Real Professional Development

Raise your hand (or click the like button) if you actually enjoy professional development.  I love professional development.  I love teaching, and good professional development makes me a better teacher and re-fires the passion inside me to do what I love.

Now, perhaps I should clarify my meaning of professional development.  I don’t mean boring, staff meetings where you are setting up a schedule, or doing a mundane task that could have been done via e-mail.  I don’t mean being trained on something that you are not interested in actually using in your classroom.  I don’t mean sitting through an hour long power point on a topic you have already mastered.  I mean working on a collaborative task, learning about a topic that will enhance your teaching, getting new tips and ideas that will help you build understanding for your students.

Now, I have enjoyed professional development of this type in real life.  I like nothing more than to get together with other teachers and have a real brainstorming fest!  However, I have found that sometimes these types of “real” professional development can be too few and far between.  That is, they were until I discovered teacher blogging and other teachers on social media.  Now when I need new ideas, I search out ideas on Pinterest.  I collaborate with other teachers by asking questions on their blogs, or contacting them outright if I have a project in mind.  I also use Facebook groups (like Teachers Sharing Ideas) to enhance my own professional development.  Finally, I take part in webinars and/or watch teacher tip videos on You Tube.

In addition to being more engaging to me, this type of professional development can be catered to my own personal needs and the needs of my students.  I find what I am looking for, or if I don’t find it, I ask others where I can find it.  I connect with millions of other teachers (sometimes teachers in other countries and continents, like on Global Teacher Connect) and those connections help me grow and be a better teacher each and every day.

So, the next time your administrators ask what you are looking for in professional development, share with them some different views on professional development.  How do you use the internet to provide yourself with professional development?

Virtual Teaching Expo Question and Answer

Today is the day we’ve been waiting for!  It’s been a few months since I announced that I would be presenting at the Everything’s Intermediate Expo.  As of 12:01 am the Expo is live and ready for you to view.  The goodie bag is ready to be downloaded - and what a goodie bag it is – 9 different quality teacher resources, including my set of 6 reading logs.  (I was so excited to score some amazing resources from this goodie bag – including a Smartboard lesson from Laura Candler!)  The interaction and learning is ready to begin!
Each presenter will have a Question & Answer post today, so please stop by their blogs and tell them what you thought about their videos.  Here are quick links to their blogs:

Cara of Teaching… My Calling has done a wonderful presentation on Integrating Technology in the Classroom – with great, real life examples of how to use technology with your students.




Mor of A Teacher’s Treasure has made interactive notebooks simple and easy to understand, so you can start them with your class right away.



Janaye of Tales of Frogs and Cupcakes has some great suggestions on how to make math fun and meaningful for your students.



And then there’s me!  For those of you who don’t know my topic – I have 53 minutes for you on strategies for teaching English Language Learners, which is a passion of mine.  We will be talking about all 4 domains: speaking, listening, reading and writing!

So, click on over to the Expo and watch the videos – and then come back here and give me a 3-2-1!  Have you ever done 3-2-1’s with your students?  I love them – they are such a great, simple way to gauge comprehension, and start discussions, plus they provide a nice structure for English Language Learners.  Here is a 3-2-1 for you.  In the comment section:
Tell me 3 concerns you have for the English Language Learners you teach.
Tell me 2 questions you have about: teaching English Language Learners, my classroom, the strategies discussed in the video, or anything else you’re burning to ask.
Tell me 1 strategy you’ll take back into your classroom on Monday.

Global Professional Development

Oh my goodness, the Everything’s Intermediate Expo is just days away! On Saturday, April 21st, the Everything’s Intermediate Expo will be live, and it’s goodie bag will be live!

When I moved to Morocco, I didn’t think I’d be presenting at a professional development seminar.  I mean, I’m living in a country where I don’t speak the language!  But, thanks to the internet I am!  I have taped my video and I can’t wait to see what the other teacher presenters have to say.  I have recorded a presentation on strategies for teaching English Language Learners.  There will also be presentations on: Integrating Technology, Using Interactive Notebooks and Modifying Math Instruction.  I hope you have bought a ticket, so that you can receive all 4 hours of this amazing webinar.  You have until Friday to purchase it for $15, then it’s $20, which is still a bargain for 4 hours worth of professional development!  There’s even a certificate to print and certify that you have attended when you are submitting those Professional Learning Units!  Plus, there’s an amazing goodie bag available for those who are viewing on Saturday, with 9 different teacher resources!  I hope to see you there!

   

International Day Was Exhausting!

Wow – I knew that International Day was going to be a lot of work, but I didn’t realize I’d be too tired to type!  I got home from the “fun” of International Day yesterday, and was too tired to do anything.  So, I apologize for missing Game Night Friday, but I promise to be back with new Board Game suggestions next week.  BTW – If you have a board game lying around that you’d like suggestions for – please feel free to leave me a comment and I’ll add it to our collection soon.  Scroll down for some pictures of the “fun” we had at International Day – it was actually really fun, all of the parents came, my kids remembered their information, did good in their play (Never Cry Croc – the DRC’s version of the Boy Who Cried Wolf) and looked super cute in their outfits.  Then, we ended it all with a rendition of We Are the World.
In addition to the International Day craziness – I’ve spent all day putting the finishing touches on my presentation for the Everything’s Intermediate Expo.  That was something else that was “fun”, but a whole lot of work!  Thankfully, it looks like it’s all coming together well and I think I got in all the information I wanted.  If you haven’t bought a ticket yet – you still have 13 days to pre-order and save $5, so grab your ticket soon!
After all the “fun” I’ve had lately, I’d like to spend the next week in bed, but my kids have convinced me to put a few days at the beach, a trip to the zoo and a trip to the movies on our Spring Break itinerary – so I don’t think that will happen! 

    

    

    

And the winners are…

Thank you to all who entered the contest for the Everything’s Intermediate Expo tickets.  I loved reading your comments about your English Language Learners.  As I am taping my presentation on teaching English Language Learners for you guys, I will be sure to keep your needs in mind and give some strategies that address these topics. 

Without further ado, here are the winners:

Ticket #1

   

 

Ticket #2

   

 

Ticket #3

   

 

Congratulations to Pam Atkinson, Melissa Lawrence and Heather Temske!  They will soon be receiving their ticket via email and will all be able to attend professional development in their pj’s (if they so choose) for absolutely FREE!  If you aren’t one of my lucky winners, but you want to join us on this fun event, feel free to stop by the Everything’s Intermediate Expo page and grab a ticket for just $14.95 until the day of the event.

Also, if you have a chance, stop by the blogs of the other presenters to learn about the amazing things they have planned:

 

Expo Ticket Giveaway

Do you dread professional development?  Do you wish they would choose topics that were more meaningful to your classroom?  Do you wish you didn’t have to sit in that uncomfortable chair at a table with people you may not like very much?  I have the solution for you – The Everything’s Intermediate Expo – information you really want in a comfortable setting – your house!  You can even watch in your PJ’s if you’d like!!!
Another reason I am in love with the idea of webinars like this is that –for those of you who don’t know – I’m in Morocco.  While I love being in Morocco, professional development is a little hard to come by – at least in English, lol! 
For this venture though, I am as even more excited because I’m one of the presenters.  I have hand tips and tricks for you on teaching English Language Learners!  The other presenters will be presenting about: modifying math instruction, integrating technology and using interactive notebooks.
So, have you bought your ticket for the Everything’s Intermediate Expo yet?  If you haven’t, feel free to enter this weekend’s giveaway.  Teacher Blog Addict and Teacher’s Notebook, who are sponsoring the expo have given me not one, not two, but three tickets to giveaway this weekend!  Scroll down to find out how to enter the giveaway.  Note - if you’ve already bought your ticket, please feel free to enter for a friend, or to give the tickets away as a gift to a teammate or student teacher!

Contest Guidelines:
1.) You can enter up to 3 times, but please don’t forget to fill out the entry form each time so that your entry can be counted.
2.) Your entry must be received by Sunday, March 25th at 5:00p.m. EST.  Winners will be announced on Sunday, March 25th at 8:00p.m. EST.
3.)  The ways to enter are:

1. Sign up for the Raki’s Rad Resources News Release.  (If you already receive these news releases, it will count as an entry.)
2.  Sign up for the Virtual Teaching Expo Newsletter.  (If you already receive this newsletter, it will count as an entry.)
3.  Leave a comment letting me know how many English Language Learners are in your class(es) and what one thing you struggle with in regards to teaching them.

Good luck to all – I can’t wait to hand out these tickets!