Teach with Tech Conference

TWTCON (Teach with Tech Conference) is an entirely online professional development experience for K-12 educators using technology in their classrooms. Teachers participate in a wide range of sessions all online that focus on your classroom teaching strategies with technology. BPS teachers, this event has been approved for 4 OPI renewal units and step up credit!

In order to receive OPI renewal and/or step-up credit, please complete the following steps:

• Register for a premium TWTCON ticket ($10.95) at bit.ly/TWTCON19
• Complete the BPS step-up request form
• Watch at least 9 of the videos (3 hours)
• Complete this reflection activity, which includes submitting a TWTCON Certificate of Completion
• You will receive 4 OPI renewal units 

OPI forms will be distributed via interschool mail in August. Please let me know if you have any questions!

Weekly Tech-y News

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PBS Kids Appy Hour

If you're attending the PBS Kids EdCamp on May 11th, this will be a great follow-up for you! This session will discuss PBS Kids digital tools and how they can be applied in your classroom in purposeful ways. Open to all pre-K - 3rd grade teachers in the Billings area! BPS teachers, register at the district PIR Day Trade site, as well as bit.ly/AppyHourPBS for this FREE day of learning!

Professional Development Opportunities this Spring & Summer

Join me for some of these fun trainings! Also, check out the bpstis.org website and click "Trainings & Events" to view more.

PBS Kids Edcamp

May 11th 9:00-2:00

Lincoln Center Board Room

REGISTER HERE

Code.org Computer Science Fundamentals

Lincoln Center room 308

REGISTER HERE for June 17th

REGISTER HERE for August 14th

Also, sign up for MEA Trade on the district trade website

Classkick for Student Engagement & Feedback

June 18th 8:30-11:30

Lincoln Center room 308

Register at the district trade website

Next Level Student Voice

June 18th 12:30-3:30pm

Lincoln Center room 308

Register at the district trade website

Weekly Tech-y News

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I'm Speaking at #ISTE19!

AHHH! Philadelphia, here I come! I am so excited to collaborate with my pals Kristen Brooks & Heather Marrs to present on next level student voice. We'll be sharing ways we use tools like Seesaw, Flipgrid, DoInk, Apple Clips & Book Creator in our to give our students VOICE & CHOICE! Can't wait! #ISTE19

Online Digital Portfolios Course

Montana teachers! Register for this FREE online course at the OPI Learning Hub. Course begins January 7th and runs through February 3rd. We will use Seesaw as our tool to explore using digital portfolios in your classrooms. 15 OPI renewal units, plus step - up for Billings Schools teachers. Register at bit.ly/OPILearningHub.

Weekly Tech-y News

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Weekly Tech-y News August 27th

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ISTE 2018

Wahoo! Heather Marrs & I have arrived at ISTE 2018!

Thanks to generous grants from Montana MCCE and the Education Foundation for BPS, I had the amazing opportunity to attend the 2018 ISTE Conference in Chicago this past summer. Attending ISTE was such an incredible time to connect with edtech teacher leaders from across our country, and learn from the best of the best. 

I especially enjoyed being a part of the first ever Seesaw Connect event, where I was able to learn about gamified classrooms from Heather Marrs, explore innovative PD options with Andy Lesier, and delve deeper into #BookSnaps with Tara Martin. It was amazing to meet so many teachers I had connected with via Twitter, and be able to share and learn one with one another in person. The Seesaw Connect Amazing Race was super fun, and I loved leading a job alike session with other tech integration specialists and coaches who use Seesaw. This event and helping out in the Seesaw booth at the ISTE Expo Hall were two definite highlights of my time in Chicago! I love that you can access the website to view resources from this amazing event, even if you couldn't attend in person! Such great stuff can be found at web.seesaw.me/connect/. Check it out!

 Michelle Flicek, Sara Malchow, Kristen Brooks, Eric Robinson & me

 Our Seesaw Amazing Race crew

Me & my buddy Sara Malchow

Me with the amazing Sara Malchow & Bobbi Hopkins

I also really loved the educational playgrounds offered at ISTE. The playgrounds provided a chance to explore digital tools in a hands-on way, with teacher experts available to share ideas and answer questions. I explored at the digital storytelling playground, early learning network playground and Apple ADE playground. Some highlights were learning more (and meeting the creators of!) DoInk and Book Creator apps, as well as exploring amazing creativity tools with Apple Distinguished Educators. 

 My ADE squad!

Dan Kemp, me & Heather Marrs

Some presentations I really enjoyed were Goog-Smacked, with tons of ideas for using Google tools in your classrooms, and Who Wants to be an EduInnovator. This session was conducted in a fun game-show like format that was super engaging! Tony Vincent's emojis in education session was full (I ran late because ... pizza), but you can click here to see his awesome ideas!

Yum!!

Tony Vincent, me & Shaundel Krumheuer

It's also so amazing to have the chance to meet with edu-innovators that have created the awesome tools we use and love in our classrooms! Spending time chatting with Seesaw creators and staff over pizza at Giordano's was amazing. We loved attending events hosted by Nearpod, Adobe, Quizlet, and EdPuzzle - all some of our favorite tools! It's inspiring to hear their stories, and how they made their dreams into a product now used by thousands of teachers & students to make learning better! I also loved meeting some friends in real life that I have been sharing ideas and learning from on Twitter and Instagram. So fun to meet you in person!

 Anita Goodwin, Julie Smith & me

 Me, Sarah Rainey & Ann Brucker

Me at the EdPuzzle event with CHAMPION Sarah Rainey, Shaundel Krumheuer & Shelly Stanton

If you have an opportunity to attend a conference like ISTE, I encourage you to take it! And if the opportunities aren't falling into your lap, seek them out! Ask your administrator, look for grants like the ones I received through MCCE and the Education Foundation, or post a request on sites like Donors Choose! Connecting with other educators to share ideas and learn from one another is so powerful and rejuvenating! I am excited and ready for the 2018-19 school year to begin! (Now, please enjoy these pictures of the Best Doughnuts I Have Ever Eaten.)

Best Freaking Jelly Doughnut on the Face of the Planet

Peanut Butter Cup Doughnut

Biscoff pocket a.k.a. COOKIE BUTTER DOUGHNUT!

MCCE Tech Summit

There is still time to register for the annual Summer Tech Summit! This two day learning event is a great opportunity to explore new digital tools and see how they are used in a classroom setting. BUT...it is also a time to make connections with educators from around the state and learn from each other!

Visit the MT MCCE website to get more information and to register! Here are some sessions you can look forward to:
iPad apps and activities
Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) tools
Photo editing
Video editing
Digital storytelling
Google "Stuff"

And so much more! This two day summit costs $95, and provides you with 12 OPI renewal units. Step-up credit is available for BPS teachers.

Summer Learning Opportunities

There are still so many fantastic ways to learn and grow this summer!

Summer CS Fundamentals Workshops

I am partnering with Code.org and Teachers Teaching Tech to offer two Computer Science Fundamentals workshops, August 6th & 7th from 8:00am-4:00pm. These workshops will provide teachers with basic understanding of the Code.org curriculum and computer science principles, with the hope that teachers will implement this FREE curriculum into their classrooms this fall. 8 OPI renewal units will be offered, and step-up credit is available. Click the links below to register.

REGISTER FOR AUGUST 6th 

REGISTER FOR AUGUST 7th

The courses are the same, and you may only take the class once. Please choose the date that works best for you!

ISTE 2018!

 

Here are a few #ISTE18 sessions & events I’m looking forward to! So many opportunities to choose from! Can’t wait! 🎉💕@BPSTIS @Seesaw @BookCreatorApp @rpencetech @annkozma723 @AppleEDU @hmarrs24 @smalchow @lekadegroot @bhopteacher Mostly excited to see & meet many of you IRL! 💕 pic.twitter.com/LWj6J12Kyl

— Traci Piltz  (@TraciPiltz) June 22, 2018

Create a Digital Business Card Using Buncee!

I used the creation tool Buncee to make this digital business card to share with colleagues I meet at ISTE 2018! Buncee is super easy to use for creating and publishing, with the ability to add animations, photos, links, videos and stickers. I had so much fun creating this! Buncee has a page to share digital business cards to connect with other teachers. Once you create yours, you can upload it here.

Summer Learning Opportunities

You can also check out this comprehensive Summer PD Guide put together by Nikki Vradenburg of Montana PBS.

Weekly Tech-y News April 9-13th

Click the image to download a PDF.

Summer PD!

Using Classkick for Instant Feedback
June 18th 8:30-11:30 Lincoln Center, room 308
REGISTER HERE

Let's TACO 'Bout PicCollage
June 18th 12:30-3:30 Lincoln Center, room 308
REGISTER HERE

Seesaw Basics (for beginners to Seesaw)
June 19th 8:30-11:30 Lincoln Center, room 308 *NOTE: NEW TIME

REGISTER HERE

Seesaw Activities, Folders & Skills (for intermediate to advanced users)
June 19th 12:30-3:30 Lincoln Center, room 308 *NOTE: NEW TIME
REGISTER HERE

All of these courses are worth 3 OPI renewal units. Don't forget, if you are planning to use any of these courses for step up, you'll need to complete the step up request form online at bit.ly/BillingsPD.

Nikki Vradenburg, Teacher Liaison for PBS Montana, also put together a great list of summer PD opportunities in Montana and surrounding areas. CLICK HERE to view her list! Also, be sure to check the BPSTIS site frequently, as new courses will be posted there as they are scheduled.

OPI Learning Hub Facilitated Course: Student Created Digital Portfolios

If you're looking for a great online learning option this summer, check out my FREE facilitated course on the OPI Learning Hub. In the course Student Created Digital Portfolios, teachers will utilize the free digital learning portfolio tool Seesaw to research, analyze and create digital portfolios. Teachers will have the opportunity to collaborate, learn and share ideas in this hands-on learning environment. Participants will research types of learning portfolios, discuss why portfolios are essential in today's classrooms, and compare student portfolios with professional learning portfolios. 

The course is facilitated and will run May 14th-June 10th. Teachers will earn 15 OPI renewal units. Billings teachers, step-up approval has been submitted to the PDAAC committee. To register, visit bit.ly/OPILearningHub. Registration should be open very soon!

Traci's Summer Courses

Using Classkick for Instant Feedback
June 18th 8:30-11:30 Lincoln Center, room 308
REGISTER HERE

Let's TACO 'Bout PicCollage
June 18th 12:30-3:30 Lincoln Center, room 308
REGISTER HERE

Seesaw Activities, Folders & Skills (for intermediate to advanced users)
June 19th 8:30-11:30 Lincoln Center, room 308
REGISTER HERE

Seesaw Basics (for beginners to Seesaw)
June 19th 12:30-3:30 Lincoln Center, room 308
REGISTER HERE

All of these courses are worth 3 OPI renewal units. Don't forget, if you are planning to use any of these courses for step up, you'll need to complete the step up request form online at bit.ly/BillingsPD.

Nikki Vradenburg, Teacher Liaison for PBS Montana, also put together a great list of summer PD opportunities in Montana and surrounding areas. CLICK HERE to view her list!