Davidson Academy Online instructor Carly Ghantous will be presenting at the Digital Learning Annual Conference Feb 26-28, 2024 in Austin.
See below for information on Carly’s sessions:
Tues., 2/27, 9AM – 10:15AM: Revolutionizing PD: Unleashing Engagement and Excitement in Educators!
You’ve likely seen the image of a classroom full of teachers looking bored with a caption that reads “When I die, I hope it’s during professional development because the transition to death would be so smooth.” You’ve probably even attended that PD! Well spoiler alert, PD doesn’t have to suck! This contributed talk will quickly highlight ten must-have considerations for building professional development that actually engages teachers. The bulk of this talk will focus on actual examples of PD that doesn’t suck. These are examples that you can take back to your workplace and use immediately. Ever participated in a professional development game show?? What about popcorn PD? You’ll learn about these fun options to learn new strategies and master new content. All of the strategies in this session are applicable to a variety of essential topics (e.g. digital learning, special populations, SEL, DEI, teaching strategies, engaging online learners) in education.
Wed., 2/28, 9AM – 10:15AM: Pivot, Don’t Panic
Whether you’re a teacher, administrator, support staff, it’s pretty safe to say that you’ve seen priorities change so fast that sometimes you might feel like your head is on a swivel. A quick glance at the headlines tells us that students need more support for soft skills and social emotional learning to be successful. Wait, don’t scroll any further on that media site or you’ll be told that students need more rigid academics and standards because our NAEP scores have fallen so far behind. It’s enough to make us want to panic! This session will focus on strategies that help us pivot, not panic when it seems like the sky is falling. Learn to manage change with a calm that helps center you and your building or students. These strategies will help you be a better teacher, administrator, or support to the stakeholders who depend on you. And just to make sure we don’t take ourselves too seriously, we’ll also teach a basic jazz step – the pivot!