Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/569858
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT WITH PANACHE IN 90210 When Apple TV and wireless, interactive short-throw projectors arrived in some Beverly Hills High classrooms, not everyone understood how the fancy equipment could improve teaching and learning. So Steven Rubenstein, an AP literature teacher who also serves as the district's only "tech TOSA" (teacher on special assignment), organized an "Appy Hour" on early dismissal days when educators could observe peer demonstrations in one another's classrooms and learn new strategies. "We had drinks and food, and mingled," recalls Rubenstein, Beverly Hills Education Association. "Some teachers are terrified of technology and worry, 'What if something goes wrong?' The fear of chaos in the class- room and wasted instructional time is pretty powerful, so the idea was to provide a setting that was relaxing and educational where they could pick up new ideas for their classrooms." Julie Goler, who teaches across the hallway, loved it. "It was like having a Genius Bar at our own school," she raves, comparing it to the assistance offered in Apple Stores. "I used to think of myself as not being very techy, but I don't anymore. This helped me step up my game and challenge myself." Her students now use Google Docs for writing and editing. She uses Facebook to improve student engagement and communica- tion, and her online tests in Juno provide instant feedback. To stay organized and record student grades, she uses Jupiter. Staff share ideas schoolwide on Google Dashboard. In recent posts, a math teacher describes how Quizlet helps students with practice tests, games and exercises; a ceramics teacher uses Instagram for pottery previews; and a math teacher asks students to take photos, input them into a graphic calculator app, and create quadratic functions to match the photo outline. Beverly Hills High School's Steven Rubenstein organized an "Appy Hour" for colleagues to learn new tech tools and strategies. Ken Johnson cheers with students Angelina Anaya and Alexandra Carmona at George McParland School as the district sets a world record in online learning platform Kahoot. 25 V O LU M E 2 0 I S S U E 2