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Utilizing Google Workspace for Summer Reading

Note, this course was previously aired but because of its popularity we are running a recording of this session live at this time. The presenter will not be able to address your questions, but our Professional Development team members will be in the chat box to answer any questions you have. This session can also be found in our Course Library by searching the same title.

Ready to transition your summer reading program to a more digitally-based process? In this course, we'll share tips on using different applications within Google Workspace (formerly G Suite for Education) to structure a summer reading program and push out materials. We'll also share book lists and reflection activities to keep students reading during the summer months and prevent that summer slide!

Serve Your School Community with Sora

We will explore the many features and benefits of Sora by OverDrive, including how it can be used to support literacy and learning in the classroom and beyond. We will also demonstrate how to get started with Sora, including how to sign in, borrow books, and customize your reading experience. Whether you are a teacher, librarian, or student, Sora by OverDrive is a must-have tool for anyone looking to discover and explore the world of digital reading.

Creating Digital Books for a Multicultural Book Festival

Digital books are the perfect way to reinforce literacy concepts while also tapping into key 21st century skills. In this session, we will discuss strategies for having students create their own digital books that explore their unique cultures and backgrounds. We will explore specific platforms for digital stories such as Book Creator, StoryJumper, and Google Slides. We will then dive into ideas to include in our multicultural books, tools to support English language learners, and how we can share these books to a larger audience during our multicultural book festival. Let’s celebrate reading & writing and learn about other cultures along the way! 

Lights, Camera, Action: Bringing Fairytales to Life Through Storytelling

February 26th is a special day; it's worldwide Tell A Fairy Tale Day! There are so many amazing activities you can do leading up to this day. To celebrate, join us for a session on writing fairy tales and bringing them to life! In this course, we will be using digital tools and various platforms to storyboard and script fairy tales. We will even venture into story extensions, twists, and retelling stories from a villain's point of view!

Using Digital Tools to Write Personal Letters

Did you know that February is known as "Letter and Card Writing Month"? In this course, we will be focusing on digital tools that students can use to support letter writing skills. We will explore a variety of strategies and digital tools you can use with your students to plan, write, and share their letters!

PBL for the Elementary ELA Classroom

Project-based learning is the perfect way to engage your K-5 students in 21st century skills. How can we incorporate these skills into our ELA class? In this session, we’ll discuss how to implement PBL activities into your instruction to promote critical thinking, communication, and collaboration. We will also dive into how to use various tools to promote the key elements of PBL, such as research, gathering and analyzing feedback, and presenting knowledge in your classroom. Join us to review some PBL best practices to engage your elementary ELA students!

Creative Storytelling with Robotics

Get ready for this twist on digital storytelling featuring robotics. In this cross-curricular workshop, we will discuss some best practices and things to consider when starting a storytelling project in your classroom. Then, we'll show you how to plan and code your device(s) to tell a story in a whole new way! We will also share some storytelling examples using one of our favorite robot friends, KIBO! You’ll get to try these skills out for yourself, so you too, can enhance your classroom's creativity!

Using Interactive Storytelling to Build Academic Vocabulary

Storytelling is a common practice that helps young children to learn important concepts, express creativity, and enhance their academic skills. The interactive component of storytelling is what helps students develop verbal and written expression, which will help improve academic vocabulary. Join us for our session where we will discuss the importance of bringing interactive storytelling into the early-age classroom by using pre-existing stories and strategies, so that your students create and share their own. We will also share some websites and activity ideas to get you on your way with storytelling in the classroom!

Tools to Support Digital Book Cover Creation

Students already know that an impressive cover can make a book stand out on the shelf. In this course, we will go over how you can challenge your students to be illustrators for the day by designing their own digital book covers. Join us as we take a deeper dive into the different programs that you can use, and the handy design tools within these websites!

Digital Journaling Activities

In today's session, we'll be learning all about digital journals. From benefits to important considerations, and even recommended tools, we'll give you all the information you need to get started with your students. Whether you're looking to switch over journal activities from pen and paper or want a unique activity to do with students, you've come to the right place! 

Using Jamboard to Support Writing Stations

Looking for ideas and graphic organizers to support your students thoughts during the writing process? Jamboard can be a great location for research, brainstorming, prewriting, and more. Join us to learn how your students can use Jamboard to organize their thoughts before writing an informative, argumentative, or narrative piece.

Interactive Storytelling with Jamboard

Jamboard is an interactive whiteboard that can be used for brainstorming, creating, and sharing information. In this session, we will discuss how to create storyboards and how to use the drawing and text features within Jamboard. Join us to discuss the importance of introducing storytelling skills at an early age. We will also explore specific examples and Jamboard templates that can be used for the story creation process.

Using Book Creator to Create Digital Stories for ELLs

Digital storytelling is the perfect way to engage your English Language Learners. Join us for this session where we will review the power of digital storytelling and discuss the benefits of storytelling for your students. We will then dive into Book Creator, a website for creating digital books that incorporate drawings, narration, video, and so much more. We will explore how to get started with this digital tool and brainstorm ideas for your students to bring their stories to life. We will also explore digital story topics and examples that are sure to engage your English Language learners. Let’s get creative with this literacy tool to support our students with their reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills!

PBL For ELA

Do you want to learn why Project Based Learning or PBL should be incorporated into your ELA classroom? How can adding a technological element further promote critical thinking, communication and collaboration among your students?  Join us in understanding how to implement PBL and its benefits!

Utilizing Google Workspace for Summer Reading

Ready to transition your summer reading program to a more digitally-based process? In this course, we'll share tips on using different applications within Google Workspace (formerly G Suite for Education) to structure a summer reading program and push out materials. We'll also share book lists and reflection activities to keep students reading during the summer months and prevent that summer slide!

Teaching Narrative Arc with Ozobot for Elementary School Students

Are you looking for a unique way to teach storytelling elements to your students? Join us for a literary coding adventure as we explore how to use Ozobot to learn about narrative arc. These tiny robots can be used to trace a narrative arc and stop at designated points in a story to detail characters, setting, conflict, and resolution. We'll discuss the process of having students draw, code, and retell the story, and will explain how students can add speed, turns, and even color changes to their Ozobot to reflect the character’s feelings and actions.

Using Google Chrome's Read&Write Extension in the Special Ed Classroom

Google Chrome’s Read&Write extension is a downloadable software toolbar that helps students that require literacy support to create and access the same content as their peers. Join us as we explore how Read&Write provides a personalized learning experience for each student in your class and helps them to meet their full potential.

Using Edpuzzle to Teach Story Elements to Your ELLs

Edpuzzle gives you the opportunity to easily create interactive video lessons for your students that you can integrate right into your Learning Management System (LMS). Join us as we explore how to use Edpuzzle’s built-in question feature to teach story elements to ELLs in your literacy classroom. We will also explore the benefits of using Edpuzzle's interactive components to engage your ELLs in daily lessons.

Sight Word and Vocabulary Instruction Using Pear Deck

Building vocabulary is important for all students regardless of age or subject matter, and Pear Deck can help! In this course we will explore how to use Pear Deck to create and manage vocabulary lists, as well as how to effectively engage your students in vocabulary-based activities.

Getting Started with Flocabulary

Join us as we take a look at Flocabulary, a web-based platform that uses research-based videos and activities to build the background knowledge and vocabulary students need to succeed.  See how we can find content, create assignments, invite students, and review student work in an easy to navigate cloud-based program.

Reading Comprehension for ELLs with Thinglink

You may already be familiar with Thinglink as a powerful tool that can be used to create interactive photos, videos, and media. In this course, we will take the possibilities of Thinglink even further by incorporating text along with other media types to create rich, meaningful readings for the English Language Learners in your class.

Mid-Year Portfolios Using Seesaw

Are you looking for a unique way to check-in on student progress? In this session, we'll explore Seesaw, a learning management system that specializes in portfolios and student engagement. We'll discuss how to set up student portfolios and how students can add work samples to showcase their achievements as well as work-in-progress. In addition, we'll discuss how teachers and students can provide feedback to one another in order to enhance their portfolios and skills.

Digital Journal Activities for ELLs Using Google Slides

Join us as we share scaffolded activities to encourage journaling and allow ELLs to work at their own English language development level. We’ll also explore how to use Google Slides to encourage your ELLs to complete written accounts or photo entries that keep a record of their lives during this momentous time in history.

Intro to Flip

Note: Flipgrid is now Flip! There have been many updates to the functions and look of the platform. In this session, you will notice some differences between the video and the current version of Flip. We are aware of this and are working on updating our courses to reflect these changes.

Flip (formerly Flipgrid) is an interactive and engaging tool that is perfect for communication and creative expression. In this session, we will explore how to get started with this platform, explore several of the key features, and show you how to create fun activities for your students.