Tag: collaborate

Collaboration, Kuwait, Professional Development

Input needed: tips to cultivating a thriving PLN

Lissa Layman

Jeff and I have a few upcoming presentations we’d love some input on! Please fill out the embedded Google form below…then check it out as the answers populate. Please feel free to use any of the information gathered for yourself!

At PEAK in a couple weeks (…10 days) I’ll be presenting an hour-long workshop on how social media can make educators lives easier.
Session title: Making the Web Work for You
Session description: Come learn how social media and other websites can save you time and energy while also enhancing your lessons. By the end of this session you will be on your way to creating a thriving Personal Learning Network with other educators around the world. It may be helpful to bring your own laptop or tablet.

In January, Jeff will be presenting a 4-hour workshop on getting involved on Twitter and blogging.
Session title: Becoming a Connected Educator
Session description: Thousands of educators all around the world share their thoughts, ideas and lesson plans with each other every day, and you’re only 140 characters away from joining them. In the first half, you’ll learn how to leverage Twitter and other forms of social media as a means of finding new ideas. In the second half, we’ll get you set up with your own blog so you can start sharing with the world.

Check out my Diigo library for some of the resources we’ve previously found.

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Professional Development

Input needed: tips to cultivating a thriving PLN

Lissa Layman

Jeff and I have a few upcoming presentations we’d love some input on! Please fill out the embedded Google form below…then check it out as the answers populate. Please feel free to use any of the information gathered for yourself!

At PEAK in a couple weeks (…10 days) I’ll be presenting an hour-long workshop on how social media can make educators lives easier.
Session title: Making the Web Work for You
Session description: Come learn how social media and other websites can save you time and energy while also enhancing your lessons. By the end of this session you will be on your way to creating a thriving Personal Learning Network with other educators around the world. It may be helpful to bring your own laptop or tablet.

In January, Jeff will be presenting a 4-hour workshop on getting involved on Twitter and blogging.
Session title: Becoming a Connected Educator
Session description: Thousands of educators all around the world share their thoughts, ideas and lesson plans with each other every day, and you’re only 140 characters away from joining them. In the first half, you’ll learn how to leverage Twitter and other forms of social media as a means of finding new ideas. In the second half, we’ll get you set up with your own blog so you can start sharing with the world.

Check out my Diigo library for some of the resources we’ve previously found.

COETAIL, Course 3, Professional Development

A Redesign: Assessment & Student Learning

Lissa Layman

When I first saw this presentation, I knew exactly the PowerPoint I wanted to redesign. During orientation our middle and high school principals presented to the staff about assessment practices and how we can best support student learning. They had a lot of information to give us so, understandably, the presentation was very text heavy.

When I asked, both principals graciously accepted my request to redesign their presentation (both have wives who are COETAIL graduates – Christina & Karen). I do have to admit that I enlisted my COETAIL husband to collaborate with me in order to make this their PowerPoint more zen and less death. We left the text that we thought was most important (our mission is brand new) and got rid of the rest. When text was present, Jeff taught me about Droid Sans (to grab the reader’s attention) and Droid Serif (to avoid eye fatigue). We chose a simple color scheme and redesigned the hard to read graphic.

However I acknowledged that much of the text was essential…so I created a handout for staff. This could be shared in PDF format to avoid the waste of paper.

What do you think??

Because Jeff (my husband) has been ‘into’ presentation design for a couple years, I’m relatively satisfied with my presentations for professional development. I’d love any and all feedback on my PD presentations or this redesign. Thank you!

COETAIL, course 1

Collaboration = Ultimate Success

Lissa Layman

During my 3 years teaching HS French I slowly incorporated more and more technology into my units (with the help of awesome colleagues). As I look back on how and why I integrated technology, I keep coming back to collaboration. The days that stick out in my mind (and also seemed to have the biggest effect on my students) were the lessons where they were able to collaborate – with their peers in class or with other students outside of our school walls.

Technology allows us to collaborate in a way that was not possible before. Technology is truly redefining the way we work with others…and that’s what it’s all about, right? No matter what you teach, where you are or how old your students are you can help them make connections to people around the world. Their ‘peers’ are no longer just the students sitting next to them in class each day. The teacher no longer has to be the only ‘sage on the stage.’ There are classrooms and experts out there waiting to connect and collaborate.

One (and maybe only?) thing drawing me back to the classroom is the chance to help my students make connections and learn about the world around them. So in my current position, helping teachers find ways to collaborate and connect with other classes around the world is probably my favorite topic of discussion and biggest passion. I wish more teachers would step outside their comfort zone and put “flattening” their classroom at the top of their priority list…the learning objectives and standards will come.

As we put more technology into the hands of students and teachers we need to CHANGE what our classroom looks like (thanks Jeff L!). It’s not going to be easy. But luckily it can be free. While I think projects like Flat Classroom are great, you don’t have to pay lots of money to get out there and find ways for you and your students to collaborate and connect. Wikis are free. Blogs are free (if you find the right ones). Google Apps for Education is free (if you’re non-profit). Twitter is free. Skype is free. Do you get the point? Start talking to other teachers and make exploring outside the 4 walls of your classroom a priority.


I recently ‘hungout’ with a few principals in my former district to discuss  virtual field trips and thought the topic fit quite nicely with this post 🙂

Professional Development

UAE #GAFESUMMIT 2013

Lissa Layman

I’ll be back to regularly scheduled COETAIL posts this week (promise!), but I wanted to take a post to thank everyone that saw my pleas for collaboration last week and helped out! I love having a quality PLN 🙂

In case you’re interested, I just blogged about our weekend in Dubai at the GAFE Summit. I also included the resources from my presentation.

Merci bien et à bientot!

Professional Development

Come collaborate with us! #coetail #gafesummit #langchat

Lissa Layman

I’m in Dubai getting geared up to present at the Middle East GAFE Summit! I’ll be presenting Conjugating Google Apps in a World Language Classroom after the keynote this afternoon. I’d love to do some collaborating during the session with Google Docs. If you’re free between 5:30am & 6:30am EST and you have a minute, please read & comment on this article! Don’t forget to leave your info :)If you aren’t available live, no worries! Leave your info and some comments so we can see the power of global collaboration with GAFE! Merci!

Professional Development

Collaborate with us! #gafesummit

Lissa Layman

Jeff and I are heading to Dubai tomorrow to present at the Middle East GAFE Summit! I’ll be presenting Conjugating Google Apps in a World Language Classroom. I’d love to do some collaborating during the session with Google Docs. If you’re free between 5:30am & 6:30am EST, let me know and I can give you details! Looking forward to it 🙂

Update: If you have a minute, please read & this article! Don’t forget to leave your info 🙂 If you are available to do it live tomorrow…even better!