Teachers First - Thinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers

This recording of an OK2Ask online professional development session from September 2013, opens in Adobe Connect. Discover all of the "ready to go" resources available at TeachersFirst. Explore the timesaving (and easy to use) online tools. Find inspiration and timesaving tools in this fast-paced session! This session for teachers at ALL technology comfort levels. As a result of this session and through individual follow-up, teachers will: Explore the various online tools available at TeachersFirst, find more ways to save time using TeachersFirst for planning lessons, have free exploration time to find materials relevant to his/her classroom needs. As follow-up, plan and implement a student-centered, curriculum-related use of the resource(s) of choice as part of an upcoming teaching unit. Or plan how to use an online tool to save time in his/her classroom. Applicable NETS-T standards (2008)*: 1b, 2a and b, 3d. * The text of these standards is copyrighted. Please read the full text at ISTE's NETS-T page.

tag(s): organizational skills (128)

Share TeachersFirst's weekly Features SItes automatically on your teacher blog or school web page. If you can copy/paste and use embed codes, you can choose from two formats to show the current Featured Sites on your teacher blog, ed tech coaching page, or resource page for preservice teachers. The widget automatically updates your page with new content every week. Note that use of these widgets is limited to educators and is not allowed on fee-based or commercial sites. Once you place the widget on your page, it automatically updates with the new sites each week -- with no work by you! Share the reviewed resources you trust with your colleagues, parents, and students. Thinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers!

tag(s): professional development (164), resources (107)

This recording of an OK2Ask online professional development session from August 2013, opens in Adobe Connect. Writing with the Web: Tips and ideas for all levels. Writing is an important and powerful way to build and assess student understanding. As a result of this session and through individual follow-up, teachers will: Explore a sampling of web-based writing tools and resources, including writing prompts, word choice/vocabulary resources, common error help, tools for citations and research, writing templates, and more; Refer to Common Core or your own school's writing standards to guide in selection of appropriate resources; Locate specific TeachersFirst writing resources appropriate for the his/her subject and grade level; Investigate and discuss writing lesson ideas offered in the reviews and by other teachers in this online session; Explore web-based tools and resources for collaborating during the writing process and/or sharing/publishing student writing; List possible curriculum-related writing projects or activities that students could do in his/her classes using web-based resources; and (followup) Implement writing lesson(s) with students using web-based tools for at least one phase of the writing process. Applicable NETS-T standards (2008)*: 1c, 2a, c; 3a, b, d. * The text of these standards is copyrighted. Please read the full text at ISTE's NETS-T page.

This recording of an OK2Ask online professional development session from August 2013, opens in Adobe Connect. More Google Goodies! Hidden Treasures and teacher favorites! Explore some of the many Google goodies and tricks. Learn more about various sites owned by Google. Explore Super Searching, Google Translate, Google Video Chat, Google Maps, Google Templates, YouTube in the classroom, Gmail subaccounts, and more! A question/answer period will be available. It's OK2Ask'''®.

As a result of this session and through individual follow-up, teachers will: Explore the various educational resources available for using Google in the classroom; Browse and explore the benefits of using YouTube'''® (owned by Google) for education; Learn time saving Google tricks including Super Searching, Google Translate, Google Templates, and more; Explore the many resources on TeachersFirst related to Google's offerings; and (Follow-up) Create a lesson for your own classroom (or position) using one of the Google tools shared. Applicable NETS-T standards (2008)*: 1a and b, 2b and c, 3a and d - * The text of these standards is copyrighted. Please read the full text at ISTE's NETS-T page.

This recording of an OK2Ask online professional development session from May 2013, opens in Adobe Connect. Google Earth: Take your lessons INTO this world! Prerequisite - all participants must have a Google Earth account prior to the session. Take your lessons INTO the world using GoogleEarth. This session will introduce you to GoogleEarth, demonstrate and evaluate tools available using GoogleEarth, offer advanced support to those already using GoogleEarth, provide time for individual exploration, and more. A question/answer period will be available to help with individual questions. It's OK2Ask''®.

As a result of this session and through individual follow-up, teachers will: Explore what GoogleEarth is and a few of its teaching features; Evaluate selected tools available in GoogleEarth for use in your curriculum; Explore topics and lesson ideas that could be enhanced using GoogleEarth; Learn how to create a basic GoogleEarth placemarker; Find solutions to individual questions or practical problems using GoogleEarth; and (follow-up) Create a GoogleEarth project or lesson to use with your students. Applicable NETS-T standards (2008)*: 1b, 2a and b, 3d - * The text of these standards is copyrighted. Please read the full text at ISTE's NETS-T page.

tag(s): map skills (84)

This recording of an OK2Ask online professional development session from August 2013, opens in Adobe Connect. Google Drive: A focused workshop on Google Docs (Forms and Documents only). PLEASE CREATE A GOOGLE ACCOUNT PRIOR TO JOINING THE SESSION. (You do not need to create a gmail account unless you want to. You can register with an existing email but need to verify it in order to use some functions. Be sure you have opened Google Docs prior to the session as downloading Google Drive may be required first.) As a result of this session and through individual follow-up, teachers will: Explore sample Google Docs examples and template files to gather ideas; List possible curriculum-related projects that students could create in his/her classes; Explore TeachersFirst to locate appropriate web resources to support and inspire a Google Doc project; Establish an account on Google Docs and explore general Docs organization/tools or discussion of doing so with students; Practice with a Google Doc word processing file and spreadsheet; List practical tips for implementing Google Docs with students (teacher-created and/or student-created): and (follow-up)Implement use of Google Docs as part of an upcoming teaching unit. Applicable NETS-T standards (2008)*: 1a,b,c; 2a,b,c,d; 3b,c,d;4c * The text of these standards is copyrighted. Please read the full text at ISTE's NETS-T page.

This recording of an OK2Ask online professional development session from August 2013, opens in Adobe Connect. More Energizing Math: ideas, resources, and collaboration for K-8 math teachers! Discover TeachersFirst 3.0 to energize math in the classroom. Participants will view and explore new resources for lesson planning, student use, and collaboration through Twitter and blogs. A question/answer period will be available to help with individual questions. It's OK2Ask,"'?.

As a result of this session and through individual follow-up, teachers will: Gather ideas by exploring 6-10 math resources located on TeachersFirst; Investigate and discuss lesson ideas offered in the reviews and by other teachers in this online session; List possible curriculum-related projects or activities that students could do in his/her classes using one of these resources; Explore and practice with the resource(s) of choice; and (follow-up) Plan and implement a student-centered, curriculum-related use of the resource(s) of choice as part of an upcoming teaching unit. Applicable NETS-T standards (2008)*: 1a,b,and d, 2a, b, and c, 3b and d, 5a - * The text of these standards is copyrighted. Please read the full text at ISTE's NETS-T page.

This recording of an OK2Ask online professional development session from August 2013, opens in Adobe Connect. School Year KickOff 2013: Get off to a great start with TeachersFirst's ready to go lessons, interactives, and professional resources. Discover all of the "ready to go" resources available at TeachersFirst. Explore the Professional Resources, TeachersFirst Exclusives, and some of our favorite back to school "time savers." Find inspiration for new teaching strategies in this fast-paced session!

As a result of this session and through individual follow-up, teachers will: Explore the various Professional Resources available at TeachersFirst: differentiating, rubrics, working with parents, wikis, blogs, and more; Browse and explore the various ready to go lesson plans and units created by TeachersFirst; Find some back to school time savers for both students and teachers; Have free exploration time to find materials relevant to his/her classroom needs; and (Follow-up) Plan and implement a student-centered, curriculum-related use of the resource(s) of choice as part of an upcoming teaching unit. Or plan how to use the professional resources to prepare for the new school year. Applicable NETS-T standards (2008)*: 1b, 2a and b, 3d - Please read the full text at ISTE's NETS-T page

tag(s): back to school (62)

This recording of an OK2Ask online professional development session from July 2013, opens in Adobe Connect. QR codes in the Classroom: What is That Funny Black Square? HAS PREREQUISITES - SEE BELOW. Have you noticed those funny little black squares everywhere and wondered what they are? QR Codes allow users to access and share information quickly. Come learn the many ways that QR Codes can be used to increase student engagement in your classroom.

As a result of this session and through individual follow-up, teachers will: Learn what QR Codes are and what they can do; Learn how to create and share them; Learn how QR codes can be used in the classroom and Browse and explore the various TeachersFirst resources and create a QR code to share finds. Prerequisites: Must know how to download, name, and save a file from a web page; Must pre-install a QR code reader APP on your smartphone, iTouch, or tablet and have it with you during this session. I-Nigma Reader (free), Quick Mark (free), or Quick Scan ($.99). Applicable NETS-T standards (2008)*: 1b, 2a and b, 3d * The text of these standards is copyrighted. Please read the full text at ISTE's NETS-T page.

tag(s): qr codes (22)

This installment is part of a series of articles about implementing Common Core. This article examines the role that questioning can play in the Common Core and offers some ways to help students develop a questioning mindset to use as part of "close reading" of texts in elementary grades on up. A separate article, Part I of Questions and Thinking in Common Core, discusses Teachers as Questioners. Both articles are intended for elementary teachers as part of our Help! I lost my library/media specialist series but are easily adapted for middle and high school grades.

tag(s): commoncore (102), questioning (36), thinking skills (16)