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Workshop Spotlight

MƒA Tech Night

Over 70 MƒA teachers participated in MƒA’s Tech Night, an MƒA teacher-led Zoom event that gave our community the opportunity to explore digital tools that support assessment, differentiation, organization, and other classroom structures for both remote and in-person learning. Teachers learned by doing as they heard from colleagues who shared tips, tricks, and strategies to maximize these technologies in STEM classrooms. 

“Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, teachers had to do the impossible, which was to continue teaching students who we could not physically see. As a result, many teachers struggled because they did not have the tools, resources, and time to process how to utilize new or seldom-used technologies,” shared MƒA Master Teacher Amy Lee (Queens High School for Language Studies), a co-facilitator of MƒA Tech Night. “Technology has changed forever, but with support and guidance, we can use it to build our virtual classrooms and communities.” 

MƒA Tech Night consisted of 15 teacher-led presentations, which explored tech tools and strategies, such as: EdPuzzle, Explain Everything, Nearpod, One Note, Notability, Whiteboard.fi., Voki, Loom, Pear Deck, Slack, DeltaMath, AP Classroom, Google Forms, Google Slides, HHMI, Biointeractive, and ALEKS. Each presentation was categorized into one of three rounds: 

  1. Digital tools to support synchronous and asynchronous learning environments 
  2. Digital tools to support student voice and communication to families
  3. Digital tools to support assessments and elective classes

Throughout the night, teachers rotated  through the presentations, taking notes, asking questions, and sharing their own experiences with navigating remote teaching. 

“It’s scary to think about how many teachers are ill prepared for remote teaching right now -- with nowhere and no one to turn to,” said MƒA Master Teacher Trisha Wright (Queens High School for Language Studies), who co-presented on One Note and Notability. “At MƒA, we have the ability to lean on each other’s strengths instead of feeling like we’re completely alone. We’re coming together and learning how to better adapt to this new virtual space.” 

MƒA teachers continue to use the tools and strategies they explored during MƒA Tech Night to navigate their classrooms, both in-person and remotely. They’re making lessons interactive through Nearpod and Pear Deck, collaborating with co-teachers through One Note, and creating online assessments for students through ALEKS and DeltaMath. Added Amy, “Tech Night reminded us we’re not alone in this work.”