1:00 PM Sessions

Foster Collaboration with BreakoutEDU

Posted by Rachel on February 10, 2020
Posted in: 1:00 PM Sessions, Everyone, Kara Guiff. Leave a comment

Breakout EDU brings Escape Room fun and excitement to your classroom.  Participants in a game need to solve clues to get codes which are the combinations to a series of locks.  When all the locks are successfully opened, the participants have “broken out” whatever is in the locked box. Attendees of this session will have the opportunity to complete an actual Breakout game. It will encompass tasks in several subject areas so teachers can see how they could use a breakout for their content area. Breakout EDU is an innovative concept that can uniquely engage students in any subject area while they work on collaboration, communication, and problem-solving skills. If you’re already experienced with BreakoutEDU, join this session to share your tips, explore resources you may not have seen, and learn how to design your own custom game! 

Applicable To Everyone

Presenter Bio

Kara is an innovative special education teacher with 29 years of experience in K-12 education, as well as the lead trainer/speaker for Guiff Goodies For Education. She has been a resource teacher, interventionist, and co-teacher in general education classrooms and is currently an alternative education instructor at White’s Jr/Sr High. She is always looking for ways to engage students and likes to keep things as hands-on as possible. Kara loves keeping up with and learning new tech and teaching methods and is excited to share things with other educators.

Top Gun Tech: #BeMooreCollaborative

Posted by Rachel on January 27, 2020
Posted in: 10:30 AM Sessions, 1:00 PM Sessions, Elementary, Everyone, Jason Wilburn, Secondary, Valerie Summerlot. Leave a comment

Do you have the need… the need for technology! Then buckle up and grab a wingman or wingwoman and fly over to Top Gun Tech: #BeMooreCollaborative. Don’t worry, this is all declassified information rooted in student voice, collaboration, engagement and fun for everyone. So, get ready to buzz the tower of student knowledge with our Top Gun Tech session.

Applicable To Everyone

Presenter Bio

My name is Jason Wilburn. I have taught for fifteen years with opportunities to grow as an educator at Brownsburg High School, Riverton Parke Jr.-Sr. High School, and currently, Mooresville High School. Within the Mooresville Consolidated School Corporation, I serve as the Technology & Engagement Coach, as well as, a Social Studies Teacher. Integrating technology into the classroom has been a passion of mine since the beginning of my professional career. Overall, I have found that student engagement and accountability heavily increases when students and teachers collaborate and interact with technology in and outside of the classroom. I look forward to sharing my passion for technology with you again this year at #SPARC20.  #BeMooreEngaging #BeMooreCollaborative

Co-Presenter: Valerie Summerlot

Valerie Summerlot is the Fine Arts Department Head and a teacher at Mooresville High School. Valerie serves on the MHS Pioneer Tech Team that provides assistance and professional development activities for colleagues in the area of technology integration into the classroom. Because of her love for tech tools, student voice, and student engagement, Valerie is in the beginning stages of gamifying her classroom.

Classroom Strategies & Why Student’s Struggle

Posted by Rachel on January 23, 2020
Posted in: 1:00 PM Sessions, Elementary, Everyone, Leadership, Rhonda Zollner, Secondary. Tagged: . Leave a comment

Whether your student has a formal diagnosis or not, understanding the root cause, or what is happening in the brain of a child with these challenges, is critical to effectively addressing the problem. Rhonda not only explains the root cause, but she gives you strategies to implement right away into the classroom. 

Applicable To Everyone

Presenter Bio

Rhonda Zollner is the Executive Director and owner of Brain Balance Plainfield.  It’s been her pleasure, since October 2011, to work for Brain Balance Achievement Centers.  Her degree is from Marian University in Elementary Education. Over the years, she has taught a variety of grades and experienced working with children of various backgrounds. However, she became frustrated with the uncertainty some children faced regarding diagnosis and treatment of developmental delays like Dyslexia, ADHD, Autism and processing.  Brain Balance Achievement Centers was the answer she was looking for. After her son’s phenomenal results with Brain Balance, she decided to open a center in her community and enroll her daughter. It’s her passion to educate parents and teachers on other options besides medication and tutoring. She looks forward to helping more families in her local and surrounding communities. 

Discomfort by Design

Posted by Rachel on January 23, 2020
Posted in: 10:30 AM Sessions, 1:00 PM Sessions, Chad LeDune, Elementary, Everyone, Leadership, Secondary. Tagged: , , , . Leave a comment

The words “nothing great happens in your comfort zone” have inspired @Mr_LeDune to use his love of design thinking to bring you this session.  Design your way out of your comfort zone in this inspiring and entertaining session which includes throw backs to the struggles of yesterday and strategies which will have you saying YES to the adventures of tomorrow.  

Applicable To Everyone

Presenter Bio

Chad has been teaching for 17 years and is passionate about innovation of schools through STEM education.  His belief in Discomfort by Design has led to ventures such as writing STEM curriculum for the state, founding Variables of Education, founding Wabash Valley STEMfest, coordinating STEM teams in China, coordinating online curriculum for Dolphin STEM Academy, and spreading the results of this mindset at over 40 educational conferences internationally and stateside.  He has earned his B.S. in education, a Masters Certification in STEM Education, a National Institute of STEM Education Certification, and is currently earning his Masters of STEM Leadership. 

Out the Door by 4:00

Posted by Rachel on January 20, 2020
Posted in: 1:00 PM Sessions, Amber Harper, Elementary, Everyone, Leadership, Secondary. Tagged: , , . Leave a comment

Over 70% of the teachers who take the Teacher Burnout Quiz are identified as Burned and Unbalanced. Out the Door by 4:00 will help you decide what a reasonable day looks like to you, so you can create a vision for yourself in and out of your school day. Then, utilize what you already have along with your vision for a daily and weekly plan that will only gain momentum as you move through the course. Finally, execute your plans and priorities each day with purpose. Never again start a week or day wondering what you will work on or teach. 

Applicable To Everyone

Presenter Bio

Amber Harper is a Google Certified Educator, Trainer, and Innovator whose mission is to “Activate Educator Self-Empowerment.” She’s the founder of http://www.burnedinteacher.com and creator of Burned-In Teacher Coaching and EdTech Consulting where she has joined her two loves: edtech and innovation in the classroom and her obsession with helping educators who are struggling to find their own passions within the education profession. As a former public elementary school teacher, she promotes the use of technology as a tool for transformation and efficiency in the classroom and is obsessed with helping educators take themselves from burned-out to BURNED-IN! She hosts a weekly podcast dedicated to action, inspiration, and support for teachers dealing with teacher burnout called The Burned-In Teacher Podcast.o