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Storing Technology Safely Over the Summer
Ever encounter battery-related issues with your devices at the start of the school year? We know how frustrating it can feel when your technology won’t hold a charge or function the way it used to when you return back to school in the fall. Join us for this end of year session as we share recommended steps to prepare your technology for storage over the summer.
Using Google Forms to Drive Instructional Decision Making
Join us for this course to explore how Google Workspace can promote learning and support data-driven instruction (DDI). Google Forms is one of the many tools out there that can help you gauge students’ pre-existing knowledge, identify misconceptions, and so much more. In this course, we will explore how you can use the features within Forms to create engaging lesson activities for your students and promote student growth.
Technology to Support Your Calming Space
Creating a space for students to feel safe when they are feeling dysregulated can be essential in any educational setting. Come join us as we discuss different ideas for the use of technology in these types of environments. Together, we will explore different ideas to help students regulate, feel safe, and refocus their attention.
Beyond Seat Hours: Models to Encourage Action and Involvement in Professional Learning
Teachers are active learners. It’s part of the job and in their nature. Covid highlighted the great lengths educators go to find resources and better educate themselves so they can best serve their students. Self-directed, personalized learning -- which we say we want for students -- is sometimes overlooked in the professional learning space as there is a push for "seat hours." How do we change this rhetoric so teachers can spend less time sitting and more time doing? Join Michelle Blanchet from The Educator's Lab as she discusses what self-directed professional learning looks like for teachers and how your school might create a space and tools to support it.
Body, Mind and Zen: Mindfulness Activities for Students
Do you find your students drifting away to dreamland or struggling with impulsive behaviors? Come join us as we explore the science behind mindfulness and some activities using technology that can assist your students with their practice of mindfulness. Can't wait to Zen with you!
PD Design Elements: Engaging Teachers in Professional Learning
Good pedagogy is a critical component of learning -- regardless of age. If we want to design professional learning that is effective and makes an impact on student outcomes, we must ensure we’re engaging our adults in the same way we would any student. Presented by Michelle Blanchet, this module discusses the role of the facilitator in creating meaningful learning experiences for our educators. It includes some basic design elements that make for engaging professional learning so you can create greater impact for both teachers and students.
Michelle is an educator striving to improve how we treat, train, and value our teachers. After ten years of experience working with young people, she founded the Educators’ Lab, which supports teacher-driven solutions to educational challenges. Michelle earned a master’s in international relations from Instituto de Empresa in Madrid. She has taught social studies in Switzerland and the U.S. and has presented at numerous events, including SXSWedu and TEDxLausanne. Michelle is a part of the Global Shaper Community of the World Economic Forum. She has worked with organizations like PBS Education, the Center for Transformative Teaching and Learning, Ashoka, and the Center for Curriculum Redesign.
Once technology is made available, what can educators and administrators do to make sure it is being used properly? That’s where the SAMR framework comes in. The SAMR model is a quality check for a technology tool that has been integrated into a lesson. After this session, participants will leave with a keener eye towards examining technology usage and learn how to use technology to enhance learning opportunities for students.
What can you do when you’re given technology but not quite sure where to start when it comes to plugging it into your preexisting lessons? TPACK is there to help teachers engage students with technology! This session will explore the TPACK framework as a model for successful technology integration. We’ll dive into the specifics of Technological, Pedagogical, and Content Knowledge that are at the core of the TPACK model for technology integration.
There are a number of technology integration models out there that can give you a better idea of the value that technology is bringing to your instruction. In this session, we’ll dive into the PICRAT model and the two foundational questions that a teacher can ask about any technology used in their classroom.
Manual Testing for Website Accessibility
Automated testing, although it is useful to check for website accessibility, actually only accounts for 30% of website accessibility issues. In this session, learn how to check for the other 70% of issues that prevent an accessible website. You will learn 4 easy manual tests to conduct yourself, 5 things to ensure your website has, and 6 things to avoid on your website.
Effective Organization of Microsoft OneDrive
Let’s use Microsoft OneDrive to get organized! In this session, we'll walk you through strategies for uploading and organizing your files and review how to adjust your share settings to collaborate with your students and colleagues. We'll also cover some great ideas for enhancing your workflow and managing documents.
Reflecting on a Year of Remote Teaching
Teaching remotely has been a major adjustment for both educators and their students. From learning how to deal with a surprise appearance by the family dog, to effectively assessing your students, there have been many new things to learn. In this session, we'll reflect on the challenges and triumphs of teaching remotely during the 2020-2021 school year. Join us to discuss what worked and what didn't, and what you'd like to bring back to the classroom.
Leveraging Google Remote Skills for Re-adjusting to the Classroom
Teachers everywhere will rejoice when they can return to a "normal" classroom. The return to learn is near, but what should this learning look like? If recent history has taught us anything, it's that the ways in which education can be delivered have fundamentally changed. In this session, we'll discuss how you can leverage Google skills learned used during remote learning when you return to the classroom.
Preventing Regression in Your Special Education Classroom
Some students are profoundly affected by lapses in instruction, such as over summer, winter, or spring breaks. In this course, we'll share some apps and games, as well as other online activities and support for parents to prevent regression and provide opportunities for their child to retain the skills they learned in a fun and positive way.
Wrapping Up Your Year with Google
Hang in there — summer is almost here! Join us as we take a look at how to close out the school year using Google. We'll focus on getting you ready for next school year now, so you can have more fun in the sun this summer. We'll show you how to organize your Google Drive, wrap up your digital gradebooks, and create a summer to-do list so you are ready to hit the ground running next year.
Cooperative Learning Opportunities Using Kami
Collaboration and cooperative learning activities can be tough to initiate in a virtual learning environment. But with the right tools, such as Kami, teachers and students can achieve more together! Join us as we explore how Kami provides the fundamentals needed to create an engaging and cooperative learning environment, serving as your digital pen and paper.
Using Technology to Support 3D Teaching and Learning
During this session, we will explore how technology can help support 1D to 3D learning, even in a hybrid environment. We'll take some time to review what exactly 3D learning is and how it's reflected in the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). From there, we'll dive into various types of technology and how they can be used to support this type of learning, both in and out of the classroom.
SEL in a Socially Distant Classroom
Social distancing can pose an extraordinary challenge for classroom teachers. For educators who regularly relied on group work and activities that got students moving around the room, the prospect of teaching students six feet apart can be quite daunting. Additionally, this experience will be challenging for students as well. In this course, we’ll discuss how to continue social and emotional learning despite these challenges, and cover some tips and strategies to continue group work while keeping your students motivated, focused, and safe.
Creating Quality IEP Goals with Remote Learning in Mind
Making changes, such as creating new annual IEP goals, becomes a little more complicated and the process may look different in remote learning situations. Join us as we share some strategies, such as using data collected remotely, to help you maintain the same quality in your IEP writing and ensure that your students are working towards appropriate and attainable goals for the next school year!
Social-Emotional Learning for New Teachers
Social-emotional learning is just as important for teachers as it is for students. What can we do to ensure that our mental health and well-being is supported, right from the start of the school year? In this session, we’ll learn the importance of social-emotional learning for educators as well as strategies for handling the stress and unknown of the new school year. We will also dive into specific resources that can help to support both you and your students. Let’s work together to create a positive mindset!
Presentations must be accessible for all users. In order to ensure accessibility for individuals using assistive technology, extra measures need to be taken while building a presentation. In this session, we will discuss how to create accessible presentations that will allow all users, including those using assistive technology, to be able to access the content.
Keeping Routines for Special Ed Students
As special educators, we know that schedules, sensory support, and close collaboration with parents and caregivers is crucial during home-based instruction situations. Join us as we share strategies for special education teachers to tailor instructional materials to meet each student’s needs and keep routines as consistent as possible in an alternate setting. We’ll share scheduling templates, suggestions for specialized coaching and instruction, and other digital resources to support behavioral and social needs to help keep students on task no matter the setting.
As learning and instruction continue to be supplemented with multimedia, it's increasingly important to ensure that that media can be consumed by all communities. In this session we'll be discussing the use of videos online, the importance of captions, and how you can use them to enhance your content.
Inclusive websites must be written in plain, everyday language so users can easily find what they’re looking for, understand it, or even get a better translation of it from online accessibility tools. This workshop gives participants a number of ways to ensure that what they write meets these important goals.
Formatting for Digital Accessibility
Digital accessibility requires accessible formating. In this session you'll learn how to format accessible documents as well as how to evaluate documents for proper accessibility formats.
Creating Meaningful Hyperlinks
Inclusive websites never use phrases like “click here” or “find out more” in their hyperlinks. Instead, they incorporate meaningful hyperlinks -- ones that tell users where they'll be going, why they are going there, and what they can do once they get there. This workshop gives participants a number of ways to ensure that they meet these three goals and create meaningful hyperlinks.
It can be intimidating when you are faced with a full roster for your Special Education class which only means one thing: a full set of new IEPs. As national and state standards become more complex and challenging for our students, there is an ever growing need to create a quality IEP, including a well-written PLOP and aligned goals. Join us as we share guidelines to create an exemplary IEP!
Using Your Library to Create a Makerspace
The purpose of a traditional school library is to is to encourage curiosity, innovation, and problem-solving. Did you know the purpose of a makerspace is the same? If you have been thinking about creating a maker space in your library, go ahead and take the plunge! In this session we'll talk about the many advantages of giving students a hands-on place to learn and apply concepts from all fields of study.
Technology to Support T-TESS: Domain 4 - Professional Practices and Responsibilities
Teachers often struggle with juggling their many roles and responsibilities throughout the school year, on top of priority number one: teaching. With a profession as challenging as an educator's, self-reflection is one of the best things a teacher can do for him or herself as it presents opportunities for growth. Thinking about what works, and why it works, as well as what didn't work, and why it didn't work, plays an integral role in the process of becoming a better teacher - and role model for students. Join our Curriculum Specialists as we go through strategies for reflecting on teaching, maintaining accurate records, communicating with families, participating in the professional community, growing and developing professionally, and showing professionalism - all while creating engaging lessons for our students and keeping students informed, motivated, and performing at their best. As the final session of our "Technology to Support T-TESS" series comes to a close, we'll help support you as you juggle your many responsibilities.
Technology to Support T-TESS: Domain 3 - Learning Environment
Students and teachers sometimes consider school their "second home." Because of this, establishing a positive culture for learning and a productive classroom environment full of respect and rapport is not just the teacher's responsibility anymore. Teachers and students must work together to establish routines, behavior management plans, and everyday procedures. Even the physical space should be organized in such a way that benefits all learning styles. Teachers shift to being the advocator for the needs of all students in the classroom, and the students shift to being the collaborators, encouragers, and supporters of the peers around them. Join our Curriculum Specialists as we dive into the third session of the Technology to Support T-TESS (Texas Teacher Evaluation and Support System) series, exploring a variety of resources and technology to support both teachers and students.
Technology to Support the Danielson Framework - Domain 2
Join our Curriculum Specialists as we explore a variety of resources and technology to support Domain 2 of the Danielson Framework, focusing our attention on your efforts in creating an exceptional "Classroom Environment." Priorities for establishing a classroom environment full of respect and rapport, a culture for learning, and organizing the physical space include the teacher's ability to create an atmosphere for students that is not only safe and comfortable, but gives all students the feeling of success. Teachers and students begin to work together to establish routines, behavior management strategies, and every-day procedures that work while constructing a caring and warm space, fostering a professional learning setting for all parties involved As a result, there is mutual respect, understanding, and ultimate success for both teachers and students.
