Once the last bell rings and the lockers empty out, it’s time for teachers to enjoy some “me” time and fit in a little professional development. There are a lot of avenues to take from conferences and workshops to work-on-your-own certifications.
Become a Google Certified Educator
The Certified Educator program is offered at four levels, a Google Certified Educator Level 1, Level 2 and Google Certified Trainer and Innovator. Each level requires varying degrees of dedication on your part. Each of the four levels (Google Certified Educator Level 1, Level 2, Google for Education Certified Trainer and Google for Education Certified Innovators) has a course and exam you must pass to gain certification. Google for Education Certified Trainers and Innovators must also submit an application. You can either work on your own to go through these levels or work with a Google Certified Trainer for face-to-face instruction.
Bring Coding to Your School
Code.org partners with more than 120 school districts to bring computer science to your district. Besides teaching students how to code, Code.org offers professional development workshops for teachers and administrators. Workshops can be geared to those without any prior computer science experience. Administers can set up K-12 educator workshops by contacting a regional partner.
Join the Microsoft Educator Community
Microsoft’s Educator Center offers training and resources, badges and certifications. Take a course, master a Microsoft product, view your achievements and connect with others. There are also options to attend on-demand or in-person training and events.
Take a Free Digital Media Course
KQED Teach offers free, hands-on professional learning opportunities that are focused on digital media. You can build skills in digital storytelling, data visualization and critical media. The courses are free, take about six hours and qualify for a PBS Certified Media Literacy Educator. Sign up from the website.
Sit through a LIVE Webinar
EdTechTeam, the global network of educational technologists that works with more than 250 contractors worldwide, features both LIVE webinars and archived webinars on its website. Topics covered include “Chromebooks for Tools for Creativity,” “Innovative Strategies for Teaching Science” and “Ok Google, How Safe is My Data.” Most of these webinars run about an hour.
Have a great idea for summer professional development? Share it in the comments below!