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Get inspired for back-to-school with some fun and engaging ways to teach science digitally in either a classroom, distance, or hybrid learning setting. View our free on-demand personal development webinars below and check back often for new talks! 

Science Literacy and the Online Learner:

Explore ways to make your discussion questions and writing prompts fun and interactive. Learn ways to use online tools and apps such as drawing programs, meme makers, gif makers, book makers, and discussion boards to help students process and practice their writing skills.

Presenter: Mary Morgan, Biology Teacher & PD Specialist
View the full on-demand webinar below:

Realizing a Digital PBL Isn’t Difficult:

Through a simple organizational method and the creative use of the Realize learning platform, teachers can create a customized Problem Based Learning (PBL) experience for individual students or for groups of students working digitally or in person. Mix and match resources, add your own resources, monitor student processes, and guide students through problem-based learning experiences all with a click of a mouse.

Presenter: Mary Morgan, Biology Teacher & PD Specialist
View the full on-demand webinar below:

Liven Up the Lecture:

Learn how to use a Green Screen, Virtual Reality, and Augmented Reality to liven up your lectures. Use free and inexpensive tools that you can combine with resources on the Realize learning system to make the online learning experience more interactive for your student learners.

Presenter: Mary Morgan, Biology Teacher & PD Specialist
View the full on-demand webinar below:

How to Think Like an Engineer:

Engineering isn’t about just about tall buildings and math. It’s an entire way of thinking about problem solving! In this session, we’ll explore how to teach your students to think like an engineer which, in turn, promotes student self-efficacy. We’ll explore the basics of how to implement in the Engineering Design Process (EDP) with your students using materials that they have at home such as cereal, pasta, Legos, or leaves. We’ll discuss how teachers can become a guide on the side and train their students to take the lead in explorations, create a shared understanding of the steps in the process of the EDP, and lay a foundation that encourages deeper and divergent thinking.

Presenter: Mary Morgan, Biology Teacher & PD Specialist
View the full on-demand webinar below:

The Learners Have Left the Lab:

What do you do when the learners have left the lab? In this session, participants will explore innovative, inexpensive ways for students to have a science lab experience even when they are stuck at home. Since students typically don’t have access to glassware, microscopes, and other science-specific equipment, we’ll share practical ways to convert a traditional lab into digital learning activities and simulations and use a mixture of online tools and common household materials. We’ll also show how you can use Google Expeditions to take your students into the field whether it be the backyard, your city, or the other side of the globe! Let the world around your students become their laboratory!

Presenter: Mary Morgan, Biology Teacher & PD Specialist
View the full on-demand webinar below:

Gamify Your Learning:

Can assessments be fun? Absolutely! In this session, participants will learn how to make assessments a painless and fun process for students. We’ll begin by exploring what gamification is and how it increases student engagement. We’ll then explore practical applications of gamified learning by highlighting formative assessment strategies and incorporating multiple-choice and open-ended assessment questions from the Realize learning system. Examples of how to make assessments into fun games using free, online tools such as Quizizz will be provided.

Presenter: Mary Morgan, Biology Teacher & PD Specialist
View the full on-demand webinar below:

Breakout Into Learning:

It’s time to break out into learning! In this session, we will continue to explore how gamified learning can create high levels of engagement from students. We’ll explore how you can create virtual escape rooms to reinforce content by bringing together student resources from the Savvas Realize™ learning management system, including videos and texts, materials you create and upload on the platform, and Google Slides and Forms.

Presenter: Mary Morgan, Biology Teacher & PD Specialist
View the full on-demand webinar below:

About the Presenter: After teaching high school for 11 years, Mary Morgan joined the Perot Museum Professional Development team in 2017 to directly impact teachers through professional learning. For the 20-21 school year, Mary is returning to the classroom to teach high school biology. Mary holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Biology from Hardin-Simmons University and studied the Natural Science Tripos and bioethics at the University of Cambridge. A life-long learner, Mary loves exploring edtech and digital learning, design thinking, using engineering elements in science, and the organic integration of “STEAM” in the classroom specifically with art, music, and robotics.

 

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Michael Comer

Michael Comer

STEM Author

Note: Fresh Ideas for Teaching blog contributors have been compensated for sharing personal teaching experiences on our blog. The views and opinions expressed in this blog are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any other agency, organization, employer or company.