Teachers First - Thinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers

This recording of an OK2Ask online professional learning session from July 2019, opens in Adobe Connect. Have we got a powerful, engaging, video discussion-based instructional strategy for you! Make room in your lesson plans for Fliphunts. Take free discussion-based edtech tool Flipgrid, add a well-crafted lesson along with a dash of any content area at any grade level; then stir in a heaping serving of critical thinking, creativity, and student voice and you have a fun a formative assessment to inform your instruction. Fliphunts are video-based scavenger hunts organized within Flipgrid -- get kids active in kinesthetic learning while immersing them in content. Challenge your students to show-what-they-know with a Fliphunt. Participants will: 1. Learn the basic use of Flipgrid to record responses and set up a grid; 2. Understand ways to use Fliphunts as formative assessment; and 3. Begin planning a Fliphunt for your classroom. This session is appropriate for teachers at all technology levels.

tag(s): Formative Assessment (4), Microsoft (60), professional development (171), video (265)

This recording of an OK2Ask online professional learning session from July 2019, opens in Adobe Connect. Discover the world of coding with your elementary students. Learn tech and no-tech strategies for introducing students to the wonder and world of coding and computer programming. Understand the relationship between computational thinking skills and coding and how one develops logical thinking and problem solving while the other supplies the means to develop and apply it. Through hands-on activities using tools designed to activate a concrete understanding of coding, you will be well on your way to begin the journey in learning and teaching coding in your elementary classroom. Participants will: 1. Understand coding and computational thinking are and how aspects of each can be used in the classroom; 2. Identify and explore resources to introduce coding into the classroom including unplugged activities; and 3. Plan for an activity that introduces coding in your elementary classroom. This session is appropriate for teachers at all technology levels.

tag(s): coding (76), professional development (171)

This recording of an OK2Ask online professional learning session from July 2019, opens in Adobe Connect. Google Slides is a powerful, intuitive, and versatile creation tool teachers can use to engage students and deepen learning by supporting instructional objectives. This session will introduce participants to a myriad of "doable" yet academically robust projects. Whether you opt for a template that will maximize time spent on the content vs. format or a rubric-driven individual creation, you can design authentic assessments where students perform real-world tasks that demonstrate application and understanding. Participants will: 1. Explore ideas for projects using Google Slides; 2. Learn to leverage templates for student projects; and 3. Learn to use Google Slides to create authentic formative and summative assessments. This session is for teachers at ALL technology comfort levels.

tag(s): Google (41), professional development (171)

This recording of an OK2Ask online professional learning session from July 2019, opens in Adobe Connect. TeachersFirst Reading Treks are built using Google Maps to chronicle the journey that a story character takes over the course of the book. Each stop along the way adds to student comprehension as they explore the information, visuals, and videos embedded in the map. Give your students context for the stories that they are reading by using Reading Treks in your lessons. Participants will: 1. Understand how to use Reading Treks in the classroom; 2. Learn how Reading Treks are created; and 3. Consider titles that could be used to create Reading Treks for their classroom. This session is for teachers at ALL technology comfort levels.

tag(s): Google (41), maps (295), professional development (171), reading strategies (57)

This recording of an OK2Ask online professional learning session from July 2019, opens in Adobe Connect. Digital storytelling takes on many formats. Google Tour Builder is an interactive storytelling tool that connects people to places using Google Maps and multimedia content. Get students engaged with instructional materials by creating virtual tours that map story settings, showcase locations of events, and share details about regions they are studying. Learn to use Google Tour Builder in any subject area. Participants will: 1. Learn to create a basic Google Tour; 2. Explore strategies for the use of Google Tours in the classroom; and 3. Plan for the use of Google Tour Builder in the classroom. This session is for teachers at ALL technology comfort levels.

tag(s): Google (41), maps (295), professional development (171)

This recording of an OK2Ask online professional learning session from July 2019, opens in Adobe Connect. Chrome extensions run in the Chrome browser, providing you or your students many great tools with ease. In this session, participants will explore apps and extensions useful in your classroom. You will learn how to find apps and extensions and install them in your Chrome browser. Come to this session and revolutionize your classroom. Note: You must have the Chrome browser installed prior to the start of the session. Participants will: 1. Learn how to locate extensions on the Chrome Web Store; 2. Explore a variety of extensions that increase functionality of the classroom and student learning; and 3. Find, install, and use extensions for their use. This session is for teachers at ALL technology comfort levels.

tag(s): Google (41), professional development (171)

This recording of an OK2Ask online professional learning session from July 2019, opens in Adobe Connect. Simple, powerful, and free -- take organizing, note-taking, and collaborating to new heights with Google Keep. Learn how to maximize student productivity with great features for capturing ideas, collaborating on projects, curating resources, receiving reminders, and taking notes. See how easy it is to incorporate text, images, audio, and drawings on virtual color-coded sticky notes and checklists. "Keep" your classroom workflow smooth and on task with Google Keep. Participants will: 1. Learn the basics of using Google Keep for organization; 2. Explore strategies to enhance notetaking and resource curation; and 3. Plan for the use of Google Keep in your classroom for student productivity. This session is for teachers at ALL technology comfort levels.

tag(s): classroom management (148), Google (41), organizational skills (108), professional development (171)

This recording of an OK2Ask online professional learning session from July 2019, opens in Adobe Connect. Explore the teacher-friendly features of TeachersFirst to help you save time in developing technology-infused lessons. Participants will learn strategies to incorporate the tools of the web successfully into any classroom. Participants will: 1. Locate resources within TeachersFirst to provide real-world learning experiences for their students; 2. Locate and evaluate effective, web-based tools and resources in support of teaching and learning, both for themselves and for their students; and 3. Plan to use TeachersFirst's value-added reviews to plan technology-infused lessons. This session is appropriate for teachers at all technology levels.

tag(s): professional development (171), resources (106)