Polar Vortex PD 2019

If you come down with a case of cabin fever this week during this bout of cold, snowy weather, try exploring technology tools! Here's a list of potential fun activities; pick one and jump in. Try it, you'll like it!

Alternatively, try working your way through the Apple Teacher modules for Macs or iPads. We'd like to see NSCDS faculty explore these as part of self-directed professional learning within the next several months.

Listen to any of these through the Podcasts app on your iPhone or iPad, or through iTunes on your Mac. Here are a few recommended podcasts:

• The Daily - a news podcast from the NY Times
  

• TED Radio Hour - thematic episodes featuring TED Talks
• The Moth - storytelling at its finest
• Oprah's Master Class - life lessons from a variety of public figures
• Storynory - stories for kids
• Grownups Read Things They Wrote as Kids - people reading stuff they wrote as kids

Tap into your creative side and dabble any of these free apps.

• Adobe Illustrator Draw
• Autodesk Sketchbook

• Tayasui Sketches School

• Colorfy

• ColorMe

• Pigment

Learn a new skill or learn about innovative practices in various schools.

• Avenues: The World School - Avenues
• Barrington 220 One to the World - Barrington School District 220
• Hillbrook School - Hillbrook
• Innovation in Schools - Apple
• The K-3 Literacy Project - Kurt Klynen and Others
• Maker-Centered Design with the iPad - Joshua Wood
• Using Clips in the Foreign Language Classroom - Rachel Smith
• Using Keynote to Explore Math Relationships Visually - Cathy Yenca

Many educators are connecting with others and holding professional conversations on a variety of topics. These chats use a hashtag and sometimes meet weekly or monthly. For instance, I like #globaledchat which meets at 7 PM every Thursday. Here's an article listing some chats that you might want to check out.

On Tuesday, January 29th at 7 PM from 6-7 PM CT, LitWorld, Kwame Alexander, and Kate Messner are co-hosting a Twitter chat to celebrate World Read Aloud Day which takes place on Friday, February 1. Search on Twitter for the hashtag #GetLoudReadAloud to see the conversation. #WRAD is the hashtag for World Read Aloud Day.

You may be snowbound, but you can still visit leading cultural institutions around the world. Browse this amazing digital resource and curate galleries aka collections to use in your class. To do this, favorite a few works of art, go to your profile and click on the Galleries tab to create a gallery.

Here are a few interesting collections from Google:

• 360º Videos
• Historical Figures
• Inside Brazil's Museu Nacional
• Portugal: Art and Heritage
• Purple in Modern Art
• Street View