Yesterday I went over the initial interview with Atomic Learning to make sure that both of us were on the the same page with regards to technology training, and professional development for my teachers. Today is part two of that setup. I was impressed by how Tom finished part one by saying, “Anything we can do to save you time, that’s what we’re all about.”

Part Two: How To Use the Atomic Learning Account

Tom explained to me that the best place to start when it comes to explaining what Atomic Learning is all about is just the “Learn More” link on the front page. The video is short and to the point, easily explaining the many facets of the Atomic Learning subscription.

Tom then took my through each section of the website. Most of which I already knew but there were still a few things that I had never seen before.

Once we had finished the initial training it was now time for me to learn how to be an administrator, something I had never done since I was only used to having a personal account. One of the cool features the ability to set up preferred filters so that your teachers only see the applications that are in your building. There is no use showing training for Office 2007 when you only have Office 2003.

I also learned how to search by state standards and by ISTE NETS-S, which is going to be another real time-save.

“The website is made to teach itself.” Tom explained as he showed me that when you click on any of the lirttle question marks that are on the website, a short video will pop up to show to explain what that part of the website does. Cool.

One of the parts that I really like is the ability to make assignments or recommendations for my teachers. I can assign a pre-assessment for 21st Century Skills and then some training so that all my teachers are all on the same page.

The reporting section is top-notch, there is also an entire area devoted to implementing Atomic Learning in your school, complete with posters and ready-made emails. These will be a real time-saver — it looks like Tom is really following through on his promise.

The last section he explained was the ePortfolio, which allows teachers to upload content and then select who they want to share it with. This is going to great for our teachers to upload future lesson plans that are 21st Century Skills ready.

Tom concluded the training by explaining that he will be sending me some follow-up emails that will explain everything we just did in a thorough step-by-step method as well as other helpful informatin (which he did).

I can’t wait to show my teachers next week.