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Monday, November 30, 2020

Monday Medley: Ditch That Textbook Digital Summit



Hello Everyone,

Happy Monday!


You are probably completely over the idea of spending more time in front of your computer. However, I wanted to share some information about a free online conference for teachers in December that I signed up for. It’s called the Ditch That Textbook Digital Summit. There are nine video presentations from awesome presenters on topics related to tech and solid teaching and learning. Get your free ticket at: DitchSummit.com.


HOW IT WORKS: New presentations are released every day from Dec. 21-31 (except Christmas Eve and Christmas Day). They remain available until Jan. 8 so you can re-watch or catch up on any you’ve missed. They’re pre-recorded, so you can watch them whenever you want until Jan. 8. After that, the summit ends and the videos are unavailable to watch anymore.


FREE PD HOURS: You can get FREE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT CREDITS for watching the videos. There’s a form to fill out after each presentation, and you’ll get an automatic PD certificate emailed to you.


Sign up for the digital summit at DitchSummit.com.


This year’s new speakers include: 

  • Austin Kleon, author of Steal Like an Artist
  • Jam Gamble, educator/speaker/entrepreneur extraordinaire
  • Nate and Angie Ridgway, co-authors of Don't Ditch That Tech
  • Toney Jackson, teacher-poet and all-around inspiration
  • Matt Miller, author of Ditch That Textbook
  • Omar López, a teacher doing amazing things with project-based learning
  • Jaime Donally, a guru in immersive tech, AR, VR and more
  • Karon Weber, from the Hacking STEM team at Microsoft
  • Pooja Agarwal and Patrice Bain, co-authors of Powerful Teaching






 Photo by lucas law on Unsplash

Tuesday, November 24, 2020

Monday Medley: Newsela Resources for Anti-Racist Teaching and Instruction

 


Happy...Tuesday(?)

Sorry, not being at school put me out of the normal routine and I forgot to send this week's Monday Medley.

Newsela has a wealth of resources to explore around the topic of anti-racist teaching and instruction https://go.newsela.com/blackstudentsmatter.html and includes text sets that can be shared with your classes. These resources can be incorporated into our shared goals this year for educator evaluations. 

I hope that everyone has a restful Thanksgiving. One of the things I am grateful for, particularly this year, is that we work in a high school filled with educators who go above and beyond each and every day to provide a high quality educational experience for students. 

Thanks,

Kim

Photo by Danny Lines on Unsplash

Monday, November 16, 2020

Monday Medley: Teaching Online Masterclass

 



Hello Everyone,
Are you interested in improving your online instructional practices but don't have a lot of time? Good news! Infobase Classroom Video Master Curriculum Collection recently added a series of 61 very short videos (less than 5 minutes each) that can help. 

Here is a description of the series:
"There have been a lot of changes to the education and learning landscape over the past six months. While the education community is adapting rapidly to the landscape, there’s still a long way to go. Educators now more than ever are hungry for pedagogy-focused professional development to help them motivate and engage students in online teaching environments.  
Acclaimed educational producer Makematic has designed a video course to help educators quickly adapt to online teaching and learning. With a focus on pedagogy over technology, its new Teaching Online Masterclass series—just added to Infobase's streaming video products—has been made by teachers for teachers." 

There is a generic username and password for all of our Infobase subscriptions.
Username: North-ReadingHS
Password: Hornets
Once you are logged in with the generic credentials you can create a personal account to customize playlists, save favorites, and take advantage of other features.   (remember that you need to sign in using the generic username and password first in order to create your personal account)

Photo by Seema Miah on Unsplash

Monday, November 9, 2020

Monday Medley: Google for Education EDU in 90 YouTube Videos

 


Hello and happy Monday! Are you short on time but want quick tips and tricks for using G Suite tools to streamline prep time for teaching and learning? (Seriously...who isn't short on time right now?!?!) 
Check out Google for Education's video series "EDU in 90" to get information on product updates, helpful resources, and quick how-to demonstrations. The videos are less than 5 minutes long and can help keep you "in the know" about updates and improvements to G Suite tools. 

In the October 2020 episode of "EDU in 90" I learned about a new (free) course in the Google Teacher Center titled Inspire Creativity Through Learner Engagement. This 4 hour long online course might help you to formulate an ed eval goal related to hybrid instruction 
Here is the course description: "Unlock unlimited creative learning opportunities, whether students are in front of you or attending remotely. Go beyond the walls of your classroom and learn how digital tools can support creativity, promote student voice, and increase student engagement. Develop new ways to deliver instruction through learning models and digital tools while infusing creativity to support learning anywhere."

Photo by Christian Wiediger on Unsplash

Monday, November 2, 2020

Monday Medley: Independent PD opportunities that address Hybrid Learning and Reaching/Teaching all Learners



Good Morning and Happy Monday!

You may have recently received an email from the National Education Association letting you know that one of the benefits of membership is access to free, independent learning opportunities via the NEA Professional Excellence Learning Portal. In looking through the catalog there were several courses that are applicable to our district-wide goals for the 2020-2021 school year of applying best practices for hybrid teaching and learning, and working to ensure equity by promoting a school culture of anti-racism and social justice. 

Supporting All Students in an Asynchronous Environment (Independent Study-3 hours)
In this course, you will explore asynchronous digital tools and learn how you can use them to write engaging lessons that meet the needs of all of your students—including the needs of English language learners, special needs students, and students who are above or below grade level in reading and writing. 

Equity and Challenges for Remote Learning (Independent Study-3 hours) 
In this course you will explore equity and access issues that relate to remote learning.  The 3 main topics you will explore are:
  • The digital divide
  • Teaching and learning resources
  • Other issues 

Getting Started With Google Classroom (Independent Study-2 hrs)
Now’s the time to take your Google Classroom to the next level! Come learn how to maximize Google Classroom for remote teaching and learning purposes with embedded opportunities for social emotional learning, more complex assignments, interactive learning environments, tools for one-on-one student support and opportunities to differentiate practice to fit your students’ needs’

Remote Learning 101 (Independent Study-3 hrs)
Remote learning, also referred to as distance learning, gives learners who aren’t in a physical location for in-person education, access to online learning and materials.  There are a variety of tools and strategies to make remote learning a positive and enriching experience for your students.
In this course, you will learn about best practices for remote learning, as well as how to implement a successful remote learning program by utilizing  strategies that encourage community building, effective communication, and peer-to-peer collaboration.

Trauma Informed Remote Learning (Independent Study-3 hrs) 
Anyone in the education profession knows that working with students involves more than just subject matter and teaching methods. We teach students first, building relationships with young people that necessitate our awareness of when things might be going wrong for them.  This course will take you through how to become a trauma-informed educator, with special application to the current COVID-19 pandemic.
The activities, journaling, exploration, and sharing that is suggested in this course will help you solidify concepts about trauma-informed teaching and process how they can be useful in your online or physical classroom.

How do you support students with IEPs, English language learners, and older students with developing literacy skills in an asynchronous distance learning environment? Using Google Classroom, learn strategies for providing accommodations, scaffolds, SIOP features, and elements of explicit instruction in an asynchronous setting that support all students.

Now’s the time to take your Google Classroom to the next level! Come learn how to maximize Google Classroom for remote teaching and learning purposes with embedded opportunities for social emotional learning, more complex assignments, interactive learning environments, tools for one-on-one student support and opportunities to differentiate practice to fit your students’ needs. (1 hr)

Photo by Andrew Neel on Unsplash