As the use of technology in classrooms continues to evolve, Northwest Indiana educators have the chance to seek practical guidance at a two-day conference in Hammond this week.
About 1,000 educators from 180 districts in Indiana and Illinois are signed up for the annual South Shore eLearning conference, giving them the chance to learn new methods, options and lesson plans using technology.
The conference runs on Wednesday and Thursday at Morton High School with more than 200 sessions and keynote speakers from nationally recognized figures in the field, said School City of Hammond instructional technology coach Alisha Foor.
“I really wanted to offer an opportunity for teachers right in their backyard,” she said. “There’s really something for everyone.”
It is one of 19 conferences the Indiana Department of Education will offer across the state this summer.
Geared toward rookies and veterans alike, a focus this year is on science, engineering, technology and math education and also how apps and software programs can be used as a teaching tool for new state requirements on college and career readiness, she said.
Session topics include primers on Google applications, iMovie, coding, digital gaming, Promethean boards and virtual reality.
The goal for those attending is to sharpen their skills while connecting the uses to changing state requirements, Foor said.
“For me, as a teacher in the classroom, I am looking at, ‘Oh, this looks really cool and I have no idea what it is,’ ” she said. “It’s kinda a safe space for them to say, ‘I’m not good at this, but I want to know more and be better.’ ”
Highland math teacher Tracie Mezera-Juarez held a session on starting a “tech team” of students.
At Highland this spring, she piloted a class where interested students were taught technology basics and then were able to float around where needed to help teachers with computer needs.
The goal was to “empower” students to help take charge in part of their own learning, she said.
Another class during the morning featured a training session for software allowing kids to create two-dimensional video games.
Rhonda Sutphin, a veteran third-grade teacher at Columbia Elementary in Hammond, said she would likely use it as a reward for good behavior.
“I think they would really love making video games on their own,” she said.
The conference will continue on Thursday morning where State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jennifer McCormick will hold a panel on expanding STEM education for students.
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