Are you looking for back to school activities and inspiration? I’m excited to participate in a special event hosted by BrainPOP this summer. Starting on August 9th through August 11th, you can join the free professional development event, BrainPOP Connect: Beat the Heat.
I’ve been a super fan of all things BrainPOP since I played a video for the first time in my classroom full of fifth graders — almost a decade ago. Their engaging, high-quality learning activities are perfect for introducing complex topics, building background knowledge, and getting students excited about new ideas.
If you’ve spent time with BrainPOP you know that it is more than a movie. The Make-a-Map concept-mapping tool is definitely one of my favorite learning activities in BrainPOP. But there are lots of other excellent resources you’ll find, including primary source documents, quizzes, and so much more.
So when I was offered the opportunity to join them for a free professional development event this summer, you bet I said yes!
Grab your spot for this special summer learning event >>
BrainPOP Connect: Beat the Heat
Here is the official description of the event:
Beat the Heat at BrainPOP Connect! We’re diving into our favorite tips and techniques to help you keep your cool as you and your students head back into the classroom. Over the course of three days choose from a variety of sessions to help you feel refreshed and ready to take on a new school year. By connecting with us, you’ll:
- Establish a collaborative classroom culture with content that sparks curiosity and inquiry.
- Feel prepared for the first day of school with ready-made learning activities to assess the needs of your new students.
- Discover how to build custom learning experiences to meet students where they’re at.
5 Ways to Simplify and Maximize EdTech Integration this Back-to-School
I’m so honored to kick off this event on August 9th with a presentation on one of my favorite topics – helping make EdTech easier.
Here is the official description of my keynote presentation:
We all want to make technology integration easier, but we’re often at a loss for where to begin. During this keynote session, author, edtech consultant, and former teacher Monica Burns, Ed.D., will share empowering tips and best practices to help you strategically leverage technology in the classroom—without feeling overwhelmed! You’ll learn how to review and build your edtech tool belt, embrace joy in your classroom, and establish sustainable routines that put student learning front and center.
A quick preview of my session
My keynote session will include five ways to simplify and maximize EdTech integration. Here is a quick preview of two of the tips from the presentation.
Navigating Your EdTech Tool Belt
To truly simplify and maximize the way you use technology in your classroom, it’s important to have a strong EdTech tool belt. Choosing the right tools can be a struggle when there is so much out there to pick from. To make sure your tool belt has everything you need, you’ll want to have a tool with high-quality content, opportunities for students to create, and ways to check for understanding.
Embrace Ready-to-Use Resources
If you like to work smarter not harder, embracing ready-to-use resources is crucial for keeping things simple this school year. I love to create templates that I can revisit multiple times but finding ready-to-use resources can make this even easier. Many of these resources let you make customizations that fit the needs of your students. This can include quiz questions, graphic organizers, mind maps, and so much more.
Back to School Activities and Inspiration
You’ll find a handful of sessions during this three-day event, all designed to give you ideas for back to school activities and inspiration for the entire school year. What’s on the schedule? You can find everything on this page, including sessions on:
- Establishing Classroom Culture
- Unpacking a BrainPOP Movie
- Active Viewing with BrainPOP Jr.
- Elevating ELL Instruction with BrainPOP and BrainPOP Jr.
- and more!
Will you join us for this special, free professional development event? Use this link to grab your spot for BrainPOP Connect: Beat the Heat. Hope to see you there!
