This session will explore the new state standard Knowledge Constructor that follows the ISTE standards for students. We will start this session by unpacking the standard of knowledge constructor and then use Jamboard to curate a variety of ways to meet the standard. We will then explore research and curation strategies and finally make an action plan to help our learners find credible information to enhance their academic and creative pursuits.

This workshop will be presented virtually online. All log-in information will be provided prior to the workshop.

Intended for teachers who teach grades 3-12. Please have a Chromebook or laptop for this session.

About the presenter: Shelly Stanton is in her 10th year as a technology integration specialist in Montana, prior she taught for 12 years. She's a National Board Certified Teacher, Google Certified Innovator, Authorized Google Trainer, Code.org facilitator, PBS Digital Innovator Lead and All-Star and most importantly an experienced classroom teacher. She was named Montana's Business Teacher of the Year (2012) and Montana Association of Career and Technical Teacher of the Year (2013), State Teacher of the Year finalist (2016). She is a self-proclaimed GEEK and believes in FAILing forward as a lead learner.

The transition to college can be challenging for students with disabilities, but with the proper preparation, they can enjoy success! author and university learning consultant Elizabeth C. Hamblet will explain how the laws change when students transition to college and what accommodations may or may not be available as a result of these changing mandates. Since the accommodation system is different, too, she'll outline students' rights and responsibilities within that system, and share what the research says are the skills and knowledge correlated with success at college. She will also review the paperwork students need to apply for accommodations, and how professionals can add details to make the documentation they provide to students as helpful as possible.

Topics covered in the workshop:
--Learn the differences between laws for K-12 versus college.
--Learn about commonly granted (or not) college accommodations.
--Understand students' responsibilities and rights at college.
--Document a disability.
--Develop essential skills.
--Learn how to make reports more helpful for students headed to college.

Each participant will receive a copy of Elizabeth's book, "From High School to College: Steps to Success for Students with Disabilities".

Elizabeth C. Hamblet, M.S., M.A.T., is a learning disabilities specialist at Columbia University in New York City, New York.

This workshop is in two parts and participants will be registered for both dates. The workshop will be presented virtually. Log-in information will be provided prior to the workshop.

This session is dedicated to starting the year off well! New Year's resolutions often succeed or fail based on small things. Success with technology is like that too! This session will focus on many small items - from Chrome extensions to Apple pencils. Come with your own favorite tip or trick to share and we will create a shared folder of digital resources and favorite tools.

This workshop will be presented virtually. All log-in information will be provided prior to the workshop.

About the presenter:
Mark Kane has a Master's of Education from Montana State University Billings and a Bachelor of Arts from Wheaton College. Mark has presented technology workshops at the local, regional and state levels. As a volunteer member of OPI's model curriculum team, Mark authored science curriculum frameworks for the state. He currently teaches 7th grade at Medicine Crow Middle School in Billings.

Youth Mental Health First Aid teaches you how to identify, understand and respond to signs of mental health and substance use challenges among children and adolescents ages 6 to 18. Participants will learn:

--Common signs and symptoms of mental health challenges in this age group, including anxiety, depression, eating disorders and attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD)
--Common signs and symptoms of substance use challenges.
--How to interact with a child or adolescent in crisis.
--How to connect the youth with help.
--Expand content on trauma, substance use, self-care and the impact of social media and bullying.
--Learn the Mental Health First Aid Action Plan (ALGEE).

BLENDED COURSE ONLINE ONLY.

The workshop will be blended with participants completing a 2-hour, self-paced online course prior to participating in a four-hour virtual workshop. In order for participants to have plenty of time to complete the self-paced portion prior to the virtual workshop the deadline for registration is December 19. All information for the self-paced course and virtual workshop will be sent to each participant. Completion of the self-paced course required for admission into the virtual workshop.

For more information or questions, please contact John Keener at john.keener@msbuillings.edu or call 406-657-1743.

Youth Mental Health First Aid teaches you how to identify, understand and respond to signs of mental health and substance use challenges among children and adolescents ages 6 to 18. Participants will learn:

--Common signs and symptoms of mental health challenges in this age group, including anxiety, depression, eating disorders and attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD)
--Common signs and symptoms of substance use challenges.
--How to interact with a child or adolescent in crisis.
--How to connect the youth with help.
--Expand content on trauma, substance use, self-care and the impact of social media and bullying.
--Learn the Mental Health First Aid Action Plan (ALGEE).

BLENDED COURSE ONLINE ONLY.

The workshop will be blended with participants completing a 2-hour, self-paced online course prior to participating in a four-hour virtual workshop. In order for participants to have plenty of time to complete the self-paced portion prior to the virtual workshop the deadline for registration is December 19. All information for the self-paced course and virtual workshop will be sent to each participant. Completion of the self-paced course required for admission into the virtual workshop.

For more information or questions, please contact John Keener at john.keener@msbuillings.edu or call 406-657-1743.

This session will explore the new state standard Empowered Learner that follows the ISTE standards for students. Troubleshooting, setting goals and demonstrating learning are daily tasks our students achieve in our classrooms. We will start this session by looking at the new state standards and listing how we already meet in our classrooms. Then we will look at basic troubleshooting and features of Chromebooks and Google Chrome to help students continue to transfer their knowledge to problems.

Workshop will be presented virtually online. All log-in information will be provided prior to the workshop.

Intended for teachers who use Chromebooks or the Chrome environment with learners. Please have a Chromebook or laptop for this session.

About the presenter: Shelly Stanton is in her 10th year as a technology integration specialist in Montana, prior she taught for 12 years. She's a National Board Certified Teacher, Google Certified Innovator, Authorized Google Trainer, Code.org facilitator, PBS Digital Innovator Lead and All-Star and most importantly an experienced classroom teacher. She was named Montana's Business Teacher of the Year (2012) and Montana Association of Career and Technical Teacher of the Year (2013), State Teacher of the Year finalist (2016). She is a self-proclaimed GEEK and believes in FAILing forward as a lead learner.

Winter is the traditional time for storytelling for many tribes. This workshop will study the importance and purpose of storytelling within tribal culture. Participants will get an opportunity to hear three storytellers from tribes within the region. Also to be explored will be other forms of storytelling beyond the oral tradition-pictographs, ledger art, and more.

Facilitators: Ruth Ferris and Kathi Hoyt, School District 2 librarians, have been long time IEFA facilitators/presenters for the Montana Regional Education Service Area III (MRESA3) for many years. The two of them bring a wealth of knowledge, classroom experience, and creative resources to share with participants. They have led workshops across Montana and beyond.

Stop guessing and start collecting data to drive your decisions about students' reading accommodations. In this workshop, you will learn how to use the Protocol for Accommodations in Reading (PAR). The PAR is designed to help teachers make informed decisions on reading accommodations to support instruction and is not a diagnostic reading assessment tool. The PAR is suited to students grades 1 through 10 with high incidence disabilities; it is not suited for decision making for students who are blind or have low vision. This workshop includes a paper copy of the PAR for you to keep.

This workshop will be presented virtually. All log-in information will be provided prior to the workshop.

Presenter:
Marlena Lanini, MOT, OTR/L is a Clinic Coordinator with MonTECH, Montana's Assistive Technology Act program. Marlena provides technology demonstrations, support, and trainings with the mission of increasing access to assistive technology for Montanan's with disabilities. Marlena also spent several years working as occupational therapist in schools in Colorado and Nevada.

The science of reading is a broad collection of decades of research. This series of professional development sessions will focus on unpacking and understanding the research behind the science of reading. Specifically, we will be using Reading Research Quarterly's special education on the Science of Reading as text to discuss the foundations of reading.

This professional development will be worth 12 OPI Renewal Units (6 hours of virtual face-to-face sessions, 6 hours of self-paced work between virtual sessions). Each participant will receive a copy of the Reading Research Quarterly's special edition on the Science of Reading and a journal. Participants must attend all virtual sessions.

Schedule:
All virtual sessions are from 4:30 to 5:30PM.
February 2 and 16, 2022
March 2 and 17, 2022
April 6 and 20, 2022

ONLINE ONLY. Participants will receive all log in information prior to each session.

Presenters:
The presenters are all professors from the College of Education at Montana State University Billings in the fields of literacy and reading: Dr. Donna Bulatowicz, Dr. Melanie Reaves, Dr. Kari Dahle-Huff, and Dr. Rachael Waller.

Students with dyslexia and other learning disabilities often struggle with reading and writing, even with high quality intervention strategies. Assistive technology can help! We'll show you a variety of different reading and writing supports to help your students succeed in class. Our focus will be on technology available on Chromebooks and iPads.

This workshop will be presented virtually. all log-in information will be provided prior to the workshop.

Presenter:
Marlena Lanini, MOT, OTR/L is a Clinic Coordinator with MonTECH, Montana's Assistive Technology Act program. Marlena provides technology demonstrations, support, and trainings with the mission of increasing access to assistive technology for Montanan's with disabilities. Marlena also spent several years working as occupational therapist in schools in Colorado and Nevada.

There is a locked box in the room. What is in it? Why is it there? How do we open it up?? If you've never had a chance to "breakout” before, know you are in for a great time in this session! If you have, you understand why this educational tool is sweeping the world. In this session we will play a game called Breakout EDU before learning about how it can adapt to just about any classroom K-12 and beyond into adult education. (No kidding!) If you've heard of an escape room (there are several in Billings), you might have an idea of what a breakout game is.

This workshop will be presented virtually. All log-in information will be provided prior to the workshop.

About the presenter:
Mark Kane has a Master's of Education from Montana State University Billings and a Bachelor of Arts from Wheaton College. Mark has presented technology workshops at the local, regional and state levels. As a volunteer member of OPI's model curriculum team, Mark authored science curriculum frameworks for the state. He currently teaches 7th grade at Medicine Crow Middle School in Billings.

Want to improve the efficiency/effectiveness of transition planning and its impact? Big Picture Planning (BPP), a collaborative approach to develop high-quality comprehensive transition plans built to increase family/student engagement impacting transition. This workshop demonstrates BPP over 3 sessions with targeted coaching. After the first session, educators will select a student who has an IEP program/transition plan scheduled for May 2022. Using training, skills, and coaching/feedback educators develop a transition plan going beyond basic compliance.

BPP Sessions
Sessions are 4:30 to 6:30PM.
Feb. 21: Intro to Transition planning
This session will demonstrate how BPP can support the development of high-quality IEPs to improve transition plan writing/implementation. Introduction of the top 10 evidenced-based strategies/variables shown to improve postsecondary education, employment, and independent living for students with disabilities. A coaching session to support application of learned knowledge/skills follows.

Mar. 21: Process #1
BPP promotes successful transition. The key is using a systematic process for collecting/using data, engaging families and student, and planning proactively. The focus will be on the initial steps of the process essential for designing/implementing transition programs, including those steps/activities that precede the writing of the IEP/transition plan. Coaching session for participants follows.

Apr. 18: Process #2
Intro to the remaining steps of the process. These steps provide the essential content for components of the transition plan, including the assessment summary, post-secondary measurable goals, and services. Also addressed is how this process, when embedded into your curriculum programming, facilitates a more efficient/effective approach to transition planning and writing.

Presenter: Dr. Tessie Rose Bailey, AIR

This session will explore the new state standard Computational Thinker that follows the ISTE standards for students. Data, data, data, it's changing our world and our curriculum's relevance for our students. We will start by collaboratively exploring the why of computational thinking in all subject and grade levels by looking at the new standard. Then we brainstorm ways our students use data sets in their current learning. As a bonus, we will explore the fantastic tool of Google Sheets and how it integrates into the overall Google platform.

This workshop will be presented virtually online. Log-in information for the workshop will be provided prior to the workshop.

Intended for teachers who teach grades 3-12. Please have a Chromebook or laptop for this session.

About the presenter: Shelly Stanton is in her 10th year as a technology integration specialist in Montana, prior she taught for 12 years. She's a National Board Certified Teacher, Google Certified Innovator, Authorized Google Trainer, Code.org facilitator, PBS Digital Innovator Lead and All-Star and most importantly an experienced classroom teacher. She was named Montana's Business Teacher of the Year (2012) and Montana Association of Career and Technical Teacher of the Year (2013), State Teacher of the Year finalist (2016). She is a self-proclaimed GEEK and believes in FAILing forward as a lead learner.

This workshop explores Native American culture through a contemporary lens. The Native American experience is shared through a variety of mediums-art, music, humor, and literature. Participants will gain a greater understanding of the diversity of Native American culture.

Facilitators: Ruth Ferris and Kathi Hoyt, School District 2 librarians, have been long time IEFA facilitators/presenters for the Montana Regional Education Service Area III (MRESA3) for many years. The two of them bring a wealth of knowledge, classroom experience, and creative resources to share with participants. They have led workshops across Montana and beyond.

Ninety percent of the brain is organized by age 5. Early childhood development impacts social emotional learning more than any other time in development. Understanding how the brain sequentially organizes and how it is impacted by traumatic events of childhood is critical to understanding how a student will show up to learn. This session will give educators the scientific basics on brain development and how to prepare a student for learning when his/her social emotional development has been impacted by life events.

Workshop is ONLINE only. Log in information will be sent to participants prior to the workshop.

Presenter:
Stacy York Nation is a licensed clinical social work who started her profession in school based mental health. Overtime, Stacy realized how critical it is for educators to have a deeper understanding of how emotional development impacts academics. Stacy is an international speaker who has spent time in over 40 school districts training educators on understanding brain development and teaching educators effective classroom strategies for how to meet students' growing needs. Stacy collaborated with the State of Montana Office of Public Instruction to develop a trauma-informed student handbook for Montana school districts. Stacy also serves in the Wyoming Army National Guard as a Behavioral Health Officer. She is a divorced mom of two teens and lives in the mountains of Colorado where she has a small private practice.

This session will explore the new state standard Computational Thinker that follows the ISTE standards for students. Data, data, data, it's changing our world and our curriculum's relevance for our students. We will start by collaboratively exploring the why of computational thinking in all subject and grade levels by looking at the new standard. Then we brainstorm ways our students use data sets in their current learning. As a bonus, we will explore the fantastic tool of Google Sheets and how it integrates into the overall Google platform.

This workshop will be presented virtually online. Log-in information will be provided prior to the workshop.

Intended for teachers who teach grades 3-12. Please have a Chromebook or laptop for this session.

About the presenter: Shelly Stanton is in her 10th year as a technology integration specialist in Montana, prior she taught for 12 years. She's a National Board Certified Teacher, Google Certified Innovator, Authorized Google Trainer, Code.org facilitator, PBS Digital Innovator Lead and All-Star and most importantly an experienced classroom teacher. She was named Montana's Business Teacher of the Year (2012) and Montana Association of Career and Technical Teacher of the Year (2013), State Teacher of the Year finalist (2016). She is a self-proclaimed GEEK and believes in FAILing forward as a lead learner.

We will discuss how to identify students' needs as well as strategies that can be used in the classroom to assist with the growth and development of those social emotional skills. Students who have experienced trauma often need teachers who have bigger tool boxes. This course will do just that...give a tool box full of strategies that can be used in the classroom.

This workshop will be ONLINE only. All log in information will be sent to participants prior to the workshop.

Presenter:
Stacy York Nation is a licensed clinical social work who started her profession in school based mental health. Overtime, Stacy realized how critical it is for educators to have a deeper understanding of how emotional development impacts academics. Stacy is an international speaker who has spent time in over 40 school districts training educators on understanding brain development and teaching educators effective classroom strategies for how to meet students' growing needs. Stacy collaborated with the State of Montana Office of Public Instruction to develop a trauma-informed student handbook for Montana school districts. Stacy also serves in the Wyoming Army National Guard as a Behavioral Health Officer. She is a divorced mom of two teens and lives in the mountains of Colorado where she has a small private practice.

Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) is a two-day workshop featuring powerful audiovisuals, discussions, and simulations. At this workshop participants will learn to prevent suicide by recognizing signs, providing a skilled intervention, and developing a safety plan to keep someone alive. ASIST is a proven evidence-based program reviewed by over 30 peer reviews and government reports.

The workshop will be lead by two knowledgeable, supportive trainers who will guide the participants through the course.

IMPORTANT: This workshop will be face-to-face with strict safety measures in place. At this time all participants will be required to wear face masks and practice social distancing.

WORKSHOP WILL BE LIMITED TO 30 PARTICIPANTS.

This session will explore the new state standard Global Communicator that follows the ISTE standards for students. There are so many ways to collaborate with technology and gain insights into our diverse backgrounds that choosing one Google tool is too difficult. In this session, we will collaborate in at least three different types of Google tools on ways you (as master teachers) create solutions to common teaching dilemmas. Then we will discuss how Google collaboration tools can help you meet the global communicator standard in your classroom. Come to this session prepared to use digital tools to examine issues and investigate solutions.

This workshop will be presented virtually online. Log-in information will be provided prior to the workshop.

Intended for teachers who teach grades K-12. Please have a Chromebook or laptop for this session.

About the presenter: Shelly Stanton is in her 10th year as a technology integration specialist in Montana, prior she taught for 12 years. She's a National Board Certified Teacher, Google Certified Innovator, Authorized Google Trainer, Code.org facilitator, PBS Digital Innovator Lead and All-Star and most importantly an experienced classroom teacher. She was named Montana's Business Teacher of the Year (2012) and Montana Association of Career and Technical Teacher of the Year (2013), State Teacher of the Year finalist (2016). She is a self-proclaimed GEEK and believes in FAILing forward as a lead learner.