Pick Five

All Granite educators looking to add to or improve their use of technology in the classroom are invited to attend any of our Pick Five sessions. Topics for 2019-2020 will be announced in our Ed Tech Newsletter each month. You can also find them listed below.

Sessions will be repeated twice each month:

• the first Tuesday of the month in the Ed Tech lab at the GEC (D-228) for the September - December classes and in the Library at Granite Connection High School (501 E 3900 S) for the January - April classes
• the third Tuesday of the month at the Technology Learning Center (5300 W Cherrywood Lane, West Valley City) throughout the year

All Granite educators are welcome to sign up to attend any of the sessions. Relicensure points are available. Attend at least 5 of the sessions and complete a portfolio assignment to receive 1 USBE credit.

Pick 5 Sessions & Topics

Getting the Year Started with Google

September 3 (GEC D-228) & September 17 (TLC)

Learn the basics, and a few more advanced tips and tricks, of using Google Classroom and G-Suite to enhance collaboration, communication, creativity, and critical thinking with your students.

Utah's Online Library and Sora

October 1 (GEC D-228) & October 15 (TLC)

In this session we'll look at two digital libraries available to GSD teachers and students. Utah's Online Library is one of the best but most underutilized resources available to Utah teachers. We'll explore many of the incredible resources for research and lesson design available in UOL. If your or your students are looking for eBooks, our collection in Sora has many titles available. We'll show you how to make the most of Sora.

Strategies for Developing Computational Thinking Skills

November 5 (GEC D-228) & November 19 (TLC)

In the digital age, computational thinking skills are necessary for educators and students alike. In this session we will look at ways to promote and develop computational thinking skills throughout the curriculum.

Integrating Digital Citizenship and Digital Literacy Skills

December 3 (GEC D-228) & December 17 (TLC)

In the last couple of years, there has been a shift in focus for how we teach our students about digital citizenship. We will take a look at this shift, discuss why it’s more important than ever to teach and promote digital citizenship and digital literacy in our classrooms, and take a look at some curriculum and methods for teaching digital citizenship and literacy.

Personalized Learning

January 7 (Granite Connection High School Library) & January 21 (TLC)

In personalized learning, students engage in relevant material and instruction that challenges them appropriately and is based on their interests, skills, and needs. When learning is personalized, every student engages with the right material and instruction to challenge them appropriately and get them to the next level. In this session will look at the what, the why, and the how of personalized learning.

Adobe Creative Cloud Tools for Photography and Images: Photoshop & Lightroom

February 4 (Granite Connection High School Library) & February 18 (TLC)

In this session, you'll learn the basics of using some of the tools available to GSD educators in the Adobe Creative Cloud suite to enhance, edit and create images. We'll cover Photoshop, Lightroom, and more, and discuss some ways you can use these images and graphics to support teaching and learning.

Adobe Spark

March 3 (Granite Connection High School Library) & March 17 (TLC)

Adobe Spark is an easy and fun way for you and your students to create graphics, webpages, and videos. We'll explore the ins and outs of using these tools and several ideas for getting started with them in your classroom.

Design Thinking

April 7 (Granite Connection High School Library) & April 21 (TLC)

In this session we will explore how we can use the Design Thinking process in our classrooms as teachers and with students to promote problem-solving and creative-thinking.