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Professional Development Programs Some special notes about In-services/Workshops/Summer Technology Retreats 1. While some workshops are better suited to Lecture/Demonstration, all can be presented as either hands-on or hands-off as a lecture/demonstration. 2. Workshops may be customized to fit your school's grade level and discipline needs. (A needs assessment survey is recommended.) 3. A comprehensive Teachers Resource Guide is provided for all participants. (The Digital Cameras in the Classroom workshop (W-114) is with or without cameras. We supply Olympus or HP cameras or the brand of your choice) 4. All workshops are available for either Mac or Windows platforms, or both in the same lab. 5. We are also a publishing company, and make all of our titles available as supportive resources for all workshops at special bulk rates. Example book titles are:
Visit our Catalog for more information on each book.
Teacher In-Service Workshops/ Hands-On or Off All of our workshops follow a specific format with some specific requirements. Generally speaking, the following represents our basic workshop or in-service structure. Structure and Agenda may be modified to meet your school's requirements. Overview: States the overall purpose of the workshop, time required, what we expect the participants to learn, and a final workshop project that is reflective of that learning. Objectives: We spell out very specific items that we expect to cover and for participants to accomplish in the time allotted. Examples are: · Understand how using technology as a teaching tool impacts student learning. · Locate and evaluate Web sites that support the use of technology. · Locate Web sites that illustrate the use of higher-level, problem-solving skills. · Understand how to locate and/or develop or modify Internet located lessons.
Activities:
May include demonstrations, guided discussion, modeling, sharing, small
group and large group work, collegial interaction through brainstorming
and collaborating, creating checklists, action-planning and applications
tasks.
Reflection:
Each participant is asked to create a document reflecting on what they
feel they learned during the workshop and how they anticipate using the
training in their classrooms to foster better student participation and
enhance student learning and retention.
Recommended
Technology Skill Level: All levels
Our Most Frequently Requested Admin and Teacher Workshops and In-Services Workshop # Title/Description
W100 "WebQuests: The Secret to Guided Empowerment" A WebQuest is an inquiry-oriented activity in which some or all of the information that students interact with comes from resources on the Internet. In this informative session you will learn how WebQuests can be utilized to foster Communication, Computing and Critical Thinking, and how simple it really is to begin integrating technology today. Join Tony Brewer for a fun look at the quickest and easiest way to have your students taking the reins in the educational process through guided empowerment. W101 There was a Time when all I Needed was a Textbook and a Filmstrip! (Also a Motivational Speech) Using technology for technology's sake is akin to putting a milk bucket under a bull. If technology does not enhance and accelerate the learning process, we may as well continue to use slide rules and blackboards, give a quiz every Friday and spend our technology dollars on soon-to-be outdated textbooks. As educators in today's fast-paced educational community, we must understand how technology is changing the way teachers teach and how students learn. We must demonstrate best practices and provide the necessary supports to ensure the successful infusion of technology as a curriculum-delivering vehicle. In this fun, entertaining session, we will take a closer look at what you need to know to "make it happen" in your schools. We'll also explore a whole new generation of search engines and discover some fun things to do with Microsoft Word and Google! W102 "Read Chapter Seven Tonight, Tomorrow We'll Have a Quiz on It!" Using technology for technology's sake is simply not worth the money spent or time invested. Neither is it wise to make technology a focal point of the 21st century classroom and then rely upon ancient methods of assessment to determine student performance. The days of teach a class, give a quiz will soon be a thing of the past. More and more emphasis is being placed on developing authentic assessment tools. In this session, we will look at a variety of new tools and online rubric generators that make evaluating student performance easier than ever. W103 Blogs & Wikis: Helping Students Work Together as Learning Teams There are many ways that the Internet has changed how we do things. But of all aspects of our work, learning, and play; how we communicate has been the most profound impact of our growing global network. Since schools first started installing 300 baud modems and connecting computers to the principal’s phone lines, online collaboration has played a vital role in how we use these new technologies to help students learn. This presentation is designed to acquaint educators with the latest in online collaborative tools, including: blogs and Wikis. These brand new publishing and collaboration tools are just beginning to enter our classrooms, but the instructional applications are multiplying. Learn how teachers are already integrating these technologies to make students self-taught through collaboration with others. Teachers will also learn how to create and manage their own classroom Blogs, set up their own Wikispaces, and free Wetpaint Wikis. One year of free Blog and Wiki space will be given to each teacher in attendance. W104 Combating Plagiarism in the Classroom Never in history have we had access to so much information from so many different places. The very technologies that we are teaching our students to use seem to be specifically made to cheat with. How do we teach students to respect the information property of others when copying and pasting are core to the writing tools that we now take for granted? The answer is for teachers to be savvy in the ethical and technical use of these new writing tools and the growing sources of information, the Internet. Also core to the problem, and the solution, is developing a global vision of the ethical use of information and teach that vision to our children. W105 iMovie: Lights! Camera! Action! Creating desktop movies has never been easier, or more fun! iMovie from Apple makes creating desktop movies a snap via its breakthrough ease-of-use and flexibility. With its wide range of special effects and enjoyable interface, iMovie lets you learn how to create edit, enhance and share your movies. Join David for a delightful, entertaining look at this amazing program. W106 Building Web Sites that Work: Planning & Designing for the Digital Age
People shop, learn, select restaurants
and movies, sell their beanie babies, and report their taxes over the
World Wide Web. Increasingly they will expect to find valuable
information about their children's schools and classrooms online, and
they will expect it to be interactive, just like Amazon.com. Not only
will parents and the community expect this information, but providing
timely and valuable information through school web sites helps us do our
jobs as educators. W107 Math, Science, History, Language Arts or Social Studies Online Rich and rewarding resources await elementary, middle and/or high school students and teachers who head to the Web. The global reach of the Internet offers insights into, historical events, archeological finds, anthropology, sociology and more that can't be found anywhere else. Discover the best web sites for integrating compelling content into your traditional Math, Science, History, Language Arts or Social Studies curriculum and explore examples of successful integration. Workshops are designed for each of the listed discipline areas and grade levels separately. W108 44 Fast and Fun PowerPoint Activities Grades K-12 Tired of the same old PowerPoint slide shows? If so, this is the session for you! During this session, you will gain tons of creative and innovative ways to use PowerPoint in your classroom. Ideas will include a variety of slide show and desktop publishing activities for all content areas, grades 3-12. W109 44 Fast and Fun Computer Activities For Grades K-5 or 6-12 In this fast-paced session, you'll discover many quick and easy-to-create projects that integrate technology into all areas of the elementary or secondary curriculum, using Kid Pix, Inspiration, Microsoft Office or Appleworks and the Internet. Activities are aligned to the ISTE standards and to the Multiple Intelligences. You'll leave with dozens of clever ideas you can use tomorrow in your classroom. W110 Building Integrated Technology Projects Project-based learning experiences are an excellent way to enhance and accelerate the learning process. With that said, the Web is a profound medium that inspires creative approaches to learning. Discover how to create real projects based on research, collaboration, investigation, and creativity. Explore methods to make projects a centerpiece to online learning in your classroom. W111 Creating Electronic Portfolios to Chart Student Development Participants will be given a comprehensive look at digital portfolio building and their practical and esthetic application in the academic environment. This presentation will inform, demonstrate, provide examples of, and allow time for questions and answers. W112 Interactive School Web Sites: A Web-based Solution In today's fast-paced world, connecting schools, families, and communities is a growing challenge. Building an effective communication tool between schools and home is critical to ensuring a child's academic success. This session is designed for anyone striving to transform their district web site from a one-way communication channel to a dynamic learning platform. W113 Creating the Technology Infused Field Trip The learning that takes place during a field trip can be phenomenal. But what happens after the trip? Does the learning transcend the museum walls, the zoo fence, or the theater stage? During this session participants will learn how to infuse technology throughout every phase of the field trip in order to maximize the student learning that will take place. The approach introduced here is much more engaging for the student. You’ll learn how students can become responsible for their own learning at every stage, utilizing any and all the high tech/low tech resources at their disposal. See how content providers and schools are working together to develop units that extend and enrich the learning experience. W114 44 Fun, Fast Ways to Use Digital Cameras in the Classroom Teachers in today's classrooms need not feel left out of the technology revolution. Incorporating digital images is a terrific hook to prepare children to utilize technology in every way possible. Think of the phrases, "Show me and I will understand," and "A picture is worth a thousand words." The possibilities are near limitless. This session will show you the how and why of the engaging use of digital cameras in your classroom. Each participant will leave with a completed Photo Story presentation as a foundation upon which to build a library of fantastic, lesson-enhancing presentations for both teacher and student. W115 Digital Storytelling: A Strategy for Improving Student Participation Storytelling is important in humanistic terms and has many cross-curricular applications. Digital storytelling allows the storyteller to strengthen their technology skills through electronic media while simultaneously encouraging the use of art in imparting knowledge. This session introduces digital storytelling in visual, dramatic forms that help teachers understand the usefulness of teaching and learning through different modalities (visual, kinesthetic) W116 A Swift Kick in the Assessments: Changing How we Assess Learning Frustrated with assessments? I think at one time or another we’ve all been there. During this session we will take a close look at the assessments that we’re using and find a way to change them to best fit the needs of our students and the ever changing community that they’ll live in and work in after graduating. It’s time to bridge the gorge that exists between schools and the outside world. It’s time to bring those real-world standards into our schools. The things that we are assessing need to reflect what society deems vitally important in the outside world. During this hard-hitting session every stakeholder will need to work together to develop assessments that both measure student achievement, and best prepare them for what exists outside the classroom walls. It’s time to overcome the frustrations, and the best way to do that is by kicking some assessments! W117 Using Technology to Enhancing the Writing Process Teaching organizational skills in the writing process is a challenging task for teachers at all levels. The emphasis of this presentation will be on exploring software and Internet tools that can make the job of teaching the writing process easier and allow students to communicate effectively. W118 Learn Technology Integration in a Day A terrible thing happens when we spend millions of dollars to outfit our schools with high speed Internet access, sophisticated hardware and software without properly training our teachers to use them; nothing! Consequently, throughout the world's educational community, teachers are struggling to find quick and easy ways to begin integrating technology into their lessons. This session focuses on how communication, computing and critical thinking, the foundations of technology integration, can have your students enjoying the benefits of a technology inclusive classroom in just one day. W119 "One Computer, One Classroom; Now what Do I Do?" Many teachers are just beginning to receive computers in their classrooms to aid in the integration of technology. In most cases, they are receiving from one to 4 computers along with the accompanying support hardware and software. The difficulty comes with knowing how to use these new technologies. Attend this presentation to learn how to maximize the classroom computer and the Internet in a whole-class setting. Foster discussion, class interaction and lively, fun demonstrations. W120 “Spinning Your Wheels in the Cyberdust.” In this session we will explore the realities of Cyberspace and how to quickly find everything from algebra quizzes to webquests online. We will explore a whole new generation of “inference” type search engines that are sure to amaze you. We will also explore the Internet in search of over 1,000,000 lesson plans, projects and webquests, all free for your use. W121 "Sorting the Good from the Bad and Ugly" The Internet and World Wide Web have been labeled as the greatest inventions since the development of moveable type and perhaps the telephone. Access to such a huge fund of information has never been easier. Unfortunately, there is no card catalog that allows us to find reliable, 'citeable' resources. So, as busy teachers, how are you supposed to guide students through the cyber-jungle? This session, with technology author Tony Brewer, will focus on how to carefully evaluate online resources, resulting in the creation of your personal checklist in the lab session. W122 "Ethics 101, Copyright, Plagiarism, and Attribution" While the Internet boasts the largest collection of ready-to-cheat information, graphics, photos, video and audio files in history, convincing students that just because it's there doesn't mean it is free for the taking, can be difficult. This session will focus on how to make the task of monitoring student ethical behavior easier. W123 Become a Techno-Traditional Teacher, Let Projects be Your Classroom's CenterpieceThe days of mimeograph sheets, filmstrips and paper textbooks may be gone forever, as today’s teachers are faced with the challenge of teaching with a whole new set of tools. The Internet is a profound medium that requires creative approaches to learning. Discover how to create real Internet-based projects focusing on research, collaboration, investigation and creativity that engages students like never before. Explore methods to become a more techno-constructivist teacher and make projects a centerpiece to online learning in your classroom.W124 Assessment and Technology The days of teach a class, give a quiz will soon be a thing of the past. More and more emphasis is being placed on developing authentic assessment tools. In this session, we will look at a variety of new tools and online rubric generators that make evaluating student performance easier than ever. W125 Build Your Own Classroom Website in a Day This workshop will provide participants with the information, resources, and tools to develop and design you’re their own Web pages. Participants will also have the opportunity to explore the variety of instructional approaches in Web authoring to support the daily curriculum. Areas covered in this workshop:
W126 Using Adobe Photoshop Elements in the Classroom In this workshop, participants will learn how to use Adobe Photoshop Elements effectively as an instructional tool, and experience how digital photography can be integrated into the classroom curriculum. Adobe Photoshop Elements offers the broad functionality of Photoshop presented in a user-friendly way. With its easy effects and filters, Adobe Photoshop Elements is the perfect program to edit your Web and/or digital camera images. Areas covered in this workshop:
W127 Safety in Our Schools: What Your School Can Do to Stop the Violence and End Bullying We take this issue very seriously. From bullying to catastrophic in-school shootings, the alarm has been sounded and we must respond. After spending countless hours of researching and surveying the best practices in K-12 school violence and drug abuse prevention, we have put together a comprehensive, in-service program for safe schools for administrators and teachers, and all other adjunct faculty members. School violence is everyone's problem, not just school boards and administrators. Every member of the schools student body, buildings and grounds, transportation department, food service and parents need to be aware of the warning signs and how to effect a successful defusing of the situation before it goes beyond our control. The following issues are covered in this comprehensive, half-day, all or multi-day or evening workshop.
W128 Making the Grade: The Real Scoop on No Child Left Behind As a direct result of an ever-burgeoning, technology-laden world, today's teachers, are being called upon to make a transformation in the way they create, store, retrieve, and deliver curriculum content. The days of "stand and deliver," are rapidly becoming "guide and encourage." We are asking them to become literate in all aspects of emerging technologies and to use that knowledge to educate our students. Schools across America have invested millions of dollars in hardware, software and professional development in order to "make it happen." But the transformation seems slow, with pockets of brilliance, to be sure; but the infusion of technology into the educational culture is uneven at best. Why? State and federal student testing and achievement mandates, like NCLB, leave teachers feeling as if they must "teach to the test," which does not necessarily provide for the balanced education of our children. As administrators, it is our responsibility to ask the question; When does technology infusion accelerate our "big ideas? This workshop, mainly for administrators, focuses on those very questions, providing you with the latest research, development and answers to what may be putting your schools in jeopardy of not achieving AYP. W129 44 Fast and Fun Writing and Reading Activities 50 Quick and Easy Reading and Writing Computer Activities is designed to equip teachers with an array of technology tools that can promote the development of reading, writing, and critical thinking, even in the higher grades. Using these tools, educators can transform reading and writing from static, print-based exercises into multi-sensory, interactive experiences. Modified for grades K-12 W130 Reading Across the Curriculum This workshop presents a variety of instructional strategies for students that will enhance their understanding of the concepts being presented in the content areas. These strategies will include examples that students can use to complete their daily content area assignments such as note-taking, outlining, studying for a test, or writing a thesis. Information on each of these will be given, their use demonstrated, and ways to modify presented. Technology is the vehicle by which most of this workshop is delivered and can be designed to accommodate struggling middle, high school or special needs students. W131 Strategies for Struggling Readers This workshop will expose participants to research-based procedures for teaching students decoding, fluency, vocabulary, and text comprehension strategies that can be applied across all grade levels. Each strategy will be introduced, modeled and practiced during the workshop. We will also look at a variety of Internet resources that will support reading instruction, and the role technology can play in making it more successful. Geared to elementary and special needs students
W132 How
Technology Improves Literacy Instruction W133 Using Microsoft Office to Enhance Literacy Instruction In this workshop, participants will go beyond simple word processing as they discover the power and versatility of Microsoft Word through the creation of templates, graphic organizers, and worksheets that assist literacy instruction. In addition, participants will harness the power of multimedia as they create and edit instructional presentations using Microsoft PowerPoint. Exploring the wealth of online resources that contain lesson ideas for Microsoft Office is also important. Participants will leave with skills and resources they can implement immediately in their daily literacy lessons. W134 Build Reading and Language Arts With Online Activities In this workshop, participants will discover ways to build important language arts skills in students through technology. Effective strategies will be introduced to enhance the reading skills of students. Participants will learn how to use the Internet to supplement whole language, and build strong reading and writing skills for all students. Designed for elementary, middle or high school students. W135 Using Technology to Support National Council of Math Standards This workshop will focus on the integration of technology to support the National Council of Mathematics Math Standards. Participants will be introduced to interactive math resources that will assist students in building and enhancing understanding of difficult math concepts. Participants will brainstorm difficult math concepts and use technology tools to develop a lesson that will help to increase student math knowledge while providing motivating and engaging activities. Designed for middle and high school students. W136 Integrating Microsoft Office to Enhance Math Instruction This workshop will introduce participants to the power of using Microsoft Office to enrich the math classroom. Participants will learn how to create instructional and interactive math Microsoft PowerPoint presentations. Participants will learn how to create templates, graphs and formulas using Microsoft Excel. Using the Equation Editor in Microsoft Word and PowerPoint, they will also create worksheets, interactive PowerPoint presentations and tests, and explore the variety of online resources that contain lesson ideas for Microsoft Office. Designed for middle and high school students. W137 Using Technology to Support Science Instruction This one to three-day workshop promotes the integration of technology into the science curriculum, the improvement of teaching practice and improved student achievement in the science curriculum. Participants will acquire the skills and strategies in the areas of understanding Internet tools, accessing science resources, and integrating student activities and projects. All participants will develop a student activity or project that can be immediately used in the classroom. W138 Technology Integration (Special 3 Day Program) This three-day workshop promotes the integration of technology into the curriculum, the improvement of teaching practices and improved student achievement in the standards-led curriculum. Participants will acquire the skills and strategies in the areas of understanding Internet tools, accessing teacher resources, and integrating student activities and projects. All participants will develop a student activity or project that can be immediately used in the classroom.
W139 Using
Technology to Create Thematic Units W140 Using Technology to Teach Standards This workshop is designed for teachers who are ready to integrate education technologies into their instructional units. During the workshop, participants will be introduced to the National Curriculum Content Standards and to a new set of technology standards for students. The goal of the class is to prepare participants to be able to create and modify lessons that use technology to help students meet learning standards. W141 How Laptops are Changing Today's Classrooms In this workshop, participants will learn how laptops can be used to facilitate learning through demonstration, simulation, sharing of student projects, research, communications, group discussion, and teacher or student presentations. In addition, participants will learn to manage student groups; assign relevant lessons; organize student communications and projects. Developing documentation that summarizes the responsibilities and expectations of all stakeholders in your laptop program including administrators, parents, teachers and students will also be examined. W142 Using Inspiration and Kidspiration in the Classroom This workshop will show participants how Kidspiration and Inspiration can create graphic organizers that support improved achievement for students in all grades. Inspiration strengthens critical thinking, comprehension, and writing across the curriculum, in language arts, science, social studies and anytime students need to structure research or thought processes. Using the proven principles of visual learning, young readers and writers build confidence in organizing information, understanding concepts, and expressing their thoughts. W143 Using Interactive Whiteboards to Enhance and Accelerate the Learning Process The days of screeching chalk and flying dust from a blackboard are soon to be things of the past. With the modernization of the classroom comes a whole new generation of assistive-teaching technologies. One outstanding new addition is the Interactive Whiteboard. This engaging tool allows teachers and students alike to demonstrate all manner of content, comprehension and assessment. Its flexibility is amazing. This session will focus on training teachers to use all the Interactive Whiteboard components as well as how to integrate its use for delivering content. W144 Integrating Microsoft Office into the Classroom This workshop focuses on strategies to streamline administrative tasks by using the power of technology. Participants will learn to use Microsoft Office for administrative tasks. They will be introduced methods of using word processing, spreadsheet, database and presentation applications to better manage their time and streamline tasks. Participants will leave with skills that can be implemented immediately in their daily functions. W145 Using Technology to Enhance the Special Needs Classroom This workshop will introduce participants to a variety of instructional strategies to be used with at-risk students that will enhance development of the higher order thinking skills necessary to be able to function effectively in the world. Participants will learn how to use technology to help students develop individual and small-group cooperative learning skills to help them learn from each other and raise student motivation. Focus is on maximizing student involvement in cooperative, challenging, long-term projects that stress composition, comprehension, and application of skills in the context of working on authentic tasks. W146 Take the Next Step With Adobe Acrobat In this workshop, participants will explore ways to develop documents that can be opened reliably and look exactly as intended with page layout, formatting and images intact. Participants will use Adobe Acrobat 6.0 or higher to convert documents to portable document files (PDF) and to customize those PDF files for your instructional needs and the needs of your students. In addition, participants will learn how teachers and students can convert various documents to PDF files, create dynamic Adobe PDF forms, convert Web pages to Adobe PDF files, and more. Curriculum integration strategies and projects will also be discussed and highlighted. W-147 Classroom Management with DyKnow If you are looking for the perfect classroom management software program to use in conjunction with your laptop initiative, DyKnow is the one. Used by hundreds of schools and thousands of classroom teachers, this full control program takes the worry out of controlling what students are doing and where they are going online. From individual and group monitoring to instant feedback, this program has it all. Dyknow software required and may be included in proposal. W-148 Classroom Performance Systems: Getting the Most out of Yours If you have spent thousands of dollars on a good CPS, but it's not being used, then this workshop is for your teachers. While all Classroom Performance Systems work essentially the same, there are subtle differences that we can help teachers learn to use. This workshop is often combined with W-143, Using Interactive Whiteboards to Enhance and Accelerate the Learning Process, to kill two birds with the same stone...so to speak! W-149 Web 2.0 Like most technologies, the Internet and World Wide Web and constantly changing. The Web was essentially developed as a tool to locate vast quantities of information, images and videos in a very short time frame. With more focus being directed at communication, the Web too has been a transformation, that being what we call Web 2.0, or the communication web. This basic change has brought about a whole new family of communication tools, namely, Blogs, Wikis and Podcasting. This half or full day program will introduce teachers to these three tools and Web 2.0 in general. W-150 Podcasting Made Easy with Audacity With more emphasis being placed on communication, Podcasting is becoming a very hot topic in middle and high schools across the nation. This program is an extension of W-149 focusing only on Podcasting. Teachers will learn to use the free, open source and fantastic Audacity Podcasting program. Teachers will learn:
A-100 Administrator Retreats
Using Technology for Educational Leadership
Our Using Technology for Educational Leadership Retreats are specially designed for administrators and
school technology leaders. Held either onsite or off-site, Using Technology for Educational Leadership is a
multi-day, hands-on program that will equip school leaders with the skills, resources, and confidence necessary to become a shining example to your staff.
You will leave with the knowledge and experience required to enhance and accelerate the learning process in your schools.
Using Technology for Educational Leadership Retreats
will help you:
Contact us today for tons of references, more workshop information or to schedule a free consultation. Nichole Moore, Director of Professional Development Nichole@BrewerPublishing.com Office: 717.228.1708 Fax: 717-228-1709
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