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August 3, 2015

Thinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers®

Some of you are probably still at the beach, but August does bring “Back to School” into our minds. Some of you are probably already back in the classroom (maybe with students already). TeachersFirst is back at full speed, planning and preparing everything that you will need to kickoff your new school year!

 

New Contributors
Do you enjoy helping colleagues learn about technology? Would you like to use that passion to contribute to TeachersFirst? The Source For Learning (SFL) is currently looking for new contributors for our TeachersFirst community. If you are interested in joining our team, please fill out this Google form: http://goo.gl/forms/rv5UjkfQif  

 

Newbie?
Are you a new teacher starting your first teaching job in the fall? Will you be working with a student teacher or mentoring a new teacher? Don’t miss TeachersFirst’s ideas and help for newbie teachers, their cooperating teachers, and mentors. Click the Share widget to pass it on!

 

On the Calendar
Now is the perfect time to check out the TeachersFirst Classroom Planning Calendar. Scout ahead for events and resources to include in your plans for next year.

 

Teaching about TeachersFirst?
“Back to School” is PD season. If you feature TeachersFirst in teacher professional development workshops, teach a grad class about us, or coach teachers about TeachersFirst in your role as a technology integration specialist, we can help. Complete this form telling us where you plan to feature TeachersFirst. We will send out some TeachersFirst swag for qualifying sessions. Complete the form NOW to be sure you get the package in time for your presentation.

 

School is BACK in Session!
Start your year off right with terrific, reviewed organization tools from the TeachersFirst Edge. Find some new and engaging ways to start yourself, your students, and even parents on the right track for a successful school year! Check out these resources tagged for back to school, including handy tools to arrange your seats and entire classroom, ideas to get to know your new students, and more! You will love the TeachersFirst’s Getting to Know You ideas for the first day or week of class. And you don’t want to miss our inspirational (ready to go) Bulletin Board Hangups. These thought-provoking quotes are ready to print for your classroom walls (and of course, FREE).

 

FREE PD - OK2Ask is in FULL SWING!
It is hard to believe that this is our final week of Summer OK2Ask® sessions (free PD)! We have sessions offered on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday at 6pm EDT. These free, online sessions for teacher self-directed professional development feature many ways to use technology in YOUR classroom. Read descriptions to learn about prerequisites, standards, goals/objectives, and appropriate technology comfort levels BEFORE you sign up. Please note: ALL Summer PD certificates will be issues at the end of August. Learn more about OK2Ask here.

Upcoming Sessions:

Monday August 3, 2015
6:00 - 7:30pm EDT
Tech it Out - DATS: Device Agnostic Tools and Management Tips for your BYOD or 1:1 classroom

Tuesday August 4, 2015
6:00 - 7:30pm EDT
TeachersFirst’s Summer Book Club (closing session - by invitation only)

Wednesday August 5, 2015
6:00 - 7:30pm EDT
Digital Storytelling (K-12)

 

How Much Longer?
Well, as much as we hate to admit the truth... Summer is almost over. How long of a break remains for you? Maybe you are already back to school? This week’s Teacher Poll asks: How many weeks (if any) do you have left of summer break? Place your vote on the teacher poll on the TeachersFirst home page.

 

Featured Sites
This week in our Featured Sites find Writing, Physics, History, and more:

• Create a Toy
• Get Around Uncle Sam’s Farm
• Protect our Earth for the Young
• GoogleMaps + Books
• Algebra Help for All
• Civil War Locations Then and Now
• Wimp - Topics for All
• Aliens plus Canadian History
• Hot Notes to Remember
• Copyright
• Plickers!
• Apricot Writing (with Parent Emailing Options)
• And more

IMPORTANT NOTE: If you are reading this August 9 or later, the link above will take you to the Featured Sites for the current week. Find the archived August 2 Features here, and don’t miss our many other recent additions from the link at the bottom of the Featured Sites page.

 

Gear up and get ready to go! You are off to a great start for the school year simply by reading the update and learning some new ideas. Explore the features to learn about some cool new tools! Let TeachersFirst be your lifeline for the upcoming school year.

The TeachersFirst Team