Tom Daccord

What if there were no limitations? What if resources were not a problem? What would the ideal learning environment look like? In this hands-on session, we will collaborate to create an ideal school for the future from three diverse perspectives - physical space, curriculum & pedagogy, and professional learning. Learn the importance of vision and planning and what happens in its absence. Whether you are a school administrator, a division head, or a technology advocate, come contribute your ideals to see what could be possible.

Cost: $1450

Duration: 2-3 hours

Target Audience: school leaders

The iPad is a favorite device of many elementary and middle school educators for a variety of reasons: flexibility, portability, engagement, intriguing apps and more. From active reading to creating text, images, audio, video and more, you’ll work hands-on with creative apps such as Book Creator, Pic Collage, Tellagami, and Draw & Tell plus nurture basic "app smashing" scenarios that increase the device's creative potential. iPad recommended.

Cost: $1450/$2350

Duration: half-day/full-day

Target Audience: K-8 teachers

In this workshop, we will explore tools, apps, activities, and strategies that nurture essential Math and Science learning skills such as critical and abstract thinking through a task-based approach. We will explore student hands-on activities to improve understanding and encourage greater ownership, motivation and retention.
The workshop emphasizes innovative ideas and exciting projects for incorporating Web platforms and various "Evergreen" tools and apps, including GoFormative, Explain Everything, Book Creator, and more. The workshop will also include specific subject tools that will enable students to do, amongst other things, solve equations, plot and animate graphs, find numerical and exact solutions, simplify and factorise expressions, create multimodal lab reports, and present scientific processes in multiple dimensions. The combination of examples, resources and exploration will provide participants with a set of strategies and to integrate technology purposefully into the classroom.

Cost: $1450/$2350

Duration: half-day/full-day

Target Audience: math & science teachers

Google Apps, Google Drive Add-Ons and Chrome Extensions provide an excellent array of research, writing and editing tools perfect for laptop, desktop, and Chromebook classrooms. Discover some of the best new Apps, Add-Ons, and Extensions for Middle School and High School classrooms and also learn strategies that promote more effective teacher feedback and guidance.

Cost: $1450

Duration: half-day

Target Audience:

This session demonstrates how Virtual Reality (VR) is an immersive technology ideal for historical journeys where students can navigate and create 360-sphere environments with embedded text, audio and video.
Objectives: --To introduce attendees to the potential of virtual reality in the history classroom.
--To introduce attendees to VR creation platforms that allow both teachers and students to capture environments and create virtual reality environments of their own.
--To introduce pre-created VR content. Platforms such as Google Expeditions, Nearpod VR and others provide easily accessible, pre-packaged virtually reality content in a host of environments.
--Attendees will learn about other virtual field trip options, such as Google Map Treks, Google Museum Views, Google Tour Builder and Google LitTrips.
--Attendees will come to see transformative possibilities of VR creation: Imagine students in a history class exploring a historic site where they can capture immersive 360° photos of the location and can later embed their own insights, experiences and perspective on the meaning and significance of the location!

Cost: $1450

Duration: half-day

Target Audience:

Project Based Learning is a teaching method in which students explore real-world problems and challenges over an extended period of time, acquiring deeper knowledge and expertise. Applicable across grade-levels and content areas, PBL has seen a resurgence in interest. Project Based Learning, paired with the ever-growing technology access available in many educational settings, offer educators unique possibilities in unit design. Intentional use of technology within the essential design elements of PBL provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate their understanding of concepts, refine 21st Century Skills, and publish to a Public Audience.

In this intensive workshop, participants will learn the essential design elements of PBL, meaningful ways to integrate technology as an integral component in student engagement and motivation, and instructional strategies to support student learning. With PBL, we will identify and align student learning goals, construct driving questions to support sustained inquiry, and maximize authenticity, in addition to offering student choice and voice through the use of technology. Participants will also explore examples of PBL, identify and create assessment frameworks for PBL, and reimagine current curriculum in order to implement Project Based Learning in their classroom.

Cost: $1450/$2350

Duration: half-day/full-day

Target Audience:

The Design Thinking process first identifies a problem and then proposes and tests solutions, all with the needs of the end user in mind. The culmination of every Design Thinking process is a tangible product. Whether the goal is to create new lessons, activities, curriculum, or projects, it can offer a powerful lens through which both teachers and students can design new products. In this workshop, participants will take on a design challenge, work through the five phases of the process, and come out with a tangible product: a lesson or activity that they can use at their schools.

Cost: $1450

Duration: half-day

Target Audience:

Technology can play a powerful role in expanding the possibilities of learning environments, but technology alone does not change schools. Leadership plays an essential role in ensuring that new technologies are paired with innovative and effective pedagogical practices. This workshop is for leaders of learning - principals, heads, IT directors, and academic leaders - to help develop a vision for how technology and pedagogy investments will improve student learning. We will outline key characteristics of successful technology leadership and discuss frameworks and models that help create and sustain a culture of innovation. In all, participants will leave the program with a greater comprehension of leadership around emerging technologies, a deeper understanding of effective technology integration, and an action plan for leading change in their school.

Cost: $2350

Duration: full-day

Target Audience: school leaders