What is Future Ready PD?

Is your school or district Future Ready? Last November, President Obama addressed over 100 school superintendents challenging them to take the Future Ready Pledge. This movement seeks to empower educators to leverage technology in order to provide students with rich and individualized digital learning. Take the pledge today. I have partnered with the 2015 NJ School Superintendent of the Year, Dr. Timothy Purnell, to raise awareness of the Future Ready movement and to assist schools/districts to get "READY". Using the hashtag #FutureReadyPD we provide FREE online professional development based on your school or districts' needs.

Interested in hosting a #FutureReadyPD session? We can be contacted on Twitter @SchoolSup and @NicholasDiaz1 or feel free to email me at iNicholasDiaz@gmail.com.

Below is an archive of our most recent #FutureReadyPD session based on differentiated assessments:

Certified Google Educators

Becoming a Certified Google Educator is a great way to be recognized for learning and mastering Google Apps for Education tools.  Below is my presentation on what it takes to become a Certified Google Educator (with tips on how to pass the exams).

TECHSPO 2015 Highlights

NJASA's TECHSPO 2015 was once again an incredible and inspiring conference. I have attended this conference for three years and presented the last two years.  Each time I have left invigorated and eager to put the many things I learned into practice.






If you were unable to attend have no fear! My co-presenter, Travis Zimmerman, put together a great Blendspace highlighting many of the great things TECHSPO had to offer. Click here to view the Blendspace.





I am also providing our Prezi on All Things Flip 2.0!  Click here to view. Can't wait until next year!





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Google Apps For Education: 6 Quick Video Guides

Google Apps for Education and Google Classroom have steadily made their way into classrooms throughout the world. If you are new to the Google movement the videos below can give you a quick overview to help yo see what all the fuss is about!  Google can help your students collaborate and create like never before.  See what "going Google" can do for your classroom.

Google Classroom

Gmail

Google Docs

Google Sheets

Google Slides

Google Drive

6 Apps and Tools to Flip Your Classroom

Flipping the classroom is an amazing way to engage students in learning. Students in my elementary school have been part of the flipped classroom and have taken an active role by providing the video lessons themselves. There are many iPad apps and tools that have supported our flipping efforts. Here are some apps and tools that we have used that can help you flip your class.

1. EDpuzzle

Our new favorite tool to flip the classroom at Weston School.  EDpuzzle offers teachers an easy platform to create and manage video lessons.Teachers can even create individualized video lessons for students to foster differentiated instruction. 

2. Edmodo

A great way for students to collaborate on assignments, share resources, and much more!

3. Explain Everything

Explain Everything is an interactive tool that allows students to and teachers to create slides, draw in any color, add shapes, add text, and use a laser pointer. Slides created can be shared/exported.

4. Show Me

ShowMe allows users to create voice-over whiteboard tutorials and share them online.Very simple to use.

5. Educreations

Students/teachers can record their voice and iPad screen to create video lessons. There are many platforms that the lessons can be shared through. 

6. Screen Chomp

ScreenChomp allows students/teachers to provide a running narrative. ScreenChomp records your voice and drawing and then allows you to upload your creation to ScreenChomp.com and share via different platforms.ScreenChomp also allows you to make annotations on an image or photo in much the same way you will on the whiteboard.

5 Videos That Can Help Make A Teacher A Star!

Lead Learners are always striving to first and foremost learn and grow in their craft.  When we are actively doing this we can help others improve in their craft.  As a big proponent of flipped instruction, one way we can support teachers' growth is through video.  Below are five videos  that I have found helpful in my education journey. What other videos have helped you or your staff?

1. New Teacher Survival Guide- Classroom Management

2. Student-Centered Discussions

3. Managing Transitions

4. Rick's Readers Workshop- First part of series on Readers Workshop

5. Guided Reading with Jenna- First part of a series on Guided Reading

New Teachers: 7 Tips for Successful Parent-Teacher Conferences

November marks the month traditionally dedicated to parent (or guardian) conferences.  For new teachers, the thought of giving parents feedback on their child’s progress can be intimidating.  Here are some tips to help new teachers ensure that their parent conferences are successful.

1. Preparation: Have a goal for each conference that you have. Have that goal handy before you meet to refresh your memory. Organize yourself ahead of time. Have specific student work handy that highlights the good and where their child needs more support in.

2.  Partnership: Put all of your pre-conceived notions or judgments about a child’s family aside.  After all, if they have taken the time to come to your conference then they have done a lot.  Parents can be your biggest ally. Both of you want the same thing: the success of their child.

3. Be Specific: When giving feedback, be specific.  Explain what exactly the child is doing well with, or struggling with.  If it’s a problem, tell the parent what you have done to try to address the problem.   Ask the parent if they see that specific behavior/or problem at home.  Then work together for a solution.

4.  History: Ask the parent to tell you about the child’s past learning experiences, successes, and struggles in prior grades.

5. Caring: Show the parent that you care. They need to leave the conference feeling that their child truly matters to you.  Convey that to all of your parents.

6. Sandwich- Use the sandwich approach.  Start with something positive, continue with what their child needs support in/with, and end with something positive.

7. Sustainability- Parent partnerships cannot be limited to two meetings a year.  Develop a system that works for you that will enable you to have continuous and consistent communication throughout the year.

Hope these tips were helpful. Check out a great video on conferences created by the Teaching Channel below. Have a great school year!