundings (others taking photos of you to incriminate you)
• Report, save evidence, and talk to adults or report anonymously
• Many apps share GPS coordinates by default
• Law enforcement CAN capture snapchats without you knowing.
• Every time you use open wifi, there is information saved & stored.

"Geography is no longer destiny. Isolation is no longer security."
~Karen Haase, Attorney of Education Law

Education is the solution.  Managing your digital footprint is NOT hiding.

Judgements are being made about you all the time- whether you think they are or not. 

Be "transparent and trackable"

2010 NASB survey

80% of students on-line; 70% have used social media for educational conversations

Ways to leave a positive digital footprint:

• photos/videos of you doing school or community activities
• family photos, etc.
• positive comments, school spirit
• cool things created for school or for fun
• "follow" reputable pages
• maintain privacy settings
• avoid repetitive 'selfies'

All in all, the day was a great reminder from many different perspective, that digital citizenship should be a priority both in and out of school.

Hour of Code

90 percent of American schools don’t teach computer science. Fewer students are learning how computers work than a decade ago. Girls and minorities are severely underrepresented. And yet, technology is increasingly shaping almost every aspect of how we live our lives.

That’s why Mr. Peterson's 8th Grade Technology class, along with the O'Neill Public Schools administrative team, participated in one of the largest education events in history: The Hour of Code. During Computer Science Education Week (Dec. 9-15), every student in the class will spend at least one hour learning computer science, doing online tutorials featuring Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg and Angry Birds.

The Hour of Code is a campaign to prove that regardless of age, race or gender, anyone can learn how to not just consume, but build the technologies of the future.

Our students are among over 2 million already planning to try one Hour of Code during Dec. 9-15 worldwide. This movement, organized by Code.org and supported by Apple, Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, and over 100 others, is a statement that today’s generation of students are ready to learn critical skills for 21st century success.

When: Dec. 9-15, during Computer Science Education Week. 

Videoconferencing with Veterans

ESU #8 sponsored a panel of Vietnam veterans to connect via distance learning to area schools. Mrs. Appleby and Mrs. Morrow organized a two periods of 7th and 8th grade classes to take part in this opportunity.  Students from several schools, including O'Neill High School, were able to connect to the panel of experts at the Service Unit and send their questions to the group via a todaysmeet.com back channel.  The experience was well-received and very insightful according to many participating students and teachers.  Even the Veterans themselves reported their pleasure in partaking in the experience to help bridge the knowledge gap of today's youth about the Vietnam conflict and general service in the military.  It was a perfect learning experience to coincide with Veterans' Day in November and would not have been possible without the technology resources available in our schools.  Thank you to Molly Aschoff at ESU #8 for organizing the event and most especially, thank you to all of our veterans.