HISD teacher development specialists and instructional technologists will be providing a variety of training opportunities in March for teachers who want to get more familiar with HUB functionality and discover how to integrate the online platform into their daily workflow and classroom instruction.
All high school and middle school teachers are encouraged to attend PowerUp Super Saturday training on March 7 at Chavez High School (8501 Howard, 77017). There, teachers will learn innovative strategies to integrate web tools and practical resources to help digitize their own instruction. Training on the HUB, the district’s new online teaching and learning platform, will include sessions for beginners, intermediate users, and open labs.
The high schools office, in collaboration with teachers, teacher development specialists, curriculum, and the HUB professional development team, have created five STAAR EOC preparation courses that ALL high school students will be able to access 24/7 beginning in March. The courses are designed to assist first-time testers with success on the STAAR, as well as re-testers who need extra support. Each course provides “nuggets” of learning that include quick video clips, essential academic vocabulary, and STAAR-aligned quick checks tied to specific standards. They are designed for self-learning by students before and after school, as well as at home and on weekends.
The next cohort of the University of St. Thomas (UST) master’s degree program (a partnership with HISD) begins this fall and the district is looking for the next group of aspiring leaders to be a part of it.
Graduates of this two-and-a-half-year program will have the business, education, and management skills needed to lead successful urban schools—as well as to obtain principal certification.
Classes will be taught by professors from both UST’s Cameron School of Business and the Graduate School of Education. Applications became available on Feb. 5, and the deadline to apply is March 13, 2015.
To learn more, please consider attending the information session scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 26. It will take place from 5:30–6:30 p.m. at the Ryan Professional Development Center (4001 Hardy, 77009; room PL3.
A related online memo is here with additional details.
Questions may be directed to Berti Brown at 713-696-0633.
The Annual Policy Update for 2014-2015 (.pdf) is now available and includes links to important governance documents, some of which were recently modified. These documents are intended to inform employees of policy requirements, convey the school board’s intent regarding core initiatives and goals, and describe the district’s programs and practices.
Hard copies may be purchased from Administrative Services using department or school budgets. You may also access these documents directly via the Policy Online Manual.
Sharon Moore
This week’s Shout Out goes to Sharon Moore, a teacher development specialist in the content areas of math and science.
“Mrs. Moore is not only a servant, but a phenomenal person who simply cares about the minds and hearts of people,” said Ta’Nitra Robinson, a second-grade teacher at Mitchell Elementary School. “She has not only given her time to assist me with classroom instruction, but has also shared so many resources that make instruction better—not only for myself, but for my students.”
Robinson noted that she has “thoroughly enjoyed” learning best practices from Mrs. Moore, as well as the most-effective way of implementing them.
“I am thankful for her transparency, and that she took the time to develop a professional relationship with me,” said Robinson. “It is individuals such as Mrs. Moore who inspire me to go above and beyond.”
| Know someone who deserves a shout out? Send an email to info@houstonisd.org with the subject line “Shout Out for eNews!” and tell us why. |
Elementary school teachers who want to strengthen their student-engagement skills in the subject areas of science and math are invited to attend the Elementary Math/Science Summit on Saturday, March 7, 2015.
HISD’s Elementary Curriculum and Development department is offering the event from 8 a.m. until 1 p.m. at the Kingdom Builders’ Center (6011 W. Orem Dr., 77085), and all teachers in grades Pre-K through 5 are invited.
The deadline to register is Saturday, Feb. 28, so act now to reserve your space. Interested teachers must sign up via eTRAIN, using code number TT3403.
Attendees will have dozens of sessions from which to choose, all designed to inspire, educate, and inform.
For additional details, please see this related Academic Services memo.
HISD teachers and students now can log in directly to the Khan Academy to access videos and assessment content without signing up and creating credentials for the online learning platform. Instead, all classroom teachers and K–12 students can log into the HUB and access Khan Academy content directly by using their HISD log in and password.
Simply visit houstonisd.org/hub and use your district log in and password to sign in. If you are using a district-issued device, you won’t even need to sign in. Then click on “Digital Resources” on the tool bar, and select any of the course icons. If you or your students do not have access to the HUB, you can also use tinyurl.com/hisdapps to navigate directly to Khan Academy.
Teachers and students who are already using the HUB to access Khan Academy love the convenience and accessibility of the integration, and Khan’s instructional videos and assessment content are incredible tools for both struggling and advanced students!
HISD employees who need assistance with a technical or instructional issue related to the HUB can now turn to the HUB Help Desk for support with the simple click of a button.
Teachers can log in to the HUB at houstonisd.org/hub and submit a help request ticket through instructional and technical buttons on the district’s HUB landing page. The technical or instructional button will route all issues to the appropriate team responsible for matters inside the HUB.
Screenshot of Help Button
If you need immediate assistance, and you work at one of the 48 HUB pilot schools, please reach out to your HUB campus coordinator or campus instructional technologist.