End of Summer PD

MAEA Summer PD

For my workshop at MAEA PD, I utilized Schoology to house examples of Blended Learning in Art Education.

I had a great time last week facilitating an MAEA Summer PD workshop on Technology in the Art Classroom. We were very fortunate to have the wonderful facilities of Byron Center High School to demonstrate what is possible when you effectively employ technology in the classroom and allow your students to interact and document their learning through various tools. As you can see from the pictures above, there was plenty of hands-on messiness for this workshop and proof that more technology does not lead to less hands-on learning! I have to give a HUGE thank you to Schoology and TechSmith Education for helping me put together such a great workshop. I got a ton of positive feedback and their help was crucial in making that happen! 

This was my second year as a workshop facilitator for MAEA Summer PD - I hope to do it again next year! 

Thanks to Schoology and TechSmith Education for the great resources and give-aways!

PBS LearningMedia Summit at WGVU

I had an awesome time at WGVU Studios last Wednesday for the PBS LearningMedia Summit. As a 2014 PBS LearningMedia Digital Innovator, I had the opportunity to share my experiences with using this resource in my classroom and some insight on why it is SO valuable. If you have not checked it out, you really should. Like now. Stop reading this and go sign up for a free account. You will be wondering why you hadn't sooner, I promise! 

In addition to sharing resources, it was great to meet other teachers and the members of WGVU Studios. Their passion for helping teachers and bringing opportunities to students is something that left me extremely pumped for the upcoming school year. 

Tim Eernisse from WGVU spoke to the crowd of teachers about the opportunities to get involved and utilize PBS resources in their classrooms.

I feel that these learning opportunities have helped me feel more prepared to enter my classroom after a long summer of hiking, travel, and making art. 

What has helped you feel more prepared about entering your classroom this Fall? Any tips, websites, or new ideas you can't wait to share? Feel free to comment below.