Welcome to Ditch Summit!
This totally free online conference for educators — in its 10th year! 🎉 — officially opens now and lasts until January 11.
New videos will be released every day throughout the next two weeks (thru Thurs. Dec. 24).
Then, you'll have until the summit ends to watch whatever you'd like ... as many times as you'd like.
Everything is on-demand (like Netflix).
Pajamas, sofa, and beverage of choice optional.
In this email:
🤔 What to do during the Ditch Summit
📺 Featured Speaker: Curiosity, Questions and Inquiry with Trevor MacKenzie
🔎 Spotlight Sponsor: Creative, Visual Learning with FigJam
📚 The Ditch Summit Library: All videos in one place
❤️ Know someone who would love the Ditch Summit?
🤔 What to do during the Ditch Summit
If you’re new to Ditch Summit — or want to make sure you’re not missing out on anything — watch our Ditch Summit welcome / tour / tutorial video here.
Here’s a to-do checklist of what’s possible while the Ditch Summit is open …
Watch a video — maybe a newly released featured speaker or spotlight sponsor session. (Or you can pick a presentation from the Ditch Summit library.)
Check out the PDF notes for a session (whether you watch the video or not).
Generate a certificate of completion for professional development credit.
View the sketchnotes — visual notes summarizing each session, drawn by the talented Jen Giffen.
Check out the books and resources created by our talented speakers.
When you open up a video presentation page, you’ll find buttons to do all of those things on that page. You have lots of options. Don’t forget to click and try some things!
💥 NEW: Category Collections
These are curated collections of videos on high-interest topics.
Our new Category Collections are a simple way to help you find what you’re looking for. With +100 videos presentations to choose from, how do you narrow it down? Category Collections are a new way.
HOW TO FIND THEM: Open the main Video Library page. Scroll past the new Featured Speakers and Spotlight Sponsors to get to the yellow Category Collections section. Select from the eight categories to find a curated collection of nine videos on each topic.
On to the Ditch Summit … Let's get started!
Below you’ll find …
Today’s new Spotlight Sponsor session — Figma for Education (and FigJam)
Today’s new Featured Speaker session — The Six Pillars to Honor and Equip the Whole Teacher with Allyson Apsey
Access to the Video Library page, where you can access our 100+ video presentations
PS: Don’t forget to share what you’re learning on social media using the #DitchSummit hashtag on social media — Twitter/X, Instagram (log in to view hashtag), Bluesky, wherever!
🔎 SPOTLIGHT SPONSOR 🔎
Fun, Collaborative, Visual Learning That Works with FigJam
Digital whiteboard tools can be a great place to brainstorm, to organize ideas, and for students to show what they’ve learned.
FigJam (by Figma for Education) has so many unique features that make learning visual and fun. (And it’s totally free for education!)
Sure, students can drop sticky notes, create a flow chart, and add images.
But a fun photo booth to snap a selfie? Voting and polls? Even custom washii tape?
Plus it has TONS of pre-made templates for education that will get your students started right away.
In this super practical session, David Curran from Figma shows you some of his favorite FigJam features and ways to use it.
📺 FEATURED SPEAKER 📺
The Six Pillars to Honor and Equip the Whole Teacher with Allyson Apsey
It can be tough to be a teacher these days. (And it can be tough for school leaders to know how to support those teachers.)
Students need classroom environments where they feel whole, seen, and valued …
… and teachers need it just as much as the students do.
In her Ditch Summit session, Allyson Apsey shares some powerful ideas …
The top 5 things teachers told her they wanted from their school leaders (hint: jeans day and donuts didn’t make the list)
The 6 pillars of the whole teacher (with explanations and practical tips in each)
If you’re a teacher, this will help you understand the dynamics at play in your quest to be happy and fulfilled in your career.
If you’re a school leader, this will equip you to make your teachers feel whole, seen and valued.
Watch any Ditch Summit session from previous years on the Ditch Summit Video Library page any time.
❤️ Know someone who would love the Ditch Summit?
Then let’s spread the Ditch Summit love and help them get involved!
You can send them to DitchSummit.com to register.
You can also copy the text from this document about Ditch Summit. (Feel free to adjust or add to it.)
Enjoy today’s sessions — and any of our previous Ditch Summit sessions. I’ll see you in your inbox tomorrow with two more great new sessions!
