In the fast-paced world of education, teachers are often caught in a balancing act between imparting knowledge and updating their own skills.

With Shake Up Learning’s All Access PD Pass, this balancing act becomes a harmonious blend of teaching and continuous learning, all within your busy schedule.

How Busy Teachers Can Find Time for Meaningful Professional Development

Embrace Asynchronous Learning

One of the most significant advantages of the All Access PD Pass is its asynchronous nature. Courses like the Google Classroom Master Class or the Blended Learning with Google Workshop can be accessed anytime, anywhere. This flexibility means you can learn at your own pace, fitting professional development into small windows of availability, be it during a lunch break, after school hours, or over the weekend.

Related: Synchronous vs. Asynchronous Online Learning

Podcast PD = Learning on the Go

The Shake Up Learning Show podcast transforms your commute or workout time into an opportunity for professional development. Each episode, ranging from 35 to 60 minutes, is packed with innovative ideas and practical tips, making it easy to stay informed and inspired even when you’re on the move. Plus, you can get a credit certificate for listening! How awesome is that?

Related: Podcast PD Choice Board for Teachers Vol. 3 (FREE Download!)

Integrating PD into Your Teaching

The All Access PD Pass resources can directly inform and enhance your teaching. Implementing a new tool or strategy in your classroom straight from a master class not only benefits your students but also gives you real-time feedback on your learning. This practical application solidifies your understanding and showcases the immediate impact of your professional growth.

Staying Current with Ease

The ever-evolving content in the All Access PD Pass ensures that you’re always at the forefront of educational innovation. With new courses and workshops continually added, the latest educational trends and technologies are just a click away. This ongoing access means you’re not just keeping up with professional development; you’re staying ahead.

Members-Only Library: A Treasure Trove of Resources

The Members-Only Library, a key feature of Shake Up Learning’s All Access PD Pass, is a haven for time-strapped educators. It offers a curated collection of ebooks and cheat sheets, each designed for quick and effective learning. This library is perfect for busy teachers seeking instant access to a range of educational resources. Whether you need a new teaching strategy, a tech tip, or a classroom management idea, you’ll find it here, packaged in an easy-to-use format. This accessible library ensures that even the busiest educators can enhance their skills and enrich their classrooms without sacrificing valuable time.

Your Path to Balanced Professional Growth

The Shake Up Learning All Access PD Pass is more than just a collection of resources; it’s a pathway to balanced, continuous professional development. With the flexibility to learn at your pace and the convenience of integrating new skills directly into your teaching, the All Access PD Pass is the ideal solution for busy educators seeking growth.

100+ Hours of Credit

An added advantage of Shake Up Learning’s All Access PD Pass is the valuable recognition you receive upon completing each course. Every module you finish is not just a step forward in your professional development, but also earns you a certificate for credit hours. This tangible acknowledgment of your efforts and learning can be a significant addition to your professional portfolio, showcasing your commitment to continuous growth and mastery of educational technology and innovative teaching strategies. Whether you’re enhancing your resume or meeting professional development requirements, these credit hour certificates serve as a testament to your dedication and hard work.

Get Your Whole Team, Campus, or District On Board!

We offer group discounts for 10 or more, and special pricing for campus and district licensing.

Many schools have become REPEAT customers because their teachers love the flexibility of the ALL ACCESS PD Pass!

Get a quote and start the PO process here.

Join the Learning Revolution

Ready to take control of your professional development without overwhelming your schedule?

Join Shake Up Learning’s All Access PD Pass today.

What’s Included?

• The Google Classroom Master Class
• The Google Slides Master Class
• The Google Meet Master Class
• The Zoom Master Class
• The Dynamic Learning Workshop
• The Blended Learning with Google Workshop
• Includes access to ALL future master classes and workshops!
• Members-Only Library of ebooks and cheat sheets!
• Podcast PD (with credit certificates and new content each week!)
• ALL courses are asynchronous – move at your own pace!
• Get credit for every course! (unlimited professional learning credit)
• More than 100 hours of PD credit (with more added all the time)!

For just $57 every three months, embark on a journey of continuous learning, tailored to fit your busy life.

Say goodbye to the struggle of balancing teaching and learning.

Say hello to a world of flexible, impactful, and continuous professional growth.

Enroll Now and Transform Your Teaching Journey with Shake Up Learning

© Shake Up Learning 2023. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Kasey Bell and Shake Up Learning with appropriate and specific direction to the original content on ShakeUpLearning.com. See: Copyright Policy.

The post How Busy Teachers Can Find Time for Meaningful Professional Development appeared first on Shake Up Learning.

One of my favorite Dynamic Learning strategies is collaborative note-taking with Google Docs.

Hands down, collaboration is the number one reason to “Go Google!”

The beauty of G Suite lies in the collaborative features.

When students are able to take notes together, it allows them to learn from each other AND gives the teacher a way to check for understanding.

As a middle school teacher, it was difficult for me to teach note-taking skills and my students really struggled. They either tried to write down every word, got pieces and doodled on the sides. (By the way, doodling is OKAY!)

Honestly, I don’t think I really learned how to take notes myself until college. When I was in high school we weren’t allowed to share notes during class. (That was cheating!) If you missed something, you caught up with a friend in the hallway to copy their notes.

Collaborative Notes with Google Docs

Collaborative Note-Taking is a strategy for any age group that is old enough to take notes, usually 5th grade and up. There are many ways to make note-taking collaborative–small groups, partners, whole class, etc.

Four to five students are assigned different categories for the notes, for instance, new vocabulary. Then each student contributes to their assigned category in the notes. The student assigned to take notes on any new vocabulary listens to the lesson, or works through the activity and only adds to the collaborative notes when they encounter new vocabulary.

It is less overwhelming when you are responsible for taking notes on only one category or topic. It’s also a great way to model note-taking strategies.

Keep in mind, if you choose to do this whole class, every student doesn’t have to be assigned a category at the same time, but they become accountable.

If the student assigned to add new vocabulary misses something, any student can help them contribute–collaborative.

The beauty of taking notes together allows students to each contribute their own perspective. Something that one students takes away or understands may be different from the next students. But with collaborative notes, we have everyone’s thoughts, prior knowledge, and currently learning in one place.

This is particularly great for when students get distracted and miss something because another student will fill in the gap.

We are better together!

This is also a great strategy for professional learning, and I have used this idea in many of my workshops.

How to Introduce Collaborative Notes with Google Docs

STEP 1: I create a Google Doc, and build a table inside the document. (See example below.) Tables give it some visual organizations, especially at first. It also keeps students from typing on top of each other. (Tip: If you choose to have more than 4 categories, change your page orientation to landscape to fit the table better.)

STEP 2: I assign each column to a different category. The categories will vary based on what you are teaching. I would break it into four or five categories.

Here are a few category examples to get your going:

• vocabulary/spelling (all subjects),
• important dates (social studies, ELAR, and other subjects),
• important people (all subjects),
• important events (social studies, ELAR, and other subjects),
• formulas (math, science),
• resource links (all subjects),
• steps in a process (all subjects)
• quotes (reading)
• Use anything that you would want students to take notes on.

STEP 3: Then I assign one student to each category. I will often pre-populate the table with information I have already covered in my introduction–giving them a starting place and a model.

STEP 4: The rest of the class/group is encouraged to contribute, but those assigned to take notes have the official responsibility. The class will take turns as official note-takers, giving each participant an opportunity to contribute and learn a little more about Google Docs as we go.

If someone sees another category or idea needs to be added to the notes later, they can use the free space below the table.

Keep in mind, note-taking is not limited to text. Students can insert images, Google Drawings, links, emojis, and more.

What Students Learn from Collaborative Note-Taking

DON’T GET FANCY! The beauty of this learning experience is not just the notes and content learning, it’s seeing how student collaborate, check for understanding, model note-taking, AND learn how to use Google Docs.

In the image of my notes example above, I did very little formatting. In fact, I only left two empty rows in the table. That’s by design.

There is ALWAYS a student (or three) that want to format things and make them look pretty, changing fonts, colors, adding bullets, etc. They, in turn, will show the rest of the class how to format in Google Docs. If this gets out of hand, you can assign one student to format AFTER the notes are complete.

When students realize they don’t have enough space in the table, they will ask how to add another row or they will just figure it out! So students are learning valuable tech skills as they take notes.

Tip: The Google Docs chat feature can also be utilized as a backchannel for the class to discuss their notes.

Student Ownership of Learning

Gradually, I give more and more control of the notes over to the students–eventually no longer assigning note-takers. (Yay! Student ownership of learning!)

Eventually, you will not even create and share the guided notes, students will create and share with you!

The notes become what students need them to be, and are good as they want them to be.

Dynamic, Blended Learning with Google

I talk a lot about making blending learning like this DYNAMIC! Applying my Dynamic Learning Framework, the collaborative note-taking strategy helps us tap into the four c’s–communication and collaboration. It also helps us go Beyond the Tool by using Google Docs to new, collaborative things. If you choose, the notes do not have to be limited to one activity, but could live and grow throughout the unit, semester, or school year, which allows us to think beyond one-and-done, hitting another DL characteristic, Beyond the Due Date.

The integration of Google Docs has endless possibilities for students and teachers. Collaboration allows us to be stronger and wiser together. Please feel free to share your ideas in the comments below.

Beyond Google Docs

Of course, there are many other applications that students can use to take collaborative notes. I like to start with Google Docs as a stepping stone before getting into other applications within G Suite or beyond.

The skills students learn, such as formatting, and general style of collaborative note-taking will carry over into any other applications you want to try.

Google Slides and Jamboard can allow for more abstract organization, and it’s easier to add images and allows students to embed video.

Give it a try, and let me know what you think!

New Book Coming Soon: Blended Learning with Google

If you like the idea in this post, you are going to love my new book, Blended Learning with Google!

In this book, I’m sharing my favorite strategies for using Google tools to create dynamic, blended learning experiences!

Use the form below to join the waitlist and be the first to know the release date, pre-order bonuses, and more!

© Shake Up Learning 2023. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Kasey Bell and Shake Up Learning with appropriate and specific direction to the original content on ShakeUpLearning.com. See: Copyright Policy.

The post Collaborative Notes with Google Docs appeared first on Shake Up Learning.

As educators continue to face much uncertainty, we also have to get extra creative with virtual PD.

In this guest post by Pam Hubler, she shares how she developed and implemented Google Challenges to deliver Virtual PD at her school.

Virtual PD, or virtual professional learning, is more than just making things digital. Much like the K12 classroom, we have to rethink everything–planning, delivery, and followup.

Let’s face it, “Zoom fatigue” is legit! No matter what video conferencing platform you are using, there is only so long you can stare at a screen.

I am working on some new resources to help educators design more meaningful blended PD (a new podcast series starts on Tuesday!)

AND, I will be sharing some new professional learning options myself, and here on Shake Up Learning.

Below is a guest post by Shake Up Learning Community Manager and Literacy Coach, Pam Hubler.

Google Challenges for Virtual PD

We’re experiencing a shift in education right now, which has forced educators to use technology creatively to continue to do our jobs. I think it will be a good thing in the end, but now, education is experiencing some major growing pains.

One group that is having to learn quickly is our educational support staff. Many of them have been able to get by with the knowledge they had of basic email and word processing tools they had access to on their desktop computers but never had a reason to explore new tools. Things are different when you have to access and create files remotely using different devices.

This situation created an opportunity for me to provide professional development for some of our district staff assistants who don’t usually have to use our GSuite tools since they didn’t have to access them outside of work. Working remotely forced them to learn very quickly!

I also had to learn very quickly how to provide virtual professional development. When you present in person, you look for facial expressions, listen for whispers, scan the room for people who look like they are frustrated. You can’t use any of those in virtual classes, so here’s what worked for me.

See also: How to Design Google PD That Works!

Planning for Different Skill Levels

The hardest thing to figure out is where to start! I had a set group of people at different levels, but most of them don’t use technology outside of work besides a cell phone. I needed a structure for beginners, so with some guidance from Kasey Bell, I decided to start with her Level 1 Google Educator Certification Capacity Matrix as a guide. (Get the Level 1 Capacity Matrix in the Google Certified Educator Level 1 Academy.)

When you’re a power user of all things Google, it’s easy to take what people may not know for granted. This list is an overview of everything an educator has to learn to get Level 1 certified. We didn’t need all of the skills, but this gave me an idea of where to start. The Capacity Matrix is a great place to start for Google training for educators! (8 pages of skills for teachers!)

(sample page)

Step 1: Creating a Training Agenda

I scanned through the Capacity Matrix and chose the areas I knew would be the most relevant to assistants. Since they are not classroom teachers, I needed to focus on more clerical skills. They might also have to do some creation, curating, data searching, etc.
Here are the areas I chose to focus on for five different sessions to start.

Week 1:

• Class 1.1: Google Chrome & Google Classroom
• Class 1.2: Google Chrome (continued), Search & Calendar
• Class 1.3: Google Docs & Slides

Week 2:

• Class 2.1: Google Forms & Sheets
• Class 2.2: Google Drive & Shared Drives

On Your Own:

• All Things Google Challenges – put your learning into practice!

Google Classroom isn’t at the beginning of the Capacity Matrix, but it was the learning management platform we would be using for the class. I needed them to understand how to navigate Google Classroom to make the class easy to follow as we moved through the training.

Step 2: Creating Structure in Google Classroom

Since we worked entirely online for this course, I chose to use the topics to keep things organized. To the left, you’ll see all the topics that I used. The great thing about Google Classroom topics is they only show up for “students” when there’s something under the topic. That keeps it clean and not too overwhelming as they get used to the structure.

Each “Class” was organized with the session Google Slides presentation (All Things Google) first for those who like to follow along, then the Exit ticket second.

I would add any additional resources that I found valuable during the session as materials under the Exit Ticket after the session was over. As hard as you might try, you can never plan for everything your participants will need, so this is the best way that I’ve found to share items after the fact and make sure it’s easy to get back to when they need it.

You’ll also notice a “Class Overview” in the first class. I created a short video using Screencastify to explain how the class would work. I shared an intro and the agenda, Google Meet link, and Google Classroom code in an email to make sure everyone was able to get into the class Google Meet the first time. Just that email was probably overwhelming to a lot of my participants!

Step 3: Creating Presentation Materials

I wanted to keep the presentation simple and use it to guide the order of our topics. When you know a lot about the content, it’s easy to get off topic and show your participants way more than they can handle. All the links go to support pages or resources meant for participants to go back to later if they need help. I go through each topic live so they could see it as I went.

I also recorded the Google Meet so I could add that video to the last slide for them to use later if they needed to watch it again. Here’s the preview of my first session (including the video I added once the Google Meet was over).

Using Google Meet for Virtual Sessions

I set up a Google Meet link in Google Calendar and scheduled it to repeat so participants would use the same link.

Now, I can use the new feature and just turn on the Google Meet link in Google Classroom to make it even easier!

OR…

Record and share virtual session recordings for participants to view later. I recorded my Google Meet by joining through the Google Calendar link. The great thing about setting it up through Google Calendar is that it makes the recording automatically link to the Calendar event as well as the chat archive. You can see that in the Google Calendar image above. The video and notes are also added to my Google Drive.

Follow Up using a Challenge Choice Board

Here’s the fun part! After we did all of our virtual sessions, I shared a choice board with challenges so participants could work through each of the apps we learned. I had them share the link with me through Google Classroom comments to the class so everyone could see what they created. Since these are adults, I didn’t need to become the owner of their creations to see what they learned. I’ve also realized that people will put more effort into their work when they think others will see it.

Directions:

Each choice is linked to a challenge in Google Slides:

>> Get Pam’s Google Challenges Template

FILL OUT THIS FORM to get access to Pam’s Google Challenges Template and join her email list.

Next Steps

As I see their challenges, it has given me follow up ideas for the participants. I can then differentiate based on who needs more support for another round of training in a smaller group. Of course, now they also have someone to go to for help, and that’s my main goal!

It’s been a valuable experience in learning how to teach virtually. I hope you can get some ideas from my experience to help your teachers continue to grow in a virtual learning environment. Good luck!

About Pam Hubler

Pam is an Instructional Coach in Charleston, South Carolina, with 23 years in education.  She is passionate about professional development, technology integration, and building a strong culture in schools.

As a Google Certified Trainer, Pam supports teachers by providing frequent professional development on how to integrate GSuite tools into their daily routines.  She also guides discussions during weekly PLC’s to help teachers find dynamic ways to provide instruction and develop engaging activities that incorporate the 4 C’s in authentic ways.

Pam also loves to create resources to share with educators through her website www.spedtechgeek.com, Twitter, as community manager of the Shake Up Learning Facebook Group and other social media platforms. She has presented at FETC, the EdTechTeam Low Country Summit, and EdCamps.

Pam is a lifelong learner who loves to read professional development books, especially books from Dave Burgess Consulting, Inc., and listens to Podcasts like the Google Teacher Tribe to keep up with educational technology and pedagogy.  She strives to be a PIRATE Leader to support educators so we can keep great teachers in the profession.

Follow Pam on Twitter: @specialtechie

See Pam’s other guest blog posts and appearances on Shake Up Learning

• #PottyPD: How to Make the Most of a Captive Audience
• Student “Play of the Week” with Google Slides (FREE Template)
• Google Tips for Instructional Coaches and Tech Coaches
• Google Success Story: Pam Hubler, Google Certified Trainer

G Suite Training for Schools

We have many programs to help your teachers learn how to meaningfully integrate Google tools and the entire G Suite in the classroom. From online courses to books, to face-to-face training, we got you covered!

COVID-19 forced many teachers and schools to scramble to find tools to deliver online assignments, design digital learning experiences, and G Suite was the number one suite of tools to help make this a reality.

Just in time resources and learning will help teachers, students, and parents survive the crisis. When we return to the new normal, G Suite skills will help set the foundation for more dynamic and meaningful learning in the classroom.

Get your entire campus or district on board with G Suite! Help your teachers learn more about G Suite tools, Google Classroom, and meaningful technology integration strategies. You can even help all your teachers become Google Certified Educators!

GSuiteTrainingforSchools.com

© Shake Up Learning 2023. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Kasey Bell and Shake Up Learning with appropriate and specific direction to the original content on ShakeUpLearning.com. See: Copyright Policy.

The post Google Challenges for Teachers! (FREE Template by Pam Hubler) appeared first on Shake Up Learning.