EIU Rural School Initiative

Past Professional Development

Fall 2021

Extended Reality and Simulations in Learning
December 8, 2021
Zoom link, click here
We’ve stepped into the VR world with remote teaching, but there’s much more. The use of XR (virtual, augmented, or mixed reality) along with simulation models ranks among the fastest growing trends in edtech. It allows students to be immersed in the instructional scenario. The learner is placed in a "world" defined by the teacher to experience the lesson with multiple senses. A safe, accessible, and affordable world. The military and medical communities been using simulations for years. Current technology can bring XR available to every teacher.
Resources:
Dec 7, 2021 - Dist Admin Magazine
Has virtual reality reached a moment of deeper engagement in K-12 learning?

Google Augmented Reality

AR in Education - Apple Learning

Stream Table overlayed with AR to build landscapes

Augmented Children’s literature and reading 

Cahokia Mounds - Collinsville 

Example - Using AR to model chemical bonding

Modeling  Simulations of chemical bonding

Health Curiscope

Google Arts and Culture

Science and Math Simulations

USDA Forestry Service

21 great tools for AR and VR in the classroom

Computational Thinking in Learning
Recorded Session
Computational thinking involves logic, problem-solving, backwards planning, and other thinking skills; Skills integral to all academic and professional disciplines.It involves logic, problem-solving, backwards planning, and other thinking skills. It becomes part of their cognitive toolkit. The brain builds on the vocabulary and syntax. When computational thinking is used in the classroom, it helps students develop problem-solving skills. Each computational thinking task becomes a tool stored away for later use, a part of a larger cognitive toolkit. When children develop computational skills they are able to articulate a problem and think logically. It helps them to break down the issues at hand and predict what may happen in the future. ... more info

MSTE (math-science-technology) Resources
Recorded Session
MSTE website
The Office for Mathematics, Science and Technology Education (MSTE) is a project that has been going on for 27 years. Its goal has been to find ways to use technology to support teacher teaching and learning in what are now called the STEM areas, including CS. This talk will spend a short time (10 minutes) talking about our history and goals, and then discuss some of the curricular resources that might help pre-service and in-service teachers at the K-12 levels. .... more info

Teaching with Online/Interactive Maps
Recorded Session
Using maps in the classroom invites curiosity, encourages exploration and inspires problem solving. Interactive maps can incorporate visual learning, spatial thinking and quantitative skills into a lesson. Google Maps, Earth, and MyMaps enables students to create custom maps. Users can add points, shapes, notes and images in layers on the map. Graphic Information Systems (GIS) are used to display data related to positions on the Earth for student exploration. ... more info

Learner Management Systems - the Classroom Teacher Side 
Certificate of attendance and 1 CPDH available upon request
(Recorded Session; pswd: 1Ji+bN2p)

Teaching whether in-person, remote, or hybrid has come to depend on a Learner Management System (LMS) to manage student learning. The LMS is used to prepare lessons, manage presenting and materials, grade and return work, and even integrate with district gradebook and transcripts. Common platforms to be discussed will be Google Classroom, Microsoft Teams, and Schoology by Powerschool. Practicing teachers will show the teacher dashboard side and describe the normal workflow for teachers managing student learning.