CSD’s Bring Your Own Device Workshops Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Posted by Rebecca Morrison in Android, Apple, Classroom Technology, Digital Media, digital storytelling, iPad, Mobile Learning, tablet, Tech PD, VLC Programs, Web 2.0.Tags: BYOD, Cooperating School Districts, Digital Age, iPad, laptop, Mobile Devices, tablet
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This summer in the tele, we have several BYOD (bring your own device – iPad, tablet, laptop, etc.) workshops on the schedule. In June, there are seven workshops: Digital Age Leadership: A New Paradigm for Learning on 6/5; Getting Organized as a 21st Century Educator with Google Tools on 6/7; Choosing Education-Friendly Apps on 6/11; Lights, Camera, Action: Creating Movies with Green Screens on 6/15; Flipping Your Classroom with Flip Cameras and Screencasting 6/21; and Android Tablet Boot Camp/Educational Apps for Android Tablets on 6/22. (For the workshops on June 21st and 22nd only, we will provide the equipment if you do not own any yourself). In July, we have just one required BYOD session- the three-day workshop entitled Digital Storytelling with Mobile Devices, which takes place 7/10, 7/11 and 7/13. Of course, if you are more comfortable working on your own computer, feel free to bring it in for any professional development session we hold!
Making IT Happen by July 1st Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Posted by Rebecca Morrison in Conferences, ISTE, VLC Programs.Tags: Cooperating School Districts, Midwest Education Technology Conference, Making IT Happen
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Cooperating School Districts’ ISTE Affiliate is currently seeking nominations for the Making IT Happen
Award. Making IT Happen is an internationally recognized awards program for educators and leaders in the field of educational technology integration in K–12 schools. The program identifies and rewards educational technology leaders around the world for their commitment and innovation. Do you know an educator who makes IT happen in their school or district? Please complete the brief nomination form by July 1, 2012.
Winners will be awarded at the annual Midwest Education Technology Conference and later acknowledged at ISTE’s national conference. Past affiliate winners are Diana Dell, Ruth Litman-Block, and Rena Rockwell (seen pictured above, at METC 2012, wearing her new pink jacket and accepting her award from ISTE’s Susan Larson).
Looking for Midwest Spotlight Educators in 2013 for METC! Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Posted by Rebecca Morrison in Tech PD, Collaboration, Conferences, Web 2.0, Common Core.add a comment
The Call for Proposals for METC 2013 is officially open! Our submission process has changed, so be sure to read over the details carefully on the Call for Proposals info page on the Midwest Education Technology Conference’s website, METCconference.org.
In our 30th year, here’s some of what we’re looking for:
- How is your district implementing the Common Core State Standards?
- How do you manage all of those mobile devices?
- What tech tools do you use to reach and teach your students?
- How do you engage your tech savvy students? Does it make a difference in your classroom, library, school or district?
- How do you use technology to differentiate lessons and meet the needs of all students?
Here’s some extra incentive: as a presenter, you would register at a presenter rate of $50 for the day of the presentation, and just $90 for an additional day. Any preconference (half-day or full day) presenter would attend one day of the general conference for free. Also, please note that this year we have two separate deadlines for submissions:
• Preconference Session Submission Deadline: August 24, 2012
• General Session Submission Deadline: September 14, 2012
Also, new this year… do you feel you are a leader in education technology? Apply to be one of our Midwest Spotlight Educators! You may also nominate a colleague for this special recognition at METC 2013. Those who are accepted will not only present at the conference, but will also receive free registration for the general conference as well as other benefits.
Spotlight Requirements:
- Demonstrate motivation, engagement, transformation, and connection using technology to improve teaching and learning. (the METC theme)
- Provides a minimum of two references.
- Must be a certified educator in Missouri or Illinois.
- If accepted, presents at least 2 sessions at the conference. (does not include precon workshops or panel sessions)
Click here to learn more about the Midwest Spotlight Educator speaking opportunity and apply or nominate a colleague today. Questions about any of the above? Contact Megan Moncure at mmoncure@csd.org.
Prepare Students for Success in a Technology-Driven Global Economy with Common Core Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Posted by Rebecca Morrison in Academy, Classroom Technology, Collaborations, Common Core, Conferences, Links, STEM.add a comment
Cooperating School Districts of Greater St. Louis, in partnership with Scholastic Achievement Partners, is hosting the Common Core State Standards and Next Generation Assessments Academy this July. The Academy will provide participants with strategies and actions to support a systemic approach to transitioning to the CCSS.
The keynote speaker on July 25th is Dr. Willard R. Daggett, Founder and Chairman of the International Center for Leadership in Education. He is known worldwide for his efforts to move PreK-12 education systems towards more rigorous and relevant skills and knowledge for all students. Dr. Daggett has assisted states, school districts and education ministries in other countries with their school reform initiatives. He is the creator of the Rigor/Relevance Framework, a practical planning and instructional tool that is used in schools throughout the United States.
Dr. Susan Szachowicz is the keynote speaker on July 26th. She is the Principal of Brockton High School, a large, comprehensive urban high school. She has served on state commissions on education reform particularly regarding the Massachusetts assessment program. Her leadership at Brockton High has been committed to “high expectations, high standards – no excuses.” Under her leadership, Brockton High has been recognized as a Massachusetts Compass School, a National Model School for five years in a row, a recipient of the National School Change Award, and received a Bronze Medal from U.S. News and World Report.
During this 2-day event, expert consultants will present sessions for various K-12 audiences, sharing cutting-edge approaches to:
• Improving annual student academic growth while transitioning to the Common Core State Standards and Next Generation Assessments;
• Leveraging rigor, relevance, and relationships to prepare students for success in an increasingly technology-driven global economy;
• Utilizing effective literacy and math strategies across the curriculum in order to address new proficiency requirements;
• Building instructional leadership density in order to facilitate rigorous instruction that provides students with the opportunities to engage in real-world application-based learning.
For more information, including Academy site,
registration costs and fees, visit csd.org/common_core.html.
how to register for tele workshops Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Posted by Rebecca Morrison in Classroom Technology, Tech PD, VLC Programs.Tags: Cooperating School Districts, Tech PD, tele
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This summer, if you plan to take a workshop, or two, or three, in the technology enhanced learning environment (tele) at Cooperating School Districts of Greater St. Louis, you’ll need to register prior to the event. Our preferred registration process is online, but we do accept faxed in registrations (like the one to the left) to 314-872-9128.
When registering online, remember that you’ll need your form of payment ready at that time, whether it is a purchase order number through your school (district) or credit card number. (If you wish to pay by check without a purchase order–print out a PDF of the registration form and mail in with a check made payable to CSD).
During online registration, you will first be asked which school (district) you work in. Next, you are taken to a screen that will ask for your username and password. If you have previously logged onto the registration account before, you will have this information already. If it is your first time, you will need to create an account by providing an email address. Then you are taken into a three stop process; (1) basic contact info, (2) workshop selection(s), and (3) registration payment option. (You’ll also get an email confirmation to the address you supplied in step 1).
Once you are in the system, you will be able to look up past professional development sessions you’ve attended to keep a good record of it. If you have any questions about the process, speak with tele registrar Joan Forrest.
From Prezi to PowerPoint, Slide into PD at CSD Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Posted by Rebecca Morrison in Classroom Technology, Tech PD, Web 2.0.Tags: Cooperating School Districts, PowerPoint, Prezi
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Did you know that Prezi is a web-based presentation application & storytelling tool that uses a singel canvas instead of traditional slides? Text, videos and other objects are placed on the infinite canvas & grouped together. Prezi is a fresh alternative to PowerPoint. (If you need helping visualizing what it looks like, click here for examples). In this half-day workshop on June 1st, you’ll learn how the canvas allows users to create non-linear presentations, where users can zoom in and out of a visual map. You’ll see how your Prezi can be developed in a browser window, and then downloaded so that no Internet connection is needed when sharing your presentation! Using Prezi to Create Zooming Presentat
ions takes place Friday, June 1st at 12:30 p.m. and runs until 3:30. Register here by May 29th for the workshop- it’s $75 for CSD members, $89 for non-members.
If Prezi doesn’t suite your needs, we are also offering Using MS PowerPoint in the Classroom on June 27th from 8:30 a.m.- 3:30 p.m. Here, you’ll learn everything from the basics to the more advanced features that make PowerPoint a great tool for student learning. You will have the opportunity to create your own PowerPoint presentation for use in the classroom to introduce or clarify a lesson. Learn how to create photo albums, adventure stories, and Jeopardy games. Learn how to design student PowerPoint assignments that require higher order thinking skills, such as a poetry analysis presentation, and examine assessment methods that will help you grade these student assignments. Walk away with your own presentation and ideas for integrating PowerPoint into your classroom! It’s $149 CSD member; it’s $189 non-member for this full-day workshop. You can earn one graduate credit, as well! Register here.
Support Staff Academy Mini-Conference in June Monday, May 21, 2012
Posted by Rebecca Morrison in Academy, Classroom Technology, Collaborations, Conferences, Google, Tech PD, VLC Programs, Web 2.0.Tags: Cooperating School Districts, file conversion, Google Forms, LinkedIn, MS Word, PDF, Pinterest, PowerPoint, Support Staff Academy, Tech PD, Web 2.0
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The 20th Annual Support Staff Academy Mini-Conference takes place Wednesday, June 6, 2012 from 7:45 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Lindenwood University. Register now! The Virtual Learning Center will be there in full force! Not only does Karen Vaughan run this conference, several staff members will be presenting:
Free Cool Tools to Increase Productivity
Presenter: Martha Bogart, Program Coordinator, Cooperating School Districts
In this session, you can fill your technology toolbox! You’ll be amazed how many free online tools are out there for you to use in scheduling, organizing, and collaborating on your job tasks. Topics will include file conversion, sharing and storing, calendar creation, to do lists, mind mapping, graphic editors, PDF creators, screen casting and more!.
Powerful Presentations with PowerPoint
Presenter: Nancy George, Director, Cooperating School Districts’ Virtual Learning Center
Know the basics of PowerPoint, but want to jazz up your presentations with style and pizazz? Come learn how to create presentations that hold the audience’s attention and still deliver the message!
Saving Time with Online Documents: Google 101
Presenter: Stephanie Madlinger, Ed.S. – Google Certified Teacher Instructional Technology Program Coordinator, Cooperating School Districts
In this session, participants will learn how Google Documents and Google Presentations can:
• Allow you to work on files anywhere, anytime
• Make the writing process visible to anyone or everyone
• Plus more…
PRE-REQUISITE: Participants must have a Google Account and/or Gmail.
Collecting Data Using Online Forms: Google 201
Presenter: Stephanie Madlinger, Ed.S. – Google Certified Teacher Instructional Technology Program Coordinator, Cooperating School Districts
In this session, participants will focus on two of the six Google Docs available, Google Forms and Google Spreadsheets. Through these two tools, you can easily create a questionnaire or survey, invite others to respond, share the results, and then download the data into Excel for easy manipulation.
PRE-REQUISITE: You must have a Google Account and/or Gmail.
Powerful Presentations with PowerPoint
Presenter: Nancy George, Director, Cooperating School Districts’ Virtual Learning Center
Know the basics of PowerPoint, but want to jazz up your presentations with style and pizazz? Come learn how to create presentations that hold the audience’s attention and still deliver the message!
Status Update: I Need to Know More about Social Networking!
Presenter: Rebecca Morrison, Program Coordinator, Cooperating School Districts
Feel like you’ve been left in the 20th century when it comes to Web 2.0? In this session, learn about some of the most popular 21st century social media sites, like Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, LinkedIn, and Pinterest. What’s right for you? How do you balance the sharing side of social networking with your privacy? We’ll discuss how to safely maintain a presence online while not damaging your reputation.
Tips & Shortcuts with MS Word
Presenter: Nancy George, Director, Cooperating School Districts’ Virtual Learning Center
Learn shortcuts and tips that will make you productive in creating programs, permission forms, tables & more.
The annual Support Staff Academy is a program designed to provide professional development to area schools’ educational support professionals (i.e., administrative assistants, secretaries/office personnel, maintenance/custodial, food service, security, teachers’ and library aides). To see a complete list of the sessions on June 6, click here.
Tyranny of the Lecture Friday, May 18, 2012
Posted by Rebecca Morrison in Tech PD, VLC Programs, Collaborations, Classroom Technology, Academy.Tags: Cooperating School Districts, Virtual Learning Center, chat rooms, wikis, Blogs, Flickr, webquests, Creative Commons, online forums, Teacher's Academy
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The Tyranny of the Lecture: Varying Instructional Strategies with Tech Tools takes place on Monday, June 11, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The cost for this professional development is $149 for a CSD member; $189 for a non-member (One Graduate Credit is available). About the workshop: lecture & direct instruction are essential components of effective teaching, but their overuse can lead to unengaged students and predictable lesson formats. You can change this up!
In this newly developed, one-day workshop, examine high engagement strategies that use student interaction to promote learning, and investigate technology resources, such as wikis, blogs, WebQuests, online forums, chat rooms, simulations and educational games, that help students be directors of their own learning. You’ll also have an opportunity to examine several types of student response systems and evaluate them for use in the classroom. Walk away with ready to use classroom strategies and technology tools to help you break the lecture habit in your teaching. This workshop is co-facilitated by Teacher’s Academy Director Peggy Dersch and the Virtual Learning Center’s Martha Bogart. Registration is required, click here to do that now!
Digital Storytelling with Mobile Devices Workshop Thursday, May 17, 2012
Posted by Rebecca Morrison in Tech PD, VLC Programs, Links, Classroom Technology, Web 2.0, digital storytelling, Digital Media, Media Literacy, Mobile Learning, Android, Apple, tablet, iPad.add a comment
Digital Storytelling with Mobile Devices takes place July 10, 11 & 13, each day from 8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. Do you have an iPad or Android tablet? Are you wondering if creating a digital story is too difficult? Help your students create their own digital stories by experiencing the process yourself. This three-day workshop (where you earn two graduate credits) teaches the pre-production, production and post-production phases of digital storytelling. You will have an opportunity to use either iMovie for the iPad or various Android apps. The workshop is a cross between a writer’s workshop and a movie-making symposium. Bring a story to share, or select from one of the stories provided. Walk away with your own 2-3 minute movie and lots of ideas about how to help students create one. Bring your own mobile device. Cost for all three days: $369 CSD member; $459 non-member.
