Teachers First - Thinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers

This recording of an OK2Ask online professional learning session is from November 2020. You can register and immediately view the archive of the session.

Looking for a way to "jazz things up" in the classroom? Look no further! Use your personalized emoji to capture student attention and facilitate your lesson. Create a Bitmoji classroom scene to share the week's reading materials, take students on a virtual field trip, or create an escape room activity. This is definitely bells and whistles, but who doesn't like to have a little fun? Join us, and you too can participate in the Bitmoji classroom craze. As a result of this session, teachers will: 1. Learn how to create a Bitmoji classroom scene; 2. Share ways to use Bitmoji scenes for instruction; and 3. Plan for the instructional use of Bitmoji scenes. This session is appropriate for teachers at all technology levels.

tag(s): classroom management (120), professional development (385), remote learning (54)

This recording of an OK2Ask online professional learning session is from November 2020. You can register and immediately view the archive of the session.

Use Microsoft Teams meeting tools to help structure your virtual meetings and increase participant interactivity when teaching remotely. You can share documents, collaborate on whiteboards and facilitate full class, small group and one-on-one meetings to complement instructional activities that students are working on. Join us and learn to make the most of your live lessons and meetings in Microsoft Teams. As a result of this session, teachers will: 1. Learn to use Teams meeting tools; 2. Explore ways to increase interactivity during meetings; and 3. Plan for the instructional use of meetings using Microsoft Teams. This session is appropriate for teachers at all technology levels.

tag(s): classroom management (120), Microsoft (80), professional development (385), remote learning (54)

Encourage your students to develop positive self-identities based on their membership in various groups in society. Help your students to feel confident to express pride and healthy self-esteem about their own self-identity, without devaluing the dignity of those that may be different than they are. The resources shared in this section help teachers to enable students to recognize that people have multiple identities and are members of multiple groups within our society, creating complex and unique individuals.

tag(s): bias (27), difficult conversations (57), identity (29)

This recording of an OK2Ask online professional learning session is from November 2020. You can register and immediately view the archive of the session.

We all know that learners need feedback. To maximize the benefit from that feedback, it should be given immediately -- ideally after each question. Google Forms can make that happen using conditional branching, the ability to send a user to a different question (or a different page of questions) based on the answer the user supplies. Learn to make your forms more functional and help every student be successful on your next quiz! As a result of this session, teachers will: 1. Create a Google Form. 2. Use branching to facilitate instant remediation and feedback. 3. Discuss tips and tricks for management of Google Forms. This session is appropriate for teachers at all technology levels.

tag(s): assessment (147), Formative Assessment (74), professional development (385)

As teachers, we frequently tackle uncomfortable subjects in the classroom, but polarizing public conversations or events in the news can sometimes make these subjects downright difficult to discuss with students. The resources in this collection will give you ideas on how to start and facilitate tough conversations about topics like inequality, injustice, and politics sensitively while still accomplishing learning goals. You'll also find lessons and activities to encourage respectful conversation, inclusivity, empathy, and understanding.

tag(s): difficult conversations (57), empathy (34), racism (79)

Empathy is our desire and ability to understand and share another person's feelings and use that information to guide our actions. It's the foundation of respect and inclusivity and is an essential component of relationship building, resolving interpersonal conflicts, and understanding cause and effect. In this collection, we share resources that will help you create lessons and experiences that cultivate empathy in your students and informational websites about this important topic.

tag(s): empathy (34), perspective (14), racism (79)

As educators, it's our duty to teach our students to respect people of all races, genders, orientations, and cultures, both in our classroom and in the outside world. Racism, sexism, and orientation discrimination can be difficult topics to broach in the classroom but are essential to discuss as students find their voices and form their understanding of the world. In this collection, we share resources about combatting racism, lesson plans about the human cost of discrimination, and additional activities to spark meaningful discussion and encourage students at all grade levels to treat all people with respect.

tag(s): black history (133), empathy (34), racism (79)

This recording of an OK2Ask online professional learning session is from November 2020. You can register and immediately view the archive of the session.

Managing paper notes and handouts in a remote or hybrid environment can be challenging. OneNote is a multifaceted note-taking and organizational tool that is built into Microsoft Teams that can be used to enhance lessons and activities. OneNote Class Notebooks include a personal workspace for every student, a content library for handouts, and a collaboration space for lessons and creative activities. Join us and learn how to get started using this digital notebook powerhouse to support effective classroom instruction. As a result of this session, teachers will: 1. Learn the basic components and uses of a OneNote Class Notebook; 2. Explore ways to use OneNote Class Notebooks to support instruction; and 3. Collaborate with other educators on strategies for using OneNote Class Notebooks in Teams. This session is appropriate for teachers at all technology levels.

tag(s): classroom management (120), Microsoft (80), organizational skills (88), professional development (385), remote learning (54)

This recording of an OK2Ask online professional learning session is from October 2020. You can register and immediately view the archive of the session.

Microsoft Teams is a great all-in-one hub for the collaborative classroom. This "basics" session will introduce you to channels, tabs and posts which are the foundation of communication and collaboration in Microsoft Teams. When used with remote learning best practices, these building blocks can help you create a welcoming environment for your students. Join us to make the best use of these tools to provide structure for your remote learning environment. As a result of this session, teachers will: 1. Learn about Microsoft Teams settings and options; 2. Understand how to use channels to foster student communication; and 3. Plan for the use of Microsoft Teams to support instruction. This session is appropriate for teachers at all technology levels.

tag(s): Microsoft (80), professional development (385), remote learning (54)