Abbey, Jamie, Matt

Professional Development Agenda

Teacher Professional Development

Technology in the Classroom
July 9, 2018
Agenda

Monday, July 9th

9:00 – 9:30 Sign in, Morning Meeting and Introductions

9:30 – 10:15 Connection between Literacy and technology

10:15 - 11:15 How to get tech for the classroom

11:00 – 12:00 Tech tools + social media & Helpful apps/websites

12:00 – 1:00 Lunch

1:00 – 2:00 Case studies/Scenarios in certain grade levels

2:00 - 3:00 Grade levels meet: k-2, 3-5, 6-12 to discuss first steps on implementing technology
 Abbey, Jamie, Matt

(HAND OUT FOR TEACHERS)

How to get technology for the classroom:
Do not use your hard earned money!

Listed is the website and summary of what the program has to offer

Donorschoose.org - Teachers create a website using certain vendors to make a wish list. Donors
can choose to fund until reaching the goal amount.

Computersforlearning.org - Transfers and facilitates computers from government agencies

and the private sector to schools and educational nonprofits.

Crc.org - The Computers Recycling Program collects used computers and refurbishes them.
Computers and Education program sends them to teachers, schools, community programs,
foster kids and disabled elderly through city and county agencies.

Digitalwish.com/dw/digitalwish/grants - Teachers that submit a lesson plan are

automatically entered to win one of the 50 technology grants.

Grants.gov/search/basic.do - Search and apply for federal grants. Search by keyword

Grantwatch.com - Characterized by type; this website posts federal, state, city, local and
foundation grants on this one site.
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How To Get Tech (Facilitator Guide)

Objective: Teachers Will Be Able To: Set Up a DonorsChoose.org Page and Request Materials
Materials Needed: Laptops with webcam, presentation projector/laptop
Pre-Session: Need to set up your own Donorschoose.org page (if not completed already)

Facilitator: Welcome! During this block we will be setting up our own personal Donorschoose.org websites and
begin the process of requesting materials. How many of you have heard of DonorsChoose.org before? (pause)
Great! For those of you who have had success, I’m going to rely on you guys to help those of us who are new to
this! Would anyone like to share a positive donorschoose.org experience? (pause) (After teacher shares experience)
Awesome! It is always good to get free resources, right?

Facilitator: With your laptop in front of you, go ahead and access the internet and go to Donorschoose.org. Does
anyone know why we are specifically targeting Donorschoose.org? (pause). (Possible responses: size, ability to
share on social media like Facebook, ease of use, matching funds programs.) Yes, all of these are great reasons why
we have picked this website specifically. Before you jump in and start clicking around, let’s jump to my specific
page. There are two ways of doing this. I can give you direct access through a website address (URL), or, we can
search me out using the search bar. One nice thing about donorschoose.org is that you can see what other local
educators as well as educators across the country are asking for.

Facilitator: Now that you have found my page, let’s take a look at the components of a page. Your page will have a
little bit about your school which you have typed in. It will display your name, your picture, the school you currently
teach at, as well as any past projects that have been funded. (If you do not have a past funded project, consider
partnering with a teacher who has). Any questions so far? (pause)

Facilitator: Great, now let’s get started on creating your own personal profile. When you go to donorschoose.org,
you can click in the top right hand corner the words that say, “sign in”. A pop up box should show up. (Complete
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these steps on the projector to allow teachers to follow along). At the bottom of the box are the words, “create an
account” in blue. Click here. We will complete these six steps together. 1. Read and agree to the user agreement. 2.
Find our school. 3. Enter teaching details. 4. Enter contact information. 5. Review and 6. Take a brief tutorial. As we
click through, if you have any questions, go ahead and raise your hand.

At this point, walk through the six steps as though you were setting up your own donors choose account. Have
teachers upload a photo of themselves using the built in webcam on the laptops. Once the six steps are completed,
teachers have successfully created a Donorschoose.org personal website! Remind teachers that they may want to use
an e-mail other than their district e-mail address. If a teacher moves to a different district and no longer has access to
the original email address, it would be difficult to get project updates and e-mails.

Facilitator: Excellent work everyone! Now that we all have our own personal donorschoose.org websites, we will
practice creating a request for materials. Don’t worry, it won’t go live until we hit the button to officially publish.
But we want you to have an idea of the things that you can and cannot request. There is also a time limit to how long
your project will be posted before being taken down. But you won’t lose any money donated to you! You just have
to create another project and the money will be applied to your new endeavor.

Facilitator: Now that you’re signed in, go to the main page. In the top right corner you see your name and picture.
Click on your name. Scroll to the word “projects” and click. It will take you to your project page. Use the giang
“plus sign” above the words “create a project” to start the process! You will most likely choose a “standard” project
because that is something that involves the students directly. Now, let’s pause and take a look at some examples of
projects that have been submitted. Above the green “Let’s Go” bar is in blue writing, “View some A+ Projects”.
This is a list of projects that have been funded, what they asked for, and how they described their projects to
potential donors. You will create a write up of what you are requesting and why. But don’t worry! DonorChoose is
super easy to navigate and I will be here if you have any questions.

Briefly explore the A+ examples.

Facilitator: Does anyone have any questions? (pause) Great. One of the things that we love about DonorsChoose is
that sometimes there are campaigns that will match funds, which get your project funded in half the time! The other
button to the right of “View some A+ Projects” is “Find Match Offers”. This page will list any additional money
you could find and what you must do to qualify. As we are just beginning out, DonorsChoose works on a point
system. You use points by submitting projects, then regain points as you fulfil requirements - such as thank-you
letters, or posting project updates. The DonorsChoose system will help remind you of all of these important dates.
Now, we will go through and create a project so you can see what it looks like to do so.

Click on the “Let’s Go” green bar and follow the instructions. It will ask you to tell about the age of the students
(grade) and the number of students this project will impact. It will also ask you to describe the students in the class
and have a class photo (REMEMBER! You must have parental permission to post faces of students - and
DonorsChoose.org has a parental release you keep for a year!)

Facilitator: Now, once we have filled in this information, we will begin looking for the items that we are
requesting. The list of websites that follows has places such as AmazonBusiness, BestBuy Education, CDW, Dick’s
Sporting Goods, Lakeshore, Lego Education, etc. As we are starting out, we use these websites to find what we are
requesting and then it is automatically imported into our project. After finding what we need, we “Transfer Cart”
and it is taken back to Donorschoose.org. Now it will ask us a few more questions. Once we have filled out the
necessary information, we are done! CONGRATULATIONS! You have just completed your first
DonorsChoose.org request. Now you are ready to share this information with friends, family, loved ones, and
Facebook to find donors to help you receive the materials you have requested.
 Abbey, Jamie, Matt

Facilitator: Don’t forget! You need to watch your e-mail for anything from DonorsChoose.org. They will keep you
updated on any tasks...as well as if anything is incomplete or missing. Are there any questions? (pause) Excellent!
Now go out there and get tech for your classroom!

Social Media and the classroom (Facilitator Guide)

Objective: Teachers Will Be Able To: use social media as a teaching tool and use digital tools to promote
new literacies.
Materials Needed: Laptops with webcam, presentation projector/laptop

Social Media and the classroom:

Free resources everywhere! Social Media has an important role in the classroom and also daily life. Social
Media can be used as a resource and teaching tool in a variety of ways. Here are a few ways to use social
media in your classroom.

1) Reporting Live!
- This is a great way to introduce informational essays. Students can use social media to research
important events that journalists cover. One way to do this in the classroom is to utilize the
hashtag (#). Students can use the hashtag to find trending news events and update themselves on
current issues. Twitter is a great app for finding trending hashtags (#).
- Journalists write feature stories, go on newsbeats and report impartially on recent events. Students
can practice writing facts and use the journalist mindset to leave opinion out of what they are
writing.
- Broadcast journalism is a great way to incorporate social media. After students have researched a
news topic using the hastag (#), written a report, now they can use social media to record and
upload their own feature story online.

2) QR Code
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- Using QR Codes are a great way to capture student interest. QR Codes can be used in any grade
level, with any school subject. QR Codes can make for interesting literacy scavenger hunts and
also gives students a chance to use new technology with their current devices.
- Creating a QR code can be done in a few simple steps. Teachers can go online to
https://offers.hubspot.com/how-to-use-qr-codes?hubs_post-
cta=author&_ga=2.147268151.1442728834.1530075840-2094070006.1530075840 (this site
offers a free e-book to create, design and use QR Codes.
- Steps to Creating a QR Code:
1)Select a QR code generator.
2)Choose the type of content you're promoting. (Literacy, Social Studies)
3)Enter your data in the form that appears.
4)Consider downloading a dynamic QR code.
5)Customize it.
6)Test the QR code to make sure it scans.
7)Track and analyze performance.
- After the QR Code is created, it can be scanned by anyone using the QR Reader App. Students
can now scan the code and read what it brings up.

3) Digital Drama (Writing Scripts, finding already written scripts, acting out, using social media to create
a movie)
- Theatre and Drama can be used digitally when working with students. By fusing drama and technology
together, students can be easily engaged in literacy.
-2D Video Projection Technology allows for students to use technology to capture moments in literacy.
For example, if you read a class novel and now wanted to create a movie/play about the novel, video
production is a great way to capture literature on film.
- Students can also write their own scripts, or use technology to find scripts online.
- Readers Theatre is a great way to build literacy. Students can use websites like
http://www.busyteacherscafe.com/literacy/readers_theater.html to help find scripts.
- The app Shakespear Pro allows for students to find a glossary of unknown words, sonnets, poems and
scene breakdowns
-Voice Coach is an app that has a personal trainer who coaches your voice for any part. Students can
utilize this app when researching different accents and dialects and also if they create a song.
-Grammarly is an app that checks grammar and spelling. This is a great tool to use when writing scripts
for theatre, or even writing essays.
IDEA (International Dialects of English Archives) is an app that contains recordings of people all over
the world so that their dialect can be studied. This can help when working on accents to perform
characters learned in literacy.
-Soliloquy is a monologue app. This is great for finding quick scenes from plays, stories and movies for
Readers’ Theatre.
 Abbey, Jamie, Matt

(HAND OUT FOR TEACHERS)

Listed is the website and summary of what the website has to offer

https://www.edutopia.org/blog/guidebook-social-media-in-classroom-vicki-davis
This is the Social Media guidebook for how to implement social media without it being a
distraction.

https://www.ap.org/en-us/
The Associated Press is fantastic resource for finding credible and impartial news articles. The
point is to simply report on an issue, not choose a side about it.

https://offers.hubspot.com/how-to-use-qr-codes?hubs_post-
cta=author&_ga=2.147268151.1442728834.1530075840-2094070006.1530075840
This website offers a free e-book on how to create, design and use QR Codes.

http://effectivecurriculumideas.weebly.com/qr-codes-in-literacy--art.html
This website has ideas for ways literacy teachers can incorporate curriculum by using QR
Codes. Some examples are when writing narratives, creating advertisements/brochures and
through digital poetry.

https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-17079364
This article discusses the idea of digital drama and ways to incorporate it.

http://www.busyteacherscafe.com/literacy/readers_theater.html
This website offers a variety of Reader’s Theatre choices for students.

Apps for the Classroom:

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Teacher tools -
Twitter (android and iOS)
Barcode + Free (iOS)
QR Droid (for android devices)
iQRScanner (iOS)
QR Code Reader (both android and iOS)
QR Journal (iOS)
Evernote (great app for writing scripts)
Shakespeare Pro (android and iOS)
Grammarly (android and iOS)
Voice Coach (android and iOS)
IDEA (android and iOS)
Soliloquy (android and iOS)

Lesson Study Session (Facilitator Guide)

Objective: Teachers Will Be Able To: Infuse a Weekly Wonder’s Curriculum with Technology
Materials Needed: Unit 1 Week 1 Wonders Curriculum, Laptops

Facilitator: Welcome! During this block, we will collaborate and share ideas about how to infuse our mandated
curriculum with some 21st century learning skills! We have our basal text (Wonder’s) and we are going to take it as
our baseline. We will make it even better. We will branch off from the original theme that we have and find ideas
that not only relate to our students, but will engage them to want to delve deeper into the curriculum! First, let’s talk
about some of the benefits and challenges we have with the Wonder’s Curriculum. (pause)

Allow teachers to express freely their praise and reservations with the Wonder’s curriculum. A suggestion would be
to keep track of the reservations to be addressed at some future time with administration.

Facilitator: Yes, all of these challenges are valid and can feel super frustrating. Our job then, as teachers, is to take
these challenges and somehow find a way to overcome them - similar to how we ask our students to overcome
challenges. I have here a copy of Unit 1 Week 1 Curriculum for grade 5. The big idea for this week is, “Where can
an idea begin?” This topic lends itself to a lot of ways that we can branch of using 21st century literacies. I’ve
included with the packet of pages in front of you the entire first week - including worksheets, vocabulary, spelling,
reading passages, progress monitoring, etc. PLEASE do not become overwhelmed. We know that we are not going
to cover the entire Wonder’s curriculum every week. As a baseline, we have the opportunity to pick and choose
what will be the most helpful. What I have found to be most helpful is keeping the essential question of the week
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and going from there - branching off to different directions that may be more helpful to my students and then tying
everything together with the weekly passages. I’m going to give your group 15 minutes to look over the materials
and then we can come back and talk about what you would most likely use and why. And a little bit of what you
didn’t use and why not.

Allow groups 15 minutes to look over the materials and decide what they may or may not wish to include in the
weekly lesson planning.

Facilitator: Ok. Now that you have had a chance to look at it all, let’s talk about what you used or didn’t and why
or why not.

Allow a 7-10 minute conversation ensue surrounding the materials chosen. Allow all voices to be heard. Validate
teachers and their reasonings.

Facilitator: Super job, everyone! Now we will take it one step further. We have all of these print materials available
to us. It is not simply enough to have our students log on to the ConnectED website and call that 21st Century
Literacies. We are going to take this and infuse our weekly theme with possible ideas using 21st century literacies.
For example, our main selection of the week, “One Hen” talks about perseverance, the country of Africa, banks,
local economies, and paying it forward...all stemming from an original idea. How can we use these themes and
subtopics and engage our students in activities that are interesting and meaningful? In the last session, we talked
about websites that might be helpful, or you may have ideas of your own that haven’t been mentioned yet! We will
give you 15 minutes to discuss an idea that will then be presented to the group!

Allow the groups 15 minutes to come up with an idea to integrate 21st century literacies. Some may decide that they
want to take this in a digital move and have the students put together a script and act it out. Some may want to use
stop motion for a portion of the story. Some students may want to make a powerpoint presentation regarding
economies or Africa.

Facilitator: That is time everyone! Let’s share these ideas. (As the facilitator, take notes...either digitally or
manually and be prepared to share these notes with the group.)

Have each of the groups share what they have created.

Facilitator: Excellent work everyone! I have taken notes and will share these with all of you to keep a record of
what we did here today. You have all done some amazing work. Give yourselves a pat on the back! Hopefully you
have found these sessions to be helpful to your practice. Before you go, please fill out the comment cards and let us
know what we did well and what we can improve upon for next time!