JEFFCO ED TECH

New to Jeffco’s Digital Tools Family - Actively Learn!

10/12/2020

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Actively Learn is one of the newest additions to the premium tools available to teachers and students in Jeffco! Teachers and students grades 5-12 have premium access to this robust interactive platform. Filled with carefully curated content including appropriate articles and readings (even some videos!), thoughtful standards-aligned questions in a highly customizable environment with numerous accessibility tools, Actively Learn makes finding, personalizing and assigning readings a snap. Here’s a quick video overviewing what Actively Learn is capable of bringing to your students.

Getting Started

Logging in to Actively Learn for the first time is a little different than other Jeffco Digital Tools. Find the tech tip here!

Or watch this quick YouTube video overviewing the process. 
NOTE: In the future, you’ll be able to simply sign in with Google.

​Students will always sign in with Google; no need to do anything different the first time for them!


Resources

To learn more about how to create classes, customize and assign content, and grade assignments, take a look at this brand new eBook from the EdTech department: Introduction to Actively Learn - Asynchronous Learning.

Jeffco’s EdTech department has also made an Actively Learn YouTube playlist with tutorials for many of the basic functions of Actively Learn.  (See below!)

Need Help?

Actively Learn also has a very robust Help Center to answer your questions on the fly!

​Don’t forget about the EdTech Office Hours for teachers! We are available 7am-4pm Monday-Friday to help with your Actively Learn and other digital tool questions. Find the link for Office Hours and other EdTech resources here!
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JCPL Summer reading contest

9/28/2020

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This year's summer reading contest was different than any other summer reading program Jefferson County Public Library has ever created. The program was completed 100% virtually and expanded to include activity tracks for writing, thinking, doing and playing. The theme was Imagine Your Story which allowed participants to choose their own quests to follow all summer long. In the past, most of the record keeping was done by paper, however this year tracking was done through a digital platform which allowed JCPL a safer way track participation.   

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The virtual format provided many different types of activities that allowed students to participate easily from their homes. There were storytimes, coding camps, crafternoons and mental fitness programs to name a few. The JCPL staff also created lists of books they recommend. One of those lists encouraged spending time outside by pairing local trails with related books. One could pop in some headphones and learn about bears while hiking on a local trail. Overall, there were over 318,998 different literacy based activities to chose from to complete your quest.

Another favorite part of the contest was earning funds for Foothills Animal Shelter. Just by signing up participants were working towards helping care for animals at the Shelter. By the end of the contest they had earned over $300 for the shelter. 

And now for The winners...

​The JCPL Summer Reading Contest was extended an extra month to coincide with the start of school and officially concluded on August 31st. The first place schools were: Kyffin Elementary - Preschool, Devinny Elementary, Oberon Middle School, Wheat Ridge High School and Excel Academy. Each school  will be receiving a trophy and each of their libraries will be receiving a check for $800.  Just like everything else this year the actual award ceremony will  also be different. JCPL will be creating and sharing pre-recorded celebrations for the winners. If you participated in Summer Reading, be sure to connect with your local library to pick up your prizes and complete the wrap up survey, if you have not already done so.
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Like past years, this year was a big success for JCPL and all the Jeffco Schools participants. Thanks JCPL for giving our students an opportunity to imagine their own story in a world of uncertainty. As summer ends and we move into winter we can only dream about what next summer has in store for us.
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eBooks & Audiobooks in jeffco

9/1/2020

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“Change will come our way.  We can go through it or we can grow through it. We grow when we seek out solutions rather than let obstacles hinder us.” ​ ​- George Curous, Innovator's Mindset.

School Libraries in 2020

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​School libraries are often considered the hub or heart of the school community. Frequently, their goal centers around the ability to provide the essential resources that empower students to become lifelong learners, with an avid love of reading.

​When you picture a school library typically it is the stillness and quiet of books and print resources that first come to mind, but in 2020 the school library is so much more.  Today’s library continues to embrace and promote reading at its core, but also promotes creativity, communication, collaboration, and innovation through a multitude of ever adapting activities including programming and Computer Science, STEM and Makerspace, Book Clubs, and Geek Squads.  Technology integration is a part of the fabric in the libraries of today.  In March of 2019 the demand for access to digital resources changed.    As we have long anticipated, technology has found it’s space as an essential resource in education next to paper, pencil and textbooks.  It is not the only tool but it is an essential tool in the 21st century.

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The Why...

Over the past three and a half years, Jeffco Libraries and the Jefferson County Public Library have been building on a well established relationship, to find ways to support the students in our community. This past Spring we were able to see the next step in our partnership with increased access to curated collections of ebooks and audiobooks for elementary students across the district. ​
Last school year alone, elementary students checked out over 89,000 ebooks provided through this partnership. Today, the culmination of efforts can be seen, as we are now able to extend this opportunity to the remaining schools that use our Follett Destiny Discover Library system. It is a true collaboration and  combination of efforts between Jefferson County Public Library, Jeffco schools, Baker & Taylor (Axis 360 Community Share) and our Follett Destiny Library system colleagues that have made this possible.

The WHAT...

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Students and staff are able to access the curated collections that align with our library guidelines, seamlessly by logging into their school’s Destiny Discover account with their individual credentials. Students are limited to borrowing ten ebooks or audiobooks at a time and titles are automatically returned to the eshelf, without any worry about due dates or lost books.  Because the books are accessed through the Follett Destiny platform there are a variety of digital annotation tools provided.  Not only can students highlight text, take  notes, and search for keywords or phrases, students may also have the text read to them (depending on publisher permissions).  Direct links to titles can be added to any learning management system including Google Classroom, Seesaw,  and Schoology.

And Finally, the How...

To learn more about how to access these digital resources, view the presentation and videos linked below and on our Ed Tech Youtube channel under the playlist for Follett Destiny Discover.  If you have questions or wonder about how to use this resource in your classroom please reach out to your schools’ Digital Teacher Librarian.  Watch for more titles to be added to the collection as the year progresses!

View the informational presentation and videos here.
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What's New In the Bridge to Curriculum...

8/16/2019

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Bridge to Curriculum has some NEW dynamic changes, based on teacher feedback, that have been added to enhance the teaching and learning cycle.

NEW!!! Professional LEARNING Library in the Bridge to Curriculum!

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We are so excited to announce a brand new module in the Bridge to Curriculum. The Professional Learning Library has over 500 just-in-time learning opportunities. You can find articles, videos of Jeffco teachers, and even face-to-face and virtual professional learning opportunities throughout the district.  You will find all of your professional learning needs and wants located here in the Bridge to Curriculum.  Anyone can contribute to the Professional Learning Library. Just use the "Create a Professional Learning Button" from the Professional Learning Library page. 

REARRANGING UNits of Study

Horizontal Movement of Year at a Glance (YAAGs): You now have the ability to move your Units of Study horizontally.  After you have loaded all of your YAAGs, go to the home page and use the arrows to move units. ​
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Please consider the following when reordering of Units of Study:
  • Jeffco’s curriculum and Units of Study are currently paced to build on subsequent learning and scaffolded for future learning.
  • Thoughtful conversations and planning are essential across grade levels, schools, and articulation areas. These conversations should address common pacing and assessment, equity of learning and potential learning gaps in our high mobility schools, and alignment for continued PLC dialogue.
  • Reordering Units of Study allow for flexibility in planning PBL, inquiry based, and cross curricular units based on student, community and school need.  ​

Vertical Movement of YAAGs

Vertical movement of YAAGs: You now have the ability to drag and drop your YAAGs vertically.  This allows teachers to customize YAAGs to better align with how they plan. Some users might want the units of study to follow the students’ daily schedule while others appreciate grouping like contents.  After you have loaded all of your YAAGs, go to the home page and use the arrows to move units. 
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Evidence Outcome Map

This map can help examine how often Desired Results appear in each unit over the entire year. You can examine individual units in order to verify and streamline Evidence Outcomes and Desired Results.  This map will support planning on the unit level exponentially. 
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You can drill down to see Knows, Understands, Dos and Essential Questions that are attached to this Evidence Outcome within this Unit of Study
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Link to The Digital Tools Website

We have added a link to the Digital Tools Website! You can now access this database straight from  the Bridge to Curriculum!
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Kicking off the Year with Ed TEch

8/15/2019

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Fall Camp 1:1

On August 9th, Jeffco's Ed Tech Department hosted a fall version of Camp 1:1! This day of learning centered around transforming the student experience using Jeffco's new Core Digital Tools and devices. We had rooms full of educators, eager to learn how to use technology to empower and engage their students in learning.

Due to the overwhelming success of this event, we want to make sure that all educators have access to the learning. Attached is the schedule with the course descriptions and linked presentations! 

A huge thank you goes out to Arvada West High School for hosting our day of learning. We are very thankful to all of the schools who partner with us throughout the year to help us deliver learning to so many educators! 

Hello!

This year we are excited to share that we have 4 new members joining our Ed Tech team!
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Kali Devor
Kali joins the team from the Montrose County School District, with experience in instructional and leadership coaching. She’s excited to share her passion for integrating technology in meaningful ways to engage learners. She and her husband recently moved back to the metro area after a few years away.​ Kali will serve as a point-of-contact for most of our middle schools this year. 
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 Kala Munguia
Kala joined Jeffco in 2006 and has been a paraprofessional, a Strat. Comp support teacher, a Dual Language kindergarten teacher, a DTL, and now an Ed Tech Specialist.  She has a passion for supporting teachers and believes, wholeheartedly, in Jeffco Generations. Kala will serve as a point-of-contact for most of our north-area elementary schools this year.
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Keri Douglas
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Keri has been a DTL in Jeffco at a 1:1 iPad school for the past 5 years. She is thrilled to join the EdTech team to share her experiences on a larger scale and learn from others. With over 20 years in education, she still enjoys the challenge of creating new learning experiences for students and supporting teachers through our ever changing profession. She is the point-of-contact for most of the central and mountain area elementary schools this year.
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Amy Oelschlager
Amy joins the team as a former Jeffco 5th grade teacher with a love of  technology. She’s excited to bring her ideas from the classroom as well as her passion for transforming the task to other Jeffco schools. Amy will serve as a point-of-contact for most of the south area elementary schools this year. ​

Goodbye.

​A new year also comes with some exciting new transitions for our amazing teammates. 
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Diane Puntenney
We were so excited to celebrate Diane last spring as she entered into a new phase of life, retirement! Diane served Jeffco for many years, through both the Ed Tech and IT departments. We will miss her immensely, but wish her the very best in her new (and hopefully relaxing) adventure! 
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Julie Carlson
We wish Julie continued success as she transitions from an Ed Tech Specialist back to the role of a Digital Teacher Librarian at Deane Elementary School. We will certainly miss her many talents on our team, and we feel fortunate she will continue to make a difference for our Jeffco community. 
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Cathy Baune
We wish Cathy lots of luck in her new adventure as an Assistant Principal at Thomson Elementary. We are excited to see the impact her leadership will have on the staff, students and families in her new school community.
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​Jamie Kelley
We wish Jamie all the best as she returns home to spend more time with her two young children and to pursue additional passions. We wish her many cuddles and lots of quality time with those sweet kiddos. 

Other Changes

Lisa Summitt
Lisa will be filling the role of IT Liaison, following Diane's retirement. She will be supporting Jeffco's digital tools, Edgenuity, and a variety of other duties! 
​Amie Adams
Amie will move from an elementary support role to a role supporting technology integration across all curriculum and instructional areas. 
Rounding out the Ed Tech team are continuing team members:
  • Mary Beth Bazzanella - Director of Educational Technology
  • Alice Graves - Senior Training Specialist
  • Jen Shirley - Curriculum and Course Code Technician
  • Marnie Roush - Computer Science Coordinator
  • Heidi Floyd - Digital Teacher Librarian Coordinator
  • Nick Steinmetz - Ed Tech Specialist
  • Sheena Young - Lead Cataloger
  • Pat Walsh -  Cataloger 
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Book Studies 2018-Online Learning Communities: join Today!

8/24/2018

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​The Jeffco Ed Tech team is excited to announce our Fall 2018 online book studies.
  • Participate in an online learning community
  • Collaborate with teachers across Jeffco and learn with others beyond your own building
  • ​Apply just-in-time learning with your students
Learn all about our 4 book studies which are available to you this Fall. 

ClAssroom Management in the Digital Age

PictureClick here to read more about this title from the publisher.
Whether you’re already teaching in a 1:1 classroom or hope to be soon, Classroom Management in the Digital Age is a great resource.  This book study will examine the procedures, expectations, instructional  strategies/tips, and partnerships with parents needed to run an effective 1:1 classroom. ​

What Jeffco Educators have to say:

"The book study was a great way for us to explore critical aspects of management in a 1:1 classroom.  It helped us feel more comfortable about embracing devices in our classrooms. We created school-wide norms and expectations using the book as a resource."
"This book study was a quick way for our school to all get on the same page. It helped us get organized for going 1:1."
"Classroom Management in the Digital Age" is a down-and-dirty quick read full of thoughtful tips for 1:1 classrooms. It's a must for kicking off a classroom with success, and has great ideas for troubleshooting when problems arise. Loved it! ​"

The Google Infused Classroom

PictureClick here to read more about this title from the publisher.

​Empower Your Students - This book will teach you how to allow students to show their thinking, demonstrate their learning, and share their work with authentic audiences - to use technology in meaningful ways that prepare them for the future!

What Jeffco Educators have to say:

"​I thought this book was a great balance of pedagogy and practical application."
"​The big aha that I had is that technology should be a vessel for learning, thinking, and reflection. This has allowed me to empower my students to have choice in how they convey their thinking."
“Digital literacy is not simply a way to replace "analog" work. It's a way to be able to hear all students voices, and allow all students to make learning visible.”

Bold School

PictureClick here to read more about this title from the publisher.
You can be a #boldschool teacher or leader by applying the strategies of Jeffco parent and author, Weston Kieschnick, to your classroom or school.  He combines old school wisdom and Hattie’s effect sizes with technology integration to create engaging learning tasks for students.

What Jeffco educators have to say:

"Bold school has changed my thinking immensely. Because blended learning can enhance my teaching, make my lessons more engaging, and make my instruction more effective by reaching more of my students, I think I will include technology more often! I will use it through all facets of my instruction including the strategic planning stages of my lessons and then through my tools that could help me meet learning outcomes. I’m excited about my new blended learning insight!!"
"​This was such a great resource for blended learning.  It helped me the most to see how Kierchnick focused first on the instructional strategy and purposeful thinking before layering in technology."
  • "I now have a different perspective of blended learning, I see it as culmination of the best in teaching and the best in technology."

Google Apps for Littles

New this Fall!

PictureClick here to read more about this title from the publisher.
K-2 can, too! Young children are naturally curious about the world around them. They love to explore and play; in fact, that’s how they learn! The Google Apps for Littles book study will provide educators with ideas on how to get students playing and exploring using the G Suite. Empower your littles and shift your thinking to believe that even the youngest kids can do more with technology!


Interested? 

Interested in learning more about our Jeffco Ed Tech book studies? Want to register? Looking for more professional learning opportunities from our team? Click on the image below for details. 
We hope to learn alongside of you this Fall!
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Back to School With Ed Tech

8/20/2018

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August 9th Learning Day 

On August 9th, our department had the privilege of welcoming our Jeffco educators back with a day of learning around transforming the task with technology. We had rooms full of teachers, eager to add new strategies and improve their pedagogy around integrating technology. 
Due to the overwhelming success of this event, we want to make sure that all educators have access to the learning. Attached is a document with the course descriptions and linked presentations! 
A huge thank you goes out to Golden High School for hosting our event, as well as events for several other departments in the district. We are very thankful to all of the schools who partner with us throughout the year to help us deliver learning to so many educators! 

Hello! 

This year we are excited to share that we have 2 new members joining our Ed Tech team!
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Jamie Kelley
Jamie joins the team as a former Jeffco Instructional Coach with a passion for technology. She’s returning to work after taking a year off to spend time with her family.​ Jamie will serve as a point-of-contact for most of our middle schools this year. 
​

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Nick Steinmetz
Nick joins us from Aurora Public Schools where he worked in a similar role as Ed Tech and Personalized Learning support for a wide range of schools in the district.  We are excited to tap into his great wealth of knowledge and expertise.  Nick will serve as a point-of-contact for most of our high schools this year. 

Goodbye.

A new year also comes with some exciting new transitions for our amazing teammates. 
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Karrie Zanetti
We wish Karrie continued success as she transitions from an Ed Tech Specialist position to a Digital Teacher Librarian position at Deer Creek Middle School. We will certainly miss her many talents on our team and feel fortunate that she will continue to make a difference for the Deer Creek community.

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Amanda Thanos
Amanda has accepted a position as a Digital Literacy and Instructional Coach at Thunder Vista P-8 in Adams 12. She spent countless evenings and her summer break working hard to open this brand new school. We wish her the very best in her exciting new adventure! 

Other Changes

Marnie Roush
Rather than support a sub-set of our schools (as she’s done for the past few years), Marnie will be charged with developing a strategic vision for Computer Sciences working in close partnership with schools, central departments, communities, CDE and vendors in shaping this exciting work.
Julie Carlson
We are excited to welcome Julie back from maternity leave. As an Ed Tech Specialist, she will continue as a point-of-contact for a subset of our elementary schools this year. 
Amie Adams
Amie will move from a Title I-funded position to one that supports all of Jeffco. She will serve as a point-of-contact for a subset of our elementary schools this year.
​Rounding out the Ed Tech team are continuing team members:
  • Mary Beth Bazzanella - Director of Educational Technology
  • Cathy Baune - Assistant Director of Blended Learning 
  • Lisa Summitt - Ed Tech Specialist
  • Alice Graves - Senior Training Specialist
  • Diane Puntenney - Technical Support Specialist/IT Liaison
  • Jen Shirley - Curriculum and Course Code Technician
  • Heidi Floyd - Digital Teacher Librarian Coordinator
  • Joan Jenkinson - Lead Cataloger
  • Pat Walsh -  Cataloger 
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No Challenge too Big...

8/13/2018

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It's time to engage your Tweeting skills as we kick off the school year with the first Ed Tech Twitter challenge of 2018! So, grab your coworkers and challenge yourself to get connected and grow your Professional Learning Network! 

Here's your Challenge... Should You Choose to Accept it.

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Beginning August 15th (the first day of school), log into Twitter each day and complete the following activities, using #JeffcoChat in each of your Tweets. You may also choose to include #JeffcoGenerations or mention us (@JeffcoEdTech), as well. 

Jeffco educators who complete all 8 challenges can be entered to win a 3 month premium Pear Deck subscription! Visit this  Google Form  by midnight on August 27th and upload a screenshot of each of your Tweets! We will draw the winner on the 28th. 

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Need Help getting STarted?

Last year, we hosted 2 different Twitter challenges to teach educators how to start using Twitter to build their professional learning networks. So, if you are new to Twitter, check out the resources below, before you get started.
  • Week 1: Twitter Basics - Be a lurker 
  • Week 2: Move to Sharing - Lurk sometimes, contribute other times 
  • Week 3: Twitter Chat - consume, contribute, connect 
  • March Challenge:  10 Days of Twitter ​
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Get paid for your teacher-created resources and assessments!

2/7/2018

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Educators across Jeffco have an amazing opportunity to win a $100 Classroom Mini-grant. This communication has recently gone out:
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Are you interested in winning a $100.00 Classroom Mini-grant?
Have you been thinking about uploading Resources or Assessments into the Bridge to Curriculum? Do you have some great resources that other Jeffco teachers could use with their students? If you upload any Resource or Assessment into the Bridge to Curriculum, you are eligible to win a classroom mini-grant of $100.00! Each time you enter a Resource or Assessment, just put your name into the form below and you will be entered into a monthly drawing.  https://tinyurl.com/Bridgeminigrant  Questions: Ask here Directions for uploading here.
Here are the facts:
  • After you enter-add your name to the form: https://tinyurl.com/Bridgeminigrant
  • Each entry on the form is a chance to win
  • Many mini-grants will be awarded each month
  • This school year over 200 teacher-created Resources and Assessments have been added to Bridge to Curriculum
  • 15 Performance Tasks created with the help of Jay McTighe have been added  to Bridge to Curriculum
  • Teams of Math and ELA teachers are coming together in March and April to share their “Authentic Tasks” in Bridge to Curriculum
  • You can enter to win  each time you share a Resource or Assessment in Bridge to Curriculum
  • There is a Bridge to Curriculum Training Team, that would love to come out to your school and support teachers as they share Resources and Assessments in Bridge to Curriculum




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Elementary Professional Learning Opportunity: Coding and Robotics

2/5/2018

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Have you bungled with Bee-Bot? Spun with Sphero? Collided with Cubelets? Or muddled with Makey-Makey? Ed Tech wants YOU to join fellow JeffCOders to create dynamic robotic infused lesson plans. Apply for this exciting opportunity today!
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  • Do you have a passion for coding/ robotics and bringing innovative learning opportunities to life?
  • Are you looking to join a community with other educators who also share your passion and knowledge?
  • Would you like time, space, and resources to ideate, innovate, prototype and develop lesson ideas?
The application for teams to join this professional learning opportunity is now open!
Teams of two elementary educators are encouraged to apply. Team members can be from different schools. 
Fifteen teams will be notified of acceptance.  Teams must agree to meet all the required components of this opportunity listed below.  Select robotics equipment will be available for use.
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Important Dates and Deadlines

  • February 9th- Application closes
  • February 14th- Teams are notified of acceptance
  • March 8th- Required Professional Learning Day #1
  • May 8th- Required Professional Learning Day #2

Questions? Contact Julie.Carlson@jeffco.k12.co.us
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