- Catlin Tucker's session on creatively connecting curriculum to the Common Core was inspirational. Her approach to learning and teaching is so refreshing. She is always scooping out terrific resources that allow for better teaching practices. For example, myShakespeare.com which allows students to hear his plays voiced by actors along with "interviews" of the characters for deeper understanding.
- Also, vocabulary.comvocabulary.com which allows teachers to set up word lists based on books or articles and helps students go at their own pace to master new words. Hearing a session from this company and having some time to have her guide me though, helped me see that there is more to this tool. For example, word lists are already created for many novels we read in the sixth grade that could help students build deeper understanding of key terms before they read the books. This may help them understand the material better when they go to read independently. Students love this tool already and its inherently competitive feel.
- EdPuzzle. I'd heard of EdPuzzle before. However, I didn't really have a good grasp of what this online video teaching tool could do. Attending a session on it helped me see how teachers are using it help differentiate (students can play the videos as many times as needed and teachers can insert information to pop up as to vocabulary or background knowledge students may need). Additionally it can sync seamlessly with Google Classroom (which I've been meaning to look into more too. Is it better than Schoology for some tasks? Is it redundant if already using Schoology as a campus?) EdPuzzle though has such potential.
I hope I have the chance to attend again next year!
