Educator Alexander's Newsletter
JANUARY NEWS
♥️💥SOOOO MANY UPCOMING EVENTS💥♥️
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Some friends and I are trying to explore what makes a great learning community for educators. Please help by taking this five minute survey by January 31, 2022.
LAST CHANCE EVENT THIS MONTH
********UPCOMING NEW SPRING EVENTS********
AND HERE'S MORE...
📌 THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW
ISTELive 22 Reg Is Now Open!
ISTELive 22 conference registration and hotel reservations are now open!
New Orleans, June 26-29
Prices increase in March
Become a Remind Tutor
Connect with students across the country to help them master concepts and build their confidence in math.
Qualifications to Become a Tutor:
You are a certified teacher with 1+ years of experience in the classroom with a valid full teaching certificate.
You can teach one or more of the following subjects: 2nd–6th grade math, Pre-Algebra, Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry, Pre-Calculus, Calculus, AP Calculus AB & BC, AP Statistics, and Statistics
You are eligible to work in the United States and you must pass a background check.
Youth Climate Conference
The Youth Climate Conference, sponsored by the Marymount School of New York Atmospheric Science class and the Marymount School Chapter of the American Meteorological Society, will be held virtually on February 5, 2022 from 12 Noon EST to 4:30 PM EST, helps high school students and educators explore the potential impact of global warming and climate change through engaging, inspiring, and thought-provoking conversations with climate researchers, activists, and data scientists. The conference theme for 2022 is The Details are in the Data.
The Youth Climate Conference is supported through a generous grant from ESIP, the Earth Science Information Partners.
Conference website: http://weather.marymountnyc.org/youth-climate-conference.html
STEM x Youth Summit
The STEMxYouth Summit, sponsored by the Student Technology Leadership Team at Marymount School of New York will be held virtually on February 26, 2022, from 12 Noon EST to 4:30 PM EST and is open to high school students and teachers worldwide. The Summit theme for 2022 is Learning without Borders and the goal of the Summit is to promote active dialogue with STEMx researchers and professionals.
Summit registration opens January 10, 2022. The Summit is free.
Summit website: stemxyouth.marymountnyc.org
Applications Now Open for The Learning Accelerator's Strategy Lab: Virtual & Hybrid!
The Learning Accelerator recently announced the launch of our latest Strategy Lab cohorts, focused on exploring how we might create more equitable virtual and hybrid learning environments.
I’m excited to share that applications are now open and due January 15 for school systems to join! We’re specifically looking for school systems that have a virtual or hybrid school that they’re planning on continuing in the long term future.
Benefits of Joining TLA’s Strategy Lab: Virtual & Hybrid
- No cost to participating districts (plus $5,000 in grants);
- Receive 1:1 coaching and expert support;
- Collaborate with and join a network of teams of system leaders from across the country; and
- Be guided through an inclusive design process to reimagine equitable virtual and hybrid learning environments.
Apply to Join the Merlyn Mind Practitioner Advisory Board
Digital Promise is seeking educators who want to deepen their understanding of AI and its role in the classroom to serve as Merlyn Mind Practitioner Advisory Board members. As a Board member, you will have the opportunity to test the Symphony Classroom hub and its capacity to save time and reduce the stress associated with managing technology during instruction. This is an opportunity for practitioners to build their leadership expertise and standing as leading educators on the issues of AI and digital assistants in the classroom.
PBS Learning Media FREE Resources
Explore the Changing Seasons with Winter-Themed Activity Packets
Join PBS KIDS and explore the seasons with your students! These printable packets are filled with wintery classroom activities that focus on Social-Emotional Learning, Math and Literacy development.
ISTE Certification Informational Webinars
Do you have some questions about ISTE Certification for Educators that you wish a human would answer? Here’s your solution … plus a couple of special deals from ISTE!
Attend one of the 30-minute info sessions with Certification Director Carmalita Seitz for real talk, and real answers to your certification questions.
Choose from these upcoming dates and times:
- Tuesday, November 9, 2021 7:00 AM EDT
- Thursday, December 9, 2021 8:00 AM EDT
- Tuesday, January 18, 2022 12:30 PM EDT
- Wednesday, February 16, 2022 3:30 PM EDT
For more information and to sign up, click here!
INVITATION FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHERS TO PARTICIPATE IN SRSD WRITING STUDY THIS SPRING 2022
You are invited to participate in a Middle School SRSD Writing Study.
Launching professional development in January 2022 with classroom implementation in Spring 2022.
Please see the recruitment flyer for middle school special education teachers to participate in an argumentative SRSD writing study.
Project details:
- Free, online, comprehensive professional development regarding SRSD using source-based argumentative writing
- Utilize technology enhancements for student writing, such as text to speech or teacher assessment tools
- SRSD argumentative writing unit complete with lesson plans, resources, and WriQ connections for middle schoolers
- Progress monitoring support using online assessment tools such as Texthelp's WriQ
- Ongoing support and coaching throughout the entire unit while implementing SRSD writing instruction with WriQ
Teachers and students talk about what SRSD has meant to them; district gains are shared: https://bit.ly/304qWHJ
If you have questions, please contact:
Dr. Amber Ray, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, amberray@illinois.edu
Dr. Tara Mason, WesternColorado University, tmason@western.edu
TCEA TECH BLOG GOODIES
THREE WAYS TO SHOW YOURSELF A LITTLE GRACE RIGHT NOW
DICEBREAKERS AND ACTIVITY DEBRIEFING TEMPLATES
BRAIN-BASED STRATEGIES THAT WORK
STEM ACTIVITIES AND CHALLENGES FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL LEARNERS
FUN STEM RESOURCES FOR HIGH SCHOOL LEARNERS
WHY IT MAY BE TIME TO DUMP BLOOM’S TAXONOMY
GET MY SCREEN: EASY REMOTE DESKTOP CONTROL
FIVE MYTHS ABOUT HELPING STUDENTS NAVIGATE SOCIAL MEDIA AND TECHNOLOGY
EIGHT CHROME EXTENSIONS AND SITES YOU MAY NOT KNOW (DECEMBER 2021)
🎥 Webinars of the Month
✔👀👌😘5 Minute Tips of the Month
😍 FREE Extension of the Month
This extension gives you coupon codes you can use while shopping online. So many educators shop online for their schools, let's get as many discounts as possible.
Click on picture below for more information.
💻 📱 Tech Certification of the Month
💫MICROSOFT SUPPORT
Educators Can Get Office 365 for FREE
Flipgrid Blog with Updates
🌈 Google Updates
A Couple More Google Updates
To Stay Updated, Watch Here: EDU in 90: The Latest, December 2021
GOOGLE ADMIN ANNOUNCEMENT
Effective January 10, 2022, recording Google Meet sessions will return to being a premium Google Workspace for Education feature. As such, this feature will be available only to organizations using the Google Workspace for Education Plus or the Teaching and Learning Upgrade editions.
What does this mean for my organization?
Recording a video meeting has always been a premium feature in Google Meet. In the spring of 2020, we announced that we would offer this feature for free to help our Education customers transition to remote learning. The free premium recording promotional period will end on January 10, 2022.
Starting on January 10, 2022, all customers using Google Workspace for Education Fundamentals (free edition) or Google Workspace for Education Standard will lose access to the recording feature in Google Meet. This rollout will take several weeks to complete, so some organizations may still be able to record meetings during the month of January and early February 2022. Any previously recorded meetings will remain in Google Drive for their user or group, unless they’re deleted by the file owner.
What do I need to do?
If your teachers and students need to create new Google Meet recordings after January 9, 2022, please ensure they are assigned to a Google Workspace for Education Teaching and Learning Upgrade or Education Plus license. Users who don’t have one of these licenses applied to their accounts will no longer have access to the recording feature, but will be able to view recordings and attend meetings recorded by other users.
FAQs
- What will happen to my existing recordings after January 10, 2022?
Previously recorded meetings will remain in the Google Drive for their user or group, unless they’re deleted by the file owner. Retention of these video files will follow the Vault retention rules for your domain. You can set up the custom Vault retention rules to automatically delete old Meet recordings after a period of time that works for your organization. - Can I see how this feature was used in my domain (# of recordings, # of viewings, etc)?
View Drive Audit log to pull activity of recordings based on when they were created or viewed. To target specific activity by types of recordings, use the Item Type filter of “MP4 Video” and Item name filter of “GMT.” These queries can be exported and filtered based on user, recording, and activity. Visit Meet recordings in Drive audit & export to find out how to do this audit.
💡See Me Here
Click on the pictures below for more information and to register and find more information such as dates, times, room numbers and links to register HERE.
💯 FREEBIES
✏️ Commenting to Educator Alexander
Dr. Desiree Alexander, Educator Alexander Consulting
Dr. Desiree Alexander is an award-winning, multi-degreed educator who has been in the educational field since 2002. She is the Founder CEO of Educator Alexander Consulting, LLC and the Deputy Director for the Associated Professional Educators of Louisiana. She consults with members of several schools/businesses and presents at conferences globally.
Dr. Alexander is lifetime certified in Louisiana in Secondary English Education, as a Reading Specialist, as a School Librarian, as an Educational Technology Facilitator, as an Educational Technology Leader and in Educational Leadership 1. She is certified in Texas as a Principal, in English Language Arts and Reading for grades 4-8 and grades 8-12, as a Reading Specialist for grades EC-12, and as a School Librarian. She holds multiple technology certifications, including, but not limited to, IC3 certification, Google Certified Trainer and Innovator, Apple Teacher, and a Microsoft Innovative Educator Trainer and Expert.
She holds a Bachelor, a Master + 30, and an Education Specialist Degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Louisiana State University, a Master of Library Science from Texas Woman’s University and a Master of Educational Leadership with a concentration in Educational Technology Leadership from Nicholls State University. She also holds a Doctorate in Education with a concentration in Educational Leadership from Lamar University.
She is a 2022 & 2021 Texas Computer Education Association Featured Thought Leader, 2020 International Society for Technology in Education Featured Voice, 2020 Future of Education Technology Conference Featured Presenter, 2019 Customer Commitment Award Honoree from Better Business Bureau's Torch Awards for Ethics, a 2019 Shreveport National Pan-Hellenic Council Mover and Shaker, a 2017 Young Professional Initiative 40 Under 40 Awards Honoree, 2017 Center for Digital Education Top 30 Technologists, Transformers & Trailblazers, 2017 PBS Learning Media Digital Innovator for Louisiana, 2016 Associated Professional Educators of Louisiana Member of the Year, 2015 Librarian of the Year for Louisiana Librarian Association, 2015 Campus Teacher of the Year in the Zachary Community School District and 2014 Leader of the Year for Region 2 Louisiana Association of Computer Using Educators.
Learn more at www.educatoralexander.com.
Email: educatoralexander@gmail.com
Website: https://www.educatoralexander.com/
Phone: 318-759-7591
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EducatorAlexander
Twitter: @educatoralex