Bio
Brittani Wilton is a gifted education teacher at Leawood Elementary in the Kansas City metro area. Walk into her classroom on any given day and you will observe “Controlled Creative Chaos”. This backs her teaching philosophy that kids can do anything if you give them a chance and it may be messy. In 2014 a group of her 4th grade students did the unthinkable. They created an exhibit for their local science museum on genetics for a local competition. Their submission won and they got to build their exhibit as well as won $50,000 for the school, making everyone think different about what kids could do. In 2013 Brittani became an Apple Distinguished Educator, her utilization of 1:1 Mac and iPad devices in her classroom pushes her students and school forward through differentiation and project based learning.
Offering two different Sessions!
Session I
Description
Theme: Robotics
Length: 90 Minutes
Target Audience: Elementary and Middle School (K-8) educators and administrators
Title: Unlock the Code to a Differentiated Classroom
Read section 2.1, follow along with the during whole group exercises and then complete worksheet 2.1… Does this sound like your classroom routine? We are now having to prepare students for a world that does not match the sit and get style of learning, but how can we do this without going insane? Coding is the answer. During this 90 minute, hands-on workshop you will learn and experience how coding can enhance and engage your classroom through differentiated, cross-curricular lessons. You will walk away with ideas and resources to transform the content, process, product and environment of your classroom to incorporate coding into your current curriculum.
Code is the new language that our students need to be familiar with in order to compete in the market they are preparing to enter. Many times teachers are afraid to jump into the water with code because it is unfamiliar or they do not know where to start. This session will give you the opportunity to get up close with these resources and get lesson ideas to utilize in your own classroom. You will walk away with ideas to use in your classroom immediately.
Some resources that will be utilized in this workshop include: Lego EV3 robots, Sphero, Swift Playgrounds coding curriculum, Drones using the Tickle App, Dash and Dot Robots and more. Web based resources will be shared as well for educators that do not have access to the robots mentioned above.
Session II
Description
Theme: Collaboration and Communication
Length: 45 Minutes
Target Audience: Any level educator or administrator.
Title: Global Connections to Teach Global Perspectives
Perspective taking can be one of the most difficult skills that a teacher needs to incorporate into their classroom. How can we take our students out of their neutral to push them to think different and gain awareness about the world they live in. Collaborative, global interactions and projects are the answer. In this session you will learn about how you can connect with classrooms around the world to enhance your student’s perspectives and learning. I will share my experiences from doing global projects and connections to give you resources, project ideas and tips and tricks to make this work.
Did you know that students in Perth, Australia have a curriculum requirement in 5th grade to learn about US geography? What a great opportunity to connect kids across the globe while still keeping your standards and curriculum in mind. Using projects like creating multitouch books using iBooks Author, FaceTime conference calls to share ideas and shared presentations and documents using Google Apps you can open your student’s eyes to an entire new place in the world. I will share my experiences with collaborating with classrooms from Italy, Australia, Canada, Ireland and England to get you off on your way to exploring new people and places.
Suggested app: iTunes U
