Affordable Online Courses to Help Educators and Teachers with Professional Development Hours

Explore our online professional development courses that provide the opportunity to learn and collaborate with your peers, in a flexible format. We have partnered with S&S Worldwide to bring you quality online courses to educators and school districts. When we began the professional development journey we wanted to bring you courses that offer real take-aways that can be used to improve your teaching and met criteria so that the hours can be put towards licensure renewal. Most courses we offer are self-paced, so there is no formal start or end date for completing a course, thus, giving you the freedom to complete assignments on your schedule.

Each week we are adding new courses focused on content that is relevant to current educational standards and what is being asked of educators within their districts, schools and classrooms. Topics surrounding Behavior and Classroom management, STEM and Next Generation Science Standards, Social Emotional Learning, Literacy, Early Language Learners, Bullying Compliance, Playground Management, and Teaching Mindfulness. Each course has an approval sheet so that you can work with your administration on getting the course approved or reimbursed.  

Upon completion of our courses, you will receive a certificate of completion. Cost for courses range from $10 to $300 and you can pay with a credit card, paypal or a Purchase Order (more information in the FAQ section).

 

 

We are an NYSED Approved CTLE Sponsor!

(If you need our sponsor number to get approved for taking any of our courses please contact us at [email protected])

 

Skip the course listings to read Testimonials & FAQs

 

Current Courses and Administrator Approval Sheets

To get more information on these course and to enroll, click on the title of the course and it will bring you to the S&S Online Learning School.

 

Our NEWEST Courses - We add new courses weekly!

Incorporating Mindfulness into the Classroom
Instructor: Robyn Parets
Hours: 5     Cost: $79
Course Description: Knowing how important mindfulness is is to the overall well-being of children, we are thrilled to offer this exclusive course to teachers and educators. You’ll gain in-depth knowledge into what mindfulness is, benefits it can offer your students, and then learn how to teach these techniques. There is no experience needed in yoga or meditation to take this course. You can easily teach these mindfulness tools using our easy-to-follow videos and resources.
Admin approval sheet:download here

Integrating Brain Breaks into Your Classroom
Instructor: Mike Ginicola
Hours: 8     Cost: $69
Course Description: This course has been designed for any K-12 classroom teacher, curriculum developer or administrator looking to increase the time that children are physically active throughout the school day. In this course, we focus on developing a working knowledge of the importance of integrating physical activity, and specifically brain breaks (also known as brain boosts, brain blasts, brain energizers, etc.) for overall student success and how to implement a myriad of brain break and movement strategies with your students to keep them active and engaged while learning their curricular outcomes. Our instructor is available to help you throughout this course with any questions you may have.
Admin approval sheet: download here

 

 

Gamification in the Classroom (K-12)  
Instructor: Mike Ginicola
Hours: 7     Cost: $59
Course Description: The purpose of this course is to explore what gamification is, why it’s so powerful, and demonstrate various ways in which to use it in education at any level, both with or without technology. Learners will discover how to create gamified activities, lessons or full units, and many resources will be provided.
Admin approval sheet: download here

 

 

Integrating Literacy into Your Makerspace
Instructor: Laura Fleming
Hours: 4     Cost: $79
Course Description: Makerspaces enable opportunities for students to create, imagine, and build…..what better springboard for that than stories? Stories fuel and ignite the imagination. Many people associate makerspaces with only STEM-related activities, but literacy and making can go hand in hand. An understanding of transliteracies is key to meeting the needs of our 21st century learners and can enhance any makerspace.
Admin approval sheet: download here

 

 

Meaningfully Including ELL Students in Literacy Instruction (K-5)
Instructor: Amanda MacDonnell
Hours: 4    Cost: $49
Course Description: This course is for anyone who wants to learn more about how to meaningfully support their ELLs during instruction, but more specifically for mainstream teachers that need extra support in educating these students. I want to provide you with resources, tools, strategies, publishing industry knowledge, and statistics to help you not only grow as a teacher, but to help you make more informed decisions overall when it comes to matters surrounding your English Language Learners. I am here for any extra support or guidance that you need during this course and encourage you to let your passions shine through in your writing.
Admin approval sheet: download here

 

 

 

Graduate Credit Courses Currently Available
 

Behavior and Classroom Management (K-12) - Grad Credit Available
Instructor: Ruth Herman Wells, M.S.
Hours: 10     Cost: $199
Course Description: This behavior management course was designed for use with students and children ranging from age 5 to 18. These behavior interventions and methods are designed to work when conventional techniques fail. You will learn innovative, more effective tools for problems with aggressiveness, motivation, bullying and cyberbullying, classroom management, work refusal, violence, disrespect, defiance, withdrawal, ADHD, delinquency, and school failure.
Admin approval sheet: download here

 

 

ADMINISTRATIVE COURSES

Playground Supervision & Responsibility
Instructor: Peaceful Playgrounds
Hours: 2     Cost: $49
Course Description: The goals in this course are you train you and your staff to become better playground supervisors so that you better understand your role and responsibility in keeping children safe on the playground. It also covers how to deal with behavior problems on the playground and the role you and your school play in legal responsibilities in keeping children safe on the playground.
Admin approval sheet: download here

 

 

Bullying Compliance & Prevention
Instructor: Peaceful Playgrounds
Hours: 2     Cost: $49
Course Description: This course on bullying prevention will cover legal requirements, state specific requirements, state and local responsibilities in reducing bullying. It will also define what bullying is, types of bullying and dive into statistics on bullying. There is also information on legislative components, training and prevention, transparency, monitoring and how to respond to bullying.
Admin approval sheet: download here

 

 

Strengthening Family Engagement - Webinar Course
Instructor: National Afterschool Association
Hours: 1     Cost: $19
Course Description: The purpose of this course is to provide educators inspiration, ideas and research that supports the positive impacts of family engagement within their programs. Parents and families of our students have busy days, but being involved in the activities and education of their child is something that can have a huge effect on the success of each child and your program as a whole. This course will help you identify opportunities that will work for your families and strengthen your community.

 

 

 

 

STEM & MAKERSPACE COURSES

Creating a Makerspace for Students
Instructor: Laura Fleming
Hours: 6     Cost: $79
Course Description: The purpose of this e-course is to plan and create a unique, meaningful, and relevant makerspace for your school community, by becoming familiar with the maker movement and makerspace best practices, in K-12. The maker movement has been a revolution in education. All educational stakeholders need to find ways to leverage this movement.
Admin approval sheet: download here

Teaching Coding with Confidence
Instructor: Barbara Johnson
Hours: 4     Cost: $79
Course Description: Did you know that coding is part of the Maker Movement? Coding has never been more accessible and applicable to all ages than it is now! Resources in this course are at low to no cost, and include a mix of online/offline activities. This multi-media platform with guide educators with NO CODING SKILLS AT ALL to be confident and comfortable helping students learn how to code!
Admin approval sheet: download here

Integrating Literacy into Your Makerspace
Instructor: Laura Fleming
Hours: 4     Cost: $79
Course Description: Makerspaces enable opportunities for students to create, imagine, and build…..what better springboard for that than stories? Stories fuel and ignite the imagination. Many people associate makerspaces with only STEM-related activities, but literacy and making can go hand in hand. An understanding of transliteracies is key to meeting the needs of our 21st century learners and can enhance any makerspace.
Admin approval sheet: download here

Inspiring Inquiry Based Learning through Picture Books (K-5)
Instructor: Barbara Johnson
Hours: 6    Cost: $79
Course Description: Did you know that you can include Literacy as part of the Maker Movement? This course will teach you how to use picture books with young learners to engage and inspire inquiry, maker activities, calls to action and arts integration. You will explore the inquiry process and how to engage children to ask quality questions. Plus, you will walk away with dozens of lessons, activity ideas, makerspace projects and strategies.
Admin approval sheet: download here

Integrating Both STEM & Wellness - Webinar Course
Instructor: National Afterschool Association
Hours: 1    Cost: $19
Course Description: The Alliance for a Healthier Generation and the National Girls Collaborative Project have joined forces to bring you a fun interactive workshop that will explore innovative ideas for blending STEM and wellness. All designed to help all young people succeed. Participants will leave with easy-to-implement ideas and evidence-based resources along with talking points for building support with school administrators.

 

 

LITERACY & LANGUAGE COURSES

Meaningfully Including ELL Students in Literacy Instruction (K-5)
Instructor: Amanda MacDonnell
Hours: 4    Cost: $49
Course Description: This course is for anyone who wants to learn more about how to meaningfully support their ELLs during instruction, but more specifically for mainstream teachers that need extra support in educating these students. I want to provide you with resources, tools, strategies, publishing industry knowledge, and statistics to help you not only grow as a teacher, but to help you make more informed decisions overall when it comes to matters surrounding your English Language Learners. I am here for any extra support or guidance that you need during this course and encourage you to let your passions shine through in your writing.
Admin approval sheet: download here

How to Teach Two Column Note Taking
Instructor: Keys to Literacy
Hours: 7    Cost: $69
Course Description: The course provides information on teaching note taking in any subject. You will learn numerous instructional practices for a variety of literacy skills that students must learn in order to take quality notes. You will also learn scaffolds that can be used used to differentiate your instruction to meet individual student needs.
Admin approval sheet: download here

Developing a Read-Aloud Program
Instructor: Melinda Brown
Hours: 4    Cost: $39
Course Description: The purpose of this e-course is to increase knowledge and understanding of the importance of reading aloud to children by becoming familiar with the components of an effective read-aloud program. It provides instructional strategies, interactive techniques, interactive student responses and preparation tips for interactive read-alouds.
Admin approval sheet: download here

Starting a Successful Summer Reading Program
Instructor: Deb Diller
Hours: 2    Cost: $39
Course Description: The purpose of this e-course is to help you develop a successful summer reading program that will help to support and minimize the "summer slide" or the summer set back that children experience from not having a daily routine inside the classroom. The ideas with in the course are meant to be simple so that you can easily implement a plan to encourage and set aside time each day for reading. In addition, there are ideas that can benefit enrollment within your program with your summer reading program, and also your collaboration within the community.
Admin approval sheet: download here

Re-inventing the Library
Instructor: Rose Sgambelluri
Hours: 4    Cost: $49
Course Description: The purpose of this course is to get you thinking about how to transform the Library or Media Center so that it is relevant to today’s patrons and also to build a foundation for the future.
Admin approval sheet: download here

 

 

SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING COURSES

 

Creating an Atmosphere for Youth Voice & Engagement - Webinar Course
Instructor: National Afterschool Association
Hours: 1    Cost: $19
Course Description: The purpose of this course is to provide educators activities and inspiration to create an environment where the children and students in their care can thrive. Before children even begin their day with us, we have no idea how their morning or home life has had an effect on their behavior or mental mindset. We have the ability to positively effect each one of these children and give them a space where they feel comfortable, confident and where they can ask questions and be heard.
 

Social Emotional Learning - Adding Tools to Your Toolkit- Webinar Course
Instructor: National Afterschool Association
Hours: 1    Cost: $19
Course Description: The purpose of this course is to provide educators tools, ideas and activities to bring to their programs that their students can benefit from. You will walk away with at least one or two new ideas to integrate SEL tomorrow into your programs.

Cultural Competency in Afterschool - Webinar Course
Instructor: National Afterschool Association
Hours: 1    Cost: $19
Course Description: The purpose of this course is to provide educators and out-of-school time professionals the confidence and knowledge to create a culturally competent environment for their students, families and staff. This course will help you self reflect on your cultural competence and help define what cultural competence and culture is. The content provided then identifies how to create a more comfortable environment where individuals can be knowledgeable about differences and accepting them.

 

 

PHYSICAL EDUCATION COURSES

The Physical Education Online Course offerings are created by PE Central (pecentral.org).  There are over 50 courses to choose from. You can click here to see the full physical education online course offerings.  Below we have featured a few popular courses that classroom teachers or administration may also be interested in taking.

 

 

Utilizing Grants Effectively to Fund Your PE Program: A Step-by-Step Guide to Help You Build a Grant to Support Your PE Program 
(15 PD Hours)
Course description for administrator approval
Instructor: Dr. Kymm Ballard

Integrating Literacy into Physical Education: Why It Matters and How to Implement 
(15 PD Hours + CEU)
Course description for administrator approval 
CEU Info and Application
Instructor: Charles Silberman

Introduction to Personalized Learning (using Projects) in Physical Education 
(10 PD Hours + CEU)
Course description for administrator approval 
CEU Info and Application
Instructor: Misti Wajciechowski

Using Visual Supports with Children with Autism 
(10 PD hours + CEU)
Course description for administrator approval 
CEU Info and Application
Instructor: Marty Block 

Making Your Field Day Shine: How to Plan and Execute a Field Day That Rocks! 
(10 PD hours + CEU)
Course description for administrator approval 
CEU Info and Application
Instructor: Charles Silberman

Standards Based Locomotor Skills with Lesson Plans 
(3 PD Hours)
Course description for administrator approval
Instructor: Renae Buss

Introduction to Teaching Yoga in PE 
(4 PD Hours)
Course description for administrator approval
Instructor: Yoga Foster

 

 

 

TESTIMONIALS & FAQs

We have hundreds of testimonials, you can read them all here. Below we feature a few testimonials from recent course participants & answers to frequently asked questions about our online courses.

 

Testimonials

"My instructor was very knowledgeable of the work. I am currently taking a Reading Comprehension Instruction class for professional credits on my license and was very excited to find that this course was aligned with that "class. I feel more confident as a teacher now that I have the resources from this course."

"This course was very informative. I learned a lot that i did not know about pre-school children, and what should and shouldn't be taught. I enjoyed this course very much. Thank you Michele for your constant feed back and help." 

"This class was very informative and filled with useful tools I put into practice within minutes. You can move along at your own pace, from any device, at home or at work. Also, although I was already using some of the apps covered, I learned new ways to use them and/or capabilities of the apps I was unaware of. It’s a great value for PD credits, the information and the knowledge gained to become a more effective and efficient teacher. I highly recommend it!"

"The Playground Supervision & Responsibility Course was very informative. It was a great refresher course. I found the behavioral issues section to be very helpful. The legal liabilities section was important information. Injuries during the transition time was higher than expected. I will be more observant of woodchips being kicked out from the swings. We do not allow our kids to play dodgeball or tackle games. Also, it is so important to look out for drawstrings. It was a great course to refresh and update on supervision skills."

"I think the big takeaway is that everyone can code and the more you practice the better you get. I'm also amazed at how much fun students have with the unplugged activities. It was enlightening to watch them work together. To see them realize that debugging was just a part of programming and mistakes are a normal part of the learning process. My students were supportive of each other and stayed on task and persevered. I am excited to take on this new role and to encourage students to look at technology in different ways. I can't wait to watch them develop new ideas and use technology as a tool that they can continue to build on throughout their education and into their careers."

"I plan to implement the Peace Path and the Chill Zone. The Peace Path will help our older kids to talk - with each other - about what is bothering them instead of holding it all inside or acting out aggressively. I like the idea of a dedicated place for the kids to go when they are upset with tools posted to help them calm down and self regulate. I'm looking forward to implementing the Chill Zone. "

 

Frequently Asked Questions

 

When does the course start and finish?

Most courses available start as soon as you enroll and can be taken at your pace. We suggest trying to have it done within 4-6 weeks.

Graduate level courses operate like a normal college level course and have a start and end date. Refer to the course you are interested in or contact us for a list of start dates.

What type of payment is accepted for this course?

**Courses with available CEUs or Graduate Credits have an additional cost through a University associated with them if you plan to obtain the credits. Professional Development hours through the S&S Online School come with the course enrollment fee.

Credit Card - The easiest way to pay for one of our online courses is to use your credit card. Our online system will send an email receipt after you place your order with your credit card which you should be able to use for reimbursement.

Payment with a Purchase Order (PO) - We are happy to take payment via Purchase Order (PO). Remember, however, we cannot have you start the course until the PO has been paid for by your school or school district. *Please make note that for graduate courses we will need a PO several weeks in advance and payment before the start of the course.

Directions

• Email us your PO ([email protected]). Make sure to include the following information; make PO out to S&S Worldwide-The Educators Network, 75 Mill St., Colchester, CT 06415, Phone: 678-764-2536, Email: [email protected], include the name of the teacher who is taking the course along with his/her email, include name of course, include billing email as we will want to email the invoice promptly.
• After we receive your emailed PO, we will email you the invoice
• Pay the Invoice
• We will register the teacher in the course for you and then we will send an email to the teacher telling them of their UN and PW for the ssww.teachable.com website. They can start the course at anytime after that.

What type of equipment do I need to complete the course?

To complete the course you will need a computer or tablet with the latest browser and an updated adobe flash player. You will also need a valid and working email address so the instructor can communicate with you.

Some courses require a text. The information will be given on the course home page before you enroll.

Will I get a grade for this course?

Courses with graduate credits available will be graded A-F. Other courses will receive no grades. Your instructor will review your assignments and work with you to make sure they are in good standing before you earn your certificate.

Can this course be used towards professional development hours/points?

Depending on your situation, this course can be used for professional development points/hours. We highly recommend that you use the information we provide on the course page to gain prior approval from your principal or Professional Development coordinator before you start the course. We will supply each student with a certificate upon completion.

Can I get Continuing Education Unit (CEU) for this course or Graduate Credits?

CEUs - At the present time we offer CEUs for courses that award 10 hours or more of professional development. CEUs are given through St. Mary's College of California and are awarded after completion of the course, along with your Certificate of Completion. CEUs are an additional $50 that is paid separately upon application with St. Mary's College.

Graduate Credits - Currently there are only limited courses with Graduate credits. Graduate Credits are either awarded through Adams State University (ASU) in Alamosa, CO or Seattle Pacific University in Washington. After you have paid the course fee displayed on the course page, you will need to register at the schools during your course. The cost is $55 per credit hour which will be paid additionally and separately from our online courses to the college. More details about the procedure for paying for your graduate credits will be communicated to you through the course.

New York State - CTLE Approved - Almost all educational courses on this platform are CTLE Approved. Courses offered by PE Central, Education World, Peaceful Playgrounds are all approved. If you need prior approval, our sponsorship number, or have any questions on getting your NY State CTLE Hours from our courses, please contact [email protected].

Certificate of completion?

You will receive your certificate via email once the instructor has reviewed and approved your course work as being satisfactorily completed.

I enrolled for a course, but am unable to take it or my administration will not cover the costs. Can I get refunded?

*GRADUATE COURSES WILL NOT BE REFUNDED ONCE ENROLLED.

Since our course content is paid for we typically do not issue refunds, however if you contact us within 30 days and we can see that you have not started any of the course materials, we will consider issuing you a refund on a case by case basis. Any requests for a refund after 30 days of purchase will be denied.

How do I get help? or Still have questions?

Please contact us with any additional questions at [email protected]