LASD Teachers Attend Google Apps Summit, Stanford d. School Design Thinking Training & More!

School may be out for students but many teachers in the Los Altos School District have committed to attending a variety of educational conferences and trainings that will have a positive impact on next year's instructional program.  This summer LASD has had teachers involved in the following trainings:

• iLearn LASD - 20+ teachers attend a week-long training focused on the integration of technology into the classroom.  Two-three teachers from each school site attended and will be Lead Learners on their school site.  This training was coordinated by LASD teachers and funded by LAEF.
• Google Apps for Education Summit - 25+ teachers and administrators attend the first ever Google Apps for Education Summit held in Santa Clara, CA.  Participants spend two full days learning how best to incorporate Google Apps into the instructional program.
• K-12 Design Thinking Boot Camp, Stanford d. School - The d.school offers a three day free K-12 Design Thinking Boot Camp that educators must apply to attend.  Two LASD teachers/administrators were selected to participate in this professional development.  This program is designed for teachers or administrators who want to bring innovation into their classrooms or districts.
• The Nueva Design Institute - Two LASD teachers will be attending Nueva's world-renowned Innovation Lab (I-Lab), created in partnership with IDEO and Stanford's d.school to better understand how to incorporate design thinking into the educational program.  This institute will enable teachers to efficiently create projects that will foster our students' Design Thinking skills, preparing them for the future.  Teachers will experience Design Thinking in action through an introductory, hands-on activity.  Then, they will move into an extended real-life project, going into each aspect of the Design Thinking process in depth.
• Curriculum 21: Common Core Standards Implementation - Principals and teachers from each site will be attending a four day training at SCCOE to understand how best to implement Common Core Standards with the lends of 21st Century Instruction.  Dr. Heidi Hayes Jacobs, a national expert in 21st Century Instruction will lead this professional development.  Teachers who attend this summer have also agreed to four follow-up days next school year and will participate on the District Curriculum Council to assist with our district wide implementation of Common Core Standards.
• International Society of Technology in Education Conference - A team of teachers and administrators will attend the ISTE Conference this summer to continue professional development in technology integration.  The theme of this year's conference is "Expanding Horizons."  We are honored to have LASD teachers and administrators attend this conference.
• Transitional Kindergarten - A lead kindergarten teacher will attend a four day training hosted by SCCOE to understand how best to incorporate transitional kindergarten into our instructional program.  During this training, teachers will learn how to effectively: create developmentally appropriate TK Curriculum with the Kindergarten Common Core Standards, support individual students with their social emotional development and plan for English Learner strategies that support young learners.  Information from this four day training will be used to develop a plan to be shared with all Kindergarten teachers prior to the start of the school year.