Author: Catherine Cabiness-Atkinson, Ed.D.

Labor of Love: ETT+ Micro-Courses

/ Catherine Cabiness-Atkinson, Ed.D. / Leave a comment

One of the new FUN projects that I’ve had the pleasure to work on for EdTechTeacher is the development of a wide array of micro-courses created by teachers for teachers. These asynchronous, video-based micro-courses are led by teachers who are not only experts in their field, but also passionate about how educational technology can transform learning in the classroom.

Each instructor recorded short videos that explain key concepts and skills, demonstrate how to use various edtech tools, and share ways that technology can be used to empower students in their learning. These micro-courses take approximately two hours to complete (including thoughtful discussion posts and engaging activities). At the conclusion, learners have two options: (1) download a certificate that shows they’ve complete 2 hours of PDP and/or (2) complete a performance task that applies their learning worth an additional 1-hour of PDP credit.

Because these courses are asynchronous, participants have the option to complete them at their own pace. However, if you’d like to go through these courses as a cohort, we can make that happen!

What’s my role in this? I have had the pleasure to work with these amazing instructors take their concepts for a course and transform it into engaging and applicable learning experiences. I’ve done my share of instructional design work while I was still in the classroom — so, it’s been really fun to flex those muscles and skillsets again. On a side note, working with these instructors has provided so many opportunities to learn new things as well — so this fulfills my need and curiosity as a learner. Needless to say, this new product from EdTechTeacher checked off so many boxes for me.

It is my hope that you will take a moment to check out our new service: EdTechTeacher+ Membership. For those who typically sign-up for our EdTechTeacher summer series, this new subscription service from EdTechTeacher includes our usual summer learning pass. 🥳

Come learn with us!

One Word. Joy.

/ Catherine Cabiness-Atkinson, Ed.D. / Leave a comment

For the past five, maybe six years now, I have chosen to define a new year with #oneword, as opposed to selecting a resolution that rarely makes it past the second week in January.

The purpose for selecting one word to define a particular year is so that you can life your life according to a particular theme. You can consider your one word as a guidepost or a beacon to (re)direct you, your thoughts, and your actions as necessary with the goal that by the end of the year, you will look back and see how your year was defined by that one word.

My #oneword for last year was JOY. It was a word that was easy to remember, and more importantly, as I reflected on 2024, I was able to see the many, many, MANY times that JOY made an appearance in the big and little things. Last year was a year of change. Last year, we officially made the move from California to Michigan. We traded the fast-paced life-style of Southern California for the slower-paced small town life of Northern Michigan. Last year, we lost several very dear friends and family. I don’t know that I’ve ever lost so many loved ones in one year.

So while there was joy in trading the known for the unknown, there was also joy in knowing that the pain and suffering from loved ones had also ended. Joy was present as we settled into our new home. We found joy exploring the various local lakes and rivers. Countless, beautiful sunsets from our deck brought joy every single evening. I also found joy in new responsibilities for projects that expanded my skillset.

As such, I’ve decided that I am going to keep the word JOY as my #oneword challenge for 2025.

While I typically seek JOY in my personal life, I am going to make a concerted effort to also find JOY in my professional endeavors as well. Writing has always been a passion of mine, even from a very young age. But as we can all attest, life can get very busy and many of the things that bring us JOY quickly fall to the wayside. So, this year — 2025 — is the year that I will purposely seek JOY in both my personal and professional life.

To that end, today’s JOY is two-fold: (1) falling snow that shimmers like glitter in the morning sunlight and (2) sharing one of my favorite edtech tools (Newsela) with a group of social science educators from Elmwood Community SD.

I cannot wait to see what JOY comes tomorrow.

Digital Literacy Matters…A Lot.

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Next week I am hosting a three day workshop for EdTechTeacher focusing on digital literacy skills. As a long-time edtech enthusiast, former middle school teacher, and all-around seeker of information, I know just how important it is to explicitly teach students digital literacy skills as well as ways to be a responsible digital citizen.

Explicitly teach. Digital natives are not born with these critical thinking skills or knowledge of how to be discerners of information.

My workshop was inspired by a book that I read last year by Mike Caulfield and Sam Wineburg titled Verified: How to Think Straight, Get Duped Less, and Make Better Decisions about What to Believe Online. A long time fan of Sam Wineburg, I was excited to delve into this book because it not only seemed to promise to make ME a better user of the internet, but it also made me think about how I could use this information in the various workshops and interactions that I have with fellow educators.

One of the most valuable take-aways from the book (and one which will be featured in my workshop) is on the importance and value of lateral reading. Something, I have to admit that I don’t do enough. Here’s a short clip on the topic…

The book Verified did not disappoint. It’s an easy read, but more importantly it provides succinct methods to help users discern fact from fiction – half-truths from outright lies – real news from fake news. Best of all, the claims made by the authors are grounded in research. RECENT research. I make this distinction because so much as changed on the internet as well as how we interact with content and each other especially with the proliferation of AI.

If you’re interested in learning more about what Caulfield and Wineburg have to say – read this book. You won’t be sorry. And it’s not a dry read either! Fans of SHEG (now called Digital Inquiry Group)…this book takes sourcing and corroboration to a whole other level.

If you have time and would like to join me as I share my personal experiences (including lessons learned) using technology with my middle schoolers and beyond, please join us next week starting Monday (June 17) at 1PM ET. The information to sign up for this session is found on our EdTechTeacher Summer Learning Pass page.