A Day of Professional Development (Demo Slam and Mini EdCamp) models

Our district will be hosting a Professional Development day on January 15th 2016.  I will be providing Session that will combine our 2nd Annual NRSD Google Demo Slam  and introduce a "Mini EdCamp" model during a two hour session.

My plan is to kick off the session by introducing the term "Google Demo Slam" and showcase three or four items that work well with GAFE (Google Apps for Education) and with our Chrombooks.  I will send out a survey or provide participants to a link that will allow them to signup and quickly showcase something they have used in the classroom to enhance learning with technology.  Examples of this may include; chrome extensions, Apps and Add-On's that allow teachers and staff.  Some of the tools could be simply learning how to record your voice in a Google doc, using Google Keep for notetaking on the web or your phone.  Teachers want to know how to assess student work, then we will showcase, Poll Everywhere, Flubaroo and Kahoot to get the ideas rolling.  After warming teachers up to a few new tools that may help them understand the SAMR model,

I plan to introduce the "EdCamp" model and have teacher break into small groups to learn more about a topic covered in the the Demo Slam or simply post something they want to show.  I am hoping this could lead to a full day of Digital Learning using the EdCamp model when we plan future professional development days in our district.

The demo slam that we provided last year got many teachers excited not only to try out new tools, but to plan to use with their units of study and engage students.  I saw many teachers sharing lessons using Kahoot and Google Classroom and I am hoping to reach a larger audience this year.  As we begin to move forward with a 1:1 initiative by providing students with technology when needed we now have to refine our curriculum with tools that enhance learning when needed by students.  The feedback I received last year was the demo slam was informative, fun and useful.  So, I am looking to kick it up a notch next month!