Tuesday Tech Tip: Get Going with Google!

Calling all Google Apps for Education fans! Coming back for their 5th Colorado event, the EdTechTeam Colorado Summit featuring Google for Education is happening in November! This two-day summit focuses on using and integrating Google Apps for Education in the classroom in order to promote student learning and innovation.



Here are the details:
WHO: Open to all! You, your teachers, your administrators! Make it a party!
WHEN: November 5-6, 2016
WHERE: Monarch High School
(329 Campus Dr, Louisville, CO)
WHAT: Learn, share, practice, grow. Each day will begin with a Keynote speaker, followed by 2 sessions, lunch, and then 2 more sessions. Day one ends with a Demo Slam and day two ends with a closing keynote.
HOW: Register HERE!

Here are some highlights from the schedule include using Google Apps for Education (GAFE) and other online tools to help students read and write in an online environment, the power of Google Forms, Using Social Media in the classroom and for building a PLN, Chrome Browser tips and tricks, Google Cardboard and virtual fieldtrips, differentiation, templates, Chrome extensions and add-ons, MakerSpace ideas, ways to use GAFE in all classroom content areas and grade levels, portfolios and publishing, badges and gamification, Breakout EDU, Google Classroom, the power of Google Slides and Drawings, Google Sites, Blogger, Google Photos, Pear Deck, formative and summative assessment ideas, interactive storytelling ideas, EdPuzzle, augmented reality and more! With the number of topics available, it'll be hard to choose just one session in each time spot! Just think though, the more teachers you bring the more you'll be able to take notes on and share with each other after the conference!

We would be happy to connect with you at the summit, just let us know you're planning to be there! Let's get as many people as we can to help represent the amazing work we're doing in CCSDD, and help our teachers grow and learn how to better integrate Google Apps for Education into their practice! We know there are already some pretty awesome things happening in the classroom, but it never hurts to have a few more instructional tools in your teacher toolbox to support your students in an ever-changing and evolving online world.

Again, here is the link to register for the summit. We look forward to hearing about your experience and sharing our learning with you! Happy Googling!

October is Connected Educators Month

Connected, as defined by dictionary.com:

(Please click on the image for a clearer view.)

The ease in today's world with which we can connect with each other and how simply we can empower ourselves as well as others cannot be overstated.  This is why it is more important than ever that we acknowledge and celebrate October being Connected Educators Month.

There are numerous means to be better connected as an educator.  The purpose of this post is to share just a few of the resources with you in hopes you'll find something useful and meaningful.

One, visit connectededucators.org whose mission is "Helping Educators Thrive in a Connected World."  This site is perfect for resources, ideas, and plenty more regarding the idea of being connected as an educator.

Source: https://goo.gl/2u4RXs

Two. use social media to create and build your very own personal learning network (PLN.)  We are no longer limited or tied to resources only within our schools or districts.  It is simpler than ever to find educators, ideas, strategies, and more from throughout the world which can add meaningful depth to your passion for teaching and learning.  What a time to be alive!  Related Reading: Social media is (initially) more about who you follow rather than who follows you.  Read a short post with more detail about this approach on my blog here.

Three, if you are already active on social media in a professional sense, include the hashtag #ce16 (Connected Educators 2016) in your posts.  This will help you more easily find other professionals to connect with this month.

As Will Durant said, "We are what we repeatedly do.  Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit."  By changing the word "excellence" to "connectedness" we can make connecting with others a habit rather than a act.  This way we can all celebrate Connected Educators Month all year long.

Again, these are just a few of the many examples of how we can celebrate Connected Educators Month.  We're excited to hear about and see all of the different ways in which you are celebrating being a connected educator.  Feel free to comment below to share what being connected means to you!

Source: https://goo.gl/RvZd0d