EdTechTeacher Innovation Summit

Nearpod empowers teachers to facilitate lessons in a way that will spark students’ curiosity, excitement, and motivation. Teachers can share multimedia activities, receive real-time feedback, and instantly gauge student understanding. In this session, you will learn how to incorporate this powerful tool in your classroom, and leave with an interactive lesson to share with your studentstomorrow.

>> Learn more about Nearpod from Beth and Sabba

From cave walls to Facebook walls, we have always embraced visual communication. Dual coding theory of cognition reiterates the importance of visual imagery in respect to our thinking processes - that in fact we need visual language in addition to verbal or text-based coding of stimuli. With the changing media landscape, our streams, memes, and zines have exploded with imagery, ushering in a need for visual literacy skills. We are quickly moving from images as decoration and augmentation to images as sole content and communication tool. We have some false beliefs about visual language - that it is equated with “art”, requiring “talent” from “creative types” - and therefore it is unfortunately often not overtly taught and practiced in schools. Technology has affected knowledge in such a way as to diminish the value of “raw” information and increase the value of sense-making, as well as chip away at attention spans, sparking a need for distillation of complex ideas. Images can essentialize the cumbersome in beautiful ways. They have a “stickiness” for the viewer and challenge the critical thinking of the creator.

This hands-on session will explore the “Whys” of visual literacy and offer participants an opportunity to tinker and play with:
iconography and metaphorical thinking
pictograms, “Shortology”, emoji, meme stories, and gifs
graphic design, graphic facilitation, infographics and sketchnotes
photography, cinemagrams (moving photos)
icon-based annotations and marginalia
using images to leverage CVs, social media, and presentations

We’ll experiment with ways to use visual language for personal knowledge management, amplification of knowledge and creative work, critical thinking, social interaction (conversation), and other forms of creative and intellectual expression.

Trailer for workshop: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYNQ2hzbeQI

The cell phone is the most quickly adopted consumer technology in the history of the world. According to the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project, 91% of adults own a cell phone. In this interactive workshop, participants will explore the latest research on technology usage. Participants will also leave with research driven strategies and tools that empower ELL parents with invaluable information about their district (e.g., DELAC, DAC, etc.), school (e.g., SSC, ELAC, PTA, events, etc.), and classroom (e.g., homework assignments, classroom news, etc.) via cell phones/smart phones.

Come and hear how Selma Unified School District's middle school uses web-based applications to communicate with ELL parents. Also, experience first-hand how teachers use these applications to effectively reach-out to parents. By the end of the workshop, participants will learn and leave with five different free, web-based, applications that will engage and communicate with parents.

PRESENTATION LINK:  goo.gl/IzOtWl

Participants will walk out of this workshop with an arsenal of ideas to infuse technology into their writer's workshop experience. I will explain the tools with "hacks" on how to make these resources work seamlessly in the classroom. The participants will get concrete ideas on how to refresh the writer's workshop model with engaging and exciting technology. Participants will use the interactive whiteboard app Explain Everything to build student voice while making publishing very simple. They will also learn how to use multi-app approaches to publish student-writing pieces using Explain Everything. Participants will see how apps like Lego Maker Movie make stop-motion animation accessible to elementary students. They will also see how green screen brings their students stories to life while building presentation and voice building skills. We will also learn how students can code stories using the app Scratch Jr.

Presenter's Materials

Beginning a journey into digital portfolio creation can be both exciting and daunting. While there are so many benefits to the creation of digital portfolios, they don't have to be as complex as most people think! In this session, we'll examine a variety of ways that digital portfolios can be created. From simple to complex, we will explore many different ways that you can start creating a digital portfolio today!

Storytelling provides students with opportunities to construct narrative, express their ideas, and stretch their imaginations. With the Book Creator app, students of all ages can combine text, drawing, images, video, audio, and more to create and publish their own books. In this hands-on, collaborative session, you will learn how to harness the power of this app to develop student projects for any grade level.

Change the science student from passive to active by utilizing hands-on activities and iPad applications in the learning environment. Teaching science with hands-on activities improves understanding, provides greater ownership, motivation, excitement, and retention towards a student’s learning. Utilizing iPad technologies in a science class provides students with a wealth of science resources, colorful animations and visualizations in both two and three dimensional modeling, simulations, and experimental data collection applications. Utilizing this technology in a science class makes learning visual, active, resourceful, collaborative, and fun. Learn both hands-on activities and iPad applications used in teaching a chemistry class. Learn about a fifteen year evolution to the development of a fun and successful approach to learning and teaching chemistry. Hands-on activities in chemistry:  Matter and Energy  Measurement  Physical and Chemical Properties  Chemical Compounds  Chemical Reactions  Gas Properties  Solutions  Polymers iPad applications in chemistry:  Visual Periodic Tables  Physical Properties of Material  Atom, Ionic, and Molecular Modeling and Building  Chemical Reaction Simulations and Recordings  Chemistry Research and News Resources  Lab Data Collections and Simulations  Measurement Conversions and Calculations  Video Lessons  Note Taking and Presenting

Presenter's Materials 

This hands-on Innovation Lab provides participants the opportunity to apply three C’s — Creativity, Collaboration, and Communication — with Explain Everything in the service of student and teacher learning. Creativity: Learn about the design, animation, and screencast editing features of the interactive whiteboard and how they can be used in support of creative expression. Collaboration: Utilize the real-time collaboration [brand new in 2016!] of the Explain Everything Collaborative Whiteboard for next-generation group activities, brainstorming, and problem solving. Communication: Optimize content workflows and remove technical barriers so that technology truly supports, if not enhances, human relationships and the content and contexts created around them.

 

Due to the continued expansion of standardized, computer-based assessments in K-12 education, it is essential that students are proficient in their ability to read in an electronic format. Additionally, there is an increased need to expose students to informational text literacy materials that assist in their development of college and career readiness skills. This presentation will provide participants with a comprehensive overview of a unique literacy initiative that utilizes iPads in a K-12 school to provide students with access to electronic literacy resources and the use of various digital tools to enhance their learning. Recent educational research and data on electronic reading will be discussed and how this instructional literacy approach impacts student reading achievement. Participants will acquire important knowledge about the use of iPads to enhance the reading achievement levels of students who have varying skill levels. Participants will receive practical instructional strategies and ideas on how to plan and implement an electronic reading initiative in which students utilize iPads and digital tools at the elementary, middle, and high school level. During the presentation, the presenter will provide all participants with an iPad to utilize that will be pre-loaded with electronic literacy materials including e-books, e-magazines, e-newspapers, and literacy digital tools. The participants will experience the electronic reading approach through the perspective of a student and engage in hands-on activities that demonstrate how powerful the use of iPads can be when used for student learning, with a specific emphasis on literature, informational text, and the unique digital tools in several iPad apps that facilitates literacy achievement and differentiation among students of all reading levels. The presenter will facilitate a group brainstorming activity to foster collective input from session participants about their educational ideas regarding the use of iPads for student literacy purposes in K-12 schools.

Google Apps for Education and Chrome Extensions provide creative and collaborative learning opportunities for Chromebook and laptop classrooms. In this session we will explore uses of Google Drive, the Chrome Browser, and select Google Apps in ways that facilitate creative student demonstrations of learning. Participants will be introduced to valuable "Add-Ons" that extend the functionality of Google Drive, "Extensions" that boost Chrome's capabilities, as well as Google-friendly apps that facilitate a wide range of innovative possibilities. Showcased tools include Kaizena, VideoNot.es, Screencastify, Snagit, Movenote, and more. In all, this session will provide participants with a strong foundation for powerful and creative student Google integration.

Presentation Slides 

TWO GUYS AND SOME IPADS, Drew Minock and Brad Waid lead this session together:

True innovation happens when collaboration and creativity are given the opportunity to run wild! Finding many different solutions to the same problem creates outside the box thinking. Using technology with this approach breeds innovation. During this workshop we will tackle an abundance of iOS applications, and iPad accessories to get students reaching new heights. Come explore how to use technology as a tool to inspire student innovation, collaboration, and creativity!

Have you ever wanted to completely change up something in your school or classroom but don’t even know where to start? Is there a problem or need that you’ve been dying to solve but can’t think of that just-right solution? Come “hack” with us as we work together to ideate and prototype rapid solutions that you can take back with you to test on Monday. A high-speed version of the Design Thinking Process will be used, so drink a lot of coffee and come with a few ideas in mind. Will you redesign your literacy block? Hack your schedule? Revamp your classroom layout? We can’t wait to see what solutions will be hauled out from under the sticky notes and blue tape by the end of the session. Looking forward to hacking with you.

Presentation slides

Learning to code doesn't have to begin with learning a programming language. With apps like Hopscotch and Scratch Jr., learning to code becomes the by-product of creation process. In this Innovation Lab, we will explore the apps available to create digital stories using logic and animations. You will be having so much fun creating and sharing that you won't even notice you are also learning to code. Teachers looking to introduce coding into their classrooms are welcome.

Presentation Slides, Challenges, and Resources

Register in the Google Classroom for this Workshop using Code 1p1x5x.
You will need:

1. iPad


2. Installed on your iPad you will need the GoodNotes 4 and Google Drive Apps


3. Rubrics saved to your Google Drive in PDF format


4. A Stylus and wireless keyboard are optional, but helpful

21st Century Assessment Tools that Will Revolutionize Your Assessment--
As demand on teachers to differentiate instruction and provide timely and meaningful assessment for learning, teachers need to find ways to work more efficiently because we all know, first hand, that we can’t work any harder! In this hands-on workshop, participants will integrate existing or curriculum-established rubrics into GoodNotes on their iPads, simulate in-class assessments using this powerful note-taking app and then learn how to efficiently share the assessment feedback with students and parents using Google Drive. Participants must have several different rubrics in PDF format, the GoodNotes App, and Google Drive installed on their iPads to get the most out of this workshop! 

All resources will be stored in the Google Classroom noted above, however, you can access a copy of the presentation and additional teacher resources at http://hrsbstaff.ednet.ns.ca/tullochs/?page_id=371

Using student created animations in science can significantly increase student understanding of complex processes and improve their engagement. Come to this hands on session to learn the why and the how to use student created animations in your science classroom.

Presenter Materials 

What we see has a profound effect on what we learn and remember. Graphic design and photo editing used to be left to the experts, but no longer! The Canva app and website provide a simpler way to create presentations, posters, and other designs. During this hands-on session, we will combine Canva with some basic design literacy guidelines to help your students create better visual presentations that strengthen their ability to communicate what they know, think, and feel.

An iPad or laptop can be used.

Presenter's Materials 

AppSmashing, the process of fluently navigating between multiple apps in order to create an artifact as evidence of understanding, can seem like an overtly complex taks. However, even the youngest of students can AppSmash! This concept helps early learners develop technology fluency, critical thinking, and creativity. Come learn what's possible for elementary students to create when we remove all technical limitations.

>> Presentation Slides