8 DAYS OF AWESOME - SUMMER 2020

Click here to access all the 8 Days of Awesome sessions from our Summer 2020 Professional Learning Series.

Mission Statement: 489 FLEX, a professional learning model for Hays USD 489 certified staff members, seeks to provide research-based, flexible learning experiences that are personalized, meaningful, collaborative, and actionable, and completed from any device, in any location, at any time.

Read about the platform specifics and familiarize yourself with the #FLEXShare Instructions in the FLEX Participant Manual.

If you collaborate in person to meet your #FLEXShare requirements, feel free to use this #FLEXShare Meeting Notes form to keep the minutes of your meeting(s). (Video Instructions for #FLEXShare Meeting Notes)

Fill in the Knowlege Points Time Card to keep track of the time you spend on the Knowledge Tasks. Please use one Time Card for each FLEX you complete.

If you have a topic you would like to learn about or a topic you would like to create a FLEX for, complete the following form. FLEX staff will contact you with additional information.

Request Form

These templates are free to use by anyone creating a FLEX Activity. If you create a FLEX activity we ask that you share it with Marie Henderson (mhenderson@usd489.com) or Kyle Carlin (kcarlin@usd489.com) so we can make it available for a wider audience.

Publisher Template

Wakelet Template

Build Your Responsive-Learning RAFT through the FLEXs from 8 Days of Awesome

Though the in-person event has ended, please feel free to continue learning using the FLEXs linked below. Also, access the Guidebook that included the event schedule and session descriptions here.

Make Learning Meaningful: Relevance as defined by KESA is “the power and ability of specific information to meet the needs of its user – strengthens learner motivation and allows learning to become more engaging, empowering, connected, applicable to the real world, and socially significant”. By working to improve our curriculum, instructional practices, student engagement, technology integration, and our relationships with students we must make learning relevant to #EveryStudentEveryDay489.

Elevate Student Voice & Choice: Student agency refers to the level of autonomy and power over learning that a student experiences in our classrooms. Student voice and choice are intrinsically linked to agency as learning opportunities that direct students to take responsibility for their own learning. Students set and meet academic goals by demonstrating their knowledge and understanding in self-selected ways that are meaningful to them to reach an authentic audience. We must intentionally create these learning opportunities aligned to standards and designed to meet the diverse learning needs of #EveryStudentEveryDay489.

What Went Well & What Needs Works?: Moving students from point A to point B on a learning continuum requires consistent feedback from a variety of sources. As students actively engage in learning, they develop the academic and social-emotional skills needed to meet their goals. No two students take the same path to college and career readiness but each one needs appropriate feedback in a responsive setting to determine next steps and reflect on their own progress. We must provide assessment for learning as we guide #EveryStudentEveryDay489 to enduring personal success.

Work Smarter, Not Harder: None of this can be accomplished alone. We work daily to form relationships with students and our colleagues in a manner that facilitates increased relevance, agency, and feedback in our classrooms such that we’re ready for teaching and learning in any circumstances. We must be responsive to the learning needs of our students through our work in professional learning communities, with the data we collect on student progress, and the relentless pursuit of excellence in teaching and learning for #EveryStudentEveryDay489.

HHS Teachers learn to use the Canvas Template built by a team of HHS teachers to facilitate continuity across all HHS Canvas Courses. The Task List linked here will walk you through the process of obtaining your own copy of the template, importing content from previous courses, and editing the template while maintaining the required uniformity. If you have questions about requirements, please email Marie Henderson (mhenderson@usd489.com).

HMS Teachers learn to use the Canvas Template built by a team of HMS teachers to facilitate continuity across all HMS Canvas Courses. The Task List linked here will walk you through the process of obtaining your own copy of the template, importing content from previous courses, and editing the template while maintaining the required uniformity. If you have questions about requirements, please email Marie Henderson (mhenderson@usd489.com).

6-12 Educators new to 489 this school year met to learn about Canvas, OneDrive, and OneNote.

PK-5 Educators new to 489 this school year met to learn about Seesaw, OneDrive, and OneNote.