Education Matters
June 2015

GPB Welcomes New Education Team
  
May was an exciting month for the Education and Digital Media division at GPB. Laura Evans joined the team as Education Project Manager and Shayla McGhee and Margaret Blackwell joined as the new Education Curriculum Specialists.       
Left to Right: Shayla McGhee, Laura Evans, and Margaret Blackwell

 

As former teachers, they are passionate about education and are eager to bring the teacher's perspective to the development and implementation of educational resources.

 

To read their full bios, go to GPB Education blog. You can also follow the education team on twitter: @GPBEducation
 
They look forward to hearing your ideas and feedback. 

 

PBS Learning Media Kicks off Summer of Reading
Combat the "Summer Slide"

 

 

The summer slide exists. Research shows that children and young adults can lose up to two months of math and reading skills over their summer break. For students in poverty, the numbers are even more staggering. So, how can we combat this loss of information without sacrificing the desire to break from all things educational? PBS LearningMedia invites you and your students to get summer started on the right page! They are offering videos, activities, and interactive games help to build vocabulary and reading comprehension while bringing storybook characters to life.

 


Top 10 EdTech Tips: Edmodo
Teaching and Learning in the Digital Age

   

The GPB Education team will be highlighting a different edtech tool each week on our blog, Education Matters. Edmodo is one we chose this month; it is a website that blends social networking and education. It allows you to connect with students in a format that is very similar to Facebook: you create posts that coordinate with your instruction, and students can then comment back and complete teacher-assigned tasks that are linked right in the posts. 



Try Facilitator-Led or Self-Paced Courses

  

PBS TeacherLine courses offer flexible, high-quality professional development experiences that relate directly to curriculum and classroom activities. Every course features specific tools for integrating technology to teach covered topics in the classroom, as well as tools to support delivery of instruction to diverse learners.
PBS TeacherLine

TeacherLine's specially trained, certified facilitators lead over 80 top-quality, standards-based courses that span the entire curriculum: Mathematics, Reading/Language Arts, Science, Instructional Technology, STEM, and Instructional Strategies.

"Thanks the course [INST320] was Great! The instructor was too! I would definitely continue to take advantage of future courses with PBS as it continues to offer courses to individuals." --V. Richard, Liberty County Schools, GA

You can also choose from several self-directed course options. 
These "bite-sized" professional learning opportunities will spark new ideas, expand your skill set, and energize your classroom. 

Looking for PLU's or graduate credits? Facilitator-led courses begin June 17.  To see all available courses, visit the course catalog. 

Interactive Program for Grades 6-8

 

Discovery Education and Freeport-McMoRan have partnered to create an interactive program for grades 6-8 that uncovers the use of transition metals such as copper, gold and molybdenum in our everyday life, and provides students a deeper understanding of today's hard rock mining industry. The initiative equips educators, students and families with dynamic resources - including a virtual field trip, interactive digital learning tools, and school-to-home connections with career exploration activities - designed to give students a front row seat to nature's geological wonders and inspire further exploration of the world around them.


 

Get to Know GPB Education Resources! 
Join us for a live webinar on June 24 at 2:00 EDT

The GPB Education team will host a live training webinar on our free education resources. Participants will learn how to access and use PBS LearningMedia, Discovery Education, the Georgia Studies digital textbook, and PBS Teacherline. Our guest facilitators will be Kristen Brooks, a technology integration specialist at Woodstock Elementary School, and Angela McDurmon, a middle school social studies teacher at Oconee Middle School and Georgia Virtual School. Kristen and Angela were recently named 2015 PBS LearningMedia Digital Innovators. Along with providing training on how to use PBS LearningMedia, they will also provide participants with tips and strategies for incorporating educational technology into instruction.  



Coming Soon: New Look to the GPB Education Website!

We are currently undergoing a redesign of our entire GPB website. The education page will have a better way to search for resources by age level and subject area. We are also adding a school spotlight section to highlight Georgia's schools and teachers. We'd love to hear from you. What would you like to see on the redesigned GPB Education page?

Email us and let us know: [email protected]

Make sure you are following us on Twitter @GPBEducation