You Spoke, We Listened

On August 29th, Innovative Educator blogger Lisa Nielsen (@InnovativeEdu) reached out to educators on the #NYCSchools Tech Facebook page (on behalf of Teq and SMART Technologies), to see what professional development NYC educators are most interested in for the coming school year.

Thanks to all the feedback, our Curriculum team is preparing for a Fall full of courses that will target the edtech topics that matter to you the most.   

Connecting Chromebooks and SMART Notebook 

In the lead was “Connecting Chromebooks to the SMART Notebook Software.” Considering the surge of Chromebooks in the classroom over the past few years, this came as a surprise to no one. As reported by The New York Times this past May, Chromebooks now account for more than half the mobile devices shipped to schools. It is estimated that a total of 13 million devices (consisting of laptops, tablets, and other mobile devices) were shipped to U.S. schools in 2016 alone. Combine with the number of educators who use SMART Notebook, this course feels more important than ever.  

SMART Learning Suite Takes to the Cloud 

Interest in SMART Notebook will also be addressed with upcoming Online PD courses on the all-new SMART Learning Suite Online. Currently available in a beta version, educators will be able to access their saved Notebook files from anywhere and push out lessons to any type of student device.  

During lessons, teachers will also now be able to switch to new activities using the online suite and have student devices follow without skipping a beat. Designed to save teachers time and frustration, the SMART Learning Suite Online is guaranteed to become a favorite to many.  

On September 21st, 4-5PM EDT, you can learn more about the online suite with our “Introduction to the SMART Learning Suite Online.” Register for the course here.     

Project-Based Learning and 3D Printing 

Rounding out the top three were courses focused on Project-Based Learning— a staple of education blogs since 2014. However, unlike previous years, educators are showing more interest in PBL activities that incorporate 3D printing.  

Since 2011, bloggers have been making claims that 3D printers would be the “next tool to transform education.” 6 years later, with the increased focus on STEM and STEAM, we’re starting to see that claim come to life, and we are fully on board for it! Since receiving our own Ultimaker 3D printer, Teq’s Curriculum team has been fascinated by the tool, and have been churning out resources on our blog including activities for young innovators and CAD design tools.  

Cast Your Vote 

Didn’t see a course you would have recommended on the list? Email your suggestions to onlinepd@teq.com. And to learn more about Teq Online PD, visit https://34.201.222.12/pd-platforms/online-pd/.