August's Professional Development Opportunities

I apologize for not posting in July - the month was dedicated to preparing for a trip, going on a trip, and recovering from the trip. That said, August is upon us, and while some people have the month (or most of the month) off, many others are getting ready to start back to school. To help those of us in the latter category get into the right frame of mind, here are some free online PD opportunities:

One of my favorite events, SLJ's SummerTeen, is this month. It is a full day, online, free program that focuses on YA literature. I've gotten some great reading recommendations and attended some excellent speeches and panels in past years, and I'm looking forward to this year's event. It starts at 11:00 am ET on August 13.

ASCD has a free webinar entitled Using PD Online for Individual and Group Study: Portfolios as Performance Assessment in Native Literature Coursework. It will take place on August 20 at 3:00 pm ET.

AMLE always has some intriguing and dynamic topics for those interested in middle school, and this month is no exception. The webinars include:

• Social Inclusion and Young Adolescents: Project UNIFY on August 5 at 4:00 pm ET
• Understanding the Roles and Dynamics of Identity-Based Bullying on August 12 at 4:00 pm.
• Create a Great School: Middle Level Essentials and School Improvement on August 26 at 4:00 pm ET.

While this is an understandably quiet time of year for online PD, EdWeb.net still has numerous offerings on topics ranging from classroom management to paired texts to science for young children. Check out the calendar for specific topics and times or to register for a session.

NCTE's August Twitter chat will be on August 16 at 8:00 pm ET. The topic and host are yet to be announced, so keep your eye on the #nctechat page for updates.