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June 29, 2015
Thinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers®
ISTE is officially here. If you are in Philadelphia, be sure to stop by the Source For Learning Booth #1512 in the exhibit hall or visit one of our sessions listed below. If you cannot afford a trip to Philadelphia, we can help! We will be sharing an OK2Ask® On Demand webcast from ISTE. Plan to watch and listen to teachers as they share their fabulous ISTE discoveries. It is almost like being there—without the airfare. Mark your calendars now! The OK2Ask On Demand link will be front and center on the TeachersFirst home page after the conference.
If you are going, plan to meet up with us there. Why not attend one of the sessions, listed below. Be sure to stop by our booth in the exhibit hall #1512. You might just earn a free t-shirt!
Tablets: 1...2...3...Go! (Room: WH210)
Monday, June 29, 8:30 - 11:30 am
Explore and Create: Workshop
Ruth Okoye, Karen StreeterResources to Make Your Gifted Classroom Sizzle (Room: B220)
Monday, June 29, 12:45 - 1:45 pm
Explore and Create: BYOD
Kevin Bower, Melissa HenningEd Tech Coaches: Meet the Magicians (Room: PCC 201BC)
Monday, June 29, 5:30 - 6:45 pm
Engage and Connect: Birds-of-a-feather
Ruth Okoye, Lynne Horiuchi, Melissa Henning, Vivian PoutakoglouEd Tech Coaches Playground: Cast a Spell for Learning! (Room: PCC Level 3 Overlook)
Tuesday, June 30, 9:30 am - 1:00 pm
Explore and Create: Playground
Ruth Okoye, Lynne Horiuchi, Melissa HenningTen Digital Tools for Common Core Elementary English Language Arts (Room: PCC Level 3 Overlook; Station 6)
Tuesday, June 30, 9:30 am - 10:30 am
Explore and Create: Playground
Gretchen StingTop Free Tools to Differentiate, Communicate, Assess and Organize BYOT Classrooms (Room: B307)
Tuesday, June 30, 10:45 - 11:45 am
Explore and Create: BYOD
Kevin Bower, Louise Maine, Melissa HenningInstructional Technology Coaches: Franchising to Support Academic Achievement (Room: PCC Broad Street Atrium, Table 37)
Tuesday, June 30, 4:00 - 6:00 pm
Participate and Share: Poster
Ruth Okoye, Karen StreeterFocusing on Science Inquiry With Flipping, Differentiation and Common Core (Room: PCC Broad Street Atrium, Table 21)
Wednesday, July 1, 8:00 - 10:00 am
Participate and Share: Poster
Louise Maine
OK2Ask Summer 2015 - Register Today
Summer OK2Ask sessions resume in early July and will be held on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays for five weeks. All regular summer sessions begin at 6pm EDT. OK2Ask® is a series of free, online sessions for self-directed professional development. Learn more about OK2Ask. Registration is now open for all summer sessions.
VSTE
The Source for Learning and TeachersFirst are happy to partner with the Virginia Society for Technology in Education (VSTE) at their Digital Age Learning Day on July 22nd. If you live in Virginia and would like to know more about this event, you can learn about the mini-conference at this link. Stop by our kiosk while at the conference and you’ll be entered in a special drawing.
Teaching about TeachersFirst?
Summer is PD season. If you feature TeachersFirst in teacher professional development workshops, teach a grad class about us, or coach teachers about TeachersFirst in your role as a technology integration specialist, we can help. Complete this form telling us where you plan to feature TeachersFirst. We will send out TeachersFirst cards and an ever-popular Thinking Teacher T-Shirt for qualifying sessions. Compete the form NOW to be sure supplies do not run out.
Summer Calendar
It is almost time to celebrate Independence Day/July 4. Turn to the TeachersFirst Classroom Planning Calendar during the summer months and throughout the entire year.
What is Your Pick?
What is one gift that you would like to give your students this summer? Would you like your students to be able to have a chance to travel? Maybe you just wish they would have an adult available who cares. Possibly the greatest gift would be extra school help to stay fresh. This week’s Teacher Poll asks: What is one gift that you would like to give your students this summer? Place your vote on the teacher poll on the TeachersFirst home page.
Summer Sparklers for Students
Some schools may already be finished for the year; others have a few weeks to go. If you are preparing for a late June departure, NOW is the time to share the TeachersFirst Summer Sparklers with parents and students. Prevent “summer slide” while inspiring creativity (and learning) with this handpicked collection of creative tools, clever sites, individualized challenges, and interactives for all ages. Put the link on your summer learning web page and share it in your monthly e-newsletter. Parents will appreciate it!
How to Stay Cool
July is almost here and it will probably be a hot one! How will you stay cool: the air-conditioner, a pool, a creek, the ocean, or something else? The XW1W question for the week of June 28: How will you stay cool during the heat of the summer?
Make this the year you make a class Twitter account to learn from classes near and far. Your students can hear about life in other places and cultures through #XW1W. TeachersFirst’s Across the World Once a Week (#xw1w) project uses simple tweets (or links to blog posts) to share the responses to a weekly question. Help your class “see” what life is like in other places. It all works because of something called a hashtag. Learn how to get started with these simple directions and FAQ.
Featured Sites
This week in our Featured Sites find writing, digital citizenship, and more:
- Riddle
- Blooming with Bloomz
- Visit Mount Vernon
- Create a Skyenimals
- History of Disabilities
- Writing Navigator
- Google Photos
- Quizzes or Polls for any Device
- And more
IMPORTANT NOTE: If you are reading this July 5 or later, the link above will take you to the Featured Sites for the current week. Find the archived June 28 Features here, and don’t miss our many other recent additions from the link at the bottom of the Featured Sites page.
Don’t forget; if you are at ISTE 2015 (in Philadelphia) be sure to stop by the Source For Learning Booth #1512. We look forward to meeting many new people and seeing some familiar faces.
The TeachersFirst Team