PK-12 Staff Development Day, TwitterChats, Educational Hashtags, Summer Learning

PK-12 Staff Development Day

Don't forget to select four sessions from the PK-12 Staff Development catalog. The link to the form is highlighted in yellow on page 2 of the catalog. Forms due 6/2/17.

Click HERE to access the catalog.

Educational Hashtag and Twitter Chat Database

Kasey Bell of ShakeUp Learning has put together a database of educational Twitter Chats and hashtags. If you're looking for a way to connect with other educators in your field as you refresh over the summer, Kasey's list is a great place to start. I followed the #FutureReady librarian Twitter Chat last week and got some great ideas to implement next fall. I like to use TweetDeck to follow Twitter Chats.

Click HERE to access the original post.

Summer Learning: Bulldog Mobile and More

If you teach PK-8 students or have PK-8 children, be sure to check out our Summer Learning page for information on the Bulldog Mobile, reading programs at the county libraries, and reading incentive programs from area book stores.

Click HERE to visit the Summer Learning page.

SeeSaw, TASA on iTunes, TwitterChats

More on SeeSaw

Use: Collect documentation for parent conferences, ARDS, and LPACS

Skill Level: Beginner to intermediate

Thank you, Alkek and HCE teachers for allowing me to share SeeSaw with you last week. And a great big thank you to Erin Chambers at BMS for showing me how this tool that is marketed as a digital portfolio can help teachers collect documentation on student progress without leaving their workspace.  Here is the presentation from HCE last Friday (Minus the certificate. That's in the email that you got last week.) Whether you are using SeeSaw on your personal device (download the Class SeeSaw app) or on your Chromebook, these screenshots should guide you. After your class is set up, don't forget to go to Manage Class to set privacy settings to match your application of the tool.

Sign in with your banderaisd email.

Name your class.

Choose Students Scan a QR Code (even if you are not planning to use this app with students right now.)

Click on "paste a list of student names" and paste in names. The app will alphabetize by the first word in the name .

Click on the green + to add information.

Select the kind of data that you will add and click the green check after its added to assign to a particular student.

Please share your success stories or frustrations by emailing me. Our best resource in learning tech is each other!

TASA on iTunes

Use: Locating digital resources to enhance your course content

Skill level: beginner to advanced

Thanks, Mrs. Howell, for sending information on the resources available to teachers through the Texas Association of School Administrators (TASA). According to the TASA website, " TASA on iTunes U is a library of digital resource collections, organized by course, that make it easier for teachers to incorporate digital learning opportunities into their lessons. Teachers may access the collections — which now number 62 — for free. Each one includes course-enhancing digital resources that teams of experienced teachers and content specialists have curated. TASA engaged educators from across the state to build the library to help districts with the digital integration needed to achieve MISSION: School Transformation. "

If you have access to an IOS device, HERE are instructions for access TASA resources on iTunesU, and HERE is their resource collection divided by grade level and content area.

Twitter Chats

Use: ongoing professional development and creating an online professional learning community

Skill Level: Advanced; active social media user

http://www.socialwork.career/2015/11/personal-learning-network-twitter-cheat-sheet.html

It's amazing how social media platforms are transforming professional development. Teachers are growing their teacher toolboxes by sharing lesson plans on Pinterest, posting educational successes and questions on Twitter, and connecting with other teachers of like interests in Twitter Chats. If you are new to Twitter,  HERE  and HERE are guides to getting started building your professional learning network, and HERE is a great infographic with an overview of Twitter for teachers. Kathy Schrock, who trains teachers across the country, has a webpage with resources and tips for teachers who are interested in getting started with Twitter.  If you are already on Twitter and are toying with the idea of participating in a Twitter chat, you may want to download an app like Hootsuite or Tweetdeck to make following the hashtag easier.

Even after participating in a couple of Twitter chats, I'm still a newbie and find myself being a lurker more often than being an active participant, but I'm okay with that. The more I participate, the more comfortable I'll get with connecting with educators across the state and across the country. Brenham ISD recently published a list of Twitter Chats that might interest their teachers. Their list is a great place to start. Choose a hashtag to follow. Be a lurker on one of the scheduled Twitter Chats and watch your professional learning network and your teacher toolbox grow over time!