Fall 2024 WNYRIC Online Academy Courses
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These session are open to teachers from participating WNYRIC Online Academy districts. Click on the links below to register for upcoming sessions.
| Start Date | End Date | Instructor Name | Course Title | Course Description | Credit Hours |
| 9/15/24 | 10/13/24 | Darlynda Miktuk | Book Study: EdTech Essentials: 12 Strategies for Every Classroom in the Age of AI, 2nd edition by Monica Burns | This online only book study worth 12 PD hours will explore the book EdTech Essentials: 12 Strategies for Every Classroom in the Age of AI, 2nd edition by Monica Burns. This book will cover incorporating EdTech across all grades and content areas within the world of AI (Artificial Intelligence). Participants are responsible for purchasing the book for this book study. Here is a link to see the correct book to purchase. The link is from Amazon and you may see a preview of the book, but the book will not be printed until June 3, 2024 so you may only preorder it until that date. The book may be purchased from any seller. This asynchronous online course will run from 9/15/24 to 10/13/24. | 12 |
| 9/15/24 | 10/13/24 | Darlynda Miktuk | Strategies for Effective Classroom Communication | This online only course worth 3 PD hours will facilitate participants exploring strategies for effective communication between the adults and the students in an educational setting. This asynchronous online course will run from 9/15/24 to 10/13/24. | 3 |
| 9/18/24 | 6/30/25 | Mary Kovach | Webinar: Computer Science and Digital Fluency Standards - Impacts of Computing | This webinar will explore the New York State Computer Science and Digital Fluency Standards, specifically in the area of Impacts of Computing. Topics will include Societal Impacts, Ethics, Accessibility, and Student Career Paths. This webinar can be viewed live on 9/18/24, or as a recording after the fact. Participants will receive credit upon successful completion of the webinar quiz and discussion by 6/30/25. | 2 |
| 9/19/24 | 10/10/24 | Mary Kovach | Digital Portfolios in Google Workspace for Education | Both now and in the future, showcasing their work, accomplishments, and skills in an engaging and accessible format will be essential for students' career advancement and personal branding. This course delves into the principles, strategies, and best practices of crafting effective digital portfolios that leave a lasting impression. We will look at Google tools to help students showcase their achievements, highlight their expertise, or display their creative work in a meaningful way. | 3 |
| 9/19/24 | 10/10/24 | Mary Kovach | Digital Portfolios in Microsoft 365 for Education | Both now and in the future, showcasing their work, accomplishments, and skills in an engaging and accessible format will be essential for students' career advancement and personal branding. This course delves into the principles, strategies, and best practices of crafting effective digital portfolios that leave a lasting impression. We will look at Microsoft tools to help students showcase their achievements, highlight their expertise, or display their creative work in a meaningful way. | 3 |
| 10/16/24 | 6/30/25 | Mary Kovach | WNYRIC Online Academy Webinar: Code.org Hour of Code | Code.org is a global movement to get more students interested in coding, especially from a young age. The official ""Hour of Code” activities launch in early December of each year, but can be implemented all year! Through Code.org's platform for educators, students of all ages and skill levels can try out coding projects based on their own personal interests. This webinar can be viewed live on 10/16/24, or as a recording after the fact. Participants will receive credit upon successful completion of the webinar quiz and discussion by 6/30/25. | 2 |
| 10/17/24 | 11/7/25 | Mary Kovach | What's New with Adobe Express? | Throughout this session, participants will discover the powerful tools and functionalities Adobe Express offers, enabling them to unleash their students' creative potential across various subjects and grade levels. From designing visually stunning presentations and websites to crafting multimedia projects and elements, Adobe Express empowers educators to incorporate innovative creation tools that resonate with today's digitally native learners. Learn about what you may have missed, or what is new and upcoming. | 3 |
| 10/20/24 | 11/17/24 | Darlynda Miktuk | AI Prompt Engineering | This online only course worth 3 PD hours will take participants through the process of engineering prompts to help them get better responses from AI (artificial intelligence) chatbots such as ChatGPT for specific purposes within their educational settings. This asynchronous online course will run from 10/20/24 to 11/17/24. | 3 |
| 10/20/24 | 11/17/24 | Darlynda Miktuk | Emotional Intelligence – What Is It and Why Does It Matter? | This online only course worth 3 PD hours will define what emotional intelligence is, why it matters, and how to improve it for the adults and the students in an educational setting. This asynchronous online course will run from 10/20/24 to 11/17/24. | 3 |
| 10/20/24 | 11/17/24 | Darlynda Miktuk | Book Study - Every Connection Matters: How to Build, Maintain, and Restore Relationships Inside the Classroom and Out by Michael Creekmore and Nita Creekmore | This online only book study worth 4 PD hours will explore the book Every Connection Matters: How to Build, Maintain, and Restore Relationships Inside the Classroom and Out by Michael Creekmore and Nita Creekmore. This book will cover 6 types of relationships for a teacher to include teacher-to-self. Participants are responsible for purchasing the book for this book study. Click on the book link to see the correct book to purchase. The link is from Google Books so you may see a preview of the book. The book may be purchased from any source and in any form (digital or hardcopy). This asynchronous online course will run from 10/20/24 to 11/17/24. | 4 |
| 10/20/24 | 11/17/24 | Darlynda Miktuk | Canva – What’s next? (advanced level) | This online only course worth 3 PD hours will go beyond the basics of Canva and explore what’s next. This course will cover how to get beyond the basics by showing you how to make your own lessons in Canva that you may share with your students. This asynchronous online course will run from 10/20/24 to 11/17/24. | 3 |
| 10/20/24 | 11/17/24 | Darlynda Miktuk | AI Basics for Education | *NOTE – This is a repeated online course. This online only course worth 3 PD hours will cover the basics of AI (artificial intelligence) in education. The following topics will be covered: understanding AI fundamentals, ethical and social implications of AI, and AI applications in education. This asynchronous online course will run from 10/20/24 – 11/17/24. | 3 |
| 10/22/24 | 11/12/25 | Mary Kovach | AI for Visual Arts and Literacy | This professional development workshop is designed to equip educators with the knowledge and tools necessary to harness the power of AI in the realm of visual arts and visual literacy. From understanding the fundamentals of AI-driven image generation to exploring innovative applications of AI in art analysis and interpretation, this workshop offers an overview of AI's role in shaping the future of these content areas and skills. | 3 |
| 11/13/24 | 6/30/25 | Mary Kovach | Webinar: Computer Science and Digital Fluency Standards - Computational Thinking | This webinar will explore the New York State Computer Science and Digital Fluency Standards, specifically in the area of Computational Thinking. Topics will include Modeling and Simulation, Data Analysis and Visualization, Abstraction and Decomposition, and Algorithms and Programming, as they relate to Computer Science. | 2 |
| 11/22/24 | 12/10/24 | Mary Kovach | Digital Media in Canva | If you have only used Canva to create graphic designs … you are just scratching the surface of what it can do! In this sessions, we will discuss how you and your students can get the most out of the FREE resources of Canva. This includes creating and conducting presentations, designing and editing video projects, creating webpages, and easily converting project types for a variety of formats. | 3 |
| 11/22/24 | 12/10/24 | Mary Kovach | Gamification for Student Motivation | Through the concepts of Gamification, students can participate in ""friendly competition” or work toward individual or group goals while reinforcing or reviewing curricular concepts and vocabulary. In this course, we will explore online tools such as Quizizz, Gimkit, and NearPod's ""Time to Climb.” We will also look at ways to incorporate these tools, as well as character education elements, into ongoing classroom achievements in the form of badges. | 3 |
| 12/11/24 | 6/30/25 | Mary Kovach | Webinar: Code.org Web Lab | Through Code.org's ""Web Lab,” students can learn the basics of HTML and CSS coding, while creating their own web pages for digital book reports, ""choose your own adventure” activities, journals or blogs, and more! The built-in supports help students to code HTML and CSS in a non-intimidating environment. This is recommended for MS and HS students. | 2 |