Over the last ten years I've had the privilege to visit hundreds of schools and conferences to lead professional development workshops. During that time the topics of my workshops have evolved in response to the continuously evolving field of educational technology. What hasn't changed is that the goal of my workshops is to provide you with ideas and tools that you can use in your classroom right away.
Structure of a PD Day With Me
I'll work within the schedule that your school usually follows for PD days. Meaning that if teachers have to be at school from 7:45 to 3:15, that's the time constraint that we'll work in. And if you need to have time for administrative items at the beginning or end, we'll make sure that's scheduled too. Aside from those two constraints here's the structure I usually follow:
- Opening talk to introduce big concepts and goals for the day (20-30 minutes)
- Three or four blocks of time for hands-on learning activities. Each block has a focus and "product" that teachers will create.
- The length of these work blocks is variable depending on the group, topic, and available time.
- Sharing and debriefing.
Beginner G Suite workshops have a slightly different structure to provide time to try all of the core aspects of G Suite for Education.
Professional Development Workshop Topics
Below you'll see a list of my ten most popular workshop topics of the last year. Some schools will choose to have me go in-depth on one of these topics for the whole day while others will choose to spend time on three or four of these topics in one day. That's a decision that we can make together based on your faculty's needs.
- Teaching History With Technology
- Getting Going With G Suite for Education
- Introduction to AR & VR in Education
- Video Projects for Every Classroom
- Fast & Formative Assessment
- DIY App Creation
- Search Strategies Students Need to Know
- Building Digital Portfolios
- Google Maps & Earth, It's More Than Social Studies
- Blending Technology Into Outdoor Lessons
How to Book Me
The easiest way to book a professional development day with me is to send me an email at richardbyrne (at) freetech4teachers.com or fill out the form that is embedded below. If you have a date or dates in mind, please include those in your note. I'll get back to you ASAP with my availability.
What does it cost?
That's the big question that everyone has. In short, I strive to make it cost-effective for everyone. I'd rather help more teachers than haggle over fees. That said, the cost depends on two things. First, your location relative to my home in Maine. Second, length of engagement and topic (some workshops require the purchase of physical materials for participants). Send me a note at
richardbyrne (at) freetech4teachers.com to get a quote.
Finally, one of the best compliments that I ever got from a school after my time with them came in the form of
this video.
