Computer Lab
Professional Development
This page is designed to be a resource for the teacher’s at St. Pats. The purpose is to provide videos and links that will allow staff an opportunity to receive teacher driven professional development focused on the needs of the teacher and relevant to improving the teachers practice with technology integration.
New – Tech ideas for Staff
Tweetboard – how to use Google Forms to create ‘Safe Tweeting’
PBL – GREAT project based learning ideas/projects.
Google Forms – Self grading cheat sheet for Google Forms
Inspirational and motivational videos
Article – Virtual Reality in the Classroom
2 Create a story app – K-2 digital journalo
Lego Movie app – Lower grade movie making
Symbal00 – for online bookmarks/books K-2
Seesaw – Digital Portfolio’s for younger grades
Kodable – Coding for K-5 students
Shadow Puppet App – Narrate over images
Newsela – Set reading level for students to read news
Snaggit – screen capture for PC/Chromebooks
EdPuzzle – Editing videos by adding assessment
Mathalicious – Real world web based projects
TodaysMeet – back channel for classroom discussions
edutopia-Higher order thinking questions
Higher Order Thinking Presentation
NEW – Check out App Smashing ideas and Design Thinking
App Smashing: The art of imaginatively combing apps to make elaborate and engaging projects
Unleash creativity with app smashing
App smashing ideas on Pinterest
5 ways to teach with app smashing
App Smashing for Teachers: The Power of Cross-pollination
App Smashing iBook available on iTunes (Free)
App Smashing video with Jon Corippo
Design Thinking: A design process utilizing creativity, collaboration, communication, critical thinking, and empathy to find creative solutions to human based problems. It follows these steps:
- Find a problem.
- Empathy based. Learn about the user. Focus on user actions, feelings, thoughts, and what you heard. Keep this process user centered.
- Define. Use synthesis to re-frame the problem based on user needs. Create a problem statement: Who and what do they need? User + need + Insight
- Ideate. Brainstorm ideas collaboratively. Start with the worst possible idea. Build from there. How might we…?
- Prototype. Take the abstract idea and bring it to concrete. Hands on building of the idea. “Put the idea to work.” Test.
- Reflect. What works? What doesn’t work? What would you do differently? Redesign. Understanding failure is part of the process. Overcoming failure to redesign.
- Feedback. What does the user think? What do others think? Suggestions.
Design thinking official video
An Introduction to Design Thinking
David Jakes Design thinking resources
What is design thinking: Course examples
Design thinking: Lessons from a classroom
Design thinking challenge with 2nd and 3rd graders
Design thinking challenge for K-8 students
IDEO, an innovative design company – 60 minutes video
Tools at schools – final project
Intro Google Apps
Intro to Google forms
Links to Youtube Tutorials: (browse through the video selection below to get an overview of the app. Also, note that a ‘Youtube Search’ will get you many more tutorials if you want a more in depth video on an app listed below. Also, the best way to learn a new program or app is to jump right in and play around with it. Good luck! Remember, I am available for further assistance if you need it.)
Google Apps:
iOS Apps:
Links to Tech Integration ideas. (This section was created to provide you with inspiration and ideas for tech integration in a K-8 setting).
Technology Integration Matrix – Videos for using tech in K-8
50 Things you can do with Google Classroom
Padagogy Wheel – Using iPads with Bloom’s Taxonomy
TED-ed Tour – videos and lesson ideas
Google Apps in the Classroom – a blog and explanation of using Google Apps
19 Free Presentation Tools to Wow! Your Audience
Google Apps Introduction – a site I created as an overview
32 ways to use Google Apps in the classroom
79 Interesting ways to use Google Forms
Blooms taxonomy and Imovie app
ScreenChomp app in lower grades
Using iPads in a 1st grade classroom

St. Patrick Catholic School
900 W. Branch Street Arroyo Grande, CA, 93420
(805) 489-1210
(805) 489-7662 (Fax)
(805) 473-2517 (Preschool)