Instructional Technology Digest
January 2017
Focus on Social Media
I am often asked, what does a hashtag mean? Why do you use it? Why should I as an educator use Twitter? What benefit do these social media outlets have for educators? There are many benefits and I will briefly try to answer some of these questions.
What is a hashtag & why do you use it?
Why Should I Use Social Media as an Educator?
Who do I Follow?
Guides to Facebook, Instagram and Twitter
Social Media Guide for Teachers
PD Opportunities
Click here to see how many hours you have tallied so far
We are excited to start our online courses this week!! If you would like to join one of the courses, please email Dr. Brenner ASAP!! The courses are listed below:
ONLINE COURSES
Canvas 101 - Teacher: Jeff Howard
This course is designed for instructors who have never used the Canvas Learning Management Platform or who are just getting started. By the end of the course, you will have a basic understanding of the Canvas tool set and be ready to begin using Canvas in your classes. This course is fully online and self-paced, but also instructor facilitated so you are never truly on your own.
Ways to Use Formative in the Classroom - Teacher: James Larimore
Get deeper insight into what your students are learning. Formative is an online tool that assists in the learning process in many ways. This four-week course will take you through the very basics of setting up an account for yourself to skillfully preparing your lessons to include the integration of Formative to get real-time feedback aligned with state standards. This course will show examples of how you can use this tool in your classroom to cut back on paper usage and speed up (or eliminate) time spent on grading using the material you already have in any subject. New features include the ability for students to go back and look at their work after it has been assessed. Come find out how Formative can transform the content you already use into a digital tool no teacher should be without!
Ways to Use Google Drawings in the Classroom - Teacher: Michelle Brenner
This course will cover all the basics of Google Drawings, as well as give several ways to use it in your classroom. Google drawings will allow your students to make graphic organizers, interactive posters, and timelines or use it as an interactive whiteboard where you can annotate on top of images, or create informational graphics. Each module in the course will consist of tutorials and ideas and will walk you through using them with your students. (6 seats left)
Brainpop - Not Just Movies Anymore - Teacher: Tracie Gones
BrainPOP is not just movies anymore! There is so much more to this great resource! In this course, you will learn ways to use BrainPOP to engage your students at every step of the learning process. Topics will include game-based learning, formative assessment, concept mapping, individual student accounts, and more! It will be most relevant for grades 3+. K-2 would find some uses, but it is limited right now. (5 seats left)
We also have seated courses available! Click the link at the bottom of these descriptions to register for the seated courses.
SEATED COURSES
Jan. 18th - Organizing Google Drive - Time spent working on organizing Google Drive in a playground format with experts in the room - 4:15pm - 5:45pm - District Office PD Room (downstairs)
Jan. 18th - Advanced Canvas - Time spent working on exploring advanced features in Canvas (discussion board, examview, google embedding and embedding webpages with iframe among others) - 3:15pm - 4:45pm - High School Room 502
Jan. 23rd - Using Google Forms in the Classroom - We will go over the basics of google forms and allow you to build a form and test during this session - 4:15pm - 5:45pm - District Office PD Room (downstairs)
Jan. 24th - Twitter: How to Build a PLN (Personal Learning Network) - We will go over setting up a Twitter account and show how to start developing a PLN. - 4:15pm - 5:45pm - District Office PD Room (downstairs)
Jan. 26th - Ways to Assess Students Using the Kahoot and Quizizz Gaming Platforms - In this session, you will learn how to use Kahoot and Quizizz to give assessments to your students. 4:15pm - 5:45pm - District Office PD Room (downstairs)
Please click this link to sign up for any of these sessions.
Dr. Michelle Brenner
Email: brennerm@branson.k12.mo.us
Website: drbrenner.edublogs.org
Location: 1756 Bee Creek Road, Branson, MO, United States
Phone: 9820
Twitter: @vb4mb