Events

How can we use a microscope to help stop a virus? How can we teach a computer to help us grow better crops? Digital interactives from PBS Wisconsin’s Meet the Lab collection can help your students explore these questions while learning about cutting-edge research happening right here in Wisconsin. You’ll go home with real-world, relevant activities you can use tomorrow!

Join PBS Wisconsin Education and three Wisconsin science educators to learn how they are using the Virus Investigators: Superpowered by Electron Microscopy lab in their middle school science classrooms. The standards-aligned educational media includes a “why research matters” video, “meet the scientist” digital cards, “ask a scientist” videos, and interactive media to learn how scientists use microscopes to track down viruses.

When children see themselves represented in the media they love, it validates their identity. How can early childhood educators leverage intentional digital media use with character building and identity development? Mouna Algahaithi and Jami Hoekstra Collins, Early Learning Engagement Specialists from PBS Wisconsin, provide an in-depth look at using interactive resources from the PBS-Ready to Learn® collection during the  Black History Education Conference.

Explore the interactive resources from Alma’s Way, Molly of Denali, and Xavier Riddle where children determine that they are somebody through connected learning. Through the experiences of these multicultural characters, early learners can open artistic, academic, and cultural doors to develop their full potential.

When students see themselves represented in media and history, it validates their identity. When students study people from historically underrepresented or marginalized groups, it broadens their perspective of the world and builds empathy. Michael Hartwell, 3rd-12th Grade Education Engagement Specialist from PBS Wisconsin, provides an in-depth look at using PBS LearningMedia and PBS Wisconsin Education’s multimedia resources to connect students to the incredible histories of William Still, Joshua Glover, and the Underground Railroad during the Black History Education Conference. 

Explore the interactive resources where students can take a deep dive into the national and Wisconsin-based history of the Underground Railroad and, in turn, gain a deeper appreciation that they are somebody through connected learning. 

Are you eager to incorporate playful media into your classroom but not sure where to begin? Are you on the fence about whether or not technology should play a role in your center? PBS KIDS is the #1 source of media content for preschool teachers and in this interactive workshop, you will learn why. Learn about standards-aligned PBS KIDS resources, a model of play-based engagement that can be adapted to fit learning centers, and connect with peers in small and large group discussions. Be prepared to learn, connect, discuss, and play! 

Digital media can influence how we see others, and how we see ourselves. It can break down barriers, create powerful role models, and provide a meaningful starting point for fostering a culturally responsive learning space. This session highlights free, standards-aligned PBS digital media resources that can bring accurate, authentic representation of diverse identities to K-12 classrooms across the state.

Resources include Wisconsin-focused collections for 3rd-8th grade with cross-curricular connections in American Indian Studies, English Language Arts, Environmental Education, Music, Social Studies, and Science. PBS Wisconsin Education’s local offerings are complemented by PBS LearningMedia.

How do your students know that the information they find online is accurate and honest? How do they know if the viral video they watched isn’t a deep fake used to spread misinformation? These questions are the driving force of a nationwide movement toward improving media literacy, which the National Association for Media Literacy Education defines as the ability to access, analyze, evaluate, create and act using all forms of communication.

This session shares free classroom media and professional development resources to build your media literacy expertise from PBS Wisconsin.  Participants will have time to explore resources and discuss tools and strategies for building media literacy with students that can be integrated into the classroom tomorrow.

In this workshop, you will practice using methods to evaluate online media with educators who recently became PBS Media Literacy Certified and staff from PBS Wisconsin Education. Your participation in this workshop will put you in the right direction for starting your first PBS Media Literacy Credential!

Learn about an exciting new initiative called the PBS KIDS Community Learning Cohort! PBS Wisconsin worked with 15 libraries around the state to empower and elevate family and community learning engagement. 

Participants created a community of practice, received training through five, 1.5 hour-long play-based webinars on PBS KIDS digital media resources, and received a $1,000 stipend to implement their own PBS KIDS program during Summer 2021. 

• Hear stories of value and impact from participating libraries.
• Learn how to integrate playful, educational PBS KIDS resources into your youth programming to create new, innovative programs for your library.

Whether rural or urban, Wisconsin communities are increasingly multicultural and multilingual, with nearly 30 languages spoken around the state. Schools play an integral role in building community with all families, within and beyond school doors. In this webinar, you will learn about steps school administrators and educators can take to make cultural inclusivity a priority,  ways schools can engage families from all backgrounds in a meaningful way, and ideas for strategizing with local or statewide organizations to achieve these common goals. 

Are you interested in using media in your classroom? Wondering where to look for media content? Earn Registry credits and join us on May 22nd, along with the Wisconsin Early Childhood Association for Playful Learning with PBS KIDS: Tips for Being a Media Mentor in the Classroom. Discover research-based guidelines and practical tips for using tech with young learners. Come ready to learn, play, connect, and leave with a new toolbox of activities! Come ready to learn, play, and connect with other early childhood educators near you!

Digital tools ranging from Edpuzzle to Nearpod to Jamboard have become ubiquitous during the COVID crisis while teachers and students have relied on them to enhance instruction and student attention. This session, the first in a series, will feature tech-savvy educators leading interactive introductory demonstrations of Flipgrid and Nearpod, and showcasing how you can integrate these apps with free resources on PBS LearningMedia from GBH and PBS Wisconsin. There will be ample time for hands-on practice and Q & A. This session is a collaboration between GBH Education, PBS LearningMedia and PBS Wisconsin.

The classroom community reaches far beyond the classroom walls as students’ families, community members, and the natural environment are all part of their identity. Valuing students’ communities, families, and cultural funds of knowledge in the classroom also helps build a more inclusive classroom community. This panel of Wisconsin educators will share stories of working cross-culturally with diverse families and communities and offer insights to create more welcoming environments for all of our students.

Unearth PBS digital resources you can use to expand Asian Pacific Islander Desi American (APIDA) history into your classroom. This brief lunchtime webinar will be divided into two groups: elementary resources and middle-high school resources. Walk away with digital resources you can use in your classroom the next day!

Expand your classroom bookshelf to include new children’s and young adult literature by and about people of color. PBS Wisconsin is proud to host Madeline Tyner, a librarian at the Cooperative Children’s Book Center (CCBC) of the School of Education at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, as they share brand new books from 2020 and early 2021. 

The CCBC is dedicated to diversity and education. They document the number of books they receive annually that are by and about Black, Indigenous and People of Color. Beginning in 2018, they began documenting the content of every book they received around other aspects of diversity and representation in children’s and young adult literature as well, including LGBTQ+, disability, and religion.

Join the Re/sound: Songs of Wisconsin performers as they share their joy of music, growth as performers, love of culture and heritage, and challenges faced as they share music throughout their work in our state. In this workshop, Schuyler Pietz encourages the use of LatinX music in your classroom with the Re/Sound educator engagement guides she created.

With Wisconsin being at the national forefront of racialized educational disparities between Black and white students, many educators seek strategies for dismantling existing barriers. This leads many educators to ask the question: what does race-based equity look like in a variety of learning spaces? From early childhood classrooms to afterschool settings and college lecture halls, join our outstanding panel of Wisconsin education leaders to learn about their own experiences and strategies for developing equitable learning spaces.

Join the Re/sound: Songs of Wisconsin performers as they share their joy of music, growth as performers, love of culture and heritage, and challenges faced as they share music throughout their work in our state. In this workshop, curriculum writers, Katherine Miller and Lucy Wrenn, share ideas and resources provided in the Re/Sound educator engagement guides for sharing Hmong music in your classroom.

Unearth PBS digital resources you can use to expand Black History Month in February and throughout the year. This brief lunchtime webinar will be divided into two groups: elementary resources and middle-high school resources. Walk away with digital resources you can use in your classroom the next day!

Join the Re/sound: Songs of Wisconsin performers as they share their joy of music, growth as performers, love of culture and heritage, and challenges faced as they share music throughout their work in our state. Discussion will be based on submitted questions and topics chosen by the performers.

Join PBS Wisconsin Education to learn how to activate our newest content, Meet the Lab! This collection introduces students to relevant real-world issues, cutting edge research, and the human element—the people working together to research, innovate, and solve problems using science. Learn more about how to use this content in your classroom and hear about upcoming opportunities for you and your students to engage with STEAM content.

Session: You, Your Students and Your Community with the WSMA and PBS Wisconsin Re/sound Project

WSMA and PBS Wisconsin Education’s project, Re/sound: Songs of Wisconsin can help you and your students explore the connections between music, identities, cultures, and emotions. Hear from those involved in the process – what they personally gained and what you and your students can learn about yourselves and each other through use of the Re/sound: Songs of Wisconsin resources.

Teaching While White’s Co-Directors, Jenna Chandler-Ward and Elizabeth Denevi lead a discussion about talking about race and making whiteness explicit in school communities.

Join nationally recognized education researcher, Dr. Gloria Ladson-Billings and PBS Wisconsin to learn about the four factors that have led to the educational disparities that exist between Black and White students in the U.S.. Dr. Ladson-Billings will also share her vision for culturally relevant teaching in a post-COVID-19 world.

Wisconsin Biographies is a collection of free, educational, online media resources that tell the stories of notable people in Wisconsin history whose contributions to society continue to resonate today. This webinar explores the animated videos, text biographies, image gallery, interactives, and teaching tips. Wisconsin Biographies is intended for use in grades 3-8.

An introduction to using PBS KIDS’ Molly of Denali to enrich American Indian studies, literacy, and social-emotional learning lessons. Our Education Engagement Specialist, Mouna Algahaithi discusses how to leverage the additional resources that accompany the show’s episodes to help your students grow their skills!