Friday, January 24, 2014

PCSD Inservice - Screencasting

For the January district inservice, a variety of technology related sessions will be offered to district staff and also led by district staff.  This is always a well-liked day of professional development due to the option of choice involved.  Staff in our district can choose from a variety of topics and zone in on what they are most interested in learning.

I will be presenting on Screencasting today.  Staff in my session will learn how to create instructinal videos via Screencast-O-Matic and SMART.  See below to access my presentation.


 

Friday, January 10, 2014

Model Classroom Professional Development day!!

Our model classroom professional development day was held at the Innovation Room at NWTC in Green Bay, WI.   This room at the tech college was designed to promote collaboration and was outfitted with a variety of technology resources to enhance learning. 


Here is an outline of our day...

1.  Shared what we are excited about...

2. Reflection of how we have changed as educators in the last 3 years.  (Each teacher took a section of the whiteboards and made a list of the different ways.  We then walked around and looked at each other's areas of growth.)  This was a great reflection activity!



3.  Lunch and tour of NWTC campus:  Very neat learning spaces, especially in the cafeteria.  Projectors and pull down screens all over for groups to learn together and collaborate while in a relaxed atmosphere.  

4.  Watched short thought provoking videos on education.  Discussion/brainstorming followed each one.
Links to videos:
Play, Passion, Pupose : Tony Wagner
How to Answer the Yeah, Buts... - Will Richardson

5. Teach me something I don't know:  Sharing of new tools/apps/strategies we're excited about..

6. Exploration of new tool/personalized professional development

My challenge(s) after today.... Need to expand the classroom walls further.  Want to create experiences for students with people from other cultures/other Spanish speakers. Need to brainstorm a list of resources.

Ideas:

  • Classroom Twitter Account? / Linked to class blog 
  • Skype w/1st grade class in district - career/hero/etc. focus....
  • w/Chromebooks/ speaking videos via webcam>upload to drive>share in class folder