Summer Professional Development Opportunities

We all need a break after the last 14 months. We need fresh air, sunshine, and time away from the stress that has accompanied being an educator in the midst of a global crisis. At the same time, we should probably spend some time reflecting on what practices we would like to continue to implement in the classroom and/or what new skills we would like to have, moving forward. When you find yourself ready to engage in professional development  these are some opportunities to consider. 

• Matt Miller has put together an extensive Wakelet collection of free summer PD opportunities.

• Check out the two Global GEG free summer bootcamp opportunities if you have ever considered amping up your Google skills and becoming a Google Certified Educator. 

• EdWeb a free learning community with professional development opportunities for educators in all disciplines. Check out this post to read more.

• Log into Hoopla Digital using your BPL eCard and read one of these books from renowned educators: titles by Dave Burgess Consulting, Inc;  titles by ASCD; titles by International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE); and titles by Solution Tree Press. Read this post to learn how to sign up for your eCard and create a Hoopla account. 

• LinkedIn Learning (BPL) Be sure to log in through the Boston Public Portal to keep your data private!!  With courses in diversity and inclusion, creativity, skills building,  and more, there is something here for any educator who wants to learn.
(Please note that you MUST log in using the link provided by Boston Public Library using your BPL eCard in order to take advantage of learning opportunities for free.)

• KQED Media Academy for Teachers offers free hands-on professional learning opportunities focused on media literacy. The first upcoming course, Video Production for the Classroom starts June 7th. 

• Earn Badges, Certificates, and Accreditations from various EdTech companies. Rachel Coathup, a Global GEG leader and Google Certified Innovator, curated these BadgEdTech resources as part of her innovator project. 

• Not ready to engage in Educator PD yet? With a FREE BPL eCard and a Kanopy account you can check out The Great Courses and learn a new skill or explore one of your hobbies or passions! Some courses contain supplemental materials (available as a PDF download) See Course to locate supplemental resources (not available in individual videos. See Learning French as an example to view supplemental materials. 

Enjoyed this post? Never miss out on future posts by following us.

Photo by Nick Morrison on Unsplash

 

Monday Medley: Social Media as a PLN

 Good Morning and Happy Monday!

Today's topic is using social media as a PLN (Personal/Professional/Personalized Learning Network). If you are someone who isn't big on using technology then you may think that you have no use for social media tools such as Twitter.  Or perhaps you feel overwhelmed due to the current hybrid teaching model that is in place and think that you cannot possibly add another thing to your already overflowing plate. What if I told you that spending 10-15 minutes a day scrolling through your twitter feed could actually reduce some of your planning time and help inspire you to try new things in the classroom? It all comes down to being very calculated about who you choose to follow on Twitter. If you follow global edtech leaders in your specific discipline it is highly likely that you will find high quality lesson ideas and support resources. 

Google educators from across the globe came together to help support the world's classroom teachers navigate new territory back in April of 2020 . I learned that a Global GEG (Google Educator Group) account had been created on Twitter and started following the group. Soon I was signed up for a free, virtual Google Educator Level 1 Bootcamp, with all of the sessions being presented by Global GEG members. This led to participation in a second, free Google Educator Level 2 Bootcamp in July. These boot camp sessions inspired me to become a certified Google Educator (both levels 1 & 2). Currently I am working on completing the Google Certified Coach curriculum.

So, why I am telling you about all of this? At least 3-4 times a week I stumble across something shared on Twitter that helps improve my professional practice. These ideas come from librarians, instructional coaches, teachers, principals, superintendents, and Global GEG leaders whose personal accounts I follow on Twitter. 

Here is a starting point if you don't know where to begin. Edublogs has a free self-directed course Building Your PLN aimed at helping you to use Twitter to develop your PLN. You don't need to sign up for anything to access the materials. Simply click on the steps, read the content, complete the suggested tasks, and build your PLN at your own pace.  

If you want to start "lurking" on Twitter, here are some suggested accounts to start following:

NRPS Superintendent, NRHS, NRHSVirtualMediaCenter, GlobalGEG, Matt Miller, Alice Keeler

Photo by Sara Kurfeß on Unsplash