North Carolina DEN

As we wind down towards the end of the 1^st Quarter -  a point where teachers have somehow have managed to get over the initial speed bump of the new school year, find themselves looking back to reflect on their classes. What worked? What didn’t?  How do you/we make it better?

So what are some tips and treats that have helped you thus far to make it work? Make it better?

As for me, I have found the following tips and treats that have helped me in my classes.

·   “A candle loses none of its light by lighting another candle.” - – Anonymous

Share your knowledge, your ideas; build a community of learners…Strength in numbers. Look to others, give to others, become a twitter, a follower, blogger, etc.

·   Read, research, and be resourceful.

Be open to change, look for new ways, new ideas. Just because “it’s always been done that way” doesn’t mean it has to be done that way.  Step out of the box, out of your area, out of your state.

http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/#

http://www.whiteboardblog.co.uk/

http://etoolbox.wikispaces.com/

http://www.teachthechildrenwell.com/

http://www.kathimitchell.com/

http://www.jimmoulton.org/1.html

http://thefilecabinet.pbworks.com/

http://www.smartboards.typepad.com/

http://techyturner.blogspot.com/

·   Learn and introduce a new technology format or media to your assignments and activities.

It’s amazing how this is an exciting treat for the students and helps them to become more engaged in the curriculum.  Change up the routine and surprise them with something new and give them a different alternative.

For example, after completing an unit, typically the students goes back and review all of the vocabulary words and then save it to a word document in their files for their upcoming vocabulary test. In lieu of this, have the students create a Pictionary/BrainyPic format (visual flashcard) from their vocabulary words. Students will use pictures, definition, and use the vocabulary word in a sentence.

http://www.brainyflix.com/flashcards/show/2524 

Oblivious

This bird is completely oblivious to the cat right behind it.

By: crazylaxer1

Flipcams and Snow Leopard

Posted on October 3, 2009 in Hardware, Software by Joe Brennan ”I’ve been getting a few questions from Mac users (including myself) who recently updated to Mac OSX 10.6 wondering what happened to their Flip camcorder accessibility. Turns out it’s just a matter of re-installing the latest Flip software and/or adding Perian to your bag of tricks in order to get the 3ivx codec. Now go on. Make some movies with your students. No excuses. “Thanks Joe, we have just completed updating our 1:1 laptops to 10.6 and have installed Perian too. I included it in the image. I should have included Flip software too. It will be added into our next burn.Adding these three events to our October-Tech-Fest here in our middle school:

1. Brainyflix: deadline Dec. 7
2. eInstruction’s Contest: deadline Nov. 10
3. DOEd-  Video Contest deadline Nov. 2

Two of my favorite quotes - “I never teach my pupils; I only attempt to provide the conditions in which they can learn.”~ Albert Einstein and “The value of education is not the process but the impact. …” ~ Stallman, R., Lessig, R. automatically come to mind when I hear others speak about the impact of the Internet on culture, education, and society.  I feel, if we as educators, administrators, government, and public officals bring back the foucs to the true receipant of this impact - our students, we can rest assure that the “impact” will be a positive and a continuous improvement for us all.

So what kind of impact are you having in your classroom, as a colleague, as a digital citizen? What type of digital footprints are you leaving behind?

To hear more about “Impact of the Internet on culture, education, and society.” Here’s an interview you may be interested in on this subject matter:

Tuesday, September 29th, 5pm Pacific Daylight Time (US):   Steve Hargadon (Founder, Classroom 2.0)interviewed John Seely Brown on the impact of the Internet on culture, education, and society.  http://www.conversations.net/forum/topics/john-seely-brown

If you read anything about education and technology, you will hear the term 21st century skills.  21st century schools are being built.  Classrooms are being fitted with 21st century tools. But what does it really mean?

I recently found a great site by Apple called Apple Classrooms of Tomorrow-Today, or ACOT2.  The site outlines what they believe to be the 6 design principals of the 21st century high schools and the answer is not just technology.

1. Understanding of 21st Century Skills and Outcomes.  A survey of business leaders came up with a list of most desirable skills; including, work ethic, collaboration, social responsibility, and critical thinking.  There is nothing ground breaking about this list.  These traits are timeless.  The survey also cited creativity and innovation as being increasingly important.  Again, these are timeless and I am confused by using the word increasingly.   Innovation, or yankee ingenuity, is as american as baseball and apple pie.  Apple doesn’t paint the picture of 21st century skills until you click the button to show more about 21st century skills.   A link to The Partnership for 21st Century Skills breaks the skills down to Core Subjects; Learning and Innovation Skills; Information, Media and Technology Skills; and Life and Career Skills.

Nailing 21st century skills down is tough.  Here is my best attempt at a definition that I could post on twitter.

The ability to find, evaluate, organize, and  share information and apply information to collaboratively solve problems.

2. Relevant and Applied Curriculum.  Curriculum is becoming less of WHAT content is taught and more of HOW the content is taught.  Apple gives six key characteristics of curriculum for 21st Century Learning
1. Involves collaboration and community
2. Based on authenticity and relevance
3. Leverages real-world tools, resources, and methodologies
4. Incorporates a rich continuum of teacher and learning strategies
5. Grounded in rich content with a 21st century context
6. Creates linkages to the outside world

3. Informative Assessment.  Taking a chapter test and getting a percentage grade was normal for me in school and even while I taught.  It always signified the end of learning that particular topic.  Informative assessment moves to make frequent assessments in order to ensure quality learning is taking place and the desired outcome is met. Similar to using a GPS in a car.  Informative assessment can be made by students, teams of students, teachers, and the entire world.

4. Culture of Innovation and Creativity.  You can’t teach innovation and creativity.  Schools must create a culture that embraces creativity for students and teachers.

5. Social and Emotion Connections with Students.  Textbooks don’t motivate students.  Meaningful relationships with other students, teachers, and adults have a great impact on learning.  Schools have to be a community and care about each student and believe every student has something to contribute.

6. Ubiquitous Access to Technology.  Schools must allow students to use the tools needed to get the job done.  Once a year I get annoyed at the North Carolina Writing Test.  They now allow the students to use a computer, but forbids the use of  spell check, a dictionary, or a thesaurus.  All tools that writers, professional  and amateur, use everyday.

Also posted on ITSThinkTank.