Educator Announcements – October 9, 2008

This also showed up in my inbox earlier today.

2009 VSS Annual Spring Conference – Learning: Anyone, Anytime, Anywhere Mark your calendars – April 21-23, 2009! Planning for the 2009 VSS Annual Spring Conference is well underway. As announced last year, the permanent theme – Learning: Anyone, Anytime, Anywhere – is driving the development of this year’s program and the selection of keynotes and concurrent sessions. Also, based on feedback provided by last year’s participants, conference organizers are planning a pre-conference session on the day before the official opening, April 21, 2009. And, as introduced last year, the Opening Night Reception, Apr 21, 2009 is open to all participants, sponsors, exhibitors and guests. Visit the 2009 Conference page on LearnNowBC to find out developments to date. Teacher Essentials & Math JelliesThe VSS is happy to announce that the Teacher Essentials™ program is continuing this year. These online learning lessons focus on specific practice and instructional strategies and are designed to fit the busy daily schedule of an educator. There are 40 lessons in three libraries – Elementary, Middle and Secondary School – for a total of 120 that provide valuable online learning experiences for teachers.Visit the Teacher Essentials page on LearnNowBC to get URLs, Usernames and Passwords for the library appropriate for you. Math Jellies is also continuing, complements of the VSS. You have immediate access to learning tools called “Jelly of the Month”. Each “Jelly” is a math learning object drawn from the new BC Pilot Math program. They are animations, games, workbooks, interactive activities and Concept Capsules you can use in the classroom and/or provide to your students. Visit the Math Jellies page on LearnNowBC for more information and access instructions. Professional Learning Opportunities For the Week of Oct 9 – 15: October 12, 2008 knowWEEKS: A Career Development Instructor Makes a YouTube or TeacherTube Video. Bill Bell will share basic skills and tips for creating short instruction videos about using computer software. He will be available to discuss various topics including storyboarding, how to capture screen activity and sound – either together or separately, simple editing, file conversion and uploading.