Schoology NEXT 2016

As more schools and districts roll out 1:1 initiatives, curriculum departments are being tasked with designing instructional resources that help teachers take advantage of classroom technology. But curriculum resource developers walk a fine line between empowering teachers and dictating classroom practice. Participants in this session will experience Schoology through the lens of playlist development for use by teams of teachers. Chris will create a playlist in real time, narrating his thought process in a Think Aloud format with the goal of helping others avoid the pitfalls he discovered.

Session Objectives:
Participants will leave this session with:
• A philosophical understanding of what it means to build playlists for teams of teachers
• Ideas for differentiation opportunities within playlists
• Practical knowledge of how third party apps (Blendspace, Ed Puzzle, YouTube, etc.) can be integrated into playlist resources
• A list of pitfalls to avoid when designing playlists for teachers

Presented by:
Christopher Puente
Campus Content Specialist
Pasadena Independent School District
Pasadena, TX

As a Campus Content Specialist and instructional coach, Chris’s work writing curriculum and creating resources at the district level is constantly informed by the world of PLC planning and classroom facilitation on campus.

Learn effective techniques for making Schoology courses more accessible to English language learners (ELLs) and other non-native speakers of English. Some of these techniques can also be applied to situations where students need support in digital literacy.

Session Objectives:
Attendees will come away from this session with 1) a list of best-practices for supporting students who may be overwhelmed by the cognitive demand of an English-based LMS, and 2) techniques for using Schoology tools to enhance course accessibility.

Presented by:
Bekah Palmer
English as a Second Language (ESL) Instructor
English Language Institute at the University of California San Diego Extension
San Diego, CA

Bekah Palmer is an ESL instructor with 10+ years of experience teaching adult students at a variety of proficiency levels. She teaches at the English Language Institute at the UCSD Extension.

Panelists discuss their strategies for building online and blended courses that will actually engage learners.



Moderated by:
Adam Larson
Educational Strategies Director 
Schoology
Houston, TX

Adam Larson has been working to engage learners with technology for the last 13 years. Starting off in the classroom and working his way up to oversee large district technology integrations, he's excited to bring his experiences to the table and facilitate a conversation about building online learning courses. Adam also serves as Schoology's Director of Educational Strategy, where he helps translate what we do as a company to the classroom and vice versa.

Panelists:
Rebecca Kinnee
Innovative Technology Facilitator
District 214
Wheeling, IL

Becky is a technology facilitator in District 214 who works with teachers to incorporate technology instructionally into their classrooms. In her role, she works with teachers to create online and blended courses.

Stacey King
Teacher
Utah Online School, Washington County School District
St. George, UT

Stacey has been teaching online for three years, two of those years she has been using Schoology. She was awarded Schoology Educator of the Year in 2015. Stacey loves using Schoology and trying new things to keep students engaged and learning.

Shawnell Larsen
Teacher
Utah Online School, Washington County School District
St. George, UT

Shawnell has been teaching online for the past 8 years. After one year of using Schoology, she is excited about all the opportunities it opens up to interact with students.

In this session, two teachers (Teachers on Special Assignment for Blended Learning) will give a brief overview of blended learning and some key elements we have found essential to running blended classes in our public, comprehensive high schools. We will discuss our extensive homegrown teacher training program, which is run through Schoology. We will also explore how we have incorporated the iNACOL Blended Learning Teacher Competency Framework into our program. Finally, we will consider the importance of teacher created content (opposed to purchased curriculum) in the blended classroom and how the use of Schoology supports teacher course content. Throughout the presentation, participants will be asked to share ideas and experiences regarding blended learning. Come learn about one district's’ blended learning program and explore what other schools and districts can do to build similar experiences for their own communities.

Session Objectives:
1. Participants will explore how PAUSD has created a new blended model specifically applicable to public schools.

2. Participants will learn how Schoology plays a central role in supporting blended learning and 21st Century pedagogy.

3. Participants will collaborate to build similar experiences for their own communities.


Presented by:
Emily Garrison
Teacher on Special Assignment (TOSA) for Blended Learning
Palo Alto Unified School District
Palo Alto, CA

Emily Garrison is a Spanish teacher and Teacher on Special Assignment for blended learning at Palo Alto High School in Palo Alto, California. She holds a M.A, in Teaching English to Speakers Other Languages (TESOL) from San José State University.


Chris Bell
Teacher on Special Assignment (TOSA) for Blended Learning
Palo Alto Unified School District

Chris Bell is a math and computer science teacher at Gunn High School in Palo Alto, California. He is also a Teacher on Special Assignment for Blended Learning and a teacher leader for technology integration.

It's great that you're here - but what about your staff back home? This session will show you research-based strategies to help veteran and traditional teachers integrate technology better through blended PD in Schoology. You will learn tips to get your veteran staff to flip, blend and integrate with both knowledge and purpose. This session will also help you identify the teachers most likely to be successful - and it may not be whom you think.

Session Objectives:
Attendees will come away from this session with 1.) research-based strategies for selecting teachers to help integrate technology 2.) models for incorporating blended learning into professional development through Schoology 3.) samples/practices developed during the session

Presented by:
Kristie Burk
Coordinator of Blended and Cyber Learning
Downingtown Area School District
Downingtown, PA

Kristie Burk is currently the Coordinator of Blended and Cyber Learning. She has worked as an English teacher in traditional, blended and online settings at both public high schools and universities. She's also been a programmer, trainer and writer.

After using Schoology for 6 years, it was about time I went paperless. The problem was, our district uses PowerSchool for the grading program and that's where grades have to be entered. The only function I hadn't fully explored was the Schoology gradebook. Until now. And, oh, how I do enjoy it.

This seminar will focus on basic understanding of the Schoology gradebook and it's design, ways to accommodate specific grading issues and reinforcing the school-to-home connection with interactive assessments that provide immediate feedback, and digitally submit assignments. In this workshop teachers will also develop rubrics generated in Schoology for both formative/summative assessments and gather instant, usable data to help drive instruction.

Session Objectives:
Attendees will be able to: 1) setup their grade books using the grading system they want to use, whether category, percentage or weighting. 2) create a rubric for grading systems, 3) develop badges for engagement and positivity, and if time allows 4) using the mastery feature (enterprise only).

Presented by:
James Amato
EduTech Director
Region 16 CT, Woodland Regional HS
Beacon Falls, CT

With 21 years of teaching and 25 years as a freelance network and computer consultant, Jim is savvy in many veins of technology. This father of three is a Sagittarius and Eagle Scout who loves Schoology, puppies and long walks on the beach.

Standards-based grading stands in opposition to the 100-point scale. But there are ways to provide clarity in feedback while operating in a 100-point environment. Learn how to create and use rubrics in Schoology, how to create meaningful rubric criteria, and how to convert the four-point scale to percentage grades. This “nuts & bolts” session will also touch on the issues of cultivating a growth mindset for your students and transforming the “cult of grades” into a “culture of proficiency” for your faculty.

Session Objectives:
Attendees will come away from this session with 1) technical understanding of how to create rubrics and integrate them into assessments, 2) a high-functioning philosophy behind effective rubric use based on the work of Thomas Guskey and Bob Marzano and 3) a proven strategy to develop a “practitioner cohort” to scale up a user base and hasten adoption

Presented by:
Ted Sadtler
Director of Teaching & Learning
The Westminster Schools
Atlanta, GA

With 20 years of classroom experience, Ted teaches Middle School Spanish, leads the vision for MS faculty professional development, directs the Middle School's vibrant PLC culture, and serves as Instructional Coach to individual faculty.

Since starting with Schoology and Google in 2013, I have been able to recreate my special education classroom into a paperless, personalized learning experience for my students. With doing this, I have been able to cut my paper consumption by 90% and been able to show my students with special needs how to succeed. On the last year of the Ohio Achievement Assessment, all eight of my students were able to be considered proficient by the state of Ohio on the reading portion. Learn how to use Schoology tools such as individually assign, grading groups, Google Integration and student completion tools to make personalized instruction happen.

Session Objectives:
Attendees will come away with 1) A step by step guide and tips on how to personalize instruction for individuals or groups of individuals so they can reach their fullest potential. 2) Language Arts resources that easily work with Schoology. 3) How to utilize the materials already in your Google Drive to personalize instruction.

Presented by:
Melissa Stanton
Intervention Specialist/Technology iPad Teacher
Liberty Benton Middle School
Findlay, OH

Melissa is also a National Board Certified Teacher in Exceptional Education and also an iPad teacher. Melissa has been fortunate to be involved with a 1:1 initiative from the piloting in the resource room to now.

This will be a hands-on workshop to make the API work for you, instead of the other way around! It will begin with an overview of APIs in general, then the Schoology API and documentation. A real-world example of the API in action will show how instructors register accounts, request or create groups/courses, and and even provision enrollments from SIS data - all through a self-service portal powered by the API. This is an interactive session and you will be asked to roll-up your sleeves and code, using sample scripts provided. Participants will return home with working code and a path to implementing custom solutions with the Schoology API.

Session Objectives:
Participants will:
- Review Schoology API documentation and understand the benefits of using APIs.
- Observe a real-world example of an eLearning portal leveraging the Schoology API.
- Develop solutions using creative problem solving to empower users and build operational efficiencies using the Schoology API.
- Create and take-away a PHP web service that connects to the Schoology API for use in their own school environment.
- Learn what questions to ask themselves and their stakeholders to ensure the designed solution is aligned to their needs.

Presented by:
Phil Abi-Najm
Enterprise Solutions Architect
Department of Defense Education Activity
Alexandria, VA

Phil Abi-Najm is a credentialed Project Management Professional (PMP), with over 16 years of battle-hardened IT service experience, currently serving as a PM and Enterprise Solutions Architect for the Department of Defense Education Activity.

Jonathan Barkand
Instructional Designer
Department of Defense Education Activity

Jonathan Barkand is an Instructional Designer for the Virtual School at the Department of Defense Education Activity, having spent the previous 8 years creating and administering content for K-12, Higher Education, and Professional Development.


Bradley Kemp
Senior Instructional Designer
Schoology

Bradley is a 3rd generation teacher and proud to introduce Schoology to master educators across the world on a daily basis. He works with instructional directors to develop strategic adoption plans to ensure deep and meaningful integrations of technology into the curriculum, echoing the mantra Change is not an event, it is a process. Prior to his work at Schoology, he designed eLearning solutions for Fortune 500 companies and volunteered teaching music to kids in Brooklyn, NY. In addition to his passion for education, Kemp is an accomplished musician, film maker, and theater director, supported by the Jim Henson Foundation, New York State Council for The Arts, and Meet the Composer, among others. Bradley has a Bachelor’s degree from the New England Conservatory of Music.

How can Schoology equip teachers to develop deep and meaningful learning in community? This hands-on workshop will explore principles of teaching that can engender a "community of inquiry" amongst students and faculty. Together, we will explore evidence based methods of application for the teacher's individual context. To enjoy the full learning experience, attendees are encouraged to bring their own device (BYOD).

Session Objectives:
- Apply evidence based principles of creating “communities of inquiry” to a personalized context.


Presented by:

Justin Harbin
Assistant Professor, Instructional Designer
Lancaster Bible College
Lancaster, PA

Justin is a third generation teacher who is passionate about becoming the best teacher he can be and equipping others to do the same. After spending six years as a high school history teacher, he and his family moved to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, to teach and assist faculty as an instructional designer at Lancaster Bible College. Justin holds a Masters in Secondary Education from Villanova University and a Bachelor of Science in Comprehensive History Education from Northland International University.

William Illingworth
Systems Administrator, Instructional Technologist
Lancaster Bible College

William is an educator by heart with years of experience in event management, teaching, and computer maintenance. He began his teaching career in the martial arts, becoming an instructor at his master’s school in 2008. With his Bachelor of Science in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages from Lancaster Bible College completed, he is currently seeking a Post-baccalaureate Certificate in Educational Technology Integration on his way to his Master of Education in Learning, Design, and Technology at Penn State University. He strives to provide excellent training, teaching, and learning experiences for himself and his students in all contexts.

One of the most difficult aspects of teaching is differentiating lessons for students based on their abilities. In this session, we will look at ways to use Schoology to create individualized courses for students. These courses can meet IEP requirements, build student self-esteem, and allow for less “pull out” from the regular education classroom. Examples of courses I created this year for two of my students in the regular fifth grade classroom: one student on a first grade reading and math level and one student on a third grade reading first grade math level. These students were able to work alongside their fifth grade peers without feeling embarrassed about their lower level abilities. I saw their self-esteem soar as the school year progressed. We will also look at some great FREE resources where you can find content to build these differentiated courses.

Session Objectives:
1) To see how Schoology can be used to create differentiated courses for students
2) To learn to work smarter, not harder while meeting students’ individual needs
3) To gather resources to help in building the courses.


Presented by:
Melissa Riggs
1:1 iPad 5th Grade Teacher
Falcon School District
Peyton, CO

I am in my 21st year teaching elementary students and I currently teach in a 1-to-1 iPad classroom of 5th graders. I love how technology can be used to engage some of the most reluctant learners.

Learn how you can easily prevent cheating and protect content during Schoology tests! This session discusses key challenges with online testing in K-12 environments and presents a cost-effective way to deter cheating. You’ll see how LockDown Browser prevents students from printing, copying, and accessing other applications during proctored tests – and how it seamlessly integrates with Schoology for use with Windows, Mac, and iOS devices. We’ll also share best practices from some of the 1000 institutions that use LockDown Browser.

Presented by:
Arie Sowers
Senior Product Specialist
Respondus, Inc.
Redmond, WA

Arie Sowers is a Senior Product Specialist with Respondus, Inc. She works with faculty and administrators to ensure successful implementation of Respondus applications within their online testing programs. Arie has led hundreds of presentations and training sessions for administrators and instructors on best practices for using online testing technologies within educational institutions.

Easily-collected, instantly usable, actually effectual data...something we all want...just like bacon.

Session Objectives:
1. Using Schoology, and other tech, see how easy it is to collect reliable data from rigorous, aligned assessments
2. Breaking that data down and analyzing each class, and each student
3. Refining student skills with the collected and analyzed data, using Schoology

Presented by:
Rus Bass Ehler
English Teacher
Juarez HS, City of Chicago, D299
Chicago, IL

Mr. Bass Ehler has taught in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood for 13 years. He has taught all four levels and and currently teaches freshmen. He lives in the Lakeview neighborhood with his wife, Karyn, and two children, Sam and Noa.