edWeb.net and Free Spirit Publishing, the leading publisher of learning tools that support children’s social-emotional health, announce the launch of Social-Emotional Learning, Positive Behavior, and Student Achievement, a free professional learning community (PLC) that offers a place for educators to explore practical, effective ways to integrate social-emotional learning, inclusive teaching practice, and higher-level instruction.
Instructional Technology Specialist at Cumberland Academy of Georgia Jennifer Liang knows all about digital citizenship. But teaching the fundamentals of digital citizenship to students with High Functioning Autism is all the more important, especially as they prepare to enter college or the workforce. In “Teaching Students with Autism about Digital Citizenship,” a webinar hosted by edWeb.net and Common Sense Education and sponsored by Symantec, Jennifer discussed her teaching strategies for incorporating digital citizenship at Cumberland Academy of Georgia.
The research shows that diversity in today’s students is greater than ever before. In fact, a conservative 30-40% of students may require an alternate learning path or support during their learning. Personalized learning comes into play with such a high level of learner diversity. Superintendent of the Vista Unified School District, CA, Dr. Devin Vodicka and Chief Innovation Officer at Digital Promise Vic Vuchic made the case for personalized learning in the edWeb.net webinar, “Making Learning Personal for All: The Growing Diversity of Today’s Classroom,” sponsored by Digital Promise.
edWeb.net just completed an analysis of the 2016 webinar viewership stats for 2016. We hosted 260 professional learning webinars in 2016 that were viewed by 165,000 educators – an average of 635 educators per webinar. Thirty eight webinars (15%) were on early learning topics and had 45,000 (27%) of the viewers. Early learning webinars had an average of 1,160 viewers, almost twice the average of all webinars.
For Inclusive Schools Week, which took place from December 5th to 9th, Brookes Publishing, sponsor of the Teaching All Students: Practical Strategies for Inclusive Classrooms professional learning community (PLC) on edWeb.net, celebrated with a five-day giveaway. The giveaway began with a survey in which Brookes Publishing asked special ed educators for their opinions on webinar topics for 2017. Participants in the survey were entered into a drawing to receive a tote bag full of inclusive classroom resources. Brookes Publishing announced five lucky winners, one on each day of Inclusive Schools Week.
Computer Science Education Week (CSEdWeek) is an annual initiative that aims to inspire K-12 students to take interest in computer science. During this annual program, schools around the world host their own Hour of Code™. Organized by Code.org, Hour of Code™ is a one-hour basic introduction designed to celebrate and expand participation in computer science. This year, CSEdWeek took place from December 5th to 11th, and two of edWeb.net’s professional learning communities (PLC) presented webinars that highlighted the importance of coding and computer science in education.
Librarians are at the forefront of helping schools become “future ready.” The Alliance for Excellent Education (the Alliance) launched its Future Ready Schools (FRS) initiative in October 2014 with the aim of leveraging technology and connectivity to personalize and transform learning. In June 2016, the Alliance, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Educational Technology, expanded FRS to position school librarians as leaders in this effort.
In 2016 edWeb.net hosted over 250 webinars that have been viewed by 170,000 educators. Topics spanned from early childhood education to building a positive school and classroom culture. From integrating technology into school libraries, to special education, to coding and robotics, there was something for everyone this year. We would like to thank our partners and sponsors who help us bring such valuable professional learning to educators, our presenters for sharing their wonderful ideas and practices, and the educators that joined us all year long!
edWeb.net announces Mackin Educational Resources as the new sponsor of Emerging Tech, a free professional learning community (PLC) that helps librarians integrate technology into school library programs. The Emerging Tech community began in 2010 and has over 10,000 members who are on the leading edge of transforming libraries into centers for 21st century learning. Librarians have been increasingly recognized as leaders in using technology and digital resources to transform learning.
Todd Nesloney, Principal of Webb Elementary in Navasota, TX, dreams of an environment where children are excited to come to school everyday, rather than excited to leave. In a school with a population that is 85% minority and almost 90% free-and-reduced lunch, how does the staff at Webb Elementary approach their students and what are some of the innovative programs behind the school’s success? In this edWeb.net webinar, Todd gave examples of how he works with his students and staff based on his own experiences.