Geek Squad at Clarke Middle School--Guest Post on the CCSD Technology Blog

Over sixty Clarke Middle 6th, 7th and 8th graders attended a special technology training in the Clarke Middle School Media Center last week.  They will become technology experts in order to help their classmates and teachers use 21st century skills and devices at CMS.  This student technology squad is a huge asset with over 300 new netbooks at Clarke Middle School as well as the upcoming bring your own technology initiative that will begin very soon at Clarke Middle.  Twice a month the CMS "Geek Squad" will come together for technology session conducted by Clint Winter, CCSD Technology Integration Specialist, and Shawn Hinger, Clarke Middle School Media Specialist.

With a focus on collaboration, positive attitude, and teamwork, the CMS tech squad members learn skills such as: technical troubleshooting, working within the Google Apps for Education Suite with tools like Google Drive and Blogger, as well as using the screencasting tool Screenr to create video tutorials for others.  We hope to provide our "Geek Squad" with the skills necessary to assist our school community and beyond.  Our vision would be that one day these students could not only help their classmates and teachers, but could also conduct training sessions for new CCSD teachers or maybe even hold webinars or training sessions for other school districts around the world.  

6th Grade Digital Citizenship

What do you think it takes to be a good Digital Citizen?   The CMS 6th graders will be studying Digital Citizenship this week.

We will watch this video from NetSmartz and then students will use inquiry style learning in order to find out more about this important topic!

Use the search terms below or think of keywords you may feel are relevant to this topic. Search for reliable resources using Web Path Express which can be found on the media center website.  Some keywords: Internet Safety, Digital Citizenship, Cyberbullying, cyberstalking, online predator, digital footprint

Work with your group to write a 2-4 sentence response to this blog post.  So, what does it mean to be a good digital citizen? Post your response below.

Clarke Middle School Summer Reading Challenge!

Join the Clarke Middle School Community of Readers Summer Reading Challenge! Visit the CMS Media Center Website for the Summer Reading Log and information sheet. The CMS family has set a goal to read 10,000 books and we need your help. Each CMS student, including rising 6th graders, is asked to become the cheerleaders for reading at their home. The family will log the books they read this summer (parents, brothers and sisters, grandparents, cousins, anyone that may live in your home). Any book counts: books read alone or together, story books, chapter books, novels, graphic novels, picture books, whole magazines, etc., etc., etc.

Fitness ELT Research

Currently the 8th grade Fitness ELT is studying the benefits of regular exercise and the benefits of a weight training program.  On Digital Literacy Day this class will use Web Path Express to investigate websites with information on these topics.  Students will then share the name of the website and a summary of the information they found in the website by responding to this post.


Students: Please make sure you use the anonymous option and only share your first name.

Internet Safety 101

The CMS students, 6th graders in particular, are currently learning about Internet Safety and Digital Citizenship.

  After doing a little research using Destiny Web Path Express, students should post a reply below with at least three Internet Safety tips for their peers.