Idaho State University - Professional Development Courses

Team,

Previously, I used to recommend University X [name omitted] for Professional Development Courses. I no longer recommend that institution.

Instead, I would point you here:

If you are missing a few units to bump a column in your salary, consider some of these classes. And, confirm with your HR department that these will be accepted by your employer before you begin.

Shout out to Taryn Graham who pointed me here. Thanks for recommending them.

Kindly,
Melissa Culver

Teacher Feedback, Collaborative Assignments, and Google Fonts – Week 32

CN Area Elementary Teaching Team:

Week 32 (April 19 - 23)

Weekly Giggles:               I was just reminiscing about the beautiful herb garden I had when I was a child.
                                             Good thymes!

Previous emails can be found on the blog: LINK HERE. Content from the last four years can be found there (pedagogy, teaching strategies, tech support, lesson tools). Use the Search this Blog tool on the right side to search for keywords.

Zoom Updates. About every 6-10 days Zoom has new updates. Zoom will not prompt you to update. Feel free to USE THIS VIDEO to check out how to update that software. And, feel free to update every Friday (or any day of the week). Make sure you have access to the best Zoom experience possible.

Revolutionize Teacher Feedback. Are you apprehensive to share valuable feedback with students because it takes too much time? Wouldn’t it be great to type four letters to make 4 sentences appear? That magic wand is here. Prokeys makes that possible. HERE it is in action. Watch how she can save hours on the feedback process each week. Yes, each week. VIDEO LINK

Did this rock your world? Tell someone in your grade level. Share the love.

Image capture from video tutorial.

Collaborative Google Projects. Are you apprehensive to have students work together on one project? Do you feel like eating up that many minutes on the scaffolding to achieve that end goal is impossible? Have no fear. A better solution is here!!

In Google Classroom, you can set that up. Repeat the same assignment, but only for 3-5 kids at a time. You determine who is in each collaborative task. Give that task to just those students. Now, you don’t have to spend valuable teaching minutes explaining how to share those files. You did that before they even arrived.

Here’s how to make that happen: VIDEO LINK.

Google Fonts. If you are like me and you care about fonts (newsletter, website, parent communication, school-wide communication, yearbook, sports, etc.), then this may be a tool you will appreciate. There are more fonts than you thought were possible in Google. And, you can find them here: VIDEO LINK. In addition to that, Google has a great tool that helps you pair fonts well. What two fonts work well together? Test that out. Save time.

Head to fonts.google.com to locate great fonts or pairings.

Questions. Reach out with questions, please. I can am here to support you as you provide rich instruction to your students. I can either make a video for you or a video for them. Invite me into your classroom; I can teach that lesson for you or with you. Maybe I have a few extra strategies to enrich what you are already doing. Or, hey! I can even learn from you.

YouTube. A few new videos hit YouTube recently. Head here to find that content.

Kindly,
Melissa Culver

Ink to Math, Whiteboard.chat, Picture in Picture, and Professional Development – Week 28

CN Area Elementary Teaching Team:

Week 28 (March 15 - 19)

Weekly Giggles:               Why did the teacher wear sunglasses in class?
                                             The students were so bright.

Ink to Math. Microsoft Word has this dandy tool that will convert your handwritten markings to mathematical equations easily. If this fits your learners well, feel free to use this in your Math instruction. Check out THIS VIDEO to see this in action.

Picture in Picture. In a previous post, I shared with you how you can utilize the picture-in-picture feature. Well, it’s even easier. Simply right-click on any YouTube video twice. You will then see this white menu. From this menu, select Picture in picture. Bam! The video will show up in a smaller form right there on your screen. Drag it where you wish. Resize it as you please. In Zoom: show the how-to video and the final product at the same time in Math. Show the before, during, and after in the science lab along with the live notes. Reading a narrative? Have that ambiance in the background while you read the text to the children. They see your face and the video at the same time.

Place the video anywhere on the screen at a size that works for you (See ocean image below.).

Whiteboard.chat. Do you want to see live math notes in class from your students in real time? There are a few online options for this. Pear Deck is really lovely. But, whiteboard.chat may work for you as well. Not only can you share your ideas live, you can also showcase student work to the entire group. And, you can see what students are doing on their “whiteboards.” I recommend this for touchscreen devices, but students can still use this if their device does not have a touchscreen.  Feedback drives instruction. In my opinion, is a good feedback tool.

Scan all boards for participation and comprehension:

You are notified when a child raises a hand.

You can scoot over to a child’s digital whiteboard and provide immediate feedback:

Image captures from whiteboard.chat.

Professional Development. Here are the trainings you have been waiting for. Please email me if you would like a topic added to the list of future presentations. We want to make sure that you have access to current tools that help you in your craft of reaching students. VIDEO LINK

       Adobe Spark
       EdPuzzle
       Keys to Successful Grant Writing
       TeacherMade – Intro to Creating Interactive PDFs
       The complete list can be found HERE.

Kindly,
Melissa Culver

[Tech Highlights] Chrome Browser, Professional Development, Pear Deck, and Easy Math Notes – Week 26

CN Area Elementary Teaching Team:

Week 26 (March 1-5)

Weekly Giggles:               Why did the cookie go to the doctor?
                                           It felt crummy.

YouTube. Four new videos released to my YouTube channel recently. A teacher reached out and asked for support with research in the classroom. We are all adapting our teaching practices to backfill gaps from last year. Sometimes we find that we are supporting ideas that we have not had to teach for some time. So, how do you escort fourth graders through internet research without all of that prior knowledge? There are three videos in the series. The last video is designed to revolutionize your work flow for sharing math notes. Click. Click. Bam!
     1) Intro to Online Research. What are some guiding principles students (grades 3-6) need to know when they research online?
     2) Citations for grades 3 – 6. You set the expectations for your room, but here are some ideas to consider.
     3) BibItNow! Chrome Extension. Need a quick way to cite research? This is available to our students. And, it’s available to you as well. See if this tool works for your team.
     4) I explain the fourth video down below in the iReady Math + PowerPoint + Google Classroom section.

Chrome Browser (grades 3-6). If any of your families do not have Chrome on their personal devices, they will need this for state testing. HERE is a resource you can share with families if they need help.

Professional Development. Remember to sign up for this session if you are interested. Consider this the bare basics. A general overview. I won’t answer all your questions, but you will see that it’s more accessible than you think once done.

This opportunity is no longer available.  The link is not provided here on the blog.

Here are the trainings you have been waiting for:
       Adobe Spark
       EdPuzzle
       Keys to Successful Grant Writing
       TeacherMade – Intro to Creating Interactive PDFs
       The complete list can be found HERE.

Pear Deck. We are used to interacting with our students during a lesson to ascertain if they understand the content or not. In a completely digital environment, that can be complicated. Children are fearful about sharing their ideas in a semi-public way. If you aren’t familiar with Pear Deck, it offers instant feedback options. You can see how your students are doing in real time. NearPod is a similar product; I tend to recommend Pear Deck as it is cheaper.

Feedback is an essential pedagogical tool that provides vital information to shape instruction. Feedback lets you determine if you can speed up or slow down your lesson or your pacing structure. Feedback lets you know who understood the lesson and who did not. Feedback guides your small group re-teaching. These are vital instruments that help us ensure that each child has access to the tools they need to succeed.

Please let me know if you need help with this.

Image credits: Pear Deck website.

Math Teaching Slides [iReady + PowerPoint + Google Classroom]. For any of our teachers who have joined us mid-way into this year or last, please know that Ready Math offers teaching slides for each lesson. Do not stay up late into the night making those teaching slides on your own. Download that content and go. Edit, modify, and draw on those slides as you see fit. Your computer may even come with a stylus (check the right side of your computer). Not all of our devices have an on-board stylus. Need one? See if your site has CARES money to supply a tool like that. Amazon has them for $8-13 dollars. Walmart, Best Buy, and Office Depot might even have some in stock.

Here’s an added bonus: you can share those live notes with your students easily. The Share button in Microsoft PowerPoint makes that easy. This video shows you how to do that. I can co-teach with you one day; book a slot on my calendar, and I can model how this works. VIDEO LINK

Kindly,
Melissa Culver

Professional Development, Mars Rover, Robots, Virtual Reality, Blob Opera and QR Page Share – Week 25

CN Area Elementary Teaching Team:

Week 25 (February 22 - 26)

Weekly Giggles:               What did the Dalmatian say after lunch?
                                          That hit the spot!

Professional Development. Feel free to sign up for upcoming professional development. See classes below. And, if you missed any sessions this year, see the links below to watch that video content. If you want training that has not been offered yet, please email me. I can ask our team to host a session for all teachers. You probably are not the only one with that question.

These sessions are no longer available. They are not posted here to the blog.

Here are the trainings you have been waiting for:
       Adobe Spark
       EdPuzzle
       Keys to Successful Grant Writing
       The complete list can be found HERE.

Mars Rover. The mission was successful. We have landed! If you missed out on the live video feed of the Mars Rover Landing, that’s okay. You can still view the content HERE. For a list of resources to use in the classroom, check out the STEM Classroom document (under construction and growing) LINK HERE. I have added the resources there for future reference.

Image capture from THIS VIDEO.

Robots. We have programmable robots that can be transported to your site. With permission, you may be able to use the cafeteria and use that space for learning. Painters tape and mission objectives can form that teaching plan. If you need/want help or support with this, please let me know. I would love to support STEM-rich learning in your classroom with you. I can teach the lessons. I can set it up. I can transport those materials. Personally, I like the idea of one site having those materials for a few weeks so there is less transportation involved. Reach out. Email me.

Virtual Reality (grades 4-6). No field trips this year? No worries. Take your kids on a virtual field trip. Right now, Riverview is using these materials for a few weeks. If you want the headsets transported to your site, please let me know. We can get them to your site for a few weeks. I will transport them. I will set them up. I can train you how to use them. For the Riverview site, kids come to the Tech Lab with social distancing in place. We sanitize the materials after each use. There are about 1,000 learning opportunities available in these headsets. And, there are three videos. You don’t have to prepare teaching notes. The cue cards are built in. Read, click, ask questions, explore the environment, then move to the next scene. I’m afraid to post this here; I’m not sure if too many people will ask for the headsets. Let’s see how this goes. If your site is interested, please email me; we can try to set up a calendar for your team. If needed, I can ask my admin team if I can shuffle my schedule to maximize training. Again, email me.

Why grades 4-6 only? The headsets will only shrink down to a certain size. The tiny heads of our smaller students cannot support the size or weight of the headsets. They are even too large for some of our fourth-grade students.

Blob Opera and QR Enabled Page Share. This new gray box that appears on some webpages gives you immediate access to a QR code. If your phone supports QR codes (it’s the simplicity of opening the camera or you have downloaded an app because your phone is older), then voila! You can instantly transfer that information to your phone. Or, copy that QR code and share in a newsletter or put it on a poster.  And, the Blob Opera is fun, in my opinion. Tap the Christmas tree in the bottom-right corner to add Santa hats, snow, and some pre-loaded songs into the app/webpage. Here’s THE LINK to the Blob Opera.

Kindly,
Melissa Culver

[Tech Highlights] State Testing and STEM Integration – Week 24

CN Area Elementary Teaching Team:

Week 24 (February 15 - 19)

Weekly Giggles:               What musical instrument is found in the bathroom?
                                          A tuba toothpaste.

ELPAC & State Assessment. For children who have personal devices, families will need to head here in order to download the Secure Browser in order to test. Feel free to share this with parents in your weekly newsletters. Again, this is for personal devices only. For personal Chromebooks…this will not work. Children would need to use a CUSD device if they have a personal Chromebook.

(Image credit: link above.)

State Student ID. We cannot email State ID information to students. Here is a video that helps families discover their child’s SSID. VIDEO LINK

STEM Integration. Want to bring more STEM into your classroom? HERE’s A LINK to a growing document where I drop in artifacts. Feel free to use this video content or text-rich content for classroom purposes. You can use this in math, engineering, science, computer programming, art, creative writing, opinion writing, or reading. Explore vocabulary, writing strategies, and communication strategies using these items. When possible, I try to make kid-friendly versions of the original links so it’s easier to share in Google Classroom—and so the language is easier to explore from a child’s perspective.

3D Printed Houses. It sounds like a Si-Fi movie, right? Nope. It’s for real. In New York, there is a house for sale that was constructed using a 3D Printer. Real house. Cement walls. VIDEO LINK HERE. Any budding engineers in your room? This would be a great journal topic, classroom discussion, or quick write. Or tun it into a math discussion: perimeter, size, estimate, time, area, cost per square foot.

Image credit here.

Kindly,
Melissa Culver

Gift Cards and Six Great Learning Tools – Week 23

CN Area Elementary Teaching Team:

Week 23 (February 9 - 12)

Weekly Giggles:               Two pickles fell out of the jar onto the floor. What did one say to the other?
                                             Dill with it.

Feedback. Team, please feel free to provide me with guiding feedback to shape how I serve you. How can I do better? Where am I missing the mark? TWO winners will be selected. Take a few minutes please. Tick some boxes, write a few sentences. It’s quick. The deadline is Friday, February 12 @ 2:45 pm. Link housed in email only.

Hour of Code. Heather Rice! Congratulations. Wahoooo!!! Enjoy that Amazon gift card. Thank you for introducing your first grade students to Hour of Code. They did a great job. And, they loved it. Feel free to use that Teacher Dashboard to monitor progress all year long.

New & Different. Are some of your technology tools feeling stale? The same thing again and again? Are you looking for something different? Maybe you have used these before but you forgot about them. See if any of these are helpful.

Legends of Learning. Fugman has shared over 3,800 questions with their site with a strong accuracy rate. These teachers used Physical Science and Earth Science standards in their game-rich learning experiences. This tool is free for this school year. It’s gamified learning with Math and Science standards built in. If you need help getting started or figuring this out, please let me know I am here to help you.

Flipgrid. This video-rich learning tool is great for the classroom. My own children are submitting their science and engineering homework using this tool. Rube Goldberg machine, Paper Roller Coaster, and Simple Machine. Are students designing things at home? Building Native American structures with spaghetti noodles? How do those oral presentations work? Use Flipgrid. What about a biographical sketch of Amerigo Vespucci? Use Flipgrid. How about Student Counsel announcements? Flipgrid. What about staff challenges? You can engage the team with fun challenges. Send them to Flipgirid. Build community. Need more ideas? Head HERE.

Image credits: HERE.

EdPuzzle. Did you miss that EdPuzzle PD? It’s up on the CI&A website. You can find it HERE. Middle School and High School teachers use this a lot. They record their lecture, then distribute it for homework. The students watch the lecture for homework and then receive in-class instruction for any additional help they need. Don’t have video skills? No worries. You can grab online content and share that out. What’s more amazing? You know who watched it, and you know if they understood it with the embedded questions.

Adobe Spark. Need art on your wall from students, and you want to hit learning standards at the same time? Here you go. The Adobe Spark presentation is also on the CI&A website. You can find that direct video link HERE. Students can explore idioms, celestial bodies (planets), habitat, heredity, parts of speech, westward expansion, math vocabulary, Positivity Project, Newton’s Laws of Motion, and more using this free art tool. Schedule a teaching session with me if you would like me to help. I can teach in-class sessions or I can teach Zoom sessions. Use the calendar link below (email only).

Freckle. Do you need supplemental tools for ELA or Math? Freckle is a great learning tool that can support academic gaps, spiral review, on-target practice, and advanced learning for students who have met recent standards. It is adaptive in nature and will target gaps for each learner. Additionally, it has teaching videos that support students who are struggling with a concept. I am here to support you. Please reach out and let me know if you need help with this. (Image credits here.)

No Red Ink. I try to avoid price-oriented teaching tools; most of what I bring is free. No Red Ink will come with a fee at some point, but you can sign up for free. This extraordinary resource can revolutionize the way you grade papers. Peer feedback is wildly simple. Students get writing support easily. Assessments and teaching tools are built in. Dashboard data stores writing gaps for you so you can plan instruction to meet those needs. Curious? Click here to find out more. (Image credits here.)

Kindly,
Melissa Culver

Gift Cards, SBAC Prep, Zoom & Sharing Screen, Digital Valentines, and PD – Week 22

CN Area Elementary Teaching Team:

Week 22 (February 1 - 5)

Weekly Giggles:               What do you call young love in an aquarium?
                                             Guppy love.

Hour of Code. Did you code with your students the last few weeks? If so, let me KNOW HERE. I’ll give away one $25 Amazon gift card to ONE lucky winner. Form closes on Friday, February 5, at 2:45 pm. Did everyone in your PLC code? Encourage a colleague to try it. These jobs are in high demand. As we encourage students to try things at an early age, it provides them ample room to explore things like this as they navigate their future trajectory.

Feedback. Team, I have not asked you for a survey about me in some time. The last thing you want to do is fill out a survey. Here’s the great thing: gift cards. TWO winners will be selected. Take a few minutes please. Tick some boxes, write a few sentences. It’s quick. Deadline is Friday, February 12 @ 2:45 pm.  Use the LINK HERE to share that feedback.

SBAC. HERE is the Practice Testing Portal for the end-of-year assessment. I highly recommend that you scaffold these tools and strategies with the students. I don’t believe in over testing. I do believe in training. Secondly, I have two videos that model how these buttons work. Please reach out and ask for help if you need more support with this.
MATH VIDEO
ELA VIDEO

Zoom. Do you struggle in Zoom with your first graders? Do you wish you could see what they see? They can share their screens with you.  And, if they don’t know how to stop sharing, you can take that away from them easily. In that shared screen area, you can draw on the screen to show them exactly what you are talking about. Aren’t sure how to do this? Book a session with me and I can model this for you. Here’s a PowerPoint with some teaching slides—some for you and a few for them. LINK HERE

Digital Valentines. Google Drawing is one option for digital valentines. You can construct an assignment in Google Classroom.  Then when done, share that folder with your students. This video is a teacher overview, it’s not really a teaching video. LINK HERE It’s not the only option out there, but it would work.

Professional Development Opportunities. See links below to sign up for these trainings.

Key Strategies for Successful Grant Writing Click this link to sign up! Thursday, February 11, 2021 3:15 PM – 4:15 PM PST Presenter – Melissa Culver Click sign up link to learn more Reservations end 2/9 @ Noon

Intro to TeacherMade – Convert Paper to Digital Activities Click this link to sign up! Tuesday, February 25, 2021 3:15 PM – 4:15 PM PST Presenter – Erin Roberts Click sign up link to learn more Reservations end 2/23 @ Noon

3D Printing in K-8: Just the Basics Click this link to sign up! Thursday, March 4, 2021 3:15 PM – 4:15 PM PST Presenter – Melissa Culver Click sign up link to learn more Reservations end 3/2 @ Noon

*Links removed from blog. Available in email.

Kindly,
Melissa Culver

Gift Cards, Professional Development, Student Computers, Minecraft for Teachers, and YouTube – Week 21

CN Area Elementary Teaching Team:

Week 21 (January 25 – 29)

Weekly Giggles:               What has ears but cannot hear?
                                            A cornfield.

Digital Citizenship. If you are not done yet, please reach out if you need support.  I am here to help you.

Feedback. Team, I have not asked you for a survey about me in some time. The last thing you want to do is fill out a survey. Here’s the great thing: gift cards. TWO winners will be selected. Take a few minutes please. Tick some boxes, write a few sentences. It’s quick. Deadline is Friday, February 12 @ 2:45 pm.  Use the LINK HERE to share that feedback.

Hour of Code. Did you code with your students the last few weeks? If so, let me KNOW HERE. I’ll give away one $25 Amazon gift card to ONE lucky winner. Form closes on Friday, February 5, at 2:45 pm. Did everyone in your PLC code? Encourage a colleague to try it. These jobs are in high demand. As we encourage students to try things at an early age, it provides them ample room to explore things like this as they navigate their future trajectory.

Student Computers. Do your students tell you that things are going haywire on their end? Software isn’t working? Connectivity issues? Here are a few good reminders for everyone:

     1) Restart your computer each week. This will allow for software updates.
     2) Clear the cache. Head to Advanced. Be sure that you select All Time. Do this at least once per month.
     3) On a personal computer, make sure that Google Chrome is up to date. If not, be sure to update that software.
     4) On a personal computer, make sure that Zoom is up to date. If not, be sure to update that software.

Professional Development. When live professional development is finished, Sherri Johnston adds it to the CI&A Online Learning Resources page. You can find that link HERE. Please use the Technology drop-down menu to find the topic/s that interest you. If you find something you like, feel free to share it with a colleague. The Adobe Spark session will load by Friday (from Tuesday). In February, I will host a training on Grant Writing Strategies. In March, I will host a session on 3D Print Technology in the K-6 Environment. If you would like me to present a topic (in these district-wide trainings), please let me know. I can add more topics in the coming months.

YouTube. Most of my recent content has been focused on 3D Printing and Design Engineering. As I teach GATE students about 3D Printing and as I print some of their designs, I have no textbook. Therefore, I design that content for them. If you are interested in learning about 3D printing, or if you have bored students, (or if you want your own children to learn about 3D printing), feel free to use or share this content with them. LINK HERE

Tax Documents. If you plan to download your tax documents. The link to head to the Employee Portal is HERE (on the CUSD website under Employee Quicklinks). Your employee ID is your username. You’re in charge of the password. Email HR if you need help.

Kindly,
Melissa Culver