October 16:
Classroom Website Tune Up - 2:15pm and 3:30pm
Facilitator: Laura Phelps
Do you have a classroom website that you haven't updated lately? Or a website that works, but doesn't sparkle? Come discover how to make your website an integral part of your classroom community!
November 6:
Making Trailers with iMovie - 2:15pm and 3:30pm
Facilitator: Dean Emmerson
Bring your iPad and get ready to explore the making of simple one to three minute movies using the trailer templates included with iMovie for iPad. This is a terrific way for you to introduce new units, or for students to show understanding and competency. Did we mention it's fun, too? Please bring your iPad for this session.
November 20:
Nearpod - 2:15pm and 3:30pm
Facilitator: Tyler Patten
Nearpod allows you to create engaging presentations and then push them to the iPads of your students. Yes, that is right, you get to push your screen out to the student iPads in your class! Please bring your MacBook AND your iPad for this session.
2012-2013 Sessions
March 6:
Web 2.0 Tools that Support Writing:
Facilitator: Laura Phelps
The Web 2.0 environment uniquely supports student writers, as it enables them to collaborate with peers, share their work globally and write in a variety of formats. Discover sites and strategies that you can use to get students writing online almost instantly. If you’ve been wanting to venture into blogging or backchanneling with your students, this session is for you!
March 20:
Edmodo:
Facilitator: Dean Emmerson
Edmodo is a easy, secure social networking site that you can use with students of all ages. It's fun, engaging and remarkably easy to set up. Come discover how to use the "buzz" of social networking to meet your learning objectives!
February 6:
Khan Academy:
Facilitator: Matt Frey-Davis
Khan Academy will transform your math classroom. It lets you focus on problem solving, and deep understanding rather than on the mechanics of arithmetic. We’ll focus on exploring Khan Academy from a student’s perspective, and briefly touch on some Khan Academy best practices.
February 27:
Making QuickTime Videos:
Facilitator: Dean Emmerson
QuickTime allows you and your students to make movies and audio recordings on the fly. With this tool you can easily capture screen recordings to create tutorials that your students can watch anytime, anywhere!
January 16th:
YouTube for the Classroom:
Facilitator: Kyle Jongerden
YouTube is a powerful and exciting tool for both viewing and sharing video content. In this session, you will learn how to access curriculum-related video as well as create and share your own videos with your students of all ages.
January 2nd:
Web 2.0 Tools that Support Writing:
Facilitator: Laura Phelps
The Web 2.0 environment uniquely supports student writers, as it enables them to collaborate with peers, share their work globally and write in a variety of formats. Discover sites and strategies that you can use to get students writing online almost instantly. If you’ve been wanting to venture into blogging or backchanneling with your students, this session is for you!
December 5th:
Enhancing your Classroom Website:
Facilitator: Laura Phelps
Now that you’ve got a classroom web page, it’s time to make it more interactive, user friendly, and integral to your curriculum! In this session, you’ll discover how easy it is to embed pictures, slideshows, videos and more!
November 14th:
(Both sessions will be held at 3:15pm at Woolwich Central School)
1. Using Blogger to Create (or update) a Classroom Website:
Facilitator: Laura Phelps
Blogger is part of our Google Apps for Education suite and it is a versatile and easy tool that you can use to create either a blog for a specific purpose (like for writing prompts and reading response journals) or for an entire classroom website. Come check it out and see how easy it is to create (or enhance) an online space that you can use to showcase student work, keep parents informed, manage online resources for your students and more!
2. Using Google Sites to Create (or update) a Classroom Website:
Facilitator: Kyle Jongerden
Like Blogger, Google Sites is part of our Google Apps for Education suite and is a versatile and easy tool that you can use to create a comprehensive classroom website. It is a great option for teachers who don't want or need the blogging feature and yet still want to have a variety of options for showcasing student work, keeping parents informed, and managing online resources for students.
If you are not sure whether Blogger or Sites would be a better fit for you, feel free to email Dean or Laura and we'll be happy to help you decide.
2011-2012 Sessions:
October 5: Getting Started with Blogger
Facilitator: Laura Phelps
Blogger is part of our Google Apps for Education suite and it is a versatile and easy tool that you can use to create either a blog for a specific purpose (like for writing prompts and reading response journals) or for an entire classroom website. Come check it out and see how easy it is to create an online space that you can use to showcase student work, keep parents informed, manage online resources for your students and more!
October 12: Getting to Know Your MacBook
Facilitator: Kyle Jongerden
Would you like to get to know your MacBook a little bit better? Do you have questions about applications, saving and storing files, settings, and/or general laptop usage? This is the session for you! Bring your questions and Kyle will have answers.
October 19: Exploring SharpSchool
Facilitator: Matt Davis
The district has a new web portal called SharpSchool that makes it easy to create a classroom web page, wiki or blog. Come learn how quickly and easily you can establish a web presence with photos, videos, links, and more!
October 26: Edmodo
Facilitator: Dean Emmerson
Edmodo is a easy, secure social networking site that you can use with students of all ages. It's fun, engaging and remarkably easy to set up. Come discover how to use the "buzz" of social networking to meet your learning objectives!
November 2: Using Online Corkboards in the Classroom
Facilitator: Laura Phelps
Online corkboards like Wallwisher, Corkboard.Me, and Linoit are an exciting and fun way to engage students of all ages in "backchannel" conversations in or out of the classroom. Quicker than a blog and easier than social networking, virtual corkboards will allow even your most shy student to participate in discussions. You will leave this session with ideas and an actual site that you can use the next day in your classroom.
November 9: Make your Presentations Pop with Prezi
Facilitator: Kyle Jongerden
Ban the boring! Prezi is a slideless, interactive, zoom-able presentation tool that will make you forget PowerPoint. Create amazing presentations with links, images, drawings and videos that you can embed in your website. Join us for this fun, creative and inspiring session and never bore your audience again.
November 16: Google Docs
Facilitator: Matt Davis
Google Docs is a powerful collection of tools, including word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, drawings and surveys. If you haven’t discovered Google Docs yet, now is the time to try it out! If you’ve been using Google Docs but want to learn more about how to organize and manage your documents, this session is for you. Additionally, we’ll explore how Google Docs can change your teaching, with collaborative reading, writing, and editing.
November 30: There's an App for That!
Facilitator: Dean Emmerson
There are so many amazing apps out there, it’s hard to know where to start! Whether you’re using your mobile device professionally, personally, or both, there’s an app for whatever you hope to accomplish. Bring your device and be ready to share your favorite app and to discover new apps that just might change the way you operate!
December 7: Using Online Corkboards in the Classroom
Facilitator: Laura Phelps
*Please note: this session was originally scheduled for November 2nd, but was postponed due to illness.
Online corkboards like Wallwisher, Corkboard.Me, and Linoit are an exciting and fun way to engage students of all ages in "backchannel" conversations in or out of the classroom. Quicker than a blog and easier than social networking, virtual corkboards will allow even your most shy student to participate in discussions. You will leave this session with ideas and an actual site that you can use the next day in your classroom.
December 14: Google Docs
Facilitator: Matt Davis
*Please note: this session was originally scheduled for November 2nd, but was postponed due to illness.
Google Docs is a powerful collection of tools, including word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, drawings and surveys. If you haven’t discovered Google Docs yet, now is the time to try it out! If you’ve been using Google Docs but want to learn more about how to organize and manage your documents, this session is for you. Additionally, we’ll explore how Google Docs can change your teaching, with collaborative reading, writing, and editing.
January 11: GoogleReader
Facilitator: Dean Emmerson
Google Reader is a wonderful tool that helps you find and keep track of interesting stuff on the web. You can subscribe to your favorite websites and keep up with what's popular. New content comes directly to you so you don't have to search for it, and Reader helps you manage what you've read and what you'd like to read! Google Reader can also be used in the classroom to help students organize information. Come check out this powerful tool and see how it can save you tons of time!
January 18: BrainPop
Facilitator: Laura Phelps
Did you know that our whole district has access to BrainPop, an amazing collection of online animated content that is K-12 curriculum-based, aligned with the Common Core and searchable by the Maine Learning Results? Kids of all ages love BrainPop and you will too when you see the movies, educational games, reading recommendations, writing prompts and more!
January 25: Apps in the Classroom
Facilitator: Kyle Jongerden
Mobile devices are everywhere and they offer a unique opportunity to place learning in the hands of every student. With so many apps to choose from, though, it can be hard to know where to start. This session will guide you toward some of the best and will also give you tips on how to manage apps in the classroom.
February 1: Google Forms
Facilitator: Matt Frey-Davis
The results are in: “forms are amazing.” Google Forms makes it simple to collect information (tests, quizzes, votes, etc). Come to this session and discover how versatile and useful Google Forms can be!
February 8: Google Docs
Facilitator: Dean Emmerson
What’s all the buzz about? Why are teachers and students all across the RSU using these cloud-based apps? This is an introductory session for those wishing to learn more about how and why you might choose GoogleDocs for your personal use, as well as with your students.
February 15: Virtual Field Trips
Facilitator: Laura Phelps
Did you know that every school in RSU1 has access to Tandberg video conferencing equipment? This means that all of our students can experience a wealth of educational opportunities without leaving the classroom! For little or no money, your students can experience museums, aquariums, institutes and experts all over the world. Come to this session and learn how to tap into these amazing resources.
February 29: iMovies
Facilitator: Kyle Jongerden
iMovie is an amazingly powerful, yet surprisingly simple, tool for classroom use. With iMovie you can combine photographs, text, video clips, music and voice-overs to create unique visual stories. In this session you'll explore both the technical aspects of iMovie and the applications for professional and classroom use.
March 7: Google Spreadsheets
Facilitator: Matt Frey-Davis
Spreadsheets might seem boring - but imagine an entire class being able to share the results of a science project and being able to use a large set of results. These will cover all of your data-analysis needs. If you can do it in Excel, you can probably do it in Google Docs.
March 14: Google Docs
Facilitator: Dean Emmerson
What’s all the buzz about? Why are teachers and students all across the RSU using these cloud-based apps? This is an introductory session for those wishing to learn more about how and why you might choose GoogleDocs for your personal use, as well as with your students.
March 21: Glogster
Facilitator: Laura Phelps
Students love creating Glogs! Glogs allow kids to show what they know by creating online, interactive posters and also provides them with an opportunity to learn and practice 21st century skills and literacies. Come see how other teachers have used Glogster in their classrooms and get started by making your very own Glog.
March 28: Scratch
Facilitator: Kyle Jongerden
Students building a computer program in less than three minutes? And it’s educational?! Behold the power of Scratch; an computer programming application on all MLTI MacBooks. With Scratch, students and teachers can create games and animations on their laptops without spending years learning how to write code. Several teachers in the district have been using this program with their students this year and the results have been fantastic! Join the club!
April 4: Google Presentations
Facilitator: Matt Frey-Davis
No more chance of “Oops I left it at home” or “It worked fine on my computer.” Create presentations in Google and you’ll know your students presentations will always work. You’ll also be able to give feedback, or have students watch your presentation, and use a built in back channel.
April 11: Google Calendars
Facilitator: Dean Emmerson
Google Calendars can help you organize your day, or that of your class or department. This introductory class will show you how to start using Google Calendar for yourself, how to use the “invite” features when scheduling appointments with others, and also how to make calendars that can be shared.
April 25: Animoto
Facilitator: Laura Phelps
Animoto allows you and your students to create and share videos quickly and easily with digital photos and text. There are gazillions of ways that Animoto can be used across the curriculum in all grade levels to engage learners. Come discover how!
