Thursday Morning Workshops - $35

Thursday, November 5, 2009
8:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

CW1101
Teams as Professional Learning Communities
Polly Matyorauta and Patricia Benson
Teams in today's middle schools must function as professional learning communities ... and while we all can agree with this statement, skills are required for teams to collaborate, be reflective, maintain a collective focus on student achievement, make their practice public, and establish shared norms and values. This session will provide practical skills necessary for PLCs. Participants will leave with more than fifteen new classroom and meeting strategies and skills for deep collaboration.

CW1102
The Impact of Service-Learning in Concert with Reading and Math Strategies Across the Curriculum
Ruby Scroggins, Perry Daniel, Michael Hicks, Lanena Emanuel, Raymond Hicks, and Kenya Claiborne
This workshop has been cancelled and rescheduled as a concurrent session.

CW1103
Get Organized! Time Management for School Leaders
Frank Buck
We can make a world of difference to those around us. Every good thing we do for ourselves or others is accomplished through the dimension of time. This session teaches a total system for organizing your surroundings and effectively managing your time. Time management is an essential, yet often missing, skill in the development of classroom teachers and school administrators. The session examines both paper and digital strategies to increase your productivity and decrease your level of stress.

CW1104
Create, Communicate, Collaborate—Projects for the Global Classroom
Howie DiBlasi
Learn how emerging technologies can be used to support comprehension and 21st Century information literacy skills in the classroom. Attendees will observe the use of FREE software, and how to create Global Projects and applications for the 21st century classroom. Resources are tighter than ever, but luckily with the multitude of free resources now available online that should no longer prevent you from preparing your students for the 21st century. Learn where to find free, accessible software and Web sites, and understand how to use these free resources to support teaching and learning while improving digital literacy. Strengthen your digital media skills, learn how to make global connections for your classroom and prepare for the future of digital classrooms.

CW1105
The Millennials: Weebles, Scrilla, Steezy, & Swarming—Youth Culture 2009 and what EVERY Middle School Professional Needs to Know about this Generation
Eric Rowles
How familiar R U w/ 2days youth culture? In this very HAND-ON session, participants will identify some of the generational differences between Boomers, Gen X, & Gen Y—including career outlooks, school work ethic, volunteer trends, & pop culture influences. Participants will also be introduced to recent research from the work of Neil Howe/Williams Strauss, authors of "Millenials Rising," as well as emerging trends that middle school professionals may experience with this changing generation.

CW1106
How to Improve Parental Involvement: The Essential Guide
David Shepard, Sherrel Bergmann, and Judith Brough
Is your school always looking for more ways to involve parents? Do you sit and lament the fact that parents aren't very active in your school? Do you constantly ask "What Do We Do Now?" This session will outline a complete blueprint for improving parental involvement. Come and learn techniques for finding invisible parents, hooking reluctant parents, focusing school efforts to facilitate change, ideas to involve all parents and the eight skills necessary when dealing with overbearing parents.

CW1107
Everyone's Invited! Interactive Strategies to Engage Our Students
Jill Spencer
The most effective teaching strategies can be interactive in ways that engage students and entice them to want to know more! Come discover ways to help your students develop both confidence and competence in your subject matter while building a positive, safe classroom climate. We will explore the power of prior knowledge, try out interactive reading strategies, practice ways to help students rehearse for success and much more. You will leave feeling confident that you can employ these strategies back home.

CW1108
This session is now included in your registration. No special tickets needed—simply show up!
Videoconferencing: Going Global, Being Green and Saving $$ in the 21st Century Classroom
Jan Zanetis, Glen Warren, and Jody Kennedy
Educational leaders are looking for alternatives to ensure better productivity, balance, cost and environmental effectiveness. Increasingly, Interactive Videoconferencing (IVC) is becoming part of the standard set of tools used by administrators, teachers and librarians to enhance communication, training, and instruction. Learn how to support effective uses of videoconferencing, understand basics about the technology and its instructional applications. Discover resources to help you find and collaborate with other videoconferencing educators.