Superintendents: May 6 HAA Meeting

Click here for the agenda for the May 6 HAA Meeting. The meeting will start at 9:00 a.m. and will be held at the Heartland AEA West Des Moines Campus (815 8th Street, West Des Moines, IA 50265).

Register Now for June 26 PLC Workshop

Registration is now open for the Heartland AEA PLC Workshop. Join us June 26 to enhance your understanding of the philosophy and key concepts inherent in professional learning communities. Click here to register.

AEA PD Online to Launch Self-Paced Courses in June

AEA PD Online’s self-paced courses are designed for educators who want to start and complete a course on their own schedule. Self-paced courses will be available for license renewal, sub authorization, and paraeducator renewal at $60/credit.

Courses will be available at http://training.aeapdonline.org.

Digital Citizenship
A six module series focused on instructing teachers how to build responsible digital technology use with students

• Overview to Digital Citizenship
• Cyberbullying and Online Safety
• Digital Literacy
• Netiquette
• Copyright and Fair Use
• Digital Security

Using Iowa AEA Online’s Resources
An overview to integrating multimedia resources into your classroom

• Introduction to Iowa AEA Online
• Using Video in the Classroom
• Using Audio and Images in the Classroom
• Using Resources for Student Research
• Copyright and Fair use

The Exceptional Learner
This meets the requirements for beginning licensure

• Overview to Exceptional Learners
• Categories of Disabilities
• Talented-and-Gifted Education
• Other Types of Exceptionality

National Teacher Appreciation Week, May 4-10

Celebrate Teachers, May 4-10, and especially on Tuesday, May 6, 2014, National Teacher Day! Here’s some things to help thank teachers for making schools great!

• Use the hashtag #TeachersMatter on Twitter to celebrate teachers
• Hop on Pinterest to check out Edutopia’s “Thanks” pinboard
• The National Education Association encourages you to make a six-second video on Vine to #ThankATeacher. Learn more at NEA.

May 2014 School Leader Update

Click here to download the May 2014 issue of the School Leader Update from the Iowa Department of Education. In this issue, Director Brad Buck writes about the components now in place that will move education forward in the state. Attorney Nicole Proesch gives us the skinny on prom do’s and don’ts. And as the Legislature wraps up its work this year, so, too, does Legislative Liaison Mike Cormack.

May 2014 Each and Every Child Newsletter

Click here for a link to the May 2014 edition of the Each and Every Child newsletter from the Iowa Department of Education. In education, we talk a lot about the education slide during the summer break in which students fall behind from the previous school year. But in this issue, you will learn that Prairie Lakes Area Education Agency is doing something about it. Also find tips for parents to keep their students from falling behind.

Listed just below and just preceding the newsletter, there are a few conferences you may be interested in (one is this Saturday, so if you’re interested, you better get moving!).
 
Together We Can, Saturday, May 3
There is still time to register for this Saturday’s annual “Together We Can,” a statewide conference aimed at families, persons with disabilities and the professionals who help them. The daylong conference focuses on self-advocacy, and is hosted by ASK Resource Center. The conference will be held at the State Fairgrounds in Des Moines. For more information, click here.

Avoid the summer slide: free reading and math programs, summer
This is an opportunity for students during the summer break to retain the knowledge they have built up in the preceding school year. And it’s done from the comfort  and convenience of home. Click here for more information.

Parents as Presenters, Sept. 26-27
Parents, you know you have a story to tell. You are invited to apply for “Parents as Presenters – Sept. 26-27.” The workshop teaches and demonstrates the skills you need to effectively share your story with college students majoring in education and community providers. You will be learning and working with other parents who have children with disabilities during the workshop.
Participants are selected through an application process. The deadline for applying is June 2. The applicants selected to attend the workshop receive a stipend to assist with some of the expenses incurred by attending the workshop. There are no registration costs for attending the workshop. To apply, click here.