Professional Development

Part of my role as the school Educational Technologist and Technology Coach, is to provide meaningful professional development opportunities to teachers.  I have strategically planned professional development for Dexter Elementary, emphasizing creativity, critical thinking, and student agency.  I conduct comprehensive teacher professional development sessions on diverse topics, including AI tools, Minecraft, Google Vids, SeeSaw, Digital Choice Boards, and Wixie. 

I proudly represented Dexter Elementary at the Georgia Educational Technology Conference (GaETC) in both 2023 and 2024 as a presenter.  Additionally, I shared my expertise with fellow Educational Technologists at the DoDEA Americas/Southeast ET Summits from 2022 to 2024, focusing on celebrating technology integration, managing Minecraft Education worlds, and curriculum integration of Minecraft Education. In 2025, I presented on Minecraft Education and literacy integration at DoDEA's EPIC Digital Learning Summit.  I also supported the Southeast District by supporting a community training on differentiation for 3rd and 5th Grade teachers, including a session on Minecraft Education. 

My commitment to continuous school improvement involves designing and presenting technology professional development opportunities to staff and coordinating with the principal and school improvement team for training needs. Furthermore, I support schoolwide events, such as Read Across America Week, by providing technology professional development on tools such as Adobe Express Animate from Audio to facilitate a masked reader contest for the school morning news broadcast.

"Managing Your Minions in Minecraft" (GaETC 2024)

Synopsis from GaETC: 

You don't have to be a Minecraft expert to successfully implement Minecraft lessons. In this presentation, I will discuss different classroom management techniques that have helped me manage students in Minecraft. Some of these techniques include using Google Docs for pre-writing, checklists, alternate assignments, specific world settings, active monitoring/questioning, collective commitments, and using Ender Chests to store student work. I will also go over a few of the items in Minecraft that teachers should be aware of due to their potential for misuse.

Minecraft can be overwhelming at first glance and my goal is to help classroom teachers understand that you do not need to know everything about Minecraft to manage it in the classroom.  I will share techniques I have used in Minecraft sessions to help monitor and manage students.  This session will not rely exclusively on Classroom Mode or other monitoring software.  It will focus on techniques that any teacher can implement.  

AI Tools for Teachers and Students

In a two-part school level training, I facilitated an in-depth review of the current guidelines for AI usage within DoDEA schools and introduced approved AI tools. Participants explored how AI tools can streamline various tasks. I highlighted the crucial role of teachers in understanding the capabilities and limitations of AI to effectively guide students in ethical AI usage.  The teachers engaged in hands-on practice with a variety of AI tools, enhancing their practical skills.

In session two, we delved into significant ethical concerns associated with AI, including societal bias, privacy issues, plagiarism, AI "hallucinations," and legal considerations pertaining to AI-generated content. The remainder of the session focused on practical applications, where teachers examined how Pear Deck "Instant Decks" can be used to create lessons, exit tickets, and student activities efficiently.

Promoting Student Agency and Critical Thinking

This school professional development series, comprised of three sessions, aimed to enhance student agency in the classroom by promoting student choice. Teachers were encouraged to explore how technology can be integrated into lessons to support all learners, and to share their ideas via a Lumio Shout Out.

The primary focus of this training was on the implementation of technology choice boards in the classroom. These choice boards help students stay focused by allowing them to select the method that best showcases their learning, thereby supporting differentiation through various processes and products. Additionally, choice boards foster creativity and collaboration among students.

For the purposes of this professional development we explored the use of technology choice boards in English Language Arts (ELA). These boards can be integrated into reading comprehension stations and can be utilized for a variety of topics, including both fiction and non-fiction texts. Students have the flexibility to use these boards to respond to texts they have read either independently or during whole group instruction.

Teachers were provided with a range of generic choice board examples that can be easily adapted to weekly lessons with minimal modifications. The second session featured "Tinker Time," where teachers engaged with various technology tools in response to the book "What Do You Do with an Idea?" Some of the technology options included:

• 3D Pens, Digital Art platforms (e.g., Wixie, Google Drawings)

• Flip Story Board Planner with music and background options

• Minecraft creations

• Google Slides

• Microphone/Podcasting using a program of choice

• Art supplies and chart paper

• Free choice activities

The aim was to simulate offering multiple choices to students in the classroom, including non-technology options like art supplies for text responses.

The final session allowed grade-level teams time to apply what they had learned by collaboratively planning an ELA choice board for an upcoming lesson plan.

Selected Examples of Handouts from Promoting Student Agency and Critical Thinking Training

Additional Examples of Training Handouts

Below is a selection of training handouts from a range of topics and recent professional development sessions I have facilitated, which included tools such as Adobe Express, Google Vids, and Wixie.