Taking full advantage of using technology as a teaching tool was the focus for nearly 80 educators who attended the Technology Integration Workshop at the end of July. As evidenced by the results below, this professional development opportunity helps educators enliven their lessons with technology and workplace skills.
– 100% of the attendees leaned a technological skill that they will use in their classroom.
– 93% reported having a better understanding of the skills students need to be successful when entering the workforce.
BestPrep partnered with the University of St. Thomas Opus College of Business to host the four-day workshop. While attending, the K-12 educators heard from experts in the field of educational technology and took part in breakout sessions. Flipgrid, Google Apps for Education, flipped classroom, effective video uses, and assessing student work were among the topics discussed. With the help of Technology Integration Specialists, the unit plans attendees modified have been posted on BestPrep’s web page in the Electronic Lesson Library. And you can view the blog posts from attendees or review the hashtag #TIW15 on Twitter to see what participants had to say about the program.
One highlight was the job shadow portion of the week. “Volunteer Business Partners” came from such companies as General Mills, Thomson Reuters, Target Corporation, Allianz Life, and Travelers. The Business Partners gave educators insight into the professional skills students will need to be successful in the future. The goal of the job shadow experience is to help educators develop relevant curriculum that connects with real-world applications.
Diane Robinson of Luverne Elementary School shared:
“The Technology Integration Workshop is THE place to learn new skills to prepare your students for their participation in the global playing field!”
“With the rapid, day-to-day advancement of technology, educators need to continually educate themselves on what’s new, in order to remain ahead of the curve. BestPrep hopes that through their participation in the Technology Integration Workshop, educators will understand how to best utilize today’s technology to teach their students,” said Program Manager Bonnie Vagasky.
A special thank you to the companies who support the Technology Integration Workshop: Assurant, Boston Scientific, Education Minnesota, General Mills, KAHR Foundation, Thomson Reuters, Travelers, and the Wells Fargo Foundation Minnesota.