 Teacher Learning Hub News
It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Learning...
Despite the fun and much-loved chaos of the season, we hope that you are able to use the month of December to experience some new and exciting learning, not only with your students, but also for your professional self as well! There are no facilitated courses running in December due to this being such an action-packed month for educators both at school and at home, but you may want to get registered for these great facilitated courses that are set to run in January! Enrollment opens December 12, 2021! Don’t miss out!
Dashing Through the Hub in a One-Horse Open Sleigh, O’er to School We Go, Teaching All the Way!
We have an awesome new K-12 Social Studies support course on the Teacher Learning Hub! This course is designed to prepare educators to effectively and enthusiastically integrate the new geography content standards into their daily classroom routine. It emphasizes the many facets of geography in ways you may have never thought about and provides you with a great understanding of the new standards as well as great resources to easily integrate geography into your teaching day!
Also of interest:
We Wish You a Merry School Year!
“May every teacher become a mentor, may every classmate become a friend, and may every lesson teach and enrich you. Here’s to the best school year ever!” ~Owls Quotes
Helpful Hub Tip of the Month: Have a tech problem with a course you are taking? Please click the large red “Help” button on the right side of the Hub homepage and follow the prompts. It will be much faster for you than contacting the course facilitator who will then contact us!
Wishing You All a Joyous Holiday Season!
Visit us at the link above to set up an account and sign up for courses.
Course List | Catalog | Calendar
Questions? Contact Allyson Briese or Marti Paugh
opilearninghub@mt.gov | 406.444.3557
English Language Arts & Literacy News
 Poetry Out Loud
Now in its seventeenth year, the 2021-22 Montana Poetry Out Loud program welcomes the participation of high schools across our state! Created and supported by the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with the Poetry Foundation, Poetry Out Loud engages students in learning about poetry through the memorized recitations of works by recognized poets, both contemporary and from throughout history. Through their participation students gain public speaking skills while finding their own voice. Beginning in individual classrooms, students have the opportunity to advance to schoolwide contests, regional competitions, the Montana State Finals and—for one Montana student—the National Poetry Out Loud Finals, held in Washington D.C. in late April. For students interested in competing whose schools are not participating, this year’s program will include an at-large district that will use a video submission process to advance individuals to a regional competition or a virtual regional as needed. To learn more about the program or to explore the online anthology, visit poetryoutloud.org. To indicate your interest in participating in this year’s program, please provide your contact information here. A member of the Montana Arts Council staff will follow up with you. Please register by December 1 for the incredible opportunity to send student finalists from your school event to the regional competition. Learn more about organizing your school event and check out these awesome Poetry Out Loud lesson plans for all classrooms!
For questions or to further discuss participation, please contact Monica Grable, Montana Poetry Out Loud Coordinator, at (406) 444-6522 or Monica.Grable@mt.gov.
Montana Poetry Out Loud Timeline 2021-22
- December 1
- Schools register for participation in a regional event (a commitment to hold a school event and send top finishers to a regional event)
- December 1 through January 14
- Classroom (or club) competitions held
- January 17 through 28
- Schoolwide competitions held, participants confirmed
- January 31
- Student registrations due by midnight for participation in regional events
- February 7-11, 14-15 (TBD)
- March 5, 2022
- Montana POL State Finals in Helena (Back-up date: March 12)
PBS Media Literacy Micro-Credential and Professional Development
Demonstrate your expertise in teaching PreK-12 students to think critically about their roles as media consumers and creators -- or in training teachers to do so. To promote competency-based validation of media literacy skills for educators of all kinds, PBS and KQED offer media literacy micro-credentials that are available for free via the Digital Promise platform. Teachers, ToSAs, coaches, and librarians are all encouraged to apply. Choose a micro-credential from the list below and log in to the Digital Promise platform. Earn eight micro-credentials and automatically become a PBS Certified Media Literacy Educator. These free, instructor-led courses on KQED Teach include:
- Assessing Student Media
- Creating a Code of Conduct
- Critically Analyzing Media
- Evaluating Online Information
- Evaluating Online Tools for Classroom Use
- Implementing Media Projects: in Early Childhood or in Upper Grades
- Making Media for Classroom Use: Audio & Video
- Making Media for Classroom Use: Images, Graphics & Interactives
PBS Media Literacy Educator Certification by KQED was a 2020 EdTech Awards finalist in the Badging & Credentialing category and KQED Media Literacy Educator micro-credentials received the 2019 Award of Excellence from Tech & Learning magazine.
Questions for our ELA & Literacy Instructional Coordinator?
Contact Stephanie Swigart | stephanie.swigart@mt.gov or 406.444.0736
Save the Date: OPI Summer Institute
The OPI Summer Institute is back! The OPI Summer Institute is scheduled from June 20 - June 24, 2022, and will be held on the Montana State University-Bozeman campus. More information regarding registration will be available soon.
Renewal Unit Provider System FAQ: Number of Certificates Issued
As a reminder, please ensure you are returning to the Renewal Unit Provider System after a renewal unit activity is over to report the number of certificates issued. Failure to update the number of certificates issued can cause problems later when educators need to locate the event in MSEIS. For more information, please see the Renewal Unit Provider System Directions and Tutorials website.
Upcoming Professional Learning Provider Network Collaborative Meetings - New Zoom Link!
Please register for the Professional Learning Provider Network Collaborative sessions beginning in January of 2022. By registering, you can receive topic updates before the session occurs. Anyone who provides professional development to educators is welcome to attend!
Questions for our Professional Learning Coordinator?
Contact Carli Cockrell | carli.cockrell@mt.gov or 406.444.0769
STEM Opportunities for Teachers and Students
STEM opportunities, grants, and challenges are available all the time! Check out the Science OPI Page for the latest opportunities available. The following opportunities for students and teachers were added on November 17th.
NSTA Recommended Challenges, Events, and Opportunities:
Questions for our Science Instructional Coordinator?
Contact Michelle McCarthy | mmccarthy5@mt.gov or 406.444.3537
The OPI is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to people with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation, require an alternate format, or have questions concerning accessibility, contact the OPI ADA Coordinator, 406-444-3161, opiada@mt.gov, Relay Service: 711.
|
