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Wahoo! Heather Marrs & I have arrived at ISTE 2018! Thanks to generous grants from Montana MCCE and the Education Foundation for BPS , I had the amazing opportunity to attend the 2018 ISTE Conference in Chicago this past summer. Attending ISTE was such an incredible time to connect with edtech teacher leaders from across our country, and learn from the best of the best.  I especially enjoyed being a part of the first ever Seesaw Connect event, where I was able to learn about gamified classrooms from Heather Marrs , explore innovative PD options with Andy Lesier , and delve deeper into #BookSnaps with Tara Martin . It was amazing to meet so many teachers I had connected with via Twitter, and be able to share and learn one with one another in person. The Seesaw Connect Amazing Race was super fun, and I loved leading a job alike session with other tech integration specialists and coaches who use Seesaw. This event and helping out in the Seesaw booth at the ISTE Expo Hall were ...

There is still time to register for the annual Summer Tech Summit! This two day learning event is a great opportunity to explore new digital tools and see how they are used in a classroom setting. BUT...it is also a time to make connections with educators from around the state and learn from each other! Visit the MT MCCE website to get more information and to register! Here are some sessions you can look forward to: iPad apps and activities Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) tools Photo editing Video editing Digital storytelling Google "Stuff" And so much more! This two day summit costs $95, and provides you with 12 OPI renewal units. Step-up credit is available for BPS teachers.

There are still so many fantastic ways to learn and grow this summer!

I am partnering with Code.org and Teachers Teaching Tech to offer two Computer Science Fundamentals workshops, August 6th & 7th from 8:00am-4:00pm. These workshops will provide teachers with basic understanding of the Code.org curriculum and computer science principles, with the hope that teachers will implement this FREE curriculum into their classrooms this fall. 8 OPI renewal units will be offered, and step-up credit is available. Click the links below to register. REGISTER FOR AUGUST 6th  REGISTER FOR AUGUST 7th The courses are the same, and you may only take the class once. Please choose the date that works best for you!

  Here are a few #ISTE18 sessions & events I�m looking forward to! So many opportunities to choose from! Can�t wait! ???? @BPSTIS @Seesaw @BookCreatorApp @rpencetech @annkozma723 @AppleEDU @hmarrs24 @smalchow @lekadegroot @bhopteacher Mostly excited to see & meet many of you IRL! ?? pic.twitter.com/LWj6J12Kyl � Traci Piltz ? (@TraciPiltz) June 22, 2018

I used the creation tool Buncee to make this digital business card to share with colleagues I meet at ISTE 2018! Buncee is super easy to use for creating and publishing, with the ability to add animations, photos, links, videos and stickers. I had so much fun creating this! Buncee has a page to share digital business cards to connect with other teachers. Once you create yours, you can upload it here .

You can also check out this comprehensive Summer PD Guide put together by Nikki Vradenburg of Montana PBS.

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Using Classkick for Instant Feedback June 18th 8:30-11:30 Lincoln Center, room 308 REGISTER HERE Let's TACO 'Bout PicCollage June 18th 12:30-3:30 Lincoln Center, room 308 REGISTER HERE Seesaw Basics  (for beginners to Seesaw) June 19th 8:30-11:30 Lincoln Center, room 308 *NOTE: NEW TIME REGISTER HERE Seesaw Activities, Folders & Skills  (for intermediate to advanced users) June 19th 12:30-3:30 Lincoln Center, room 308 *NOTE: NEW TIME REGISTER HERE All of these courses are worth 3 OPI renewal units. Don't forget, if you are planning to use any of these courses for step up, you'll need to complete the step up request form online at  bit.ly/BillingsPD . Nikki Vradenburg, Teacher Liaison for PBS Montana, also put together a great list of summer PD opportunities in Montana and surrounding areas.  CLICK HERE  to view her list! Also, be sure to check the BPSTIS site frequently, as new courses will be posted there as they are scheduled.

If you're looking for a great online learning option this summer, check out my FREE facilitated course on the OPI Learning Hub. In the course Student Created Digital Portfolios , teachers will utilize the free digital learning portfolio tool Seesaw to research, analyze and create digital portfolios. Teachers will have the opportunity to collaborate, learn and share ideas in this hands-on learning environment. Participants will research types of learning portfolios, discuss why portfolios are essential in today's classrooms, and compare student portfolios with professional learning portfolios.  The course is facilitated and will run May 14th-June 10th. Teachers will earn 15 OPI renewal units. Billings teachers, step-up approval has been submitted to the PDAAC committee. To register, visit bit.ly/OPILearningHub . Registration should be open very soon!

Using Classkick for Instant Feedback June 18th 8:30-11:30 Lincoln Center, room 308 REGISTER HERE Let's TACO 'Bout PicCollage June 18th 12:30-3:30 Lincoln Center, room 308 REGISTER HERE Seesaw Activities, Folders & Skills (for intermediate to advanced users) June 19th 8:30-11:30 Lincoln Center, room 308 REGISTER HERE Seesaw Basics (for beginners to Seesaw) June 19th 12:30-3:30 Lincoln Center, room 308 REGISTER HERE All of these courses are worth 3 OPI renewal units. Don't forget, if you are planning to use any of these courses for step up, you'll need to complete the step up request form online at bit.ly/BillingsPD . Nikki Vradenburg, Teacher Liaison for PBS Montana, also put together a great list of summer PD opportunities in Montana and surrounding areas. CLICK HERE to view her list!

MontanaPBS will host PBS Edcamp Billings, MT, a participant-driven professional development event for PK-3 educators. Participating educators will have the opportunity to collaborate around common goals and challenges through topics they select on the day of the event. Edcamp participants will walk away with resources and ideas they can immediately integrate into their classrooms. PBS Edcamp Billings will be held on Saturday, May 19, 2018 at the Lincoln Center from 9:00AM to 3:00PM. This is a free event, open to all Pre-kindergarten through grade 3 teachers, administrators and pre-service teachers. OPI Renewal units will be available to all who attend! What is Edcamp? Edcamp is an unconference; a participant-driven professional development event for educators. Unlike a typical conference, Edcamp educators decide the session topics on the day of the event. CLICK HERE to register. BPS teachers, PBS Edcamp is available for OPI renewal and Step-Up Credit. Be sure to complete the appropria...

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The OPI Learning Hub is a great place to find good FREE courses to further your professional development. Take a course determined to learn, & we promise you�ll learn some cool new things. Check out these technology courses Ann & I created. (And ignore the �HS� designation on Ann�s course, it�s definitely applicable to all grade levels.) Can be used for Step Up, but not MEA Trade. If you take a course, please give us feedback so we can continue to make these courses even better!

We are excited to announce that applications for the 2017-18 TILT program are open to Billings Public Schools K-8 teachers. TILT (Teachers Integrating & Learning Technology) is an innovative three-year professional development program to help teachers purposefully integrate technology into their classrooms to improve student learning. To find out more or apply online, visit bit.ly/BPSTILT !

Seesaw knows it's a busy time of year for all teachers so they wanted to offer even more ways to get started using Seesaw. They created a mini-course called Seesaw 101 for teachers brand new to Seesaw. It's available to any Seesaw user for FREE. Completing the course will take about 30 minutes. Teachers simply create a Seesaw account then go to app.seesaw.me/courses to sign in and get started! Share with anyone that can benefit.

I created an online technology integration course for K-5 teachers that is now available on the OPI Learning Hub . If you've never visited this site, I encourage you to check it out. The Learning Hub provides high quality, free professional learning for all K-12 teachers across Montana. You can find my course, Tech-ify Your Classroom! The Basics of K-5 Technology Integration under Self Paced Courses > Universal Instructional Strategies. It's available for 4 OPI renewal units.