Pepper Resource Library Highlight

Graphite: Digital Tools for the Classroom

The Pepper Resource Library is a valuable component of Pepper that contains professional learning tools, curriculum, and open education resources. Currently there are 7 categories in the Resource Library: engageNY: Common Core Library, Common Sense Graphite: Digital Tools for the Classroom, Better Lesson: What Works, Stem Builder: Stem Curriculum Resources, Smarter Balanced: Practice Assessments, PARCC Practice Assessments, and Pepper Course Libraries.

Due to the vastness of each of these resources, we’ll look at each one independently. Today we’ll look at Graphite: Digital Tools for the Classroom. Graphite™ is a free service from nonprofit Common Sense Education designed to help preK-12 educators discover, use, and share the best apps, games, websites, and digital curricula for their students by providing unbiased, rigorous ratings and practical insights from an active community of teachers. Common Sense is the largest, independent nonprofit organization committed to helping kids, teachers, and families manage media and technology in life and learning. They have technology education curriculum being used in more than 55,000 schools across the U.S.

So, what can you find in Graphite? Categories at the top of the page direct you:

Reviews and Ratings  - Reviews of popular tools, apps, and software by teachers and tech experts for educational use.

Top Picks - "Top Picks" are editorially curated lists of the best edtech tools reviewed on Graphite. You can browse through the full library of Top Picks lists by grade, subject, and/or skill.

Common Core Explorer - Find the best digital products for your curriculum by using intuitive filters that quickly guide you through the Common Core State Standards.

Lesson Flows - Created by teachers, these innovative, tech-rich lesson plans combine great digital tools and inspiring teaching practices.

Teacher Center - The Teacher Center provides a professional development hub for teachers and administrators using Graphite. Find resources for integrating technology into the curriculum effectively, as well as advice on how to best use Graphite to find high-quality edtech for the classroom. Check out Lesson Flows to inspire your teaching, join monthly webinars, and find out how to become a Graphite Certified Educator. Whether you’re a newbie or expert, join the growing community of educators with whom you can connect to share best practices.

Boards - Here you can save, organize, and share your favorite Graphite content. Save reviews, Lesson Flows, Top Picks lists, and blog posts to My Desk, then drag and drop content to curate shareable Boards.

Be sure to check out Graphite in Pepper’s Resource Library, as well as other great resources too!

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OnTrack Greenville: One Community's Initiative to Impact At-Risk Middle School Students

Greenville County Schools, a PCG client, is initiating a community-wide project that strives to keep middle school students in Upstate South Carolina engaged in school and “on track” for graduation. A federal Social Innovation Fund grant has provided $3 million to jump start a partnership between the United Way of Greenville County, the Greenville Partnership for Philanthropy, the Riley Institute at Furman University, various nonprofit groups and Greenville County Schools to revolutionize one community's ability to help middle school students stay "on track" to graduate and help them build a successful future. One partner, BELL (Building Educated Leaders for Life) is aiming to create change by helping schools and communities find innovative ways to expand learning time beyond the traditional school day and school year. Online learning is a great way for students and teachers to have learning opportunities outside the classroom.

“Middle school is a time for students to explore their strengths and start to think about their future,” said Greenville County Schools Superintendent Burke Royster. “But, it is also a time when too many students start to disengage with school and take the first steps on the path towards dropping out of high school, putting their futures at risk.”

According to the United Way of Greenville's website, OnTrack Greenville is focused on implementing an Early Warning and Response System. Piloted effectively in other communities around the country, OnTrack Greenville’s Early Warning and Response System will utilize real-time data to identify students beginning to disengage from school as indicated by attendance, behavior, and course performance. Once a student is identified, a coordinated team of educators and community experts develop a customized plan to match the student with the right response interventions and then monitor his/her progress over time. To see an early warning and response system in action, watch the PBS Frontline special, Middle School Moment.

Pepper has a range of English/Language Arts and Math courses specifically for Middle School. These courses will help you engage your students with meaningful learning activities. You can check out all our courses at Pepperpd.com.

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