Through the Midwest Teachers Institute, I offer college-credit classes that teach how to blend technology with traditional lesson plans. They include all the ebooks, videos, and other resources required so you don’t spend any more than what is required to register for the class. Once you’re signed up, you prepare weekly material, chat with classmates, respond to class Discussion Boards and quizzes, and participate in a weekly video meeting. Everything is online.
Questions? Email me at [email protected]
Here are the ones I’m currently offering:
MTI 558
Starts October 7th
Experiment with a wide variety of available digital writing tools to help your students develop their inner writer. Understand the secrets to picking good digital writing tools while working with classmates in a hands-on and non-threatening writer’s workshop format. Resources include a blend of videos, pedagogic articles, lesson plans, projects, and virtual face-to-face meetings to share suggestions with classmates in a collaborative environment. Strategies introduced range from conventional tools such as quick writes, online websites, and visual writing to unconventional approaches such as Twitter novels, comics, and Google Earth lit trips. These can be adapted to any writing program be it 6+1 Traits, Write Source, IB, Common Core, or other popular language arts curricula.
At the completion of this course, you will be able to:
- Use technology to drive authentic writing activities and project-based learning.
- Use traditional and non-traditional technology approaches to build an understanding of good writing and nurture a love of the process.
- Guide students in selecting writing strategies that differentiate for task, purpose and audience.
- Assess student writing without discouraging creativity via easy-to-use tech tools.
- Provide students with effective feedback in a collaborative, sharing manner.
Be prepared for and enthusiastic about using technology tools in the writing class.
Assessment is project-based so be prepared to be fully-involved and an eager risk-taker. Price includes course registration and all necessary materials. To enroll, click the link, search for MTI 558 and sign up.
The Tech-infused Teacher: The 21st Century Digitally-infused Teacher
MTI 562
Starts January 2020
The 21st Century lesson blends technology with teaching to build a collaborative, differentiated, and shared learning environment. In this course, teachers will use a suite of digital tools to make that possible while addressing overarching concepts like digital citizenship, internet search and research, authentic assessment, critical thinking, and immersive keyboarding. Teachers will actively collaborate, share knowledge, provide constructive feedback to classmates, and publish digitally. Classmates will become the core of the teacher’s ongoing Personal Learning Network. Assessment is project-based so participants should be prepared to be fully-involved and eager risk-takers.
At the completion of this course, the learner will be able to:
- Integrate and adapt blogs, wikis, Twitter, and Google Hangouts to collaborate and share. INTASC 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 10
- Research ways to safely and effectively search and research on the internet, including how to be a good digital citizen. INTASC 1
- Appraise technology to support teaching and achieve Common Core Standards. INTASC 1, 7
- Integrate keyboarding skills into classroom activities and prepare for yearly assessments. INTASC 8
- Assess student technology use organically. INTASC 1, 8
- Develop digital portfolios to store, share, and curate classwork and justify their inclusion. INTASC 8, 9
- Develop and employ a Personal Learning Network. INTASC 2, 5, 10
- Solve common tech problems that arise in the classroom. INTASC 4
Assessment is based on involvement, interaction with classmates, and completion of projects, so be prepared to be fully-involved and an eager risk-taker. Price includes course registration, college credit, and all necessary materials. To enroll, click the link, search for MTI 562, and sign up.
Differentiation: How Technology Makes Differentiation Fast and Easy
MTI 563
Starts January 2020
Differentiation in the classroom means meeting students where they are most capable of learning. It is not an extra layer of work, rather a habit of mind for both teacher and student. Learn granular approaches to infusing differentiation into all of your lesson plans, whether Common Core or other standards, with this hands-on, interactive class. Ideas include visual, audio, podcasts, movies, mindmaps, infographics, graphic organizers, charts and tables, screenshots, screencasts, images, games and simulations, webtools, and hybrid assessments.
At the completion of this course, the learner will be able to:
- Analyze and critique the technology used to differentiate for student learning styles. INTASC 1
- Explain how differentiating content and presentation engages a greater proportion of learners. INTASC 3
- Construct and implement measures that ensure the outcome of student learning demonstrates understanding. INTASC 1, 6
- Devise a variety of assignments to address all learners’ needs. INTASC 6
- Create an inclusive learning environment in the classroom. INTASC 3
- Integrate and adapt blogs, wikis, Twitter, and Google Hangouts to collaborate and share. INTASC 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 10
Assessment is based on involvement, interaction with classmates, and completion of projects, so be prepared to be fully-involved and an eager risk-taker. Price includes course registration, college credit, and all necessary materials.
Jacqui Murray has been teaching K-18 technology for 30 years. She is the editor/author of over a hundred tech ed resources including a K-12 technology curriculum, K-8 keyboard curriculum, K-8 Digital Citizenship curriculum. She is an adjunct professor in tech ed, Master Teacher, an Amazon Vine Voice reviewer, CSTA presentation reviewer, freelance journalist on tech ed topics, a weekly contributor NEA Today, and author of the tech thrillers, To Hunt a Sub and Twenty-four Days. You can find her resources at Structured Learning.
