June 2026

Professional Development

Available self-paced training:

1. Introduction to Magic School

2. Magic Student

3. Clipchamp

4. Next Level
   
   

Upcoming self-paced training (summer): 

1. Nearpod

2. Kami

3. Canva Code

4. Teams
   
   

Upcoming in-person trainings:

1. Nearpod and Kami  - June 10th from 8 am to 3 pm

   1. In this training, we'll explore two powerful tools, Nearpod and Kami, and how each one can enhance student engagement and interaction in your classroom. Both tools give you new ways to reach students and check for understanding. We'll dig into the key features of each platform, get some hands-on practice, and talk about how they fit into what you're already doing in your classroom. 

Wayground! (Quizizz)!

We are purchasing Wayground (formerly known as Quizizz, but it's not just about quizzes anymore people!) for the middle school and high school. We have always had access to the free version of Wayground (you just have to get used to the new name) but that came with some important limitations. Now our middle and high school teachers will have full access to the platform, which has evolved from just gamified quizzes to much, much more. It is a powerful tool and there will be lots of opportunities to learn more about it in the coming months. Yay!  

Seesaw

I've received many questions about Seesaw, as the shadow of ParentSquare looms large. It is true that we will move to ParentSquare for family messaging. However, messaging is only one small component of Seesaw. Elementary teachers will still have access to all the wonderful instructional tools that Seesaw offers. If you've only ever used Seesaw to send messages, now is the time to learn about everything else it has to offer! 

For those who do take fuller advantage of Seesaw, but have been frustrated that it lacks the ability to embed Youtube videos, your frustrations are over! You can now embed Youtube videos directly in your Seesaw activities, and students will be able to watch them. That's a feature many of us have been waiting over a year for and it's so exciting that it's finally functional. 

TIM Matrix and Anti-Edtech Voices

You might be seeing more chatter on social media and in the news about growing anti-edtech voices calling for a return to fully analog teaching and learning. This comes on the heels of conversations born out of the book, The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt. We are developing a polished response to all that chatter in case it starts making the rounds in our community, but it all boils down to avoiding big pendulum swings and aiming for intentional technology integration that puts learning first without chasing the next shiny edtech toy. This intentional approach benefits from grounding in guiding documents. One example of this is the Universal Design for Learning framework. Another great example that you might not have heard of is the TIM, or technology integration matrix. If you're familiar with the SAMR model, this matrix should feel like the next logical step in reflecting on how we integrate technology into our instructional practices. You can check out that matrix here. 

Clipchamp

Clipchamp is currently not working for students. This is not so much a problem with Clipchamp as it is a bigger issue with Microsoft access. In order to give students access to Clipchamp, they were getting access to more Microsoft features that the IT department is not currently prepared to give them. IT is working on this issue and plan to have it resolved by next school year.