Whether virtual or in-person, the need to keep the classroom an interesting, inspiring place for students remains key.
This is why, in response to ongoing lockdowns due to COVID-19, Kansas City PBS’ Education team adapted, bringing the 16th Annual Technology Conference online in 2021. Hosted entirely over Zoom from March 8-11, the conference, billed as, “Restore, Evolve and Transform Your Virtual Classroom,” served as an opportunity for educators, curriculum directors and administrators to develop strategies to integrate technology into their classrooms. Approximately 100 Kansas City metro area educators serving students in grades K-12 attended the conference.
“This year’s tech conference was unlike anything we’ve done in the past,” said Gary Brock, Director of Education at KCPBS. “Remote learning has been tough and teachers and kids are stressed. We adapted in order to continue to support educators so they could, in turn, support their students.”
This year, the long-running conference focused on topics including creating engaging activities for the virtual classroom, new tools and resources for effective online assessment, and strategies in self-care for teachers. Sessions were led by local education partners from the University of Central Missouri and the Shawnee Mission School District.
“Our approach was about empowering educators,” said Brock, who spent 31 years as a teacher himself. “It was highly tailored for virtual learning and giving teachers a boost to wrap up the school year. We know that giving our teachers encouragement and support with resources like this conference, positions us as a valuable educational partner in the community.”
As good partners, KCPBS’ education team continues to build relationships with local schools and parent groups. They work to raise awareness of the resources they offer, highlights of which include a monthly newsletter for educators and a weekly newsletter for caregivers, in addition to a variety of online teaching resources providing engaging activities and lesson-planning, whether instruction is occurring virtually or in-person.
“It’s very important for our team to maintain strong relationships with our local schools and educators,” said Brock. “We are so grateful to everyone who keeps our little ones learning.”
You can find links to recordings of past teacher workshops and resources for teachers on our Education page.
