Welcome to a new episode of Free Teacher PD:  Part 2 of Office 365 for Education, An Overview, with Letia Cooper Letia Cooper is a 1998 graduate of South Carolina State University and a 2008 graduate of Grand Canyon University with a M.Ed. in Instructional Technology. She currently works for the Beaufort County School District (South Carolina) as an Instructional Technology Specialist for grades K-12. Letia has presented at various conferences such as SC Edtech, NCTIES, SCEA Common Core,...

Welcome to a new episode of Free Teacher PD:  Part 1 of Office 365 for Education, An Overview, with Letia Cooper Would you like to have access to your Microsoft Office programs and documents from anywhere and with any device? Office 365 for Education allows you to do just that – it gives teachers and students access to the Microsoft Office Suite of programs at any time and from anywhere. And perhaps most importantly, since it is available for Windows PCs and tablets, as well as for Mac,...

Welcome to a new episode of Free Teacher PD:  Part 2 of Using QR Codes to Engage Students, with Carol Nelson. Carol Nelson describes herself as an Instructional Technologist. She teaches elementary methods courses and the Instructional Media and Technology course for pre-service teachers. In addition, Carol is the Technology Specialist at a private K-12 school. Carol received her Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Wichita State University, along with an Educational...

Welcome to a new episode of Free Teacher PD:  Part 1 of Using QR Codes to Engage Students, with Carol Nelson. Quick Response codes, or QR codes, have sometimes been referred to barcodes on steroids. These small digitized squares are used for storing encoded information into a small, two-dimensional space that can be read by Smartphones and other handheld devices, such as iPads, web cameras, or QR readers. Originally they were used in the automotive industry, but QR codes are not just for car...

Welcome to a new episode of Free Teacher PD:  Part 2 of Prevent or Defuse Bullying, Strategies for Reining in Bullying, with Susan Brooks-Young Susan Brooks-Young is an experienced educator, having spent 23 years in education as a classroom teacher (in grades pre-K to eighth) and as an administrator (an assistant principal, principal, and technology specialist). She has written hundreds of articles and several books about using instructional technology in schools. Susan is interested in the...

Welcome to a new episode of Free Teacher PD:  Part 1 of Prevent or Defuse Bullying, Strategies for Reining in Bullying, with Susan Brooks-Young. How many times have you heard a child counseled to ignore being picked on, to toughen up, or to fight back? Many adults often fail to understand the impact bullying has on a child, and some may view it as a rite of passage. Even adults who empathize with a victim tend to shift the responsibility for correcting the situation onto the victim by...

Welcome to a new episode of Free Teacher PD:  Part 2 of Facilitate a Writing Workshop Using Google Docs, with Susan Oxnevad. Susan Oxnevad is an educator, EdTech consultant and designer who is passionate about using technology as a tool for learning. Susan has been a classroom teacher and an active instructional technology facilitator in the Chicagoland area for more than two decades. She provides professional development for busy teachers via a variety of online and in-person...

Welcome to a new episode of Free Teacher PD:  Part 1 of Facilitate a Writing Workshop Using Google Docs, with Susan Oxnevad. How would you like you like to improve your students' writing skills along with their technology skills? In this podcast episode, and the one which follows, you will learn how to utilize the many features available in Google Docs to facilitate a digital writing workshop and maximize writing instruction in the 24/7 classroom. Please join me to welcome Susan Oxnevad as...

Welcome to a new episode of Free Teacher PD:  Part 2 of Improve Creativity and Critical Thinking with Problem-Based Learning, with Melissa Edwards As a teacher, gifted education specialist, instructional technologist, blogger and learning facilitator, Melissa Edwards has seen ways in which creative thinking skills can make connections for learning. She believes there is creativity in each of us and we just need to figure out the best ways to let it out! Melissa also believes that for...

Welcome to a new episode of Free Teacher PD:  Part 1 of Improve Creativity and Critical Thinking with Problem-Based Learning, with Melissa Edwards. Are you looking for ways to engage all of your students and stretch their thinking?  Would you like to cultivate their creativity and reinforce their critical thinking skills? Problem-Based Learning (PBL) is a strategy that plays to the strengths of all students, from gifted to struggling, while still providing the challenges needed for learning...

Welcome to a new episode of Free Teacher PD:  Part 2 of Teaching Reading in the Digital Age, with Jayme Linton You already know Jayme quite well, and if you don’t please check out SimpleK12’s Teacher Learning Community, or earlier episodes in this Free Teacher PD podcast series… Jayme’s a popular presenter and speaker, and… best of all, she’s a great teacher trainer. Welcome back, Jayme, and…   Let’s get learning!

Welcome to a new episode of Free Teacher PD:  Part 1 of Teaching Reading in the Digital Age, with Jayme Linton. Have you been looking for practical, user-friendly ways to inject technology into your reading instruction while digging deeper into authentic texts? In this podcast episode, and the one to follow, Jayme Linton will share new strategies, resources, and tools for integrating technology into your daily reading instruction. You will get the chance to explore a variety of Web tools...

Welcome to a new episode of Free Teacher PD:  Part 2 of iPad Apps for Special Ed, Reading, Math, Social, and Fine Motor Skills, with Melissa Mann. Melissa Mann is a special education teacher with the Madison County School System, Alabama.  She has taught both self-contained and collaborative students in grades Kindergarten through 6th grade. Melissa is dually certified in Elementary Education and Special Education. She also has a Master's in School Counseling and is a certified school...

Welcome to a new episode of Free Teacher PD:  Part 1 of iPad Apps for Special Ed, Reading, Math, Social, and Fine Motor Skills, with Melissa Mann. Are you a special education teacher with an iPad, but aren't sure what to do next?  Or maybe you been thinking about getting an iPad, but aren't sure how you might use it in your classroom. This podcast episode, and the one to follow, will explore ideas and tips for using your iPad with a whole group, small group, or an individual student. We...

Welcome to a new episode of Free Teacher PD:  Part 2 of Transforming Education with Personalized Learning and Differentiated Instruction, with Naomi Harm, Naomi Harm is best known as a 21st century educational technology literacy specialist. She welcomes every opportunity to share her expertise and best practices relating to technology-infused teaching and learning environments. Her dynamic career focus includes many cutting edge jobs which include: Intel National Senior Trainer, Google...

Welcome to a new episode of Free Teacher PD:  Part 1 of Transforming Education with Personalized Learning and Differentiated Instruction, with Naomi Harm. Would you like to be able to deliver a more personalized, relevant learning experience to each of your students? This episode and the next will showcase creative ideas, reflective practices, and various technologies that can transform your teaching. Join Naomi Harm as she shares innovative instructional strategies that will allow for...

Welcome to a new episode of Free Teacher PD:  Part 2 of Designing and Implementing Formative Assessments: It's Easier than You Think, with Dr. Jayme Linton. You will remember Jayme from episodes 6 and 7 on Google Forms and episodes 11 and 12 on Marzano’s instructional strategies.  Yes, she’s that popular around the halls of the SimpleK12 Teacher Learning Community. And, with reason… she brings tons of accolades to everything she does… but when you boil it down, Dr. Linton is just one fine...

Welcome to a new episode of Free Teacher PD:  Part 1 of Designing and Implementing Formative Assessments, It's Easier than You Think, with Jayme Linton. It seems like everyone is talking about formative assessment these days, but do you know how to design and implement formative assessments in your school or classroom? This episode and the one following will help you develop a clear understanding of what formative assessments are, how they differ from summative assessments, and what they...

Howdy do, and welcome to a new episode of Free Teacher PD:  Part 2 of Virtual Explorations and Field Trips with Google Tools. Jerry Swiatek is our presenter today, and he needs no introduction, so I won’t say another word, after this:   Take ‘er away, Mr. Swiatek!

Welcome to a new episode of Free Teacher PD:  Part 1 of Virtual Explorations and Field Trips with Google Tools, with Jerry Swiatek. While Google is widely known for its search engine, Google Docs, Google Drive, and Gmail, many of its lesser known tools can be just as useful for teachers. This and following podcast episode will cover several of the street-view products that provide a unique, up-close view of everything from art museums to the Great Barrier Reef to the White House and tons...

Welcome to a new episode of Free Teacher PD:  Part 2 of The Lowdown on Bullying, Understand and Identify Bullying, with Susan Brooks-Young. Susan Brooks-Young is an experienced educator, having spent 23 years as a classroom teacher (in grades pre-K to eighth) and as an administrator (an assistant principal, principal, and technology specialist). Susan has written hundreds of articles and several books about using instructional technology in schools. She is keenly interested in the use of...

Glad to have you with us for a new episode of Free Teacher PD:  Part 1 of The Lowdown on Bullying: Understand and Identify Bullying, with Susan Brooks-Young. Do you, like many people, think bullying consists primarily of older boys targeting younger children?If so, that isn't always the case. You see, many instances of bullying occur between children who are the same age or in the same grade level. And, while direct bullying is typically the work of boys, a lot of bullying does occur...

Welcome to a new episode of Free Teacher PD:  Part 2 of Student Projects that Promote 21st Century Skills, with Kim Munoz. Kimberly Munoz holds a special place in the hearts of all SimpleK12 staff and Teacher Learning Community members, as she was one of the first presenters in our webinar series when we started the Community in 2011. In fact, Kim holds the record, or is close to it, for the number of live webinar sessions she’s done. Aside from SimpleK12, Kim has another life. She is an...

Welcome to a new episode of Free Teacher PD:  Part 1 of Student Projects that Promote 21st Century Skills, with Kim Munoz. Do your class projects help your students develop 21st century skills? You've likely heard of "21st century skills," but maybe you aren't sure exactly what they are or how best to promote them. Join Kim Munoz as she defines 21st century skills, and then shares several student projects that foster some of the 21st century skills our students need to cultivate. She will...