Statewide Online Professional Development Opportunities

Geometry
Rebecca Metternich
Central Illinois Adult Education Service Center
Geometry is a math skill that is easy to sell to students. Finding examples of how geometry will be used after the GED test is usually pretty easy. Examples like carpeting a room, fencing the back yard, or building a deck are just a few of the ways geometry skills will carry over into life. In this workshop you will get worksheets and tips on teaching geometry to your students.
• Wednesday, July 23, 2008, 1:00 – 2:00 pm
• Wednesday, August 27, 2008, 1:00 – 2:00 pm

Math Concepts in Children’s Literature
Debra Rigney-Hays
Central Illinois Adult Education Service Center
Math can be interesting and not even seem like math when using adult-friendly children’s literature. You will see fractions in Polar Bear Math, probability in Jumanji, what a googol really is in G is for Google and this is just the beginning. Linking math to something students already know of can make the concept easier to understand and to remember. Join us; it’s math, it has to be fun!
• Wednesday, August 20, 2008, 1:00 – 2:00 pm

More Visual Math
Presenter: Judith Diamond
Adult Learning Resource Center
Math is patterns and patterns are all around us. Take your digital camera (or, if you are brave, get your students to do it) and find patterns in the worlds inside and outside of the classroom. This Wimba will show examples and share math inside the pictures and patterns.
• Thursday, July 10, 2008, 3:00 – 4:00 pm

Quick Writes
Debra Rigney-Hays
Central Illinois Adult Education Service Center
Getting students to write is the first and often most challenging step in teaching students to write. Students think they have nothing to say. They are wrong! Inspired by Linda Reif’s book, Quickwrites, offers many opportunities to prepare for writing and then to write for 2-3 minutes. Preparing to write is the key! Given a format and an example, having something to say is much more doable. Things to Bring: pen and paper. You will be writing!
• Wednesday, July 16, 2008, 1:00 – 2:00 pm

Using Longer Texts for ABE Reading Instruction
Presenter: Laurie Martin
Adult Learning Resource Center
While many textbooks present students with short passages for reading work, students can benefit from and will enjoy reading a longer text over several class periods. This session will examine a variety of appropriate activities that can be done with longer texts as well as sources of reading materials.
• Thursday, July 31, 2008, 6:00 – 7:00 pm

Working With Words About Math
Debra Rigney-Hays
Central Illinois Adult Education Service Center
Putting words to math can make math more accessible to struggling students. Learn about fraction hunts, math writing prompts and math journals. Bring your pencil and work with words about math.
• Wednesday, July 30, 2008, 1:00 – 2:00 pm

Civil War Picture Book Box
Rebecca Metternich
Central Illinois Adult Education Service Center
The Civil War (1861 - 1865) was an epic period in the American experience. Was the war really about slavery? Should Lincoln have let the Southern states go their own way? When did the war start? Could we have another civil war in the United States? Are other countries currently engaged in civil war? How has the war affected our lives today? Search for the answers to these questions and more with the Picture Book Box of the Civil War. Find out what is in the Box and how you can borrow it free of charge.
• Wednesday, July 2, 2008, 1:00 – 2:00 pm

Feel Great in ’08—Heart Health
Presenter: Colleen Potter
Southern Illinois Professional Development Center
Genetics, obesity, diabetes, high cholesterol, smoking—everyone knows these risk factors for heart disease. But…the newest research shows there are additional threats that might put you at risk. Learn what these risks are and, more importantly, learn how to fight back!
• Friday, August 1, 2008, 11:00 am - 12:00 pm

Financial Planning 101
Presenter: Todd Jorns, Illinois Community College Board
Hosted by: Southern Illinois Professional Development Center
Are you wondering if you are saving enough for retirement? Are you worried about trying to save money for both your children’s college education and your retirement? Are you taking full advantage of all your “tax-deferred” retirement options? In this workshop you will learn about some basic financial principles, lessons and facts that will help you determine how well you are doing financially now and also how to improve your financial planning for the future. Examples of the magic of compounding interest, rule of 72, and pay yourself first principle will be discussed and illustrated. Participants will benefit from expanding their financial planning knowledge and taking control of their saving and investing opportunities.
• Tuesday, August 5, 2008, 11:00 am – 12:00 pm

NRS Review
Raemarie Oatman
Central Illinois Adult Education Service Center
What is the NRS, anyway? Why is it so important to Adult Educators? How much money does the NRS earn a program? What is the difference between a level and point score gain? These questions and more will be addressed during the introductory NRS review. This session is perfect for new teachers, tutors, and staff.
• Wednesday. May 21, 2008, 1:00 – 2:00 pm
• Wednesday. August 6, 2008, 1:00 – 2:00 pm

Piecing Together Good Decisions
Presenter: Sarah Goldammer
Southern Illinois Professional Development Center
Are your students puzzled about decisions – either choosing not to make any or paralyzed by the need for perfection? This workshop focuses on strategies using both intellect and emotion in making good (not perfect) decisions.
• Friday, June 13, 2008, 12:00 – 1:00 pm

Red States, Blue States, Platforms, Debates – What’s It All About?
Rebecca Metternich
Central Illinois Adult Education Service Center
2008 is a year of decisions. As American citizens, it is both a right and a privilege to vote for those people who will represent us. But, how do we make such important decisions? In this WIMBA we will discuss who is running and how to decide who will best represent your ideals. These are activities that can be used in the classroom to inform students and help them develop critical thinking and decision-making skills.
• Wednesday, July 9, 2008, 1:00 – 2:00 pm

Using Excel to Manage Addresses
Raemarie Oatman
Central Illinois Adult Education Service Center
This workshop will demonstrate how Microsoft Excel can be used to manage Address Lists. Participants will learn to how to set up an Address Database and then export the data into word to create labels and merge data into forms and letters.
• Wednesday. August 13, 2008, 1:00 – 2:00 pm

Using Google’s Special Features
Presenter: Todd Jorns, Illinois Community College Board
Hosted by: Southern Illinois Professional Development Center
Most people use Google to search the web for information or else to research a specific topic, but Google has many more useful and special features such as a calculator, currency conversion, spell checker, street maps, travel information and weather reports. This Horizon Wimba session will demonstrate these features to attendees and also show Google’s Web Page translator and product search service. Sign up now to learn more about the special and powerful features Google has to offer.
• Friday, June 13, 2008, 10:00 – 11:00 am

Web 2.0 Tools and Stuff
Presenter: Todd Jorns, Illinois Community College Board
Hosted by: Southern Illinois Professional Development Center
Are you curious about the exciting new Internet applications that can be used in the classroom? Participants will learn more about the second generation Internet applications and tools (Web 2.0) such as Wikis, Blogs, Podcasts and others through discussions, examples, and hands-on exploration.
• Tuesday, June 17, 2008, 3:00 – 4:00 pm

What to Expect in a Job Interview
Presenter: Linda Cox
Southern Illinois Professional Development Center
Plan to join a workforce specialist in this vital workforce topic. Learn what employers want, what they are looking and listening for during an interview, and how to respond to those “silver bullet” questions. Participants will receive detailed notes after the presentation that can be immediately utilized in the classroom.
• Tuesday, August 5, 2008, 1:30 – 2:30 pm

ESL: Making Choices, Taking Chances
Presenter: Judith Diamond
Adult Learning Resource Center
In making a choice, persons often engage others in conversation, ask questions, reflect on answers and justify decisions. Thus, choice-making activities are ideal for ESL where listening and speaking are paramount. This Wimba will highlight different kinds of choice-making and choice-taking surveys, games, quizzes, and interviews for participants to learn, play and take back to their own classrooms.
• Thursday, May 22, 2008, 2:00 – 3:00 pm

Evaluating ESL Textbooks
Presenter: Julie Howard
Adult Learning Resource Center
The appropriate textbook can stimulate interest, facilitate learning, and lighten the load of lesson planning and preparation for the teacher. On the other hand, the wrong book can make everything unnecessarily difficult. In this session, participants will examine criteria to use in evaluation and apply them to assess sample materials provided by the presenter. They will then use this process to evaluate the textbooks they are currently using or considering for use in their courses.
• Thursday, August 21, 2008, 10:00 – 11:00 am

Explore EL/Civics Online
Presenter: Karen Hilgeman
Adult Learning Resource Center
Do you want to help your ESL students learn about the history and government of the United States, become more involved in their communities, and explore the possibility of citizenship while they learn English? If so, come learn about this about a free online professional development opportunity for ESL and EL/CE teachers.
• Thursday, June 12, 2008, 10:00 am – 11:00 am

Give and Take a Favorite ESL Website
Presenter: Barbara Sabaj
Adult Learning Resource Center
In this Wimba, we will review websites that have been submitted by you and your colleagues across the state. We will examine each website and explore how it can be used in the classroom. You will leave this session with many new helpful websites as well as strategies for how best to use them.
• Thursday, July 31, 2008, 9:00 – 10:00 am

Making Conversation in a Beginning ESL Class
Presenter: Judith Diamond
Adult Learning Resource Center
Language allows the exchange of information, emotions, and ideas. Even at the earliest stages of language acquisition, students should be using language not just memorizing words and grammar constructions. This Wimba will give teachers some fun and easy ways for their beginning students to communicate.
• Thursday, June 5, 2008, 3:00 – 4:00 pm

New Ways to Use the Web for ESL
Presenter: Barbara Sabaj
Adult Learning Resource Center
Join this workshop that allows you to discover Podcasting which creates audio files that can be downloaded to a CD, MP3 player, or IPOD. This portable technology offers to learners another option to learn English. Tutorials on creating your own podcasts from your own classes will be discussed.
• Thursday, June 19, 2008, 6:00 – 7:00 pm

Putting Culture in Its Place
Presenter: Julie Howard
Adult Learning Resource Center
Most teachers of ESL to adults would say that culture is a necessary component of learning to communicate and succeed in a new language and society, yet relatively few textbooks pay much attention to the values, expectations, and behaviors that learners need to understand. This session will suggest painless ways to incorporate cultural awareness into existing ESL lessons and activities at all levels.
• Thursday, July 17, 2008, 2:00 – 3:00 pm

Taking ESL Learning to the Streets
Presenter: Laurie Martin
Adult Learning Resource Center
Learning need not be limited by the four walls of the ESL classroom. This workshop will explore a number of community-based activities that will help ESL students learn more about their local communities.
• Wednesday, June 18, 2008, 1:00 – 2:00 pm