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6-4-15 — Teachers Become Students at Summer Conference
June 4, 2015 ~ Classroom time for educators switched from teaching to learning as more than 1,800 people attend this year's Summer Conference at Olathe Northwest High School. This is the 24th consecutive year for the three-day learning opportunity for classroom teachers, administrators and support staff.
The Olathe Summer Conference has become an important part of the district's staff development planning. It also provides a lower-cost graduate tuition option, especially important to new teachers as they renew their teaching licenses.
"Many years ago the district determined it was much more economical to bring professional development speakers here than to take educators to learning opportunities outside our area," Director of Instructional Support Programs Jan Heinen said. "We are the only district in the area that offers three days of training and so many session choices."
The variety of courses is also unique, she said. With 10 nationally recognized presenters, 31 Apple presenters, and another 40 or so district staff presenters, this year's Summer Conference had something for everyone. Amplifying Learning with GarageBand attracted those who wanted to create audio and music recordings that bring out students' creativity and support learning. Digital Citizenship, Internet Safety and Classroom Management reminded educators that students should learn how to be safe, smart and aware as they use technology, whether that be websites or apps on their iPads. Participants in the Active Kids Do Better session experienced ideas for integrating physical activity into their classroom through various brain breaks. Becoming a Mental Health Sleuth provided tools for participants to become aware of the most common mental health issues in school-age children. Excel 2013 Essential Training delved into the power of creating formulas and creating simple functions in this software.
Heinen said conference attendees had the flexibility to sign up for classes on the day they were presented, and even change their mind if they realized a session didn't exactly fit their needs.