Professional Development Catalog - 2018/2019

‘Is this thing working?’ Strategies for teaching with technology

January 29, 2019, 9:00 a.m. 12:30 p.m.

REGISTER

Before building lesson plans around a new app, it’s critical to ask: Will your students will be
using that technology to enhance learning or will they be using technology to ​transform
learning? In this workshop participants will learn about the SAMR Model and Bloom’s
Taxonomy, two frameworks used by educators to help design tasks and lessons that use
technology, as well as understand how they impact student outcomes. Participants will be
tasked with thinking about the apps and websites they are currently using in their curriculum. Do
these tools support the different cognitive levels of the learners their classrooms? Participants
will also have the opportunity to explore the apps and websites they are using and organize a
digital library based on these learning models. This workshop is appropriate for day school
teachers of all grades and subjects.

Adding STEAM to the Judaic Studies Classroom

February 13, 2019, 9:00 a.m. 12:30 p.m.

REGISTER

How can you incorporate STEAM/Maker projects when you begin to prepare to teach about
Purim, Passover, and Shavuot? During this workshop participants will be challenged with
thinking of ways to incorporate Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math into their
teaching of the Book of Esther, the story of Exodus, and the 10 Commandments. This workshop
is appropriate for day school general and judaic studies teachers of all grades and subjects as
well as STEAM/Maker teachers.
Show It Off! Tools to make student presentations shine

March 27, 2019, 9:00 a.m. 12:30 p.m.

REGISTER

Do you want your students to add a little more to their projects using technology? Do your
students ask about creating a digital resume with all of their presentations and projects? After
your students create great tech project do you think about how they can keep these projects
forever? In this workshop participants will learn about different tools and resources for students
to create presentations and projects for end of unit. They will also learn about ways to help
student organize their projects and presentations through by creating student portfolios. This
workshop is appropriate for day school teachers of all grades and subjects.

Measuring Success: Effective Tools for Student Assessment

April 10, 2019, 9:00 a.m. 12:30 p.m.

REGISTER

When there is a short amount of teaching time, teachers always wonder if students understood
the main idea of the lesson. In this workshop participants will learn about different tools to gain
quick information and data from their students.

Adventures in Google Apps - Part 2

May 1, 2019, 9:00 a.m. 12:30 p.m.

REGISTER

Back by popular demand! G Suite for Education is becoming more and more popular in schools.
In this workshop, join a journey through using Google’s many tools to innovate your classrooms.
We will dive into Google Drive, Google Forms, Google Maps, Google Cultural Institute, and
Google Cardboard with hands-on activities in which teachers will act as students. Participants
will leave with the skills to use GAFE to build meaningful experiential learning.
EdTech Fair

May 29, 2019, 9:00 a.m. 12:30 p.m.

Want to share a success from this school year? Was there a project your students enjoyed
working on this year that you would like to share?
At the DigitalJ EdTech Fair presenters will be given the opportunity to share their big project and
takeaways from this past school year.
If you are interested in being a presenter you must submit a proposal. Presenters will be given
15-20 minutes to present.
Closer to the event, participants will receive a list of the topics being presented. This workshop
is appropriate for day school teachers of all grades and subjects.

We can also run the following professional workshops

including, but not limited to those below at your school by
request. Contact Tatyana Dvorkin, Director, DigitalJLearning,
at ​tdvorkin@JewishEdProject.org​ to discuss potential
worksop options.
Pedagogy

‘Is this thing working?’ Strategies for teaching with technology​ - Before building lesson
plans around a new app, it’s critical to ask: Will your students will be using that technology to
enhance learning or will they be using technology to ​transform ​learning? In this workshop
participants will learn about the SAMR Model and Bloom’s Taxonomy, two frameworks used by
educators to help design tasks and lessons that use technology, as well as understand how
they impact student outcomes. Participants will be tasked with thinking about the apps and
websites they are currently using in their curriculum. Do these tools support the different
cognitive levels of the learners their classrooms? Participants will also have the opportunity to
explore the apps and websites they are using and organize a digital library based on these
learning models. This workshop is appropriate for day school teachers of all grades and
subjects.

Blended Learning 101

A crash course in Blended Learning. What IS blended learning? What models exist? How does
the role of the teacher shift in a blended environment? How can blended learning help teachers
personalize instruction for their students, get the most out of classroom time, give students
agency, and ensure student success? In this workshop, you will experience what students do in
a rotational model of learning and leave prepared to try it out in your own classroom.
Flipped for Learning
Flipped learning is all the rage, but how do we get past the gimmick and ensure that flipped
classroom learning is meaningful and engaging for students? In this workshop, participants will
learn about the basics of flipped learning strategies, get hands on experience making videos
that pull students in, and learn about the tool available to gather data and use it to help students
grow. Participants will leave the workshop with lesson plans they can then use to create their
first flipped lessons​.

Assessment

Lights, Camera, Assessment! Video in the Classroom

Computers, tablets, and smartphones have made video creation easy, fast, and often free. How
can this powerful tool be drawn on in the classroom? We will focus specifically on using video
for assessment purposes. We will experiment with video-making and editing tools for various
platforms that can help students and teachers create simple videos. Then, we will check out
some examples of how they can be used for ongoing formative assessment with feedback,
self-evaluation, peer-evaluation, and final projects. Participants will leave the workshop
comfortable working with at least one video creation tool they can then pass on to their
students.

Fun and Formative - Tech Tools for Assessment

Formative assessment is a powerful tool that helps students succeed and teachers make the
most of their classroom time. In this working we will focus on some of the best practices for
formative assessment and how technology can help teachers keep abreast of what’s going on
with their students and address classroom challenges. We will try out some formative
assessment tools and create sample lessons using formative assessment principles.

Show It Off! Effective Student Portfolio Tools

Do you want your students to add a little more to their projects using technology? Do your
students ask about creating a digital resume with all of their presentations and projects? After
your students create great tech project do you think about how they can keep these projects
forever? In this workshop participants will learn about different tools and resources for students
to create presentations and projects for end of unit. They will also learn about ways to help
student organize their projects and presentations through by creating student portfolios. This
workshop is appropriate for day school teachers of all grades and subjects.

Measuring Success: Effective Tools for Student Assessment

When there is a short amount of teaching time teachers always wonder if students understood
the main idea of the lesson. In this workshop participants will learn about different tools to gain
quick information and data from their students. This workshop is appropriate for day school
teachers of all grades and subjects.
Apps and Tools

Adventures in Google Apps

Google Apps for Education is becoming more and more popular in schools. In this workshop, go
on a journey through Google’s many tools for innovating classrooms. We will dive into Google
Drive, Google Forms, Google Maps, Google Cultural Institute, and Google Cardboard with
hands on activities in which teachers will take on the role of students. Participants will leave with
the skills to use GAFE to build meaningful experiential learning. This session is appropriate for
educators of grades 3 and above.

Adventures in Google Apps - Part 2

G Suite for Education is becoming more and more popular in schools. In this workshop, join a
journey through using Google’s many tools to innovate your classrooms. We will dive into
Google Drive, Google Forms, Google Maps, Google Cultural Institute, and Google Cardboard
with hands-on activities in which teachers will act as students. Participants will leave with the
skills to use GAFE to build meaningful experiential learning. This workshop is appropriate for
day school teachers of all grades and subjects.

Once Upon an App: Digital Storytelling for K-8

There are many benefits to digital storytelling - students can learn to turn linear events into
multidimensional experiences, practice communication, develop research skills, and master
media creation. This workshop looks at using digital storytelling in the classroom as a means to
combine tradition with technology by letting students tell stories with voice, text, video, audio,
and images. Participants in this workshop will get hands on experience using several
applications for digital storytelling and will try creating digital stories as their students would. This
session is aimed at educators who work with K-8 across all subjects.

Creation Apps for Lower School Classrooms​ - In this workshop we will explore creations
apps that allow students creativity and voice. We will focus on apps that include: green screens,
ebook publications, collaging, art, diagrams, video, and voice. This workshop is perfect for
educators at Lower Schools who are looking to engaging students and allowing for student
voice with the use technology in classroom projects

EdTech in the English Classroom

How can teachers of English or Literature draw on the power of technology to help students
become better readers and writers? With so many apps and software options out there, how
can teachers sift through everything to find the most effective tools? Well, we’ve done the hard
work for you! This workshop will introduce participants to some of the best tools available for
reading and writing development. There will be a chance for hands-on practice as well as an
opportunity to brainstorm some potential assignments. This workshop will have multiple tracks
so as to address the needs of teachers of all grades and will include materials appropriate for
those working with ELLs.

Hebrew and Judaics

EdTech in the Hebrew Classroom

How can teachers of Hebrew draw on the power of technology to help students become better
readers and writers? With so many apps and software options out there, how can teachers sift
through everything to find the most effective tools? Well, we’ve done the hard work for you! This
workshop will introduce participants to some of the best tools available for reading and writing
development. There will be a chance for hands-on practice as well as an opportunity to
brainstorm some potential assignments,

EdTech in the Judaic Studies Classroom

Experience how tried and tested, free technology tools can help all students achieve greater
levels of academic success, engagement, and enjoyment in their Judaic Studies classes.
In this workshop participants will learn how simple technology tools can enhance existing
curricula through differentiation, formative assessments, data-driven lesson planning, active
learning, and more. Participants will walk away with concrete examples of how technology can
enhance the classroom as well as a variety of resources and ideas that will inspire classroom
innovation in Judaic Studies.

STEAM/Maker Projects and Activities in Judaic Studies ​- How can you incorporate
STEAM/Maker projects when you begin to prepare to teach about Purim, Passover, and
Shavuot? During this workshop participants will be challenged with thinking of ways to
incorporate Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math into their teaching of the Book of
Esther, the story of Exodus, and the 10 Commandments. This workshop is appropriate for day
school general and judaic studies teachers of all grades and subjects as well as STEAM/Maker
teachers.

Innovative Methodologies

Game Design in the K-8 Classroom

Game design is a wonderful hands-on means of helping students be creative while demonstrating content
knowledge in any subject. In this workshop, teachers will act as students, by learning to make their way
through the design thinking process in order to brainstorm, prototype, and build their own content-relevant
games for whatever subject they choose to focus on. Upon completing the workshop, teachers will be
able to walk students through a similar design process to help them build games of their own in the
classroom.

To Make a Makerspace: An Introduction

What is a makerspace? What tools should be available in one? What kinds of projects will
students be doing? There is no one right answer to these questions. In this workshop we will get
hands on experience with a few projects that are quick, affordable, and simple. Then we will
discuss the options you as teachers and educational technologists have to get started with the
maker movement at your own schools. This session is appropriate for educators of all grades.
To Be Online: Digital Citizenship and Literacy
If a school is integrating technology into classrooms, at one time or another students are online.
They may be accessing a museum website, doing research for a humanities project, or finding
texts that explain the week’s parasha. They are constantly viewing and reading myriad
informational sources, and not all of those sources were created equal.

So how do we ensure, that when they are online, our students know how to tell facts from fiction
and truth from lies? How do we arm them with the tools they need to be critical thinkers and
active, questioning, digital citizens? How do we keep them safe and help them build their own
digital footprints? We will discuss the many approaches to these issues and check out
resources available that can help teach these lessons to students.

Playing to Learn: Games in the Classroom

Game-Based Learning (GBL) draws on the power of games to build engagement and
persistence in a learning context. This workshop is for teachers who are interested in
implementing GBL but are not sure where to start. Participants will be introduced to some of the
reasoning behind using games (both analog and digital) in the classroom and provided with
concrete steps to take to get started. We will also play together and experience a few specific
games while looking at how they can be used to support curriculum. This workshop is
appropriate for teachers of all grades and will include game examples for all age groups.

*Note: This workshop is focused on ​GBL, not gamification​. Although the two are occasionally
used interchangeably, they are different learning methodologies.

If They Build It They Will Learn - Game Design as a Means of Learning and Assessment

What makes a “good” game? A good designer builds a game that offers players clear
objectives, continuous but attainable challenges, an interesting storyline, flexibility, intrinsic
motivation, and fun. Often, building games in the classroom has been viewed as a simple
activity just to mix it up. But game design has so much to teach students about both hard
content skills and the soft skills of collaboration, negotiation, and project management. This
workshop will demonstrate to teachers how to run successful game design sprints that will have
students building games that demonstrate what they’ve learned and can be used in the
classroom for future years.

Learning Through a Different Reality: AR and VR in the Classroom

When it comes to engaging students, teachers are always looking for the next big idea. In this
workshop participants will be given tools to help enhance their teaching using Augmented and
Virtual Reality. From virtual field trips, to augmented art, to walking with the dinosaurs,
participants will explore the tools and will be given an opportunity to create lesson plans that
concretely use them. This workshop is appropriate for day school teachers of all grades and
subjects.
Coding Unplugged
After the Hour of Code in your schools, how do you go deeper with programming? When it
comes to coding it doesn’t always have to be in front of a computer. In this workshop
participants will learn about different resources and tools to teach basic coding skills through
games and unplugged activities. This workshop is perfect for educators at Lower Schools, as
well as those that do not have a ready coding curriculum and are looking to get started.

Coding in the Lower School Classroom

Have you been hearing the words coding and programming but not sure how to include it into
your curriculum? Have you be thinking about how to set up a coding curriculum beginning in
Kindergarten and moving throughout your lower school curriculum. In this workshop we will
explore apps, websites, and robots to introduce early learners to coding and basic coding
concepts. This workshop is perfect for educators, technology teachers, administration who are
looking to bring coding into their curriculum.

Intro to Makey Makey and Scratch

A Makey Makey allows you to use everyday objects and materials such as aluminum foil,
playdough, and bananas to interact with your Scratch projects. In this workshop participants will
learn the basic Scratch blocks to create using a Makey Makey. Participants will construct
cardboard shapes, add conductive elements, connect them to the Makey Makey, and program
different instruments, sounds, and notes using Scratch to play music and form a band! This
workshop is geared towards educators who are looking to grow their coding and STEAM
curriculum as well as teachers who are looking to engage learners in a new way.

Intro to Circuits
In this workshop participants​ will learn about creating both paper and sewable circuits. They will
learn how to create a correct circuits through art and design. Participants will explore the A in
STEAM by designing sewable circuits! By adding the Arts to traditional STEM goals, participants
can embrace design, creativity, and integration. We will discuss interdisciplinary possibilities of
this lesson while creating a light-up wristband using a coin cell battery, conductive thread, and
LEDs. This workshop is geared towards educators who are looking to grow their coding and
STEAM curriculum as well as teachers who are looking to engage learners in a new way.