Presentations & PD

If you need effective professional development for your school district group, please click the Professional Development link in the right side column. We offer PD in the areas of 20% Time, Project-Based Learning, Integrating Innovative Technology into the Classroom, and 1:1 Laptop Initiatives.

The following is a list of professional development education summits that I have attended and professional development sessions that my teaching partner, Melissa Hellwig, and I have given at local, state and regional conferences. We present about 20% Time, Project/Problem Based Learning, Classroom Climate, Student-Driven Learning, Using Social Media as a Learning Tool, and Standards Based Learning/Grading.


Upcoming Presentations and PD

Webster Groves School District - 2015-16 School Year

EdCampSTL - February 6, 2016

METC - February 10, 2016 - St. Charles, MO

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EdCamp Southern Illinois - November 14, Belleville, IL

EdCampSIL is a small EdCamp. This is only the second year for EdCampSIL and it is destined to grow each year. Most of the attendees had never been to an EdCamp before, so seeing all of this new blood was refreshing. EdCamps do reach educators that might not otherwise attend PD sessions. We did our session on 20% Time and also attended another teacher's session on Genius Hour. The conversations we had with other motivated teachers were awesome. There is a growing body of educators who see 20% Time and Genius Hour as a way to get kids really learning and making decisions for themselves. EdCampSIL promoted EdCampSTL quite a bit. EdCampSTL is the largest EdCamp in the world and it is right here in St. Louis, MO. Melissa and I are on the planning committee for EdCampSTL and it is rewarding to see how well-regarded it is.

IETC 2015 Conference - November 5-6, Springfield, IL

This was our first time at IETC. It was a very large conference held in Springfield, IL. We had a chance to attend several sessions in order to see some of the amazing work that other educators were doing. We are especially interested in how educators are implementing social media in their schools and we attended a few sessions on that topic. Our own session on 20% Time was a hit. We had a great group of attendees who were intrigued by the possibility of doing 20% Time and wondered if it might be a solution for their hard-to-reach students. We had many rewarding conversations with other teachers, collaborating and brainstorming solutions to problems that might arise while implementing a 20% Time program. This was a great conference from our perspective as presenters and attendees.

Google Summit - October 10, Wentzville, MO

The Missouri Google Summit is always one of our favorite professional development opportunities every year. This year, we presented our 20% Time program in the Instructional strand of the summit. After attending a couple of sessions, we presented our Harmonized Learning session to a standing-room-only group of teachers. Those present had lots of ideas, questions and possible solutions. We also talked a bit about our program so far this year. Lots of great sharing.

MORENet 2015 Conference - October 5-6, St. Louis, MO

We had a packed room at MORENet for our 20% Time presentation. We talked about our philosophy, the practical matters of conducting a 20% Time program and also concentrated on the start of our program at school this year. The group of teachers, some of whom had come to previous talks, were very lively and engaged. They had some great questions which made the discussion even better. We always encourage the group to collaborate on ideas that would work in their own school situations. This conference presentation was a great one.


Fox School District Curriculum Camp - July 22, 2015

We presented three sessions at the Fox School District professional development day, Curriculum Camp. The sessions we presented for this teacher training event were:

Integrating Innovative Technology into the Classroom (presented twice)

Harmonized Learning: A 20% Time Learning Environment

We had lively discussions around technology and its best use in the classroom. Teachers took a look at some technology that they can apply into their own classrooms. 20% Time was interesting to the teachers as well. Trying to structure a program to fit their situations is their challenge.

RCET Professional Development - July 13, 2015

We presented three sessions at RCET. Each session ran ninety minutes long. The sessions we presented for this teacher training event were:

Integrating Innovative Technology into the Classroom

PBL - Learning through Doing!

Harmonized Learning: A 20% Time Learning Environment

Each of these sessions was well-attended. We engaged the teachers in thoughtful conversations about students' learning and the tools and methods we use in order to enhance that learning.

EdCampSTL 2015 - February 7, 2015

Harmonized Learning: A 20% Time Learning Environment

Presented to two packed sessions at EdCampSTL on February 7, 2015. We touched on the philosophy of 20% Time as a way to personalize learning for students and the impact it has on them even after they leave the classroom. Some of the teachers present had been to one of our sessions before and shared the impact that the program had on their teaching and their students' learning. We were also on the planning committee for this year's EdCampSTL which turned out to be an excellent professional development opportunity.

MORENet 2014 - October 27, 2014

Harmonized Learning: A 20% Time Learning Environment

We presented at the MORENet State Technology Conference in October, 2014. Our session was nearly full. We spoke about the philosophy behind 20% Time, our process for implementing the program last year and our plans for tweaking the program for this year. During the talk, we highlighted some of the student projects and described the various events associated with our 20% Time program, notably Pitch Day, the Idea Showcase and TED Talks. Our presentation for this event is HERE.


EdSurge St. Louis - October 18, 2014

EdSurge came to Ritenour High School in St. Louis. Hundreds of area educators took the opportunity to review dozens of Educational Technology companies, learning about what is available for classroom use and offering advice about what teachers need in the classroom today. The afternoon was capped off with a talk by Jaime Casap, the Google Educational Evangelist. This forum was incredibly informative.


Google Summit - October 4, 2014

The Google Summit - St. Louis was at Maplewood-Richmond Heights High School. This was an amazing professional development opportunity for teachers in the St. Louis area. We were able to attend sessions conducted by Google Certified Teachers who demonstrated the latest, most useful apps for the classroom. From extensions to apps to devices, the information presented during this summit was timely and relevant for teachers.


EdCampSTL 2014 - February 8, 2014

Harmonized Learning: A 20% Time Learning Environment

This was our first time presenting about our 20% Time program. We had a full house of about 35 educators crammed into the classroom. We talked about the "why" and the "how" while leaving enough time at the end of the session for questions. There were so many educators who were interested in more information. We have since been in contact with those educators through e-mail and Twitter, sharing resources and ideas with them. Our EdCampSTL presentation was a very rewarding experience.