Teach with Tech

This will be the last newsletter for the 2024-2025 school year but opportunities to learn are far from over. Included in this edition are summer learning opportunities for educators in regards to educational technology.

The OTREN Summer Series provides a variety of professional development, free, to regional educators in Eastern Oregon. These workshops run two weeks in June and two weeks in August. You can find the list of events HERE and register at events.imesd.k12.or.us . Two edtech workshops include:

Summer Series: Gen.AI Toolkit Beta Test & AI Tools for Teachers

• Wednesday, August 6 9:00am-12:00pm, La Grande IMESD Office
• ODE is working with regional hubs across the state to test drive a generative AI toolkit for school and classroom use. This session will provide attendees with a preview of the toolkit and gather your feedback on needed improvements before the toolkit launches state-wide later this year. We will also explore various tools designed to support educators in areas such as lesson planning, assessments, content creation, differentiation, communication, and feedback/grading.

• Wednesday, August 6 1:00pm-3:00pm, La Grande IMESD Office
• Canva keeps getting better—and so can your designs! In this hands-on, two-hour workshop, we’ll explore Canva’s newest features, including Magic Studio AI tools, Canva Sheets and Charts, Coding, and new layouts. Whether you're creating classroom resources, student projects, or professional presentations, you’ll leave inspired and ready to make the most of what Canva has to offer. Bring your device and your creativity—plenty of time is built in to explore and try things out!

Several online (free) platforms offer a variety of AI courses that you (and potentially your students) can use to learn more about GenerativeAI. Browsing through Coursea you will find a variety of classes that are free or that you can audit. Here are a few fully free online courses specializing in Generative Artificial Intelligence.

• Coursera
• AI for Business Specialization (4 course series: AI Fundamentals for Non-Data Scientists, AI Application in Marketing and Finance, AI Applications in People Management, and AI Strategy and Governance.
• Generative AI for Everyone (from DeepLearning AI)
• Generative AI with Large Language Models (from AWS)
• Artificial Intelligence Education for Teachers (from Macquarie University)
• AI for Education- Basic (from Kennesaw State University)
• AI for Education - intermediate (from Kennesaw State University)
• Grow with Google
• Prompting Essentials
• AI Essentials
• Generative AI for Educators

Teacher Camp: GenCyber 2025 - July 14-18

Middle-grade (5-9) teachers integrate STEM and cybersecurity into your content areas. This free learning comes with a stipend, travel assistance, and hands-on learning.

As the school year winds down, your Google Drive might be feeling a little... chaotic. Between lesson plans, student work, copies of sub plans, and multiple versions of that one slide deck you kept tweaking, it’s easy for things to pile up. A little spring cleaning now will save you hours of time and frustration when you come back in the fall.

🧹 Start Here: The Quick Sweep

✅ Start in “My Drive” – Sort by “Last Modified” to find old files from earlier in the year that you probably don’t need anymore.

🔍 Search by File Type – In the search bar, click the filter icon and sort by file type like Slides, Docs, or Videos. Large or outdated files are great candidates for deleting or organizing.

🗑️ Empty Your Trash – Remember, deleted files sit in your Trash for 30 days unless you empty it. Free up storage space by clearing it out now.

📤 Move Loose Files into Folders – If you have random files floating around your Drive, group them by topic or month. Even rough sorting helps!

🚀 Level Up: Organize for Future You

📁 Create Folders by Year or Topic – Try folders like 2024–25, To Revise Later, Student Projects, or Units Archive.

🎨 Color-Code Your Folders – Use colors to distinguish content areas (e.g., red for reading, green for math) so your Drive becomes visually organized at a glance.

😀 Use Emojis for Folder Titles – Add emojis like 📚, 🧪, or 🎨 to make folders stand out and easier to spot.

📦 Make an “Archive This Year” Folder – If you're switching roles or grade levels, drag everything from this year into one folder. That way, it's out of your main view but still accessible if you need it.

📆 Use Folder Naming Conventions – Add dates or unit names in folder titles to make searching easier later.

🎧 Try This: The 15-Minute Reset

Pick one quiet afternoon this month. Set a 15-minute timer, turn on a favorite playlist or podcast, and treat your Drive clean-up like organizing a junk drawer—quick and satisfying. Focus on one folder or subject area at a time. Repeat weekly if needed, and by the end of the month, your Drive will be decluttered and ready for a fresh start.

You’ll thank yourself in August—and your future self will be able to find that one amazing resource without having to scroll through digital chaos.

Canva just rolled out a wave of exciting new updates through its Visual Suite 2.0, and educators are already buzzing about the possibilities. Whether you're using Canva for lesson slides, newsletters, or student projects, these enhancements make the platform even more powerful, creative, and time-saving. These updates are being rolled out to users as we speak.

Some of the most exciting upgrades include:

• Magic Write Enhancements – More accurate, faster AI text generation with improved tone control.

• Canva Sheets – A visually-driven spreadsheet tool with built-in AI to create charts and summarize trends.

• Canva Code – Build websites from text prompts, no tech experience needed.

• Course Creation Tools – Make interactive learning modules right in Canva.

• Photo Editor Updates – Advanced tools for AI background generation and photo touch-ups.

• Live Website Publishing – Instantly turn your Canva documents into viewable web pages.

But one of the most classroom-ready tools in this release is Magic Charts.

Teacher Tool Highlight: Magic Charts

If you’ve ever struggled to make your data look good, Magic Charts is about to become your new best friend.

Magic Charts lets you paste or import data—like quiz scores, attendance trends, or survey results—and instantly transforms it into eye-catching visuals. Think: animated bar chart races, clean pie charts, and dynamic bubble plots. It's great for both teacher-created materials and student presentations.

💡 Ways to Use Magic Charts in the Classroom:

• Elementary: Track class reading minutes or behavior points with animated progress charts.

• Middle School: Visualize data from science labs or social studies projects using bubble maps.

• High School: Let students analyze and present survey data using bar or pie charts as part of a research project.

• Staff Meetings or Newsletters: Share PD attendance, school goals, or curriculum timelines with professional polish.

✅ Try This:

Open a new presentation in Canva, go to “Apps” > “Magic Charts”, and either type or upload a small data set. Watch as Canva suggests multiple chart types you can drop right into your design.

In just a few clicks, what used to take hours in spreadsheets becomes a polished, engaging visual—ready to share with students, families, or your admin team.

This is a monthly newsletter from the Instructional Services Department of the IMESD. If you would like more information EdTech tools, resources, or training, please contact:

Ayla Olson

Instructional Coach

Email: ayla.olson@imesd.k12.or.us

Phone: 541-966-4657

Website: sites.google.com/imesdapps.org/instructional-coaching