Upcoming PD

🎓 1 ALC
📅 July 22-25, 2024 (In-person, Timilty)

Learn how to engage students with engineering challenges, team building activities, science and math learning, designing moving artworks, and more with LEGO technic system. In this workshop, participants will engage in hands-on activities to learn how to work with LEGO technic system as well as how to design and facilitate exciting activities and challenges for students. This tool can not only be used in the classroom but also in advisories, community building events, STEM/STEAM after school clubs, and family engagement nights. 

Participants who complete the course will receive LEGO technic sets to use in their schools. Note: This tool includes small parts that are not suitable for students under 3rd grade, and is most appropriate for grades 5 through 12. This PD is for non-motorized LEGO technic pieces and does not include any electronic components or coding; however, skills learned in this PD may be applied to LEGO robotics programs such as LEGO Spike or FIRST LEGO League. 

Click here for more information.

🎓 1 ALC
📅 August 5-8, 2024 (August 5 & 7 Virtual; August 6 & 8 in-person @ Timilty)

Have you wondered how to bring 3D design and printing into your classroom? Do you have a 3D printer in your school but are not sure what to do with it? This class is for you! 

3D modeling is a great way to increase student engagement by integrating design thinking into the classroom. Through design, students can build their math skills and creativity. 3D printers allow students’ ideas to come to life, adding authenticity to the design process. This course will cover everything you need to know from designing something on the computer, preparing the model for printing, and setting up, using, and troubleshooting a 3D printer.

Participants who complete this PD will be eligible to receive a 3D printer from the BPS Lending Library for the entire 2024-25 school year, with the option to extend additional year(s). 

Click here for more information.

🎓 1 ALC
📅 Begins Summer 2024 in Google Classroom (Online Asynchronous)

Do you wonder how you can help your students develop healthy relationships with technology? What does privacy and security mean for you and your students? How do you know the information you see online is true? How can students develop positive online identities and use online communities safely? How might new technologies like ChatGPT affect our future? 

This course aims to examine the evolving role of technology in student learning and the educator’s growing role in this. The content of the course focuses on familiarizing teachers with contemporary technology topics like screen time, privacy, cyberbullying, social media, media literacy, and AI while giving powerful strategies and tools to help students conceptualize this digital environment that is increasingly becoming part of nearly every aspect of their lives. Participants will develop a lesson/unit for a community event for students, staff, and/or parents as a final project.

Click here for more information.

🎓 1 ALC
📅 Option 1: June 2024 (Online Synchronous)
📅 Option 2: Fall 2024 (Online Synchronous and Asynchronous)

This course introduces participants to the innovative potential of generative artificial intelligence (AI) for enhancing teaching and learning experiences in the K-12 space. Through hands-on activities and discussions, participants will learn how AI technologies work and explore how generative AI, including applications like ChatGPT, could be used in our classrooms. They will learn to leverage these technologies to foster student creativity, critical thinking, and collaboration skills. The course will cover ethical considerations such as bias and plagiarism and model best practices for integrating generative AI into classrooms effectively. Participants will gain the knowledge and confidence to empower students with the possibilities of generative AI across various subjects and grade levels. The maximum enrollment in this course is 30.

🎓 PD hours, PDP, or ALC (See description for details)
📅 July 8, 2024 to August 30, 2024 (Online Asynchronous)

Would you like your students to tell stories creatively in your class? Have you ever considered having your students design a game or digital animation as a formative assessment? Have you seen your students make amazing games on Scratch and wondered how they do it? 

Scratch is an online coding tool that is being used worldwide by youths for creating stories, animations, and games. It provides students an opportunity to demonstrate their learning while using computational thinking and problem solving skills that align with the MA Digital Literacy and Computer Science standards for grades 3-12.

In this course, participants will learn how to use and apply Scratch through a series of self-paced “choose-your-own-adventure” modules. Content for various experience levels will be provided, from beginner modules to get started, intermediate modules for users with some prior experience to bring their Scratch skills to the next level, and advanced content for experienced users to create games and projects. 

Participants may complete any number of modules. A minimum of 10 hours of module work are required for PDP. Minimum of 12 hours including a project, as well as a reflection, are required for ALC. Participants with less than 10 hours will be awarded PD hours.

🎓 1 ALC
📅 July 9-11, 2024 (Online and In Person)

Wondering how to help your students learn how to stay safe online, how to balance their use of technology/media, retell a piece of literature in a fun-filled engaging way or have them program a robot to show the life cycle of a butterfly?  

This course is a series of three day workshops that will focus on digital literacy, digital citizenship and computational thinking tools.  In these sessions, we will explore CommonSense Media and learn how to review websites, apps. and games as well as learn about the different Digital Citizenship resources that are available to educators, families and students.  Teachers will also explore ScratchJr. ScratchJr is a coding tool that is being used worldwide by Early Childhood students for creating and retelling stories, and creating animations. Using physical computing such as BeeBots and KIBO Robots are an exciting way to engage students in design thinking and coding activities while building problem solving skills. This course provides teachers an opportunity to learn strategies to teach digital literacy, digital citizenship, computational thinking, and problem solving skills that align with the MA Digital Literacy and Computer Science standards for grades K-2.

🎓 1 ALC
📅 Option 1: June 25-27, 2024 (In Person)
📅 Option 2: September 24 - October 29, 2024 (Online Synchronous)

In this course, participants will learn how to use Adobe Express, a district-supported instructional technology tool, to design engaging lessons that will allow students to demonstrate creativity and creative expression. Adobe Express is free and available in Clever for all BPS teachers and students. Participants will engage in creative brainstorming activities and hands-on learning to produce webpage portfolios that incorporate video, images, audio, and interactive components, which can be incorporated into classroom practice. Feedback and reflection are a critical part of this course; participants will give and receive feedback from their peers as they design their lessons and portfolios. This course is designed for the teacher or instructional leader who would like to embed more creative thinking strategies and tools in their practice. Participants will produce a webpage portfolio and lesson plan and have the opportunity to receive Adobe Creative Educator Level 1 upon completion of work.

🎓 PD Hours or 10 PDPs
📅 Begins August 19, 2024 (Online Asynchronous)

In this self-paced course, participants will complete modules in Google Classroom to learn how to use Adobe Express, a district-supported instructional technology tool, to edit and create digital content (such as PDFs, flyers, graphics, animations, videos, webpages, and podcasts) for their roles in schools or Central Office. This course is designed for any BPS employee who would like to learn how to use Adobe Express to embed more creative tools in their work, such as for communication and for family and community engagement. All BPS school-based staff, teachers, Central office staff, nurses, and paras are encouraged to participate. Classroom teachers and instructional leaders are encouraged to enroll in the ‘Infusing Creativity in the Digital Classroom’ course for application of Adobe Express and the creative process to student learning and lesson design.

🎓 1 ALC
📅 September 18 - October 30, 2024 (Online Synchronous and Asynchronous)

In this course, participants will explore how to design more accessible digital classrooms using the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles. In July 2024, CAST will release the UDL Guidelines 3.0, the most recent update to the UDL principles. This course will cover these updates, which address identity as part of variability, acknowledge biases as barriers to learning, emphasize the value of interdependence and collective learning, and move from teacher-centered to student-centered language. This course will introduce participants to these updates and how they can use available districtwide instructional and assistive technology tools to support Tier 1 instruction. Participants will explore proactive strategies using the UDL principles and design or adapt an existing lesson that applies strategies and tools from this course. The maximum enrollment in this course is 30. 

🎓 1 ALC
📅 October 23 - December 4, 2024 (Online Synchronous and Asynchronous)

In this course, participants will apply a Universal Design for Learning (UDL) lens to identify, examine, and design lessons that focus on building students’ digital literacy skills through the purposeful use of available district instructional technology and digital library resources. This course is intended for the librarian or teacher who is interested in deepening their knowledge and use of the following tools: Gale in Context, Sora by Overdrive, Read&Write for Google Chrome, OrbitNote, MagicSchool.ai, and other digital resources. Participants will engage in hands-on learning during live Zoom sessions and work towards developing a lesson on digital literacy skills aligned with librarian and/or technology standards. The maximum enrollment for this course is 30.  

🎓 1 ALC
📅 Begins November 2024 (Online Synchronous)

In this course, classroom teachers will explore flipped classroom learning models to design a flipped classroom lesson using a UDL lens. Teachers will design for learner variability by addressing student barriers, providing flexible pathways for student learning, and extending learning. With the support of coaches, participants will implement a flipped classroom lesson and reflect on their practice using structured protocols. This course will require teachers to video record their classrooms for non-evaluative coaching and peer feedback. This course is most relevant to classroom content teachers in grades 3-12. The max enrollment in this course is 20. 

🎓 1 ALC
📅 Begins Fall 2024 in Google Classroom (Online Asynchronous with one live session on Zoom)

In this self-paced course, participants will explore ways to use Google Docs and Slides to incorporate Universal Design for Learning (UDL) strategies that support teaching and learning. Participants will produce a lesson in hyperdoc form, get feedback from peers during our one live session, deliver their lesson, and provide an in-depth reflection.

🎓 1 ALC
📅 Winter/Spring 2025 (Online Synchronous)

Do you or your students ever wonder why your phone seems to know what you are talking about or thinking when you open up social media? Do you want to know how to make your online accounts and your students' accounts more secure from “hackers?” Do you ever wonder why you need to change your password every few months/weeks? Do your students? 

We live in a very connected world now and it moves so fast sometimes it is hard to keep up. Like with almost any technology, there are positive and negative aspects of having the internet at our disposal. Having a basic understanding of how the internet functions, the types of cybercrime and scams that exist, and how cybercriminals target different people will help educators navigate the internet more safely not only in the workplace but in their personal lives as well. Moreover, teaching this critical knowledge to students will help them be attuned to the complex and sophisticated online environments they will be entering as adults.

🎓 1 ALC
📅 Spring 2025 (Online Synchronous)

We live in a very connected world now and it moves so fast sometimes it is hard to keep up. Many of us know about the role technology plays in our lives, but little about its history. Our students face this same dilemma. Therefore, given the increasing role it plays in our everyday life, especially in that of our students, having a deeper understanding of the historical patterns of technology will give teachers a better idea of its dynamic nature and where it might be going. Especially in an era when artificial intelligence, like ChatGPT, is being increasingly utilized. In this competency-based professional development, teachers will engage in valuable discussions and develop engaging and relevant content to add to their curricula. The maximum enrollment in this course is 30.

📅 Every second Wednesday in the Bolling Building, 8:00-9:00AM

BPS Central Office: do your new hires need technology orientation to get onboarded with apps used in BPS? The BPSTech Digital Learning Team offers recurring in-person Technology Orientation sessions for new employees every 2nd Wednesday of the month from 8-9AM at Bolling. Please visit our website or stop by the Service Desk on the 3rd floor for a room location. In these sessions, we cover the tools that are used in BPS and where to go to get tech support.

🎓 1 hour per session
📅 12:00-1:00 PM monthly in person at Bolling or on Zoom
🔗 Register for a session

These sessions, held twice a month (1 online, 1 in person), are designed to empower central office staff to feel more confident using technology for their roles, including using Google tools to boost productivity, enhancing collaboration, and learning about the latest tech features. Bring your laptops and feel free to bring your lunch! 

Register here for as many sessions as you like. 1 hour PD credits will be issued on Vector for each session attended. You can also share our flyer with your teams to spread the word about the series!

Please click on an event to register with your BPS email address. All events require you to register on Vector and/or Zoom.

Each offering has different credit requirements. Read the event description and syllabus for more information about how to earn credit. All credits will be issued via Vector.

All remote sessions will be recorded and captioned in English. All video and audio content will have captions or a transcript. Agendas will be shared in advance of or during the session. If you have any additional accessibility needs, please reach out to Rhianon Gutierrez.

We offer the below options for our PDs. Check each description to find out more.

• In-Person

• Remote Synchronous (online in real time)

• Blended (in person and online in real time and self-paced)

• Self-Paced Asynchronous (online)

• Hybrid (in person and remote/online in real time)