Looking Ahead

April is the coolest month. Take that, T.S. Eliot!

There are lots of good events involving educational technology integration coming up in the month of April. Here are some things to look forward to this month in the world of Academic Integration coaching:

April 18 – For our district’s second annual innovation celebration, a group led by Joe Mazza, Principal at Knapp Elementary School, will showcase the opportunities and potential for professional development on Twitter by hosting a live chat. Now that's some real innovation! Tune in to Twitter from 6 - 9 p.m. and check it out at #nped.

April 10 and April 18 – a group led by Academic Technology Coordinator Dr. Kristen Kozloski, will train teachers in elementary schools with new iPads. The training days will focus on everything from basic operation and proper care of the devices, to sharing of tips and tricks, finding and using the best apps for education, and moving beyond the apps to other educational uses of the iPads. There will also be a strong connection between the iPads and Response to Instruction and Intervention Implementation, as RTII Coach Amber Molloy is also presenting the workshops. I will be happy to assist these two excellent professionals in their endeavors by helping teachers who are new to the iPads navigate and use the devices.

April 12 – Everything You Wanted to Know About Your Computer… *But Were Afraid to Ask. This after-school flex training workshop is a popular session intended for those who feel a little bit like technology in the classroom has passed them by. Teachers can get a foothold in some of the basics, and pick up a few tips and tricks for using the programs on our classroom computers, particularly the Microsoft Office applications - Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and Outlook. What makes this session unique, however, is that it will largely be directed by the participants’ individual questions. Those who sign up will receive an email a few weeks prior to the session asking for questions and topics they would most like to see covered, and facilitators will work to research and provide answers during the workshop.

I will also be offering flex training sessions on using our Schoolwires Teacher Web pages this month. The basic session will be held April 18, and the advanced session will be held April 23.

April 24 – The Engagement In-Service Day will feature eight technology integration workshops. In the staff survey following the last in-service day, teachers asked, by overwhelming margin, for more training on technology integration. We were happy to help answer this call by enlisting the help of ten expert teachers, who will present sessions with their firsthand knowledge of programs they use in their own classrooms. The technology workshops for this day will include the following exciting topics:
Blogging with Students
Then and Now: Motivating Students Through the Use of Technology
The Student-Centered Classroom: Using Video and Standards-Based Grading
Student-made Video Projects
Integrating Technology in the Classroom: Ideas for Getting Started
Look back, See Further – An Introduction to Teaching with Primary Sources
Everything You Wanted to Know About Technology… *But Were Afraid to Ask
Edmodo in the Classroom

Finally, the weekly video podcast, Tech Tip of the Week, which has been by posted every week for the past two school years by the Academic Integration Coaches, will continue every Friday in April, with exciting new ideas for integrating technology into our classrooms.

Happy April, everyone! Don’t forget to contact your Academic Integration Coach to help you get your tech on!

Until next week, be well.