What PD+ Offers
VEX Professional Development Plus (PD+) provides ongoing, year-round, personalized professional development, so you can get a jump start on your robotics education today. PD+ is an online, streaming learning platform designed to enable every educator to be successful teaching and integrating STEM with VEX.
No matter where you are on your STEM teaching journey, the network of resources within PD+ allows you to curate your own professional development according to your needs, interests, and time. As a PD+ subscriber, you join a world-wide community of VEX educators to learn from and with as you grow your teaching practice and keep STEM learning engaging, relevant, and equitable for all your students.
This article provides a brief overview of the featured resources available in VEX PD+.
| Free PD+ | VR Premium PD+ | All-Access PD+ | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intro Courses | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Professional Learning Community | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Educational Video Library | VR Resources | ✅ | |
| VEX Masterclasses | VR Resources | ✅ | |
| Monthly Live Session Webinars | VR Resources | ✅ | |
| 1-on-1 Sessions with VEX Educators | ✅ | ✅ | |
| Educational Insights Articles | ✅ | ||
| Included Educators Conference Access | ✅ |
PD + Courses
Two types of courses are offered in PD+, Intro Courses, which are free for all PD+ subscribers, and VEX Masterclasses, which are available only to PD+ All Access members. All courses within PD+ are video-based, expert-led courses that take the model of hands-on, in person training and workshops and bring them to you through videos and activities that you complete with your VEX materials in your space, at your own pace.
Courses cover all VEX platforms and include introductory level courses and more advanced pedagogy-focused courses.
Courses are paired with Community discussion threads so that you can engage with other learners in PD+ as you work through a course to ask and answer questions, and learn from other participants who have taken the course.
Community
The VEX PD+ Professional Learning Community offers a network of VEX educators to engage with throughout the school year. Brainstorm lesson ideas, gather teaching strategies, learn more about a particular STEM Lab concept or coding challenge, and more. The Community enables new and experienced VEX educators to come together in dialogue and discussion about STEM teaching and learning.
Even if you are the only STEM teacher in your school, in the Community – you are not alone. Join a conversation about collaborative learning, ask a question about a coding problem, read a thread to learn about an upcoming Live Session, offer reflections and share stories from your classroom – the Community connects you to other educators who are learning alongside you.
The Community is like a discussion-board based "Teacher's Lounge" for VEX, that enables you to dialogue directly with other educators and experts. You can ask questions about anything from building to coding to facilitating a STEM Lab, brainstorm with other educators using your platform for lesson ideas or teaching strategies, share stories from your classroom to inspire others, and more.
Posts can be added to specific platform threads, or posted in the general VEX category, and you can tag other PD+ educators or experts to bring them into the conversation. You can also reply to a post at any time, and you should check the Community often to find new conversations to join.
1-on-1 Sessions
Extend your Community conversations with 1-on-1 Sessions. PD+ 1-on-1 Sessions are video conferences that offer educators privileged access to VEX Experts. Fostering an open and supportive environment where inquiries can be made confidently and without reservation, teachers can discuss anything from coding and engineering to curriculum and classroom tips and tricks. These sessions are personalized to get the support that you need, when you need, for your particular situation.
Use the calendar in the 1-on-1 Session page to select a date and time that works for you, and share your questions and the topics you'd like to discuss. Then, at the appointed time, a VEX Expert will meet you in the video chat for your session.
Insights Articles
Dig into educational topics that are relevant to you in our collection of Insights articles. These articles cover a wide variety of STEM-related subject matter, from using robotics to teach math concepts, to encouraging collaboration in your classroom, to how classroom competitions can motivate students. Articles offer both practical advice for improving your STEM teaching and pedagogical ideas to help you grow as an educator. New Insights articles appear regularly, ensuring there is something for everyone to enjoy.
Live Sessions
Take your teaching and learning further with Live Sessions! These thematic, hour-long, expert led sessions offer insights, inspirations, and practical takeaways about teaching with VEX. Session content is derived from and in response to PD+ Community discussions, and gives you a chance to ‘peek behind the curtain’ to learn new things you can do with VEX in your setting.
Choose the session that sparks your interest, and attend one or a whole series – each session is unique, so you can join when it feels right for you.
Video Library
There are hundreds of videos spanning the VEX Continuum that you can watch to help you find the answers to questions, learn more about a certain concept, or grow your teaching practice. With on-demand learning at your fingertips, you can find videos across a variety of topics and VEX platforms when you need them, with access anytime, from anywhere.
Videos range in length, topic, style, and VEX platform, and are accessible at any time. This gives you the opportunity to set your own professional learning path, and view the videos that are most meaningful and relevant to you, or go back and revisit videos over time.
The Video Library can be searched, as well as filtered by platform, and new videos are added often, so you can check the Video Library for new content. Have an idea for a video you'd like to see? Post about it in the Community!
Educators Conference
Your PD+ All Access subscription includes registration to the annual VEX Robotics Educators Conference. The conference brings the PD+ Community together for in person, hands-on learning, as well as inspiring Keynotes, featured speakers in the field, and learning sessions with educators and experts. Held in conjunction with the VEX Robotics World Championships, see first-hand the passion, enthusiasm, and engagement of STEM education at the world's largest robotics competition!
Build confidence, become inspired, interact with your VEX Community and experts to take your professional development to the next level.
When registration opens for the VEX Robotics Educators Conference, you can register through your PD+ Dashboard. The conference not only enables you to meet the PD+ Community, but to engage with features like the VEX Showcase, where you can get hands-on with the VEX Continuum and get inspired to take your teaching beyond the STEM Labs.
Conference sessions, like Keynotes and Featured Speaker sessions, will be recorded and added to the Video Library after the conference, enabling you to view or revisit conference content anytime throughout the year.
Hear from a PD+ educator...
“Logging into VEX PD+ is part of my daily teaching routine. From videos, tutorials, and a vast community of teachers to talk with, VEX PD+ gives me the ability to teach computer science and STEM at the next level. You liked an article on student-centered assessment? Great, you can chat about it with the author – I can tell you how amazing it is to be able to talk to the experts at VEX. I think we're in the age now where sharing is learning.”
-Anna Blake,K-5 Elementary Technology Integrator, Elizabeth Forward School District
View this article to learn more about making the most of your PD+ subscription.
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Still have questions? Email pd@vex.com for help.