November's Free Education Professional Development

I can't believe that it is November already and that in 18 short days, I'll be heading to the East Coast for the 2014 NCTE Annual Convention and ALAN Workshop. The convention is one of the highlights of my year; I consider it my Comic Con (yes, I manage to out-geek even the geekiest). For those of you attending the convention for the first time, I'm hoping to have a post of advice and tips to help you make the most of the experience (and leave the convention with your sanity intact). I also think that the November 17 #engchat will be dedicated to helping new attendees get ready.

However, if you aren't in English or if you aren't able to attend the convention, there are still many virtual professional development opportunities that you can access for free this month.

PBS has some great-sounding offerings this month for teachers at all levels. The first, Finding Your Roots in the Digital Age, is hosted by Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. and promises to have ideas for social studies and science teachers. The second is How to Integrate Game-Based Learning Into Your Classroom, and  it features gaming experts Alan Gershenfeld and Rebecca Rufo-Tepper.

As always, edWeb.net has a plethora of free webinars on topics ranging from differentiated instruction to gaming in the classroom. For ELA and English teachers, your best bets include:

• Picture This: Engaging Students with Online Images on November 3 at 4:00 pm
• Writing Instruction for Learning Synthesis on November 10 at 3:00 pm
• Getting the Most Out of Integrating eBooks in the Classroom on November 12 at 3:00 pm

The Association for Middle Level Education (AMLE) has some intriguing offerings this month for their members (you can join for free):

• No Sweat, November! Keeping Middle Grades Students Engaged and Motivated on November 12 at 3:00 pm
• Six Secrets for Teaching Boys in Your Middle Level Classroom on November 18 at 3:00 pm