Online Tech Courses for Teachers by The Original Teaching Company
Fall 2013 • References • Sept 15 to Nov 22 • Register • cost is $333 • 10 weeks
The ten weeks described below go from mid September and end the week before Thanksgiving. As you see below, the first week is Sept 16-20 and the tenth week is Nov 18-22. The instructor for these courses will be Steve Bergen and you can contact him at summercore@gmail or 781-953-9699 if you have any questions about the course or if you want to make sure that this will work for you. Once ready to signup, click here to register. Based on enrollment numbers, you will receive your confirmation number within 48 hours. The cost for any ten week course is $333 but you should not send in your check until you receive your confirmation number. Once confirmed, the address is Summercore, 300 E 85th #3303, New York NY 10028. Checks should be marked payable to Summercore and should be sent within one week after you get your confirmation number.
By design each course is a hybrid between a high quality lecture course and having a personal tutor/trainer -- in fact instead of being a MOOC ("massive open online course") each Summercore online course should be called a SOOC ("small online organized course"). Good teaching generally involves relationships something sadly missing from most MOOCs.
By design each course is a hybrid between a high quality lecture course and having a personal tutor/trainer -- in fact instead of being a MOOC ("massive open online course") each Summercore online course should be called a SOOC ("small online organized course"). Good teaching generally involves relationships something sadly missing from most MOOCs.
|
3 minute Video Overview
|
Online Course 1: Technology for Teachers ready to Take the Plunge ("T-cubed")
Yes, we finally have figured out a way to offer our popular Summercore curriculum into a 10 week online course! Online Course #1 is based on our 5 day Summercore workshop which has trained over 3,500 teachers and administrators since 1985. This course will help create a foundation of computer know-how, know-why and know-why-not for teachers who are not yet comfortable with the specifics and techniques of using technology in the classroom. Whether you a computer skeptic, a luddite, or just a beginner who has never participated in a quality computer training program, this course will help provide you with skills and classroom techniques to help you move forward. Participants must commit to two hours of work per week for online assignments. Participants need access to any type of computer (Mac, PC or iPad) with internet connectivity of course. Participants must be willing to set aside time for a weekly phone call or SKYPE session. The goal is for each teacher to be engaged in a significant, meaningful usage of integrating technology into her or his own classroom in the second half of this course (last 5 weeks).
Online Course 2: incredible iPad instruction ("i-cubed")
This ten week course focuses on iPad skills and educational apps to help beginners gain confidence in learning to use this new tool in the classroom. Participants must have access to an iPad and must commit to two hours of work per week. Participants must be willing to set aside time for a weekly phone call or SKYPE session. By the end of the ten weeks, participants will be incredibly skillful with the iPad but more importantly with strategies for using the iPad effectively in her or his K-12 classroom. In the second half (last 5 weeks) of the course, the goal is for each teacher to be engaged in a significant, meaningful usage of integrating iPads into her or his own classroom.
Online Course 3: Intro to Coding for Lower School Teachers
This ten week course will help lower school teachers learn to program using HOPSCOTCH on the iPad or SCRATCH on a laptop/desktop so that they can comfortably guide children in learning to code. From loops to variables, we will start from the beginning and work together to gain skills with all the basics of these similar computer languages. Each programming concept will be taught thoroughly, step-by-step, with many examples to help connect programming to the lower school curriculum. Please note that this course is not for experienced programmers or teachers who have achieved proficiency. This course is for beginners who want to learn to program. In the last half of the course (second five weeks), each teacher will be able to integrate into the classroom.
Online Course 4: Google Drive Step by Step (2 page outline)
Whether you call it Google Drive (new name) or Google Docs (old name), there is no question that the set of features that you get from this online software environment is both amazing and unbelievable. This ten week course is intended for beginners and intermediates who like going through things step-by-step and like being taught how to do new things. We will cover all the wonderful features with sharing, use of forms, research, tables, comments, spreadsheet basics along with organizing tips and tricks with Google Drive folders which you can use as portfolios for students. Participants will learn from videos and PDFS along with weekly instruction using screen-sharing software so that I can control your computer or you can control mine. Within weeks you will be believing that Google Drive thrives and of course that Google Docs rocks!
Some Frequently Asked Questions About these Online Courses
Q: What is required in the two hours per week?
A: The two hours is the total time commitment needed since we know that all teachers' time is stretched to the max. This two hours includes the 30-60 minutes of talking with me (Steve Bergen) on the phone or SKYPE. The rest of the time will involved watching videos that I produce for you, reading designated articles and PDFs that I produce for you and working at the weekly hands-on assignment. The phone call or SKYPE session will be scheduled to mutual convenience. It will sometimes be 1 on 1 (just you and me) and sometimes be a few people in the class.
Q: Why not have a designated time once per week (such as Wed 7pm or Thurs 5pm) when everyone in the class must participate?
A: This is a great idea in theory, but in practice, it does not work! Having taught and taken online courses, I know that the biggest weakness of the online experience is the lack of quality communication between instructor/participants and the participants with each other. We all know from our experiences in schools that scheduling a weekly meeting with 1 person is doable but very hard with 5-10 persons. So it goes with online courses. Email, assigned videos, homework and readings are all easy to do in an online course. But meaningful communication by voice is THE ESSENCE of teaching. It shocks me that so few instructors understand this. So as long as you are willing to schedule a weekly phone call or SKYPE session with me at your convenience, we are fine!
Q: How many participants in each course?
A: My goal and expectation is 10-15 participants. Given my style in communicating with everyone for at least 30 minutes a week, I can't take more than 15. The goal of teaching is not simply presenting the material but making sure that everyone succeeds! So 15 is the max.
Q: What are the four components of each week?
A: First there is the PDF Lesson you will get via email each Monday or Tuesday. Then there is the video to watch that goes along with it. Third, there is the assignment to be completed over the next 7 days and finally, there is the phone call or SKYPE or screen-share that will be scheduled to your convenience each week.
A: The two hours is the total time commitment needed since we know that all teachers' time is stretched to the max. This two hours includes the 30-60 minutes of talking with me (Steve Bergen) on the phone or SKYPE. The rest of the time will involved watching videos that I produce for you, reading designated articles and PDFs that I produce for you and working at the weekly hands-on assignment. The phone call or SKYPE session will be scheduled to mutual convenience. It will sometimes be 1 on 1 (just you and me) and sometimes be a few people in the class.
Q: Why not have a designated time once per week (such as Wed 7pm or Thurs 5pm) when everyone in the class must participate?
A: This is a great idea in theory, but in practice, it does not work! Having taught and taken online courses, I know that the biggest weakness of the online experience is the lack of quality communication between instructor/participants and the participants with each other. We all know from our experiences in schools that scheduling a weekly meeting with 1 person is doable but very hard with 5-10 persons. So it goes with online courses. Email, assigned videos, homework and readings are all easy to do in an online course. But meaningful communication by voice is THE ESSENCE of teaching. It shocks me that so few instructors understand this. So as long as you are willing to schedule a weekly phone call or SKYPE session with me at your convenience, we are fine!
Q: How many participants in each course?
A: My goal and expectation is 10-15 participants. Given my style in communicating with everyone for at least 30 minutes a week, I can't take more than 15. The goal of teaching is not simply presenting the material but making sure that everyone succeeds! So 15 is the max.
Q: What are the four components of each week?
A: First there is the PDF Lesson you will get via email each Monday or Tuesday. Then there is the video to watch that goes along with it. Third, there is the assignment to be completed over the next 7 days and finally, there is the phone call or SKYPE or screen-share that will be scheduled to your convenience each week.
A Few References (more here)
Read this note shared by Alisa Eng, Director of Curriculum and Instructional Support at Annunciation Orthodox School (Houston TX) after Summercore 2013 for 18 of her teachers:
"The Summercore workshop exceeded my expectations of what I had envisioned. I have never seen my teachers so engaged and all on the same page where technology is concerned. We are starting our technology initiative in the right direction thanks to you all!"
Read these notes shared by Joyce McGhee and James McGhee II, co-heads of Alexander Montessori School (Miami FL) after coming to Summercore at Horace Mann School in July 2013:
"We had no idea Summercore would be so intimate and personalized. The instructors were all great. You all have created something very special. Really glad we made the investment in time and money to come up from FL to Horace Mann School. The carnival was SO much fun learning from others, and teaching others. The prep day was essential. The activity of having opening intros to our booths was so much fun! LOVE the BIG page numbers and format of the Summercore Primer. It will be our tech bible!"
Read this note shared by Lynn Sloan, Lower School Media Specialist at North Broward Preparatory School (Coconut Creek, FL) after attending Summercore at her school in August 2013 along with 22 of her colleagues:
"We all LOVE LOVE LOVED Summercore. What a wonderful conference - you guys have a great thing going!! I hope everyone gets the opportunity to attend. It should be mandatory for all of our teachers and alums should get to come back again. The carnival was useful. I was a little apprehensive, but as usual, the struggle was necessary, the time pressure necessary and...voila! We became mini-experts on a little bit of one technology program."
Read this note shared by Bob Vitalo, head of Berkeley Carroll School (Brooklyn NYC) and Summercore '91 and '08 alum who then brought Summercore to his school in 2009:
"Steve and Lynne at Summercore do an incredible job of addressing the different levels of all participants. At my session we had individuals ranging from very reluctant, very occasional users to someone who was the head of IT for a university. At the end of the week each person said it was the best workshop they had ever attended. Of even greater value is to see Steve and Lynne in action. Yes the week is about technology integration, and you learn tons about that, but you also get to see two master teachers at work and everyone sees how to be an even more effective teacher."
"The Summercore workshop exceeded my expectations of what I had envisioned. I have never seen my teachers so engaged and all on the same page where technology is concerned. We are starting our technology initiative in the right direction thanks to you all!"
Read these notes shared by Joyce McGhee and James McGhee II, co-heads of Alexander Montessori School (Miami FL) after coming to Summercore at Horace Mann School in July 2013:
"We had no idea Summercore would be so intimate and personalized. The instructors were all great. You all have created something very special. Really glad we made the investment in time and money to come up from FL to Horace Mann School. The carnival was SO much fun learning from others, and teaching others. The prep day was essential. The activity of having opening intros to our booths was so much fun! LOVE the BIG page numbers and format of the Summercore Primer. It will be our tech bible!"
Read this note shared by Lynn Sloan, Lower School Media Specialist at North Broward Preparatory School (Coconut Creek, FL) after attending Summercore at her school in August 2013 along with 22 of her colleagues:
"We all LOVE LOVE LOVED Summercore. What a wonderful conference - you guys have a great thing going!! I hope everyone gets the opportunity to attend. It should be mandatory for all of our teachers and alums should get to come back again. The carnival was useful. I was a little apprehensive, but as usual, the struggle was necessary, the time pressure necessary and...voila! We became mini-experts on a little bit of one technology program."
Read this note shared by Bob Vitalo, head of Berkeley Carroll School (Brooklyn NYC) and Summercore '91 and '08 alum who then brought Summercore to his school in 2009:
"Steve and Lynne at Summercore do an incredible job of addressing the different levels of all participants. At my session we had individuals ranging from very reluctant, very occasional users to someone who was the head of IT for a university. At the end of the week each person said it was the best workshop they had ever attended. Of even greater value is to see Steve and Lynne in action. Yes the week is about technology integration, and you learn tons about that, but you also get to see two master teachers at work and everyone sees how to be an even more effective teacher."
