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Creating Digital Books for a Multicultural Book Festival
Digital books are the perfect way to reinforce literacy concepts while also tapping into key 21st century skills. In this session, we will discuss strategies for having students create their own digital books that explore their unique cultures and backgrounds. We will explore specific platforms for digital stories such as Book Creator, StoryJumper, and Google Slides. We will then dive into ideas to include in our multicultural books, tools to support English language learners, and how we can share these books to a larger audience during our multicultural book festival. Let’s celebrate reading & writing and learn about other cultures along the way!
Celebrating Read Across America Month in the Secondary Classroom
Are you looking for ways to connect with the spirit of Read Across America for your secondary students? In this session, we will discuss a variety of ways you can explore the deeper meaning behind some of the texts of Theodor Seuss Geisel, otherwise known as Dr. Seuss, whose birthday inspired Read Across America. We will look at pieces of writing from Dr. Seuss and Shel Silverstein to compare and contrast social issues; use Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels and Dr. Seuss's The Butter Battle Book to discuss satire; discuss political cartoons during World War II; and more! We will also discuss some technology tools to support these activities, including some templates for students to write their own stories and screenplays!
Lights, Camera, Action: Bringing Fairytales to Life Through Storytelling
February 26th is a special day; it's worldwide Tell A Fairy Tale Day! There are so many amazing activities you can do leading up to this day. To celebrate, join us for a session on writing fairy tales and bringing them to life! In this course, we will be using digital tools and various platforms to storyboard and script fairy tales. We will even venture into story extensions, twists, and retelling stories from a villain's point of view!
Using Digital Tools to Write Personal Letters
Did you know that February is known as "Letter and Card Writing Month"? In this course, we will be focusing on digital tools that students can use to support letter writing skills. We will explore a variety of strategies and digital tools you can use with your students to plan, write, and share their letters!
PBL for the Elementary ELA Classroom
Project-based learning is the perfect way to engage your K-5 students in 21st century skills. How can we incorporate these skills into our ELA class? In this session, we’ll discuss how to implement PBL activities into your instruction to promote critical thinking, communication, and collaboration. We will also dive into how to use various tools to promote the key elements of PBL, such as research, gathering and analyzing feedback, and presenting knowledge in your classroom. Join us to review some PBL best practices to engage your elementary ELA students!
Digital Tools to Reinforce ELA Skills
Are you looking for ideas to engage students in your ELA Class? Join us for a session where we will look at tools to boost your ELA lessons in all grade bands. We'll go over resources that can help you differentiate your lessons with tools like Kami, Padlet, and more! We will also provide resources with created material for you to customize as well as create a new lesson together!
PBL in the Secondary ELA Classroom
Learn how to implement PBL activities to promote critical thinking, communication, and collaboration in your secondary ELA classroom. Embracing technology in a traditional ELA classroom will not only help engage your students, but it will also improve their literacy skills and foster a classroom environment in which the traditional elements of ELA become more hands on.
Creative Storytelling with Robotics
Get ready for this twist on digital storytelling featuring robotics. In this cross-curricular workshop, we will discuss some best practices and things to consider when starting a storytelling project in your classroom. Then, we'll show you how to plan and code your device(s) to tell a story in a whole new way! We will also share some storytelling examples using one of our favorite robot friends, KIBO! You’ll get to try these skills out for yourself, so you too, can enhance your classroom's creativity!
Using Interactive Storytelling to Build Academic Vocabulary
Storytelling is a common practice that helps young children to learn important concepts, express creativity, and enhance their academic skills. The interactive component of storytelling is what helps students develop verbal and written expression, which will help improve academic vocabulary. Join us for our session where we will discuss the importance of bringing interactive storytelling into the early-age classroom by using pre-existing stories and strategies, so that your students create and share their own. We will also share some websites and activity ideas to get you on your way with storytelling in the classroom!
Tools to Support Digital Book Cover Creation
Students already know that an impressive cover can make a book stand out on the shelf. In this course, we will go over how you can challenge your students to be illustrators for the day by designing their own digital book covers. Join us as we take a deeper dive into the different programs that you can use, and the handy design tools within these websites!
In today's session, we'll be learning all about digital journals. From benefits to important considerations, and even recommended tools, we'll give you all the information you need to get started with your students. Whether you're looking to switch over journal activities from pen and paper or want a unique activity to do with students, you've come to the right place!
Whether you are looking for a fun St. Patrick's Day activity, celebrating National Limerick Day, or simply exploring poetry in your classroom, this session is for you! Join us as we share interactive ways to incorporate technology into your elementary and middle school lessons using Lumio. We'll even help you prepare by sharing the history and patterns behind these much loved poems.
Using Jamboard to Support Writing Stations
Looking for ideas and graphic organizers to support your students thoughts during the writing process? Jamboard can be a great location for research, brainstorming, prewriting, and more. Join us to learn how your students can use Jamboard to organize their thoughts before writing an informative, argumentative, or narrative piece.
Interactive Storytelling with Jamboard
Jamboard is an interactive whiteboard that can be used for brainstorming, creating, and sharing information. In this session, we will discuss how to create storyboards and how to use the drawing and text features within Jamboard. Join us to discuss the importance of introducing storytelling skills at an early age. We will also explore specific examples and Jamboard templates that can be used for the story creation process.
Using Book Creator to Create Digital Stories for ELLs
Digital storytelling is the perfect way to engage your English Language Learners. Join us for this session where we will review the power of digital storytelling and discuss the benefits of storytelling for your students. We will then dive into Book Creator, a website for creating digital books that incorporate drawings, narration, video, and so much more. We will explore how to get started with this digital tool and brainstorm ideas for your students to bring their stories to life. We will also explore digital story topics and examples that are sure to engage your English Language learners. Let’s get creative with this literacy tool to support our students with their reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills!
Many of us have a word wall posted somewhere in our classroom to help our ELL students learn vocabulary. What if you could bring your word wall into the 21st century? Join us as we explore and create digital word walls! In this session, we'll show you everything you need to create digital word walls of your very own and highlight the benefits for your English language learners.
Using SMART Board to Support Literacy
Looking for more engaging literacy lessons? Well, look no further than your SMART Board. There are many features on the SMART Board that can bring your literacy lessons to the next level. You will learn how the SMART Board can foster comprehension, engagement, and collaboration among your students. Come explore how to use SMART Lab to quickly create literacy activities.
Evaluating ELA Lessons Using PICRAT and SAMR
Are you looking for unique lesson ideas that incorporate technology? In this session, we'll explore an ELA lesson and share tips for selecting a technology tool that is going to help you transform your lesson. We'll dive into the PICRAT and SAMR models for technology integration to help you assign a level to the tools you are considering. We'll also use these guidelines to evaluate technology integration. With this new knowledge, you will be able to evaluate your own lessons and ensure that you are creating valuable learning tasks and activities for your students.
Digital Tools for Student Annotations
There are many online tools that can help your students annotate documents and files. In this course we will go over the value of teaching and growing annotation skills in your students. In addition, we will show you some useful tools that will not only help your students with their annotation, but also provide you with opportunities to provide feedback and corrections to grow your students' skills.
Utilizing Google Workspace for Summer Reading
Ready to transition your summer reading program to a more digitally-based process? In this course, we'll share tips on using different applications within Google Workspace (formerly G Suite for Education) to structure a summer reading program and push out materials. We'll also share book lists and reflection activities to keep students reading during the summer months and prevent that summer slide!
Teaching Narrative Arc with Ozobot for Elementary School Students
Are you looking for a unique way to teach storytelling elements to your students? Join us for a literary coding adventure as we explore how to use Ozobot to learn about narrative arc. These tiny robots can be used to trace a narrative arc and stop at designated points in a story to detail characters, setting, conflict, and resolution. We'll discuss the process of having students draw, code, and retell the story, and will explain how students can add speed, turns, and even color changes to their Ozobot to reflect the character’s feelings and actions.
Using Google Chrome's Read&Write Extension in the Special Ed Classroom
Google Chrome’s Read&Write extension is a downloadable software toolbar that helps students that require literacy support to create and access the same content as their peers. Join us as we explore how Read&Write provides a personalized learning experience for each student in your class and helps them to meet their full potential.
Using Newsela for Close Reading in Early Ed
Close reading is a strategy for taking a deep dive into texts in order to gain a greater understanding of the content provided. Newsela is the perfect tool for our early learners to practice close reading strategies at their appropriate reading levels. In this session, we will visit the Newsela website to search and sort by text level and type. We will also share close reading activities and ideas that your students can complete to enhance their reading skills. Join us for some close reading tips and tricks with a digital twist!
Growing Great Writers with Schoology
Writing is an essential skill for every student, but it doesn't have to be a chore. In this course, we will take a look at some ways you can use Schoology to build great writing habits in your students, as well as different types of writing skills.
Using Edpuzzle to Teach Story Elements to Your ELLs
Edpuzzle gives you the opportunity to easily create interactive video lessons for your students that you can integrate right into your Learning Management System (LMS). Join us as we explore how to use Edpuzzle’s built-in question feature to teach story elements to ELLs in your literacy classroom. We will also explore the benefits of using Edpuzzle's interactive components to engage your ELLs in daily lessons.
Using Newsela to Teach Current Events
Do you want to incorporate more current events in your classroom but struggle to find grade-appropriate texts? This is a problem for many teachers, but Newsela serves as a solution. Join us as we demonstrate how to find grade-appropriate current events that you can share with your students.
Sight Word and Vocabulary Instruction Using Pear Deck
Building vocabulary is important for all students regardless of age or subject matter, and Pear Deck can help! In this course we will explore how to use Pear Deck to create and manage vocabulary lists, as well as how to effectively engage your students in vocabulary-based activities.
Getting Started with Flocabulary
Join us as we take a look at Flocabulary, a web-based platform that uses research-based videos and activities to build the background knowledge and vocabulary students need to succeed. See how we can find content, create assignments, invite students, and review student work in an easy to navigate cloud-based program.
Reading Comprehension for ELLs with Thinglink
You may already be familiar with Thinglink as a powerful tool that can be used to create interactive photos, videos, and media. In this course, we will take the possibilities of Thinglink even further by incorporating text along with other media types to create rich, meaningful readings for the English Language Learners in your class.
Mid-Year Portfolios Using Seesaw
Are you looking for a unique way to check-in on student progress? In this session, we'll explore Seesaw, a learning management system that specializes in portfolios and student engagement. We'll discuss how to set up student portfolios and how students can add work samples to showcase their achievements as well as work-in-progress. In addition, we'll discuss how teachers and students can provide feedback to one another in order to enhance their portfolios and skills.
Digital Journal Activities for ELLs Using Google Slides
Join us as we share scaffolded activities to encourage journaling and allow ELLs to work at their own English language development level. We’ll also explore how to use Google Slides to encourage your ELLs to complete written accounts or photo entries that keep a record of their lives during this momentous time in history.
Blogging is an accessible method of writing and communicating to a wide audience. Join us for this session as we explore Blogger, a platform that allows you to publish and share your own blogs. We will explore the basics, and then talk about how to get started with content creation, and how to engage students across grade levels and subject areas.
Socratic Seminar Using Microsoft Teams
A tried and true method of discussion and critical thinking, the Socratic method can be a great way to engage students in dialogue even while learning digitally. In this course, we will take a look at how to use the Socratic method with the tools and features of Teams to engender thoughtful, open debate.
Having a Class Debate Using Google Meet
Are you looking for a unique way to help students practice their debate skills? In this session, we'll explore how to use Google Meet, an online video conferencing platform to connect students. We'll explore activity ideas and discussion prompts, learn key debate concepts, and look at how to use Meet's tools and features to further engage conversation.
Note: Flipgrid is now Flip! There have been many updates to the functions and look of the platform. In this session, you will notice some differences between the video and the current version of Flip. We are aware of this and are working on updating our courses to reflect these changes.
Flip (formerly Flipgrid) is an interactive and engaging tool that is perfect for communication and creative expression. In this session, we will explore how to get started with this platform, explore several of the key features, and show you how to create fun activities for your students.
Using Raz-Kids in Your K-5 Classroom
Looking for a way to monitor your students’ at-home reading and ensure that they are selecting appropriately leveled books? Encouraging and monitoring reading can be a struggle, especially when we aren’t able to meet with students face-to-face. In this course, we’ll explore Raz-Kids, a leveled library of books that can be shared with your K-5 students, and all its features that will help you excite your students to read, progress monitor and so much more during times of remote learning or over the summer vacation!
Creating Interactive Vocabulary Lists Using Thinglink
Vocabulary lists are used in almost every classroom and rarely offer any interactive engagement for students. Join us as we talk about Thinglink, a website that allows students to create interactive displays and virtual tours that connect the tactile world to the digital world. With Thinglink, we will show you how to make vocabulary lists with your students that are interactive, informative, and meaningful.
Using ReadWorks As A Remote Learning Platform for Student Engagement
Join us as we take a look at ReadWorks.org. as an abundant resource for setting up a distance learning platform. See how we can create a class, find content, create assignments, grade digitally, and track student progress in an easy to navigate and free cloud-based program.
Enhancing Literacy with Pixton Comics
Join us as we explore using digital comics as a literacy tool for your classroom. In this session, we'll go over some key features of Pixton, a comic creation tool perfect for engaging your students and bringing enthusiasm to virtually any subject.
Redefining Creative Writing Prompts Using Google Classroom
Writing has a reputation as a daunting subject area for most of our students. Wouldn’t it be great to digitize creative writing activities to make writing more engaging for our students? Join us to explore how Google Classroom, along with some of the Chrome extensions and add-ons, can help you to turn a tedious, boring, difficult assignment for struggling writers into an interactive lesson that will have your students excited to put their thoughts to “paper”!
Building Phonological Awareness
Join us as we take a look at unique tips and tricks to promote phonological awareness in your classroom! In this session, we'll review phonological awareness concepts, and how to identify if a student is struggling in this area. Then we'll focus on several literacy apps that can engage your early learners while building a foundation for success with reading. We'll also cover some creative classroom activities that take your students from noticing words to reading, speaking, and writing their own.
Wouldn’t it be great to have super tools on the web that would help you tackle teaching skills like vocabulary building, main idea and summarizing? What if we said we will share our favorite web resources for teaching your students how to mind map and brainstorm to organize their ideas and plan their work around a particular topic or subject? Join our team as we share our favorite web resources to facilitate instruction in the classroom and take your literacy classroom to a well-developed Common Core classroom.
Digital Storytelling Around the Campfire with Dash and Dot
Everyone has a great campfire tale, but not everyone knows how to share it! With the Dash robot from Wonder Workshop, students will combine coding with creative storytelling, and bring their story to life!
Teaching Spelling with a SMART Board
To help students learn to spell their sight words or subject-specific vocabulary, teachers can use the tools built into their SMART Notebook application program. Notebook can help students use visual modeling, auditory cues, and kinesthetic movements to assist in long-term retention of their spelling words. Join this session to learn about three interactive examples that you can take straight back to the classroom.
Tech-Infused Learning: Ozobot and Perspectives in Literature
Enhance your language arts classroom with Ozobot! We'll show you how to use this line-following robot to explore different points of view in literature. You'll learn how to boost your students' character analysis — and their coding skills. This course is aimed at high school level literacy, but you can easily adapt it for younger readers and ELLs.
"But, soft! What light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is... a robot?" Cue might not be the best at performing Shakespeare, but this robot from Wonder Workshop is a great resource for cross-curricular lessons. Join this session to discover how Cue can be used as a tool to teach programming, robotics, and creative writing!
Introducing STEM Role Models Through Literacy
Why are role models so important? Some reasons to have a role model include inspiration, learning how to overcome struggles, and garnering the traits of a successful individual to become the best version of you. It's important to provide students with numerous opportunities to find role models for themselves. As educators, we may sometimes want to suggest role models for specific behaviors and characteristics we think our students would benefit from — like opening up the world of STEM, for instance. Join this session to learn about some elementary level literacy resources you can use to introduce STEM role models to your students.
Valentine's Day Blackout Poetry
Something is in the air this February: education! Making a blackout poem requires the writer to analyze a previously published piece of text, like a newspaper, and then manipulate it to create a poem. Join us to discover what a blackout poem is, and how to create one with your students using Makey Makey and Scratch!
Digital Tools for Argumentative Writing
Join us as we take a look at some useful digital tools for argumentative writing! We’ll see how students can fill in graphic organizers digitally with Kami, how teachers can leave voice comments with Kaizena, as well as how teachers can easily fill out rubrics right from Google Docs. In a paperless classroom, teaching argumentative writing has never been easier!
Resources for Teaching Idioms and Colloquialisms to ELL Students
While understanding the English language might seem like a piece of cake to a native speaker, to someone learning it as a new language, they might as well be fighting a losing battle. We won't beat around the bush in this session about idioms and colloquialisms, so you can be ready to explain them at the drop of a hat. Let us put the ball in your court so you can hit the nail on the head with your next English lesson. A picture may paint a thousand words, but you will be beside yourself as you join our Curriculum Specialists for the best session since sliced bread. We're going to let the cat out of the bag with some great resources to help your English Language Learners understand common idioms and colloquialisms.
See how technology can improve the quality of your project-based learning activities. Learn how to implement PBL activities to promote critical thinking, communication, and collaboration in your ELA classroom. In this course, you will learn how to use various tools to promote the key elements of PBL, such as research, collaboration, gathering (and analyzing) feedback, and presenting knowledge in your classroom.
Persuasive Writing: Thanksgiving Edition!
Join our Curriculum Specialists for a Thanksgiving-themed session focused on persuasive writing. This session will provide a detailed overview of a lesson you can deliver in your classroom for this holiday season equipped with web tools, apps, and Notebook techniques to strengthen students’ persuasive writing skills. The Thanksgiving writing prompt provided will be applicable to a number of grade levels!
Redefining Creative Writing Prompts: Story Dice
While attending PAX 2017 we stumbled upon a low cost "game" that we thought would be perfect for the ELA classroom, Story Dice. Join us as we discuss what story dice are, and how they can help redefine creative writing prompts! We will also give you suggestions on ways to incorporate them into your classroom and how to create a grading system to make sure your students are staying on task and meeting specific standards.
Using the SMART Board for Early Childhood Literacy
In this session, we will look at how literacy teachers can inspire and motivate students using online resources and technology through the SMART Board. We'll take a look at some tips and tricks you can use to make decoding and phonics simpler for your students. We will explore different online resources in order to create lessons and then dive into the SMART Notebook software to explore various features you have access to in order to build custom activities with your students such as the gallery and SMART Speller. By the end of this session, you will come away with multiple skills to begin generating differentiated multimedia lessons for whole class instruction and center use.
