Monday Medley: Rebranding of GSuite for Education and Updates

Good Morning, Hopefully everyone was able to spend at least part of February vacation relaxing. You may have heard that last week there was a Learning With Google 2021 global virtual summit that took place where many updates were announced. One thing that Google announced is that GSuite for Education has been renamed Google Workspace for Education. Over the next several months Google is adding more than 50 new features to the education products we frequently use. You can expect to see some of those rollouts and changes in the next few weeks. One feature you will see soon in Google Meet is the ability for teachers to "mute all" and end the call for all to ensure that students don't remain after the teacher has left the call. in addition, teachers will be able to have co-teachers as co-moderators within Meet. A student engagement tracking feature will be coming to Google Classroom so you will have the ability to see at a glance which of your students may be falling behind in their classwork. Some enhanced security features will also be available for Google Admins and will happen behind the scenes. Do you want to keep up with what's happening in the Google world? Sign up to receive updates from the Google for Education official blog, Follow Google for Education on Twitter @GoogleForEdu and subscribe to the Google for Education YouTube Channel I hope you have a magnificent Monday! (Photo by Mitchell Luo on Unsplash)

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.

Webinar: Providing Accommodations and Scaffolding Online (1 hr)

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.

Webinar: Leveling Up Google Classroom for Distance Learning (1 hr)

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