http://edge.ascd.org/service/getFeed.kickAction?quantity=25 New blogs from Eric_Sheninger on ASCD EDge Sat, 20 Apr 2013 13:59:44 GMT Sat, 20 Apr 2013 13:59:44 GMT website@ascd.org (ascdAdmin) website@ascd.org (ascdAdmin) KickApps Feed Builder 2013-04-20T13:59:44Z 29 http://edge.ascd.org/service/searchEverything.kickAction?as=127586&sortType=recent&tags=null 0 http://edge.ascd.org/_Autonomy-Breeds-Change/blog/6520884/127586.html A year and a half ago I decided to implement a job-embedded growth model at the suggestion of some of my teacher leaders. They desperately sought time during the school day to engage in professional growth opportunities, learn how to integrate Web 2.0 tools, and develop their own Personal Learning Networks (PLN’s). After some thinking and looking at various options inherent in the current schedule, I decided to cut all non-instructional duties in half to create a Professional Growth Period (PGP). The inspiration for this idea came from Google’s 80/20 Innovation Model where engineers are encouraged to take 20 percent of their time to work on something company-related that interests them personally. Duties that we cut are now assumed by me and my administrative team.   The PGP was launched in September 2011.   It virtually gave every New Milford High School teacher two to three, forty eight minute periods a week, depending on the semester, to engage in growth opportunities of personal interest.  The only catch was that each staff member had to create and present a learning portfolio at his/ her end of year evaluation conference.   This learning portfolio clearly articulated how they integrated what was learned during this time into professional practice.  They also had to keep a log detailing what was done during each PGP day throughout the year. A great deal was learned after I reflected on year one of the PGP.  For starters, I read Drive by Daniel Pink this past summer and made a few slight changes.  In order to give each staff member a greater level of autonomy, I removed all top-down mandates such as keeping a log and watching a certain number of PD 360 videos.  This year teachers had true freedom to learn anything and follow their passions as long as the time was spent to improve NMHS’s bottom line – student learning and achievement.  Sample PGP activities include the following:   becoming a connected educator by developing and engaging in a Personal Learning Network (PLN) researching best practices developing innovative learning activities creating interdisciplinary lessons engaging in face-to-face professional development learning to use new technologies collaborating on projects with colleagues.    I also used last year as an opportunity to work with my teachers and better articulate how to compile their learning portfolios. Last week I began conducting end of year evaluation conferences with my teachers.  I was extremely eager to see their respective learning portfolios and discover what they had been working on over the course of the year.  Let me tell you this, I was not disappointed.  As each staff member presented their learning portfolio they all shared how appreciative they were to have this time.  Below is a sample from some of the portfolios:   Math teacher Kanchan Chellani has been using her PGP time to create engaging learning activities with Adobe Captivate to flip her classroom.  She has also created her own website filled with resources for students. English teachers Jessica Groff and Nanna Westbook used their PGP time to collaborate.  Throughout the year they met to develop extensive binders to compile resources related to text complexity as outlined by the Common Core Standards.  Jessica also used the time to develop the school’s digital newspaper, The Lance, from scratch. Math teacher Jeff Fiscina learned how to create engaging learning activities using Educreations. He also developed his own blog and started a Twitter account for his classes. English Teacher Sue Michels read numerous books, such as Drive by Daniel Pink and Fair Isn’t Always Equal by Rick Wormeli.  She also re-wrote the entire Honors English 11 curriculum. History teacher Joe Manzo learned how to use iMovie and created a project on the Vietnam War to engage his students in some of the essential concepts.  He is now working on developing a student project where they will use iMovie to create artifacts of learning related to historical concepts later this year. History teacher Rebecca Millan started her own blog and is now having her students blog as well in Sociology. Math teacher April Millian has been exploring the flipped instructional approach and has begun to implement it on a routine basis with the use of Edmodo. English Teacher Jerry Engstrom created several unit plans aligned to the common core and read How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas Foster and Readicide by Kelly Gallagher.  Jerry provided examples of how he has integrated specific concepts and insights learned from each book. He has begun to research how to implement student portfolios using Evernote for next year.  Similar to FedEx days discussed by Dan Pink in Drive, my teachers have been given the opportunity to follow their passions, unleash their creativity, and deliver a learning portfolio that illustrates professional growth to enhance teaching and learning.  Based on the conversations I had with teachers after they presented their learning portfolios, they are already beginning to talk about innovative ideas to pursue next year.  I am excited to see what some of my other teachers have been working on in the coming weeks and am proud that time during the school day is being used productively.  A year and a half ago I decided to implement a job-embedded growth model at the suggestion of some of my teacher leaders. They desperately sought time during the school day to engage in professional growth opportunities, learn how to integrate Web 2.0 tools, and develop their own Personal Learning Networks (PLN’s). After some thinking and looking at various options inherent in the current schedule, I decided to cut all non-instructional duties in half to create a Professional Growth Period (PGP). The inspiration for this idea came from Google’s 80/20 Innovation Model where engineers are encouraged to take 20 percent of their time to work on something company-related that interests them personally. Duties that we cut are now assumed by me and my administrative team.   The PGP was launched in September 2011.   It virtually gave every New Milford High School teacher two to three, forty eight minute periods a week, depending on the semester, to engage in growth opportunities of personal interest.  The only catch was that each staff member had to create and present a learning portfolio at his/ her end of year evaluation conference.   This learning portfolio clearly articulated how they integrated what was learned during this time into professional practice.  They also had to keep a log detailing what was done during each PGP day throughout the year. A great deal was learned after I reflected on year one of the PGP.  For starters, I read Drive by Daniel Pink this past summer and made a few slight changes.  In order to give each staff member a greater level of autonomy, I removed all top-down mandates such as keeping a log and watching a certain number of PD 360 videos.  This year teachers had true freedom to learn anything and follow their passions as long as the time was spent to improve NMHS’s bottom line – student learning and achievement.  Sample PGP activities include the following:   becoming a connected educator by developing and engaging in a Personal Learning Network (PLN) researching best practices developing innovative learning activities creating interdisciplinary lessons engaging in face-to-face professional development learning to use new technologies collaborating on projects with colleagues.    I also used last year as an opportunity to work with my teachers and better articulate how to compile their learning portfolios. Last week I began conducting end of year evaluation conferences with my teachers.  I was extremely eager to see their respective learning portfolios and discover what they had been working on over the course of the year.  Let me tell you this, I was not disappointed.  As each staff member presented their learning portfolio they all shared how appreciative they were to have this time.  Below is a sample from some of the portfolios:   Math teacher Kanchan Chellani has been using her PGP time to create engaging learning activities with Adobe Captivate to flip her classroom.  She has also created her own website filled with resources for students. English teachers Jessica Groff and Nanna Westbook used their PGP time to collaborate.  Throughout the year they met to develop extensive binders to compile resources related to text complexity as outlined by the Common Core Standards.  Jessica also used the time to develop the school’s digital newspaper, The Lance, from scratch. Math teacher Jeff Fiscina learned how to create engaging learning activities using Educreations. He also developed his own blog and started a Twitter account for his classes. English Teacher Sue Michels read numerous books, such as Drive by Daniel Pink and Fair Isn’t Always Equal by Rick Wormeli.  She also re-wrote the entire Honors English 11 curriculum. History teacher Joe Manzo learned how to use iMovie and created a project on the Vietnam War to engage his students in some of the essential concepts.  He is now working on developing a student project where they will use iMovie to create artifacts of learning related to historical concepts later this year. History teacher Rebecca Millan started her own blog and is now having her students blog as well in Sociology. Math teacher April Millian has been exploring the flipped instructional approach and has begun to implement it on a routine basis with the use of Edmodo. English Teacher Jerry Engstrom created several unit plans aligned to the common core and read How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas Foster and Readicide by Kelly Gallagher.  Jerry provided examples of how he has integrated specific concepts and insights learned from each book. He has begun to research how to implement student portfolios using Evernote for next year.  Similar to FedEx days discussed by Dan Pink in Drive, my teachers have been given the opportunity to follow their passions, unleash their creativity, and deliver a learning portfolio that illustrates professional growth to enhance teaching and learning.  Based on the conversations I had with teachers after they presented their learning portfolios, they are already beginning to talk about innovative ideas to pursue next year.  I am excited to see what some of my other teachers have been working on in the coming weeks and am proud that time during the school day is being used productively.  Sat, 20 Apr 2013 13:59:44 GMT http://edge.ascd.org/_Autonomy-Breeds-Change/blog/6520884/127586.html Eric_Sheninger 2013-04-20T13:59:44Z Blogs ASCD EDge A year and a half ago I decided to implement a job-embedded growth model at the suggestion of some of my teacher leaders. They desperately sought time during the school day to engage in professional growth opportunities, learn how to integrate Web 2.0 tools, and develop their own Personal Learning Networks (PLN’s). After some thinking and looking at various options inherent in the current schedule, I decided to cut all non-instructional duties in half to create a Professional Growth Period (PGP). The inspiration for this idea came from Google’s 80/20 Innovation Model where engineers are encouraged to take 20 percent of their time to work on something company-related that interests them personally. Duties that we cut are now assumed by me and my administrative team.   The PGP was launched in September 2011.   It virtually gave every New Milford High School teacher two to three, forty eight minute periods a week, depending on the semester, to engage in growth opportunities of personal interest.  The only catch was that each staff member had to create and present a learning portfolio at his/ her end of year evaluation conference.   This learning portfolio clearly articulated how they integrated what was learned during this time into professional practice.  They also had to keep a log detailing what was done during each PGP day throughout the year. A great deal was learned after I reflected on year one of the PGP.  For starters, I read Drive by Daniel Pink this past summer and made a few slight changes.  In order to give each staff member a greater level of autonomy, I removed all top-down mandates such as keeping a log and watching a certain number of PD 360 videos.  This year teachers had true freedom to learn anything and follow their passions as long as the time was spent to improve NMHS’s bottom line – student learning and achievement.  Sample PGP activities include the following:   becoming a connected educator by developing and engaging in a Personal Learning Network (PLN) researching best practices developing innovative learning activities creating interdisciplinary lessons engaging in face-to-face professional development learning to use new technologies collaborating on projects with colleagues.    I also used last year as an opportunity to work with my teachers and better articulate how to compile their learning portfolios. Last week I began conducting end of year evaluation conferences with my teachers.  I was extremely eager to see their respective learning portfolios and discover what they had been working on over the course of the year.  Let me tell you this, I was not disappointed.  As each staff member presented their learning portfolio they all shared how appreciative they were to have this time.  Below is a sample from some of the portfolios:   Math teacher Kanchan Chellani has been using her PGP time to create engaging learning activities with Adobe Captivate to flip her classroom.  She has also created her own website filled with resources for students. English teachers Jessica Groff and Nanna Westbook used their PGP time to collaborate.  Throughout the year they met to develop extensive binders to compile resources related to text complexity as outlined by the Common Core Standards.  Jessica also used the time to develop the school’s digital newspaper, The Lance, from scratch. Math teacher Jeff Fiscina learned how to create engaging learning activities using Educreations. He also developed his own blog and started a Twitter account for his classes. English Teacher Sue Michels read numerous books, such as Drive by Daniel Pink and Fair Isn’t Always Equal by Rick Wormeli.  She also re-wrote the entire Honors English 11 curriculum. History teacher Joe Manzo learned how to use iMovie and created a project on the Vietnam War to engage his students in some of the essential concepts.  He is now working on developing a student project where they will use iMovie to create artifacts of learning related to historical concepts later this year. History teacher Rebecca Millan started her own blog and is now having her students blog as well in Sociology. Math teacher April Millian has been exploring the flipped instructional approach and has begun to implement it on a routine basis with the use of Edmodo. English Teacher Jerry Engstrom created several unit plans aligned to the common core and read How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas Foster and Readicide by Kelly Gallagher.  Jerry provided examples of how he has integrated specific concepts and insights learned from each book. He has begun to research how to implement student portfolios using Evernote for next year.  Similar to FedEx days discussed by Dan Pink in Drive, my teachers have been given the opportunity to follow their passions, unleash their creativity, and deliver a learning portfolio that illustrates professional growth to enhance teaching and learning.  Based on the conversations I had with teachers after they presented their learning portfolios, they are already beginning to talk about innovative ideas to pursue next year.  I am excited to see what some of my other teachers have been working on in the coming weeks and am proud that time during the school day is being used productively.  blogs, change, learning, network, personal, pln nonadult false Autonomy Breeds Change text blog blogs,change,learning,network,personal,pln 758 10 5.0 http://edge.ascd.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=24953942&as=127586 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/127586/photos/PHOTO_10211009_127586_24953942_ap_160X120.jpg false United States NJ New Milford 2 Blogs 0 6520884 24953942 ASCD EDge Member 250 http://edge.ascd.org/_All-Students-Deserve-a-Second-Chance/blog/6515086/127586.html The following is a guest post from Jeff Fiscina, one of my math teachers at New Milford High School. Today is the day after a test.  I walk around to hand back tests to the students. Students, who did well, put a smile on their faces.  Students, who did poorly, sink into their chairs in displeasure.   I come back to the board to review the problems which created the most difficulty.  The students who did well are so excited they don’t want to listen.  The students who did poorly are so upset with themselves they can not concentrate.  So, what am I doing?  I’m pretty much talking to no one.  I’m not helping those students who received a bad grade and the students who were successful are now bored.   After about two and a half years of doing this in my classes, I realized something must change.  Some students were not successful on a test.  The only way they can help their grade is to do better on the next test.  But they need the material from the previous test to help them.  So what service am I providing to my failing students?  How am I motivating them to do better?  I used to say, “You are going to need to learn this to do well on the midterm.  Don’t just put the test away and not look at it.  Study it and learn from it.”  After thinking about how I would take that statement as a student, I realized how little impact it actually has.  Something needed to change in my grading philosophy, and change fast. Everyone deserves a second chance, right?  You fail your driver’s test; don’t you get another shot at it?  You do poorly on the SAT’s; you can take them again right?  So for a test in class, why are students only getting one chance?  After much questioning, research, and consideration, I decided to implement a re-take policy for my classes. After students receive their test and are not happy with the score, they can come to me and inquire about a re-take.  I give the student a contract that lists the steps they must follow in order for the opportunity for a retake.  The contract must be signed by the student and their parent/guardian.  The steps are as follows: 1.    Get the test paper signed by a parent/guardian 2.    Attend extra help session for corrections on the test 3.    Complete given assignment on your own (if necessary) 4.    Make an appointment after/before school to take your re-take (You can see my full written policy and contract HERE) Once students take the re-take, I look at how much knowledge they have gained, and use my professional judgment to assign a new grade.  Students are appreciative of the second chance and are taking full advantage of it. Students are recognizing how much more work they need to put in if they are unsuccessful.  This gives them some motivation to do well the first time.  And it also gives them an opportunity to right the wrong. What is our goal as educators?  My goal is for every student to have the best opportunity at succeeding in my class.  If my students have only one chance at every test, then they really don’t have the best opportunity at succeeding.  I want my students to learn and one of the best ways to learn is from your mistakes.  I have a little saying I like to use:  “Failure is not an ending, it’s a beginning.”   I am so proud of Jeff and the rest of my staff for re-evaluating their grading practices to focus on the most important aspect of education - student learning. As a school community we decided to tackle our grading philosophy last winter. We were guided by the work of Wormeli, Reeves, Gusskey, and O'Connor. An emphasis was placed on no zeros, multiple forms of assessment, establishment of a failure floor, 7 intervention steps to ensure student success, and retests/re-do's. I think my entire staff can attest that the process was initially difficult, but as you can see from Jeff's post that positive change has resulted. This change is being embraced and it has been a total team effort. I could not be more proud of my staff. The following is a guest post from Jeff Fiscina, one of my math teachers at New Milford High School. Today is the day after a test.  I walk around to hand back tests to the students. Students, who did well, put a smile on their faces.  Students, who did poorly, sink into their chairs in displeasure.   I come back to the board to review the problems which created the most difficulty.  The students who did well are so excited they don’t want to listen.  The students who did poorly are so upset with themselves they can not concentrate.  So, what am I doing?  I’m pretty much talking to no one.  I’m not helping those students who received a bad grade and the students who were successful are now bored.   After about two and a half years of doing this in my classes, I realized something must change.  Some students were not successful on a test.  The only way they can help their grade is to do better on the next test.  But they need the material from the previous test to help them.  So what service am I providing to my failing students?  How am I motivating them to do better?  I used to say, “You are going to need to learn this to do well on the midterm.  Don’t just put the test away and not look at it.  Study it and learn from it.”  After thinking about how I would take that statement as a student, I realized how little impact it actually has.  Something needed to change in my grading philosophy, and change fast. Everyone deserves a second chance, right?  You fail your driver’s test; don’t you get another shot at it?  You do poorly on the SAT’s; you can take them again right?  So for a test in class, why are students only getting one chance?  After much questioning, research, and consideration, I decided to implement a re-take policy for my classes. After students receive their test and are not happy with the score, they can come to me and inquire about a re-take.  I give the student a contract that lists the steps they must follow in order for the opportunity for a retake.  The contract must be signed by the student and their parent/guardian.  The steps are as follows: 1.    Get the test paper signed by a parent/guardian 2.    Attend extra help session for corrections on the test 3.    Complete given assignment on your own (if necessary) 4.    Make an appointment after/before school to take your re-take (You can see my full written policy and contract HERE) Once students take the re-take, I look at how much knowledge they have gained, and use my professional judgment to assign a new grade.  Students are appreciative of the second chance and are taking full advantage of it. Students are recognizing how much more work they need to put in if they are unsuccessful.  This gives them some motivation to do well the first time.  And it also gives them an opportunity to right the wrong. What is our goal as educators?  My goal is for every student to have the best opportunity at succeeding in my class.  If my students have only one chance at every test, then they really don’t have the best opportunity at succeeding.  I want my students to learn and one of the best ways to learn is from your mistakes.  I have a little saying I like to use:  “Failure is not an ending, it’s a beginning.”   I am so proud of Jeff and the rest of my staff for re-evaluating their grading practices to focus on the most important aspect of education - student learning. As a school community we decided to tackle our grading philosophy last winter. We were guided by the work of Wormeli, Reeves, Gusskey, and O'Connor. An emphasis was placed on no zeros, multiple forms of assessment, establishment of a failure floor, 7 intervention steps to ensure student success, and retests/re-do's. I think my entire staff can attest that the process was initially difficult, but as you can see from Jeff's post that positive change has resulted. This change is being embraced and it has been a total team effort. I could not be more proud of my staff. Wed, 06 Mar 2013 14:46:51 GMT http://edge.ascd.org/_All-Students-Deserve-a-Second-Chance/blog/6515086/127586.html Eric_Sheninger 2013-03-06T14:46:51Z Blogs ASCD EDge The following is a guest post from Jeff Fiscina, one of my math teachers at New Milford High School. Today is the day after a test.  I walk around to hand back tests to the students. Students, who did well, put a smile on their faces.  Students, who did poorly, sink into their chairs in displeasure.   I come back to the board to review the problems which created the most difficulty.  The students who did well are so excited they don’t want to listen.  The students who did poorly are so upset with themselves they can not concentrate.  So, what am I doing?  I’m pretty much talking to no one.  I’m not helping those students who received a bad grade and the students who were successful are now bored.   After about two and a half years of doing this in my classes, I realized something must change.  Some students were not successful on a test.  The only way they can help their grade is to do better on the next test.  But they need the material from the previous test to help them.  So what service am I providing to my failing students?  How am I motivating them to do better?  I used to say, “You are going to need to learn this to do well on the midterm.  Don’t just put the test away and not look at it.  Study it and learn from it.”  After thinking about how I would take that statement as a student, I realized how little impact it actually has.  Something needed to change in my grading philosophy, and change fast. Everyone deserves a second chance, right?  You fail your driver’s test; don’t you get another shot at it?  You do poorly on the SAT’s; you can take them again right?  So for a test in class, why are students only getting one chance?  After much questioning, research, and consideration, I decided to implement a re-take policy for my classes. After students receive their test and are not happy with the score, they can come to me and inquire about a re-take.  I give the student a contract that lists the steps they must follow in order for the opportunity for a retake.  The contract must be signed by the student and their parent/guardian.  The steps are as follows: 1.    Get the test paper signed by a parent/guardian 2.    Attend extra help session for corrections on the test 3.    Complete given assignment on your own (if necessary) 4.    Make an appointment after/before school to take your re-take (You can see my full written policy and contract HERE) Once students take the re-take, I look at how much knowledge they have gained, and use my professional judgment to assign a new grade.  Students are appreciative of the second chance and are taking full advantage of it. Students are recognizing how much more work they need to put in if they are unsuccessful.  This gives them some motivation to do well the first time.  And it also gives them an opportunity to right the wrong. What is our goal as educators?  My goal is for every student to have the best opportunity at succeeding in my class.  If my students have only one chance at every test, then they really don’t have the best opportunity at succeeding.  I want my students to learn and one of the best ways to learn is from your mistakes.  I have a little saying I like to use:  “Failure is not an ending, it’s a beginning.”   I am so proud of Jeff and the rest of my staff for re-evaluating their grading practices to focus on the most important aspect of education - student learning. As a school community we decided to tackle our grading philosophy last winter. We were guided by the work of Wormeli, Reeves, Gusskey, and O'Connor. An emphasis was placed on no zeros, multiple forms of assessment, establishment of a failure floor, 7 intervention steps to ensure student success, and retests/re-do's. I think my entire staff can attest that the process was initially difficult, but as you can see from Jeff's post that positive change has resulted. This change is being embraced and it has been a total team effort. I could not be more proud of my staff. assessment, blogs, grading, learning nonadult false All Students Deserve a Second Chance text blog assessment,blogs,grading,learning 495 10 5.0 http://edge.ascd.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=24953942&as=127586 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/127586/photos/PHOTO_10211009_127586_24953942_ap_160X120.jpg false United States NJ New Milford 0 Blogs 0 6515086 24953942 ASCD EDge Member 250 http://edge.ascd.org/_How-Should-Educators-Use-Social-Media/blog/6496545/127586.html I have read some very thought-provoking posts and associated commentary over the past couple of weeks focusing on how particular educators use social media.  What I have found interesting is the powerful opinions as to how one should use social media. I think it is great that so many people have focused opinions on what social media should, could, or should not be with a considerable emphasis on specific do's and dont's.  These specific methods and techniques work for them and it is important that all of us have some sense as to the why and how when it comes to our own social media use.  It is these opinions that always force me to reflect on my own use, objectives, and goals. To make things clear there is no guidebook out there that educators must abide by when it comes to using social media.   Social media is like the "Wild West" in that there are no overbearing rules, which is why I love it so much.  I can be brief if I want to.  I can comment on a post or tweet if I want to.  I can share something if and when I want to.  I can follow or unfollow whoever I want at any time.  I can recommend educators to follow if I want to.  Heck, I can post pictures of my kids if I want to.  The only firm rule I would encourage all educators to follow is to use common sense when posting to the Internet and always remember your role as an educator in the community you serve. Everything else is basically up to you and your specific preferences. This has led me to think about how I use a myriad of social media tools with Twitter being my main go to resource.  To put it simply here is how I use social media as an educational administrator and learner: Acquire, share, and curate resources Discussion forum and engage in conversations of professional interest Elicit feedback on ideas and initiatives I launch at my school Support Ask questions and receive answers Track conferences Digital newspaper Connect with practitioners as well as experts in the field of educationBuild, cultivate,and interact with a Personal Learning Network (PLN) to grow professionally and do what I do better Promote my work and the work of others Share the great things my students and teachers are doing Public relations Enhance communications Is there a right or wrong way to use social media? I personally don't think so.  The beauty and power of social media is that it is adaptable to fit our particular needs and goals at a given time.  As our goals and needs change our use of social media will evolve.  My point here is that any way an educator decides to use social media is the right way. What are your thoughts on this? Should there be specific rules or guidelines for educators to follow in online spaces?   I have read some very thought-provoking posts and associated commentary over the past couple of weeks focusing on how particular educators use social media.  What I have found interesting is the powerful opinions as to how one should use social media. I think it is great that so many people have focused opinions on what social media should, could, or should not be with a considerable emphasis on specific do's and dont's.  These specific methods and techniques work for them and it is important that all of us have some sense as to the why and how when it comes to our own social media use.  It is these opinions that always force me to reflect on my own use, objectives, and goals. To make things clear there is no guidebook out there that educators must abide by when it comes to using social media.   Social media is like the "Wild West" in that there are no overbearing rules, which is why I love it so much.  I can be brief if I want to.  I can comment on a post or tweet if I want to.  I can share something if and when I want to.  I can follow or unfollow whoever I want at any time.  I can recommend educators to follow if I want to.  Heck, I can post pictures of my kids if I want to.  The only firm rule I would encourage all educators to follow is to use common sense when posting to the Internet and always remember your role as an educator in the community you serve. Everything else is basically up to you and your specific preferences. This has led me to think about how I use a myriad of social media tools with Twitter being my main go to resource.  To put it simply here is how I use social media as an educational administrator and learner: Acquire, share, and curate resources Discussion forum and engage in conversations of professional interest Elicit feedback on ideas and initiatives I launch at my school Support Ask questions and receive answers Track conferences Digital newspaper Connect with practitioners as well as experts in the field of educationBuild, cultivate,and interact with a Personal Learning Network (PLN) to grow professionally and do what I do better Promote my work and the work of others Share the great things my students and teachers are doing Public relations Enhance communications Is there a right or wrong way to use social media? I personally don't think so.  The beauty and power of social media is that it is adaptable to fit our particular needs and goals at a given time.  As our goals and needs change our use of social media will evolve.  My point here is that any way an educator decides to use social media is the right way. What are your thoughts on this? Should there be specific rules or guidelines for educators to follow in online spaces?   Mon, 07 Jan 2013 18:58:22 GMT http://edge.ascd.org/_How-Should-Educators-Use-Social-Media/blog/6496545/127586.html Eric_Sheninger 2013-01-06T04:48:56Z Blogs ASCD EDge I have read some very thought-provoking posts and associated commentary over the past couple of weeks focusing on how particular educators use social media.  What I have found interesting is the powerful opinions as to how one should use social media. I think it is great that so many people have focused opinions on what social media should, could, or should not be with a considerable emphasis on specific do's and dont's.  These specific methods and techniques work for them and it is important that all of us have some sense as to the why and how when it comes to our own social media use.  It is these opinions that always force me to reflect on my own use, objectives, and goals. To make things clear there is no guidebook out there that educators must abide by when it comes to using social media.   Social media is like the "Wild West" in that there are no overbearing rules, which is why I love it so much.  I can be brief if I want to.  I can comment on a post or tweet if I want to.  I can share something if and when I want to.  I can follow or unfollow whoever I want at any time.  I can recommend educators to follow if I want to.  Heck, I can post pictures of my kids if I want to.  The only firm rule I would encourage all educators to follow is to use common sense when posting to the Internet and always remember your role as an educator in the community you serve. Everything else is basically up to you and your specific preferences. This has led me to think about how I use a myriad of social media tools with Twitter being my main go to resource.  To put it simply here is how I use social media as an educational administrator and learner: Acquire, share, and curate resources Discussion forum and engage in conversations of professional interest Elicit feedback on ideas and initiatives I launch at my school Support Ask questions and receive answers Track conferences Digital newspaper Connect with practitioners as well as experts in the field of educationBuild, cultivate,and interact with a Personal Learning Network (PLN) to grow professionally and do what I do better Promote my work and the work of others Share the great things my students and teachers are doing Public relations Enhance communications Is there a right or wrong way to use social media? I personally don't think so.  The beauty and power of social media is that it is adaptable to fit our particular needs and goals at a given time.  As our goals and needs change our use of social media will evolve.  My point here is that any way an educator decides to use social media is the right way. What are your thoughts on this? Should there be specific rules or guidelines for educators to follow in online spaces?   blogs, education, social media, social networking nonadult false How Should Educators Use Social Media? text blog blogs,education,social media,social networking 457 12 5.0 http://edge.ascd.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=24953942&as=127586 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/127586/photos/PHOTO_10211009_127586_24953942_ap_160X120.jpg false United States NJ New Milford 2 Blogs 0 6496545 24953942 ASCD EDge Member 250 http://edge.ascd.org/_Acknowledging-the-True-Value-of-Technology/blog/6462211/127586.html This past month my family and I suffered a devastating loss as my grandmother passed away only a few weeks after being diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor.  Abiding by her wishes not to inconvenience anyone, my parents organized and planned a quick viewing an hour before the service, which was followed by the service itself that lasted less than thirty minutes.  The shortness of the service combined with the fact that my grandmother did not want anyone going out of their way to mourn her death resulted in her two sisters not being able to physically attend the service in NJ.  One of my great aunts resides in rural Arkansas while the other in Texas.    My family was heartbroken that they were not able to attend as we both of my great aunts.  The night before the service we called the funeral home to see if they had the capability of streaming the service over the Internet so that they could be connected with us in some way.  Unfortunately we were informed that the funeral home was currently working on setting up this service and that it would not be operational in time for us to use it.  Even after receiving this deflating news I still took my Mac Book Pro with me to the funeral home.  At this time I still do not know why considering I was told that there was no Internet connection to work with.   I arrived early the morning of the service and on a wing and a prayer I booted up my computer to find that there was a strong WiFi signal that I could connect to.  At this point I created a free Ustream account as I had heard about this service through many of the connected educators that I communicate with on a regular basis.  After creating this free account my brother contacted my great aunt in Arkansas and we tested out the live stream.  To all of our surprise it worked!  I then proceeded to stream my grandmother’s funeral service live to her sister in Arkansas.  She was able to watch the entire service uninterrupted.  Afterwards she sent me an email that brought me to tears as she expressed the priceless moment that I was able to provide her.  A few days later my grandmother’s other sister was able to watch the archived recording of the service.  None of this would have been possible without technology.   That night I returned home as I was hosting the third annual Edscape Conference at my school.  It was a bittersweet moment for me as I was still grieving the loss of my grandmother, but excited to welcome 350 educators from ten states and Canada to my school.  Using the knowledge I gained the day before I was determined to try to establish a live feed of the keynote address as well as some sessions.  Not only was I able to use Ustream to share the keynote address with the world, but I was also able to establish a feed presented by some educators who traveled to NJ from Canada so that their superintendent could watch from their province.  Again, something like this would not have been possible without technology.   I have shared both of these stories in that we see the potential that technology has in re-shaping school cultures and how we learn.  Technology is not just a shiny tool that can increase engagement, but a conduit to endless possibilities that can enhance ever facet of what we do in education.  It is not a frivolous expense that is not worth the investment that many make it out to be.  As I demonstrated above the inherent power of a laptop, Internet connection, webcam, and a free streaming service was able to touch the life of someone a thousand miles away and leave a lasting impact.  Imagine what it can do for schools and educators looking to enrich the curriculum while making learning more relevant and meaningful for students? I see technology as a needed resource in education that can break down the walls of traditional school structures while creating new opportunities to learn.    Technology can engage, connect, empower, and enhance educators, schools, and stakeholders.  The driving question we should be asking is how well do we use the technology that is available to us to improve what we do instead of why should we use it to improve what we do.  Technology is here to stay although there is never a shortage of naysayers who question its value.  Its value rests in how we decide to use it effectively to positively impact the lives of our students, achieve learning goals, communicate with stakeholders, share best practices, and connect like never before.  The results and impact will speak for itself in ways that a standardized test never can. This past month my family and I suffered a devastating loss as my grandmother passed away only a few weeks after being diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor.  Abiding by her wishes not to inconvenience anyone, my parents organized and planned a quick viewing an hour before the service, which was followed by the service itself that lasted less than thirty minutes.  The shortness of the service combined with the fact that my grandmother did not want anyone going out of their way to mourn her death resulted in her two sisters not being able to physically attend the service in NJ.  One of my great aunts resides in rural Arkansas while the other in Texas.    My family was heartbroken that they were not able to attend as we both of my great aunts.  The night before the service we called the funeral home to see if they had the capability of streaming the service over the Internet so that they could be connected with us in some way.  Unfortunately we were informed that the funeral home was currently working on setting up this service and that it would not be operational in time for us to use it.  Even after receiving this deflating news I still took my Mac Book Pro with me to the funeral home.  At this time I still do not know why considering I was told that there was no Internet connection to work with.   I arrived early the morning of the service and on a wing and a prayer I booted up my computer to find that there was a strong WiFi signal that I could connect to.  At this point I created a free Ustream account as I had heard about this service through many of the connected educators that I communicate with on a regular basis.  After creating this free account my brother contacted my great aunt in Arkansas and we tested out the live stream.  To all of our surprise it worked!  I then proceeded to stream my grandmother’s funeral service live to her sister in Arkansas.  She was able to watch the entire service uninterrupted.  Afterwards she sent me an email that brought me to tears as she expressed the priceless moment that I was able to provide her.  A few days later my grandmother’s other sister was able to watch the archived recording of the service.  None of this would have been possible without technology.   That night I returned home as I was hosting the third annual Edscape Conference at my school.  It was a bittersweet moment for me as I was still grieving the loss of my grandmother, but excited to welcome 350 educators from ten states and Canada to my school.  Using the knowledge I gained the day before I was determined to try to establish a live feed of the keynote address as well as some sessions.  Not only was I able to use Ustream to share the keynote address with the world, but I was also able to establish a feed presented by some educators who traveled to NJ from Canada so that their superintendent could watch from their province.  Again, something like this would not have been possible without technology.   I have shared both of these stories in that we see the potential that technology has in re-shaping school cultures and how we learn.  Technology is not just a shiny tool that can increase engagement, but a conduit to endless possibilities that can enhance ever facet of what we do in education.  It is not a frivolous expense that is not worth the investment that many make it out to be.  As I demonstrated above the inherent power of a laptop, Internet connection, webcam, and a free streaming service was able to touch the life of someone a thousand miles away and leave a lasting impact.  Imagine what it can do for schools and educators looking to enrich the curriculum while making learning more relevant and meaningful for students? I see technology as a needed resource in education that can break down the walls of traditional school structures while creating new opportunities to learn.    Technology can engage, connect, empower, and enhance educators, schools, and stakeholders.  The driving question we should be asking is how well do we use the technology that is available to us to improve what we do instead of why should we use it to improve what we do.  Technology is here to stay although there is never a shortage of naysayers who question its value.  Its value rests in how we decide to use it effectively to positively impact the lives of our students, achieve learning goals, communicate with stakeholders, share best practices, and connect like never before.  The results and impact will speak for itself in ways that a standardized test never can. Mon, 12 Nov 2012 18:52:54 GMT http://edge.ascd.org/_Acknowledging-the-True-Value-of-Technology/blog/6462211/127586.html Eric_Sheninger 2012-11-12T18:52:54Z Blogs ASCD EDge This past month my family and I suffered a devastating loss as my grandmother passed away only a few weeks after being diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor.  Abiding by her wishes not to inconvenience anyone, my parents organized and planned a quick viewing an hour before the service, which was followed by the service itself that lasted less than thirty minutes.  The shortness of the service combined with the fact that my grandmother did not want anyone going out of their way to mourn her death resulted in her two sisters not being able to physically attend the service in NJ.  One of my great aunts resides in rural Arkansas while the other in Texas.    My family was heartbroken that they were not able to attend as we both of my great aunts.  The night before the service we called the funeral home to see if they had the capability of streaming the service over the Internet so that they could be connected with us in some way.  Unfortunately we were informed that the funeral home was currently working on setting up this service and that it would not be operational in time for us to use it.  Even after receiving this deflating news I still took my Mac Book Pro with me to the funeral home.  At this time I still do not know why considering I was told that there was no Internet connection to work with.   I arrived early the morning of the service and on a wing and a prayer I booted up my computer to find that there was a strong WiFi signal that I could connect to.  At this point I created a free Ustream account as I had heard about this service through many of the connected educators that I communicate with on a regular basis.  After creating this free account my brother contacted my great aunt in Arkansas and we tested out the live stream.  To all of our surprise it worked!  I then proceeded to stream my grandmother’s funeral service live to her sister in Arkansas.  She was able to watch the entire service uninterrupted.  Afterwards she sent me an email that brought me to tears as she expressed the priceless moment that I was able to provide her.  A few days later my grandmother’s other sister was able to watch the archived recording of the service.  None of this would have been possible without technology.   That night I returned home as I was hosting the third annual Edscape Conference at my school.  It was a bittersweet moment for me as I was still grieving the loss of my grandmother, but excited to welcome 350 educators from ten states and Canada to my school.  Using the knowledge I gained the day before I was determined to try to establish a live feed of the keynote address as well as some sessions.  Not only was I able to use Ustream to share the keynote address with the world, but I was also able to establish a feed presented by some educators who traveled to NJ from Canada so that their superintendent could watch from their province.  Again, something like this would not have been possible without technology.   I have shared both of these stories in that we see the potential that technology has in re-shaping school cultures and how we learn.  Technology is not just a shiny tool that can increase engagement, but a conduit to endless possibilities that can enhance ever facet of what we do in education.  It is not a frivolous expense that is not worth the investment that many make it out to be.  As I demonstrated above the inherent power of a laptop, Internet connection, webcam, and a free streaming service was able to touch the life of someone a thousand miles away and leave a lasting impact.  Imagine what it can do for schools and educators looking to enrich the curriculum while making learning more relevant and meaningful for students? I see technology as a needed resource in education that can break down the walls of traditional school structures while creating new opportunities to learn.    Technology can engage, connect, empower, and enhance educators, schools, and stakeholders.  The driving question we should be asking is how well do we use the technology that is available to us to improve what we do instead of why should we use it to improve what we do.  Technology is here to stay although there is never a shortage of naysayers who question its value.  Its value rests in how we decide to use it effectively to positively impact the lives of our students, achieve learning goals, communicate with stakeholders, share best practices, and connect like never before.  The results and impact will speak for itself in ways that a standardized test never can. blogs, educational technology, transformation nonadult false Acknowledging the True Value of Technology text blog blogs,educational technology,transformation 274 0 0.0 http://edge.ascd.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=24953942&as=127586 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/127586/photos/PHOTO_10211009_127586_24953942_ap_160X120.jpg false United States NJ New Milford 0 Blogs 0 6462211 24953942 ASCD EDge Member 250 http://edge.ascd.org/_Connectedness-Matters/blog/6329043/127586.html This past August was the first ever Connected Educator's month.  In my opinion, being a connected learner, leader, and/or educator is no longer an option.  My personal and professional journey in this area is well documented and something that I regularly present on.  When I think back to my life as an educator prior to becoming connected, I can honestly say that I was isolated, naive, and definitely not as well rounded as I am today.  Here is my quick list of reasons why all educators should become connected and form their own Personal Learning Network(PLN): We become the epicenter of our learning and determine what, where, and when we want to learn.  This makes the learning process meaningful, relevant, applicable, and convenient.  With these structures in place, the foundation is established to unleash passion, creativity, and a pursuit of innovation to do what we do better.  Connectedness and control of our learning provide each of us with the ability to determine our own path and to differentiate to meet each of our diverse learning needs.  This type of learning is fueled by intrinsic motivation, which is the most pivotal ingredient essential to life-long learning, growth, innovation, and sustainable change.  Access to a wealth of free resources.  Using tools to share and acquire resources expands our horizons.  Many educators, including myself a few years ago, don’t even know what tools exist, let alone how they can enhance the teaching and learning process. A two-way mechanism for constructive feedback, support, and advice.  In my mind this is priceless.  No longer do we need to feel like we inhabit isolated islands in our respective positions. You do not have to pay for this powerful opportunity to grow.  All it costs is an investment of time, which you ultimately determine. The ability and means to connect with the best minds in the field of education.  One of the most amazing attributes associated with social media is that it makes the world a much smaller place.  You can now connect with world-renowned educational researchers or experts from your living room.  Possibly even more powerful is the ability to learn from actual practitioners doing the same job as you.  Accessibility to these ideas, strategies, and collective knowledge from both of these groups will ultimately make you a better educator.  Silos of information become a thing of the past. Your PLN will provide you with the seeds of change, but is up to you to plant, take care of, and cultivate them in order to witness their growth and development into transformative culture elements. If you do, it will not take long before these seeds of change mature and begin to bear fruit by becoming embedded, sustainable components of the school culture and your professional growth. with the tools that are now available connectedness should be the standard, not just an option in education. What do you think are some of the benefits of becoming connected that I might not have touched on? Can we afford not to become connected?  Please share your thoughts. Below are some more resources to either help you get connected and/or strengthen the connections that you arealdy have. Communicating and Connecting With Social Media (Bill Ferriter, Jason Ramsden, Eric Sheninger) Pinterest board of PLN resources The Connected Educator (Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach, Lani Ritter Hall) Personal Learning Networks (Will Richardson, Rob Mancabelli) This past August was the first ever Connected Educator's month.  In my opinion, being a connected learner, leader, and/or educator is no longer an option.  My personal and professional journey in this area is well documented and something that I regularly present on.  When I think back to my life as an educator prior to becoming connected, I can honestly say that I was isolated, naive, and definitely not as well rounded as I am today.  Here is my quick list of reasons why all educators should become connected and form their own Personal Learning Network(PLN): We become the epicenter of our learning and determine what, where, and when we want to learn.  This makes the learning process meaningful, relevant, applicable, and convenient.  With these structures in place, the foundation is established to unleash passion, creativity, and a pursuit of innovation to do what we do better.  Connectedness and control of our learning provide each of us with the ability to determine our own path and to differentiate to meet each of our diverse learning needs.  This type of learning is fueled by intrinsic motivation, which is the most pivotal ingredient essential to life-long learning, growth, innovation, and sustainable change.  Access to a wealth of free resources.  Using tools to share and acquire resources expands our horizons.  Many educators, including myself a few years ago, don’t even know what tools exist, let alone how they can enhance the teaching and learning process. A two-way mechanism for constructive feedback, support, and advice.  In my mind this is priceless.  No longer do we need to feel like we inhabit isolated islands in our respective positions. You do not have to pay for this powerful opportunity to grow.  All it costs is an investment of time, which you ultimately determine. The ability and means to connect with the best minds in the field of education.  One of the most amazing attributes associated with social media is that it makes the world a much smaller place.  You can now connect with world-renowned educational researchers or experts from your living room.  Possibly even more powerful is the ability to learn from actual practitioners doing the same job as you.  Accessibility to these ideas, strategies, and collective knowledge from both of these groups will ultimately make you a better educator.  Silos of information become a thing of the past. Your PLN will provide you with the seeds of change, but is up to you to plant, take care of, and cultivate them in order to witness their growth and development into transformative culture elements. If you do, it will not take long before these seeds of change mature and begin to bear fruit by becoming embedded, sustainable components of the school culture and your professional growth. with the tools that are now available connectedness should be the standard, not just an option in education. What do you think are some of the benefits of becoming connected that I might not have touched on? Can we afford not to become connected?  Please share your thoughts. Below are some more resources to either help you get connected and/or strengthen the connections that you arealdy have. Communicating and Connecting With Social Media (Bill Ferriter, Jason Ramsden, Eric Sheninger) Pinterest board of PLN resources The Connected Educator (Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach, Lani Ritter Hall) Personal Learning Networks (Will Richardson, Rob Mancabelli) Sat, 08 Sep 2012 13:09:55 GMT http://edge.ascd.org/_Connectedness-Matters/blog/6329043/127586.html Eric_Sheninger 2012-09-08T13:09:55Z Blogs ASCD EDge This past August was the first ever Connected Educator's month.  In my opinion, being a connected learner, leader, and/or educator is no longer an option.  My personal and professional journey in this area is well documented and something that I regularly present on.  When I think back to my life as an educator prior to becoming connected, I can honestly say that I was isolated, naive, and definitely not as well rounded as I am today.  Here is my quick list of reasons why all educators should become connected and form their own Personal Learning Network(PLN): We become the epicenter of our learning and determine what, where, and when we want to learn.  This makes the learning process meaningful, relevant, applicable, and convenient.  With these structures in place, the foundation is established to unleash passion, creativity, and a pursuit of innovation to do what we do better.  Connectedness and control of our learning provide each of us with the ability to determine our own path and to differentiate to meet each of our diverse learning needs.  This type of learning is fueled by intrinsic motivation, which is the most pivotal ingredient essential to life-long learning, growth, innovation, and sustainable change.  Access to a wealth of free resources.  Using tools to share and acquire resources expands our horizons.  Many educators, including myself a few years ago, don’t even know what tools exist, let alone how they can enhance the teaching and learning process. A two-way mechanism for constructive feedback, support, and advice.  In my mind this is priceless.  No longer do we need to feel like we inhabit isolated islands in our respective positions. You do not have to pay for this powerful opportunity to grow.  All it costs is an investment of time, which you ultimately determine. The ability and means to connect with the best minds in the field of education.  One of the most amazing attributes associated with social media is that it makes the world a much smaller place.  You can now connect with world-renowned educational researchers or experts from your living room.  Possibly even more powerful is the ability to learn from actual practitioners doing the same job as you.  Accessibility to these ideas, strategies, and collective knowledge from both of these groups will ultimately make you a better educator.  Silos of information become a thing of the past. Your PLN will provide you with the seeds of change, but is up to you to plant, take care of, and cultivate them in order to witness their growth and development into transformative culture elements. If you do, it will not take long before these seeds of change mature and begin to bear fruit by becoming embedded, sustainable components of the school culture and your professional growth. with the tools that are now available connectedness should be the standard, not just an option in education. What do you think are some of the benefits of becoming connected that I might not have touched on? Can we afford not to become connected?  Please share your thoughts. Below are some more resources to either help you get connected and/or strengthen the connections that you arealdy have. Communicating and Connecting With Social Media (Bill Ferriter, Jason Ramsden, Eric Sheninger) Pinterest board of PLN resources The Connected Educator (Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach, Lani Ritter Hall) Personal Learning Networks (Will Richardson, Rob Mancabelli) blogs, education, learning, personal learning networks, professional development nonadult false Connectedness Matters text blog blogs,education,learning,personal learning networks,professional development 546 10 5.0 http://edge.ascd.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=24953942&as=127586 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/127586/photos/PHOTO_10211009_127586_24953942_ap_160X120.jpg false United States NJ New Milford 0 Blogs 0 6329043 24953942 ASCD EDge Member 250 http://edge.ascd.org/_Where-is-Standardization-Taking-Education/blog/6247805/127586.html Cross posted at the Huffington Post.  This summer I have made a commitment to reading more and have chosen books that I think will help me become a better leader.  A few weeks ago I finished Drive by Daniel Pink and am now halfway through with Linchpin by Seth Godin.  I highly recommend both of these book at any educators who is interested about the science behind motivation or overcoming resistance to become and indispensible component of an educational organization.    Through my reading of both books it has become painfully clear that many of our current politicians and so-called educational reformers have it completely wrong when it comes to standardization.  Now I have always thought this was the case, but these two books have not only reaffirmed my views, but also given me a great deal of concern as we inch closer to an educational system that focuses on test scores as the number one determinant of achievement.    Dan Pink reveals that the keys unlocking and sustaining intrinsic motivation are autonomy, mastery, and purpose.  As a leader this is the type of teaching and learning culture that I want to foster and cultivate, one where creativity flourishes, students find relevancy and meaning in their learning, and teachers are given the support to be innovative.  A teaching and learning culture powered by intrinsic motivation will achieve this.   Unfortunately we are being forced in the opposite directions.  The current education movement is laden with "if-then" rewards and a carrots & sticks approach to motivation. If students score well on standardized tests they move on to the next grade level or graduate while their teachers receive favorable marks on evaluations.  These are forms of extrinsic motivation and will work in short term, but performance will not be sustainable as those motivated intrinsically.  The same can be said for merit pay.  Pink has provided a compelling case as to why this will never work and this is supported by the research.    Students are not motivated by standardized tests, as they find no true meaning and value in them.  Teachers are motivated for all the wrong reasons, of which includes job security or a financial incentive.  A focus on standardization narrows the curriculum and creates a teaching culture where creativity, exploration, critical thinking are scarce or non-existent.  It creates a culture that students do not want to be a part of and one that can only be sustained with the use of "if-then" rewards or carrots and sticks.  Is this the direction we want to go in?  Do we want schools to squash creativity and reinforce a model that worked will in the 20th Century that will not prepare our students for their future?   Seth Godin describes linchpins as indispensable components of an organization that are artists in there own right.  These individuals don’t follow a manual, but instead are guided by an urge to do what is right.  In my opinion we want to create schools that allow teachers to become linchpins because in the end students benefit from their creativity, passion, and innovative mindset. However, standardization follows in the footsteps of a century-old education model focused on industrialization, which influences teachers and administrators in a way where the artist in each of them never evolves.  This entrenched system produces students that lack creativity, are fearful of failure, work extremely hard to follow directions (homework, study for tests, not question authority), and are leaving schools with undesirable skills in a post-industrial society. Schools focus more on filling the minds of students with useless facts and knowledge as opposed to learning essential skills that can't be measured with a #2 pencil. Godin continues to provide example after example of how education has it all wrong.  Take the resume for example.  Virtually every school has students craft one to go along with their college application materials.  Students don't need resumes, they need to create artifacts of learning that provides detail as to what they can really do or know.  Godin provides a compelling alternative to a traditional resume and hiring process.  I have tweaked the business example he provided into an educational one. Instead of standardization, have students make a presentation of their resume and skills learned while in school.  Have them defend, answer questions, and lead a discussion with a variety of stakeholders.  Does this seem more meaningful and relevant? When analyzing the science of motivation presented to Drive I would certainly say so.    My only hope, and this is wishful thinking, is that research and common sense will ultimately prevail to save our education system from future demise if those with influence and power keep steering us in a failed direction.  Let us learn from the past and create an educational system that instills a sense of intrinsic motivation and creates learners that are indispensible. Cross posted at the Huffington Post.  This summer I have made a commitment to reading more and have chosen books that I think will help me become a better leader.  A few weeks ago I finished Drive by Daniel Pink and am now halfway through with Linchpin by Seth Godin.  I highly recommend both of these book at any educators who is interested about the science behind motivation or overcoming resistance to become and indispensible component of an educational organization.    Through my reading of both books it has become painfully clear that many of our current politicians and so-called educational reformers have it completely wrong when it comes to standardization.  Now I have always thought this was the case, but these two books have not only reaffirmed my views, but also given me a great deal of concern as we inch closer to an educational system that focuses on test scores as the number one determinant of achievement.    Dan Pink reveals that the keys unlocking and sustaining intrinsic motivation are autonomy, mastery, and purpose.  As a leader this is the type of teaching and learning culture that I want to foster and cultivate, one where creativity flourishes, students find relevancy and meaning in their learning, and teachers are given the support to be innovative.  A teaching and learning culture powered by intrinsic motivation will achieve this.   Unfortunately we are being forced in the opposite directions.  The current education movement is laden with "if-then" rewards and a carrots & sticks approach to motivation. If students score well on standardized tests they move on to the next grade level or graduate while their teachers receive favorable marks on evaluations.  These are forms of extrinsic motivation and will work in short term, but performance will not be sustainable as those motivated intrinsically.  The same can be said for merit pay.  Pink has provided a compelling case as to why this will never work and this is supported by the research.    Students are not motivated by standardized tests, as they find no true meaning and value in them.  Teachers are motivated for all the wrong reasons, of which includes job security or a financial incentive.  A focus on standardization narrows the curriculum and creates a teaching culture where creativity, exploration, critical thinking are scarce or non-existent.  It creates a culture that students do not want to be a part of and one that can only be sustained with the use of "if-then" rewards or carrots and sticks.  Is this the direction we want to go in?  Do we want schools to squash creativity and reinforce a model that worked will in the 20th Century that will not prepare our students for their future?   Seth Godin describes linchpins as indispensable components of an organization that are artists in there own right.  These individuals don’t follow a manual, but instead are guided by an urge to do what is right.  In my opinion we want to create schools that allow teachers to become linchpins because in the end students benefit from their creativity, passion, and innovative mindset. However, standardization follows in the footsteps of a century-old education model focused on industrialization, which influences teachers and administrators in a way where the artist in each of them never evolves.  This entrenched system produces students that lack creativity, are fearful of failure, work extremely hard to follow directions (homework, study for tests, not question authority), and are leaving schools with undesirable skills in a post-industrial society. Schools focus more on filling the minds of students with useless facts and knowledge as opposed to learning essential skills that can't be measured with a #2 pencil. Godin continues to provide example after example of how education has it all wrong.  Take the resume for example.  Virtually every school has students craft one to go along with their college application materials.  Students don't need resumes, they need to create artifacts of learning that provides detail as to what they can really do or know.  Godin provides a compelling alternative to a traditional resume and hiring process.  I have tweaked the business example he provided into an educational one. Instead of standardization, have students make a presentation of their resume and skills learned while in school.  Have them defend, answer questions, and lead a discussion with a variety of stakeholders.  Does this seem more meaningful and relevant? When analyzing the science of motivation presented to Drive I would certainly say so.    My only hope, and this is wishful thinking, is that research and common sense will ultimately prevail to save our education system from future demise if those with influence and power keep steering us in a failed direction.  Let us learn from the past and create an educational system that instills a sense of intrinsic motivation and creates learners that are indispensible. Sat, 28 Jul 2012 18:03:46 GMT http://edge.ascd.org/_Where-is-Standardization-Taking-Education/blog/6247805/127586.html Eric_Sheninger 2012-07-28T18:03:46Z Blogs ASCD EDge Cross posted at the Huffington Post.  This summer I have made a commitment to reading more and have chosen books that I think will help me become a better leader.  A few weeks ago I finished Drive by Daniel Pink and am now halfway through with Linchpin by Seth Godin.  I highly recommend both of these book at any educators who is interested about the science behind motivation or overcoming resistance to become and indispensible component of an educational organization.    Through my reading of both books it has become painfully clear that many of our current politicians and so-called educational reformers have it completely wrong when it comes to standardization.  Now I have always thought this was the case, but these two books have not only reaffirmed my views, but also given me a great deal of concern as we inch closer to an educational system that focuses on test scores as the number one determinant of achievement.    Dan Pink reveals that the keys unlocking and sustaining intrinsic motivation are autonomy, mastery, and purpose.  As a leader this is the type of teaching and learning culture that I want to foster and cultivate, one where creativity flourishes, students find relevancy and meaning in their learning, and teachers are given the support to be innovative.  A teaching and learning culture powered by intrinsic motivation will achieve this.   Unfortunately we are being forced in the opposite directions.  The current education movement is laden with "if-then" rewards and a carrots & sticks approach to motivation. If students score well on standardized tests they move on to the next grade level or graduate while their teachers receive favorable marks on evaluations.  These are forms of extrinsic motivation and will work in short term, but performance will not be sustainable as those motivated intrinsically.  The same can be said for merit pay.  Pink has provided a compelling case as to why this will never work and this is supported by the research.    Students are not motivated by standardized tests, as they find no true meaning and value in them.  Teachers are motivated for all the wrong reasons, of which includes job security or a financial incentive.  A focus on standardization narrows the curriculum and creates a teaching culture where creativity, exploration, critical thinking are scarce or non-existent.  It creates a culture that students do not want to be a part of and one that can only be sustained with the use of "if-then" rewards or carrots and sticks.  Is this the direction we want to go in?  Do we want schools to squash creativity and reinforce a model that worked will in the 20th Century that will not prepare our students for their future?   Seth Godin describes linchpins as indispensable components of an organization that are artists in there own right.  These individuals don’t follow a manual, but instead are guided by an urge to do what is right.  In my opinion we want to create schools that allow teachers to become linchpins because in the end students benefit from their creativity, passion, and innovative mindset. However, standardization follows in the footsteps of a century-old education model focused on industrialization, which influences teachers and administrators in a way where the artist in each of them never evolves.  This entrenched system produces students that lack creativity, are fearful of failure, work extremely hard to follow directions (homework, study for tests, not question authority), and are leaving schools with undesirable skills in a post-industrial society. Schools focus more on filling the minds of students with useless facts and knowledge as opposed to learning essential skills that can't be measured with a #2 pencil. Godin continues to provide example after example of how education has it all wrong.  Take the resume for example.  Virtually every school has students craft one to go along with their college application materials.  Students don't need resumes, they need to create artifacts of learning that provides detail as to what they can really do or know.  Godin provides a compelling alternative to a traditional resume and hiring process.  I have tweaked the business example he provided into an educational one. Instead of standardization, have students make a presentation of their resume and skills learned while in school.  Have them defend, answer questions, and lead a discussion with a variety of stakeholders.  Does this seem more meaningful and relevant? When analyzing the science of motivation presented to Drive I would certainly say so.    My only hope, and this is wishful thinking, is that research and common sense will ultimately prevail to save our education system from future demise if those with influence and power keep steering us in a failed direction.  Let us learn from the past and create an educational system that instills a sense of intrinsic motivation and creates learners that are indispensible. blogs, daniel pink, education reform, leadership, seth godin nonadult false Where is Standardization Taking Education? text blog blogs,daniel pink,education reform,leadership,seth godin 848 10 5.0 http://edge.ascd.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=24953942&as=127586 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/127586/photos/PHOTO_10211009_127586_24953942_ap_160X120.jpg false United States NJ New Milford 1 Blogs 0 6247805 24953942 ASCD EDge Member 250 http://edge.ascd.org/_The-Importance-of-Blogging/blog/6182483/127586.html As I reflect on my continuous evolution as an educational leader I am constantly amazed at how things have changed over the course of three years.  It was in March of 2009 that I decided to give this social networking tool Twitter a try.  At the time I was skeptical about whether my time was going to be well spent posting updates in 140 characters and whether or not people would actually care or be interested in what I was doing.  Obviously my perception of Twitter early on was completely wrong, as it has radically molded me into the leader and educator that I am today.   After nearly a year of using Twitter from an educational perspective I had begun to find and read blogs on a daily basis around February 2010.  I often marveled at the creative thought and passion that so many educators put into their writing.  Envious would be a more appropriate word.  As I became active on Twitter members of my Personal Learning Network (PLN) began to suggest that I start a blog.  Well let me be the first one to tell you that I am NOT a writer and always struggled with expressing my thoughts in words.  My mind was set in concrete that I would NEVER under any circumstances begin to blog (wait, I said the same thing about joining Facebook up until 2010).   So what changed?  The most important factor that influenced me to begin a blog was my PLN.  Had it not been the modeling by and support of so many unbelievable educators I would NEVER, and I mean NEVER, started blogging.  The support I received gave me the courage to share my thoughts, experiences, and ideas with others who have a stake in the noblest profession.  My reflections led to a belief that I actually had useful information to share that might be utilized to help other educators grow, think, take-risks, and eventually share their success stories.   I absolutely relish the fact that I now utilize my blog as a vehicle to share the successes of my students and staff.  Sharing is the key word here.  The concept of a PLN and immersion in the educational world of Web 2.0 has shown me the unselfish nature of educators as they constantly strive to help each other day in day out.  Why do we do this? The answer is simple; we want to ensure that students succeed!  No one person or group has all of the answers.  Each and every educator has something to share.  Blogs now provide a valuable set of services to educators in a time when our profession desperately needs it.  These include mentoring, professional development, encouragement, ideas to reform the profession, and most importantly inspiration.  They also show students, parents, and community members how passionate we are about what we do!  For me blogging has also become a portal to discuss strategies and ideas that have not only helped to transform my school, but also my leadership style.   Why do I blog? I do so to give back to those people that have helped me break free from a traditional mindset and hopefully inspire others to do the same.  I blog in the hopes of challenging my own thinking in order to continually grow into a transformational leader.  Finally, I blog to be transparent.  I want to brag about my students and staff while providing examples of innovation.  My blog, at times, illustrates that sustainable change can and is occurring in schools.  There might not be a better conduit for learning from practitioners or medium for public relations than blogs. If it weren’t for Twitter, my PLN, or the support of my family and NMHS community, this post along with all the others would never have been written. As I reflect on my continuous evolution as an educational leader I am constantly amazed at how things have changed over the course of three years.  It was in March of 2009 that I decided to give this social networking tool Twitter a try.  At the time I was skeptical about whether my time was going to be well spent posting updates in 140 characters and whether or not people would actually care or be interested in what I was doing.  Obviously my perception of Twitter early on was completely wrong, as it has radically molded me into the leader and educator that I am today.   After nearly a year of using Twitter from an educational perspective I had begun to find and read blogs on a daily basis around February 2010.  I often marveled at the creative thought and passion that so many educators put into their writing.  Envious would be a more appropriate word.  As I became active on Twitter members of my Personal Learning Network (PLN) began to suggest that I start a blog.  Well let me be the first one to tell you that I am NOT a writer and always struggled with expressing my thoughts in words.  My mind was set in concrete that I would NEVER under any circumstances begin to blog (wait, I said the same thing about joining Facebook up until 2010).   So what changed?  The most important factor that influenced me to begin a blog was my PLN.  Had it not been the modeling by and support of so many unbelievable educators I would NEVER, and I mean NEVER, started blogging.  The support I received gave me the courage to share my thoughts, experiences, and ideas with others who have a stake in the noblest profession.  My reflections led to a belief that I actually had useful information to share that might be utilized to help other educators grow, think, take-risks, and eventually share their success stories.   I absolutely relish the fact that I now utilize my blog as a vehicle to share the successes of my students and staff.  Sharing is the key word here.  The concept of a PLN and immersion in the educational world of Web 2.0 has shown me the unselfish nature of educators as they constantly strive to help each other day in day out.  Why do we do this? The answer is simple; we want to ensure that students succeed!  No one person or group has all of the answers.  Each and every educator has something to share.  Blogs now provide a valuable set of services to educators in a time when our profession desperately needs it.  These include mentoring, professional development, encouragement, ideas to reform the profession, and most importantly inspiration.  They also show students, parents, and community members how passionate we are about what we do!  For me blogging has also become a portal to discuss strategies and ideas that have not only helped to transform my school, but also my leadership style.   Why do I blog? I do so to give back to those people that have helped me break free from a traditional mindset and hopefully inspire others to do the same.  I blog in the hopes of challenging my own thinking in order to continually grow into a transformational leader.  Finally, I blog to be transparent.  I want to brag about my students and staff while providing examples of innovation.  My blog, at times, illustrates that sustainable change can and is occurring in schools.  There might not be a better conduit for learning from practitioners or medium for public relations than blogs. If it weren’t for Twitter, my PLN, or the support of my family and NMHS community, this post along with all the others would never have been written. Tue, 19 Jun 2012 21:14:38 GMT http://edge.ascd.org/_The-Importance-of-Blogging/blog/6182483/127586.html Eric_Sheninger 2012-06-19T21:14:38Z Blogs ASCD EDge As I reflect on my continuous evolution as an educational leader I am constantly amazed at how things have changed over the course of three years.  It was in March of 2009 that I decided to give this social networking tool Twitter a try.  At the time I was skeptical about whether my time was going to be well spent posting updates in 140 characters and whether or not people would actually care or be interested in what I was doing.  Obviously my perception of Twitter early on was completely wrong, as it has radically molded me into the leader and educator that I am today.   After nearly a year of using Twitter from an educational perspective I had begun to find and read blogs on a daily basis around February 2010.  I often marveled at the creative thought and passion that so many educators put into their writing.  Envious would be a more appropriate word.  As I became active on Twitter members of my Personal Learning Network (PLN) began to suggest that I start a blog.  Well let me be the first one to tell you that I am NOT a writer and always struggled with expressing my thoughts in words.  My mind was set in concrete that I would NEVER under any circumstances begin to blog (wait, I said the same thing about joining Facebook up until 2010).   So what changed?  The most important factor that influenced me to begin a blog was my PLN.  Had it not been the modeling by and support of so many unbelievable educators I would NEVER, and I mean NEVER, started blogging.  The support I received gave me the courage to share my thoughts, experiences, and ideas with others who have a stake in the noblest profession.  My reflections led to a belief that I actually had useful information to share that might be utilized to help other educators grow, think, take-risks, and eventually share their success stories.   I absolutely relish the fact that I now utilize my blog as a vehicle to share the successes of my students and staff.  Sharing is the key word here.  The concept of a PLN and immersion in the educational world of Web 2.0 has shown me the unselfish nature of educators as they constantly strive to help each other day in day out.  Why do we do this? The answer is simple; we want to ensure that students succeed!  No one person or group has all of the answers.  Each and every educator has something to share.  Blogs now provide a valuable set of services to educators in a time when our profession desperately needs it.  These include mentoring, professional development, encouragement, ideas to reform the profession, and most importantly inspiration.  They also show students, parents, and community members how passionate we are about what we do!  For me blogging has also become a portal to discuss strategies and ideas that have not only helped to transform my school, but also my leadership style.   Why do I blog? I do so to give back to those people that have helped me break free from a traditional mindset and hopefully inspire others to do the same.  I blog in the hopes of challenging my own thinking in order to continually grow into a transformational leader.  Finally, I blog to be transparent.  I want to brag about my students and staff while providing examples of innovation.  My blog, at times, illustrates that sustainable change can and is occurring in schools.  There might not be a better conduit for learning from practitioners or medium for public relations than blogs. If it weren’t for Twitter, my PLN, or the support of my family and NMHS community, this post along with all the others would never have been written. blogging, blogs, communication, educational leadership, public relations nonadult false The Importance of Blogging text blog blogging,blogs,communication,educational leadership,public relations 543 10 5.0 http://edge.ascd.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=24953942&as=127586 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/127586/photos/PHOTO_10211009_127586_24953942_ap_160X120.jpg false United States NJ New Milford 0 Blogs 0 6182483 24953942 ASCD EDge Member 250 http://edge.ascd.org/_Ideas-to-Increase-Parent-Engagement/blog/6158679/127586.html Educators must be experts in effective communication techniques, especially when it comes to parents and other key stakeholders.  As the times and tools have changed we now have a variety of means to disseminate information in a more efficient and cost-effective fashion.  In my experience I have identified 4 key principles that lay a foundation for communicating effectively with parents: transparency, honesty, accessibility, and flexibility.  As you will see, these four principles can be applied to the following strategies that are listed below: 1.      Make your professional email and Twitter accounts available this way parents can contact you at their convenience.   If you have not created such an account for your school I highly recommend that you do.  During the beginning of each school year I send home a letter to all parents that provides detailed information on what Twitter is, how to create an account, and configuring the settings to receive SMS text messages. This versatility, allowing parents to receive updates on their own terms, makes Twitter unlike any traditional communication tool that I’ve ever used as a principal. As far as transparency goes, is there any application more effective than Twitter?  In response to parent feedback I created an "Official" school account (NewMilfordHS).  The NMHS Twitter page includes a link to the school’s main website as well as our school’s colors, mascot and logo. This makes our page stand out to viewers and establishes a brand presence.  Information tweeted out from this account in real-time includes sports scores, special schedules, school news, student achievements, staff accomplishments, campus weather, and emergency information.   2.      Create your own website and include contact information, availability to meet with or speak to parents, extra help hours, student assignments, press, etc. This is also a great way to convey to parents your philosophy on education, professional accomplishments, and vision for helping students succeed.  My website can be viewed by clicking this link.   3.       Hold training workshops for parents.   4.      Call home on both positive and negative issues.    5.      Share as many student and teacher accomplishments and success stories as possible.  Parents want and need to hear the great things happening in our buildings and classrooms. I do this through a monthly Principal's Report.    6.      Set up a separate phone number for parents using Google Voice.   7.       Make resources readily available for parents using a social bookmarking service.   8.      ALWAYS return parent phone calls and emails in a timely fashion!   9.      Invite parents into your classrooms/schools.   10.     Develop a school Facebook page to advertise events and provide up to date school information.  The NMHS Facebook page has now become our informational hub that parents have come to rely on.   11.     Institute a positive referral policy and make parents aware of when their child is recognized.   12.    Start a blog and let parents know about it, and encourage them to comment on your posts.  Blogs are fantastic communication tools where parents can get a glimpse into your educational life.     13.    Look for other means to reach stakeholders. In my quest to create a paperless environment at NMHS discovered ZippSlip.  This free solution not only allows my parents to sign and submit all school forms electronically, but it also provides me a portal to send email messages to my parents.   If we’re going to succeed as a school, I’ve got to get several different stakeholder groups---parents, students, community leaders, and businesses---to buy into a set of core beliefs.  That means I’m constantly trying to craft messages that have resonance and to deliver those messages in ways that are likely to be heard.  In many ways, communication is the most important thing I do every day. These are just some ideas and strategies that I have either utilized during my six plus years as an educator or are going to implement.  I encourage you to share your thoughts on these ideas and some of the successful ways in which you have fostered positive lines of communication with your parents.   Educators must be experts in effective communication techniques, especially when it comes to parents and other key stakeholders.  As the times and tools have changed we now have a variety of means to disseminate information in a more efficient and cost-effective fashion.  In my experience I have identified 4 key principles that lay a foundation for communicating effectively with parents: transparency, honesty, accessibility, and flexibility.  As you will see, these four principles can be applied to the following strategies that are listed below: 1.      Make your professional email and Twitter accounts available this way parents can contact you at their convenience.   If you have not created such an account for your school I highly recommend that you do.  During the beginning of each school year I send home a letter to all parents that provides detailed information on what Twitter is, how to create an account, and configuring the settings to receive SMS text messages. This versatility, allowing parents to receive updates on their own terms, makes Twitter unlike any traditional communication tool that I’ve ever used as a principal. As far as transparency goes, is there any application more effective than Twitter?  In response to parent feedback I created an "Official" school account (NewMilfordHS).  The NMHS Twitter page includes a link to the school’s main website as well as our school’s colors, mascot and logo. This makes our page stand out to viewers and establishes a brand presence.  Information tweeted out from this account in real-time includes sports scores, special schedules, school news, student achievements, staff accomplishments, campus weather, and emergency information.   2.      Create your own website and include contact information, availability to meet with or speak to parents, extra help hours, student assignments, press, etc. This is also a great way to convey to parents your philosophy on education, professional accomplishments, and vision for helping students succeed.  My website can be viewed by clicking this link.   3.       Hold training workshops for parents.   4.      Call home on both positive and negative issues.    5.      Share as many student and teacher accomplishments and success stories as possible.  Parents want and need to hear the great things happening in our buildings and classrooms. I do this through a monthly Principal's Report.    6.      Set up a separate phone number for parents using Google Voice.   7.       Make resources readily available for parents using a social bookmarking service.   8.      ALWAYS return parent phone calls and emails in a timely fashion!   9.      Invite parents into your classrooms/schools.   10.     Develop a school Facebook page to advertise events and provide up to date school information.  The NMHS Facebook page has now become our informational hub that parents have come to rely on.   11.     Institute a positive referral policy and make parents aware of when their child is recognized.   12.    Start a blog and let parents know about it, and encourage them to comment on your posts.  Blogs are fantastic communication tools where parents can get a glimpse into your educational life.     13.    Look for other means to reach stakeholders. In my quest to create a paperless environment at NMHS discovered ZippSlip.  This free solution not only allows my parents to sign and submit all school forms electronically, but it also provides me a portal to send email messages to my parents.   If we’re going to succeed as a school, I’ve got to get several different stakeholder groups---parents, students, community leaders, and businesses---to buy into a set of core beliefs.  That means I’m constantly trying to craft messages that have resonance and to deliver those messages in ways that are likely to be heard.  In many ways, communication is the most important thing I do every day. These are just some ideas and strategies that I have either utilized during my six plus years as an educator or are going to implement.  I encourage you to share your thoughts on these ideas and some of the successful ways in which you have fostered positive lines of communication with your parents.   Sun, 10 Jun 2012 13:57:51 GMT http://edge.ascd.org/_Ideas-to-Increase-Parent-Engagement/blog/6158679/127586.html Eric_Sheninger 2012-06-10T13:57:51Z Blogs ASCD EDge Educators must be experts in effective communication techniques, especially when it comes to parents and other key stakeholders.  As the times and tools have changed we now have a variety of means to disseminate information in a more efficient and cost-effective fashion.  In my experience I have identified 4 key principles that lay a foundation for communicating effectively with parents: transparency, honesty, accessibility, and flexibility.  As you will see, these four principles can be applied to the following strategies that are listed below: 1.      Make your professional email and Twitter accounts available this way parents can contact you at their convenience.   If you have not created such an account for your school I highly recommend that you do.  During the beginning of each school year I send home a letter to all parents that provides detailed information on what Twitter is, how to create an account, and configuring the settings to receive SMS text messages. This versatility, allowing parents to receive updates on their own terms, makes Twitter unlike any traditional communication tool that I’ve ever used as a principal. As far as transparency goes, is there any application more effective than Twitter?  In response to parent feedback I created an "Official" school account (NewMilfordHS).  The NMHS Twitter page includes a link to the school’s main website as well as our school’s colors, mascot and logo. This makes our page stand out to viewers and establishes a brand presence.  Information tweeted out from this account in real-time includes sports scores, special schedules, school news, student achievements, staff accomplishments, campus weather, and emergency information.   2.      Create your own website and include contact information, availability to meet with or speak to parents, extra help hours, student assignments, press, etc. This is also a great way to convey to parents your philosophy on education, professional accomplishments, and vision for helping students succeed.  My website can be viewed by clicking this link.   3.       Hold training workshops for parents.   4.      Call home on both positive and negative issues.    5.      Share as many student and teacher accomplishments and success stories as possible.  Parents want and need to hear the great things happening in our buildings and classrooms. I do this through a monthly Principal's Report.    6.      Set up a separate phone number for parents using Google Voice.   7.       Make resources readily available for parents using a social bookmarking service.   8.      ALWAYS return parent phone calls and emails in a timely fashion!   9.      Invite parents into your classrooms/schools.   10.     Develop a school Facebook page to advertise events and provide up to date school information.  The NMHS Facebook page has now become our informational hub that parents have come to rely on.   11.     Institute a positive referral policy and make parents aware of when their child is recognized.   12.    Start a blog and let parents know about it, and encourage them to comment on your posts.  Blogs are fantastic communication tools where parents can get a glimpse into your educational life.     13.    Look for other means to reach stakeholders. In my quest to create a paperless environment at NMHS discovered ZippSlip.  This free solution not only allows my parents to sign and submit all school forms electronically, but it also provides me a portal to send email messages to my parents.   If we’re going to succeed as a school, I’ve got to get several different stakeholder groups---parents, students, community leaders, and businesses---to buy into a set of core beliefs.  That means I’m constantly trying to craft messages that have resonance and to deliver those messages in ways that are likely to be heard.  In many ways, communication is the most important thing I do every day. These are just some ideas and strategies that I have either utilized during my six plus years as an educator or are going to implement.  I encourage you to share your thoughts on these ideas and some of the successful ways in which you have fostered positive lines of communication with your parents.   blogs, communication, parents, technology nonadult false Ideas to Increase Parent Engagement text blog blogs,communication,parents,technology 1203 10 5.0 http://edge.ascd.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=24953942&as=127586 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/127586/photos/PHOTO_10211009_127586_24953942_ap_160X120.jpg false United States NJ New Milford 0 Blogs 0 6158679 24953942 ASCD EDge Member 250 http://edge.ascd.org/_Learning-Should-Be-Creative/blog/6130039/127586.html Allowing students to create content not only fosters creativity, but also makes learning engaging and meaningful.  Many of my teachers at NMHS embrace this ultimately rewarding challenge.  Joe Andolino (Applied Music Theory teacher at New Milford High School) and his class routinely hit upon a subject that every teen is interested in: cellphones. In previous classes the students created their own original music tracks. Building upon this experience they wanted to have ownership of something that is in their everyday lives. Mr. Andolino devised an innovative a way to connect with sound on a portable level by challenging the student to apply what they had learned in class to create an authentic ringtone using Mac Books and web 2.0 applications.   In creating a custom ringtone a few parameters should be kept in mind. Mr. Andolino highly recommends creating something that is not too long or that has an elaborate, busy musical arrangement. It should be identifiable and catchy. Due to the mono nature of most cellphones, a clear simple track should be produced so that the sound projects. Students also needed to consider looping the song piece so it repeated for up to 30 seconds. If one desires you could even add your own voice!  Several audio techniques can be used to develop the tone. Transfering the tone to the phone can have some variables depending on the phones capabilities. Specifically, iPhone and iPods are great and most phones accept Mp3 files.  Check out two student ringtones created by Gerwin Marca and Brian Drew that were eventually uploaded to their personal cellphones.  Brian actually came to my office with Mr. Andolino to share the ringtone with me that he had created.  If you could only have seen the joy and pride on his face!  Now this is what learning is all about and the reason why we decided to pursue a career in education!   The graphics department at NMHS, led by Walt Pevny, has long been a hotbed for student-created content as a means to demonstrate conceptual mastery and learning. Mr. Pevny extends his expertise well beyond the courses and students he teaches to other disciplines.  Using Adobe Creative Design Suite, specifically InDesign and Photoshop, students from our Holocaust Study Tour work with him to create a reflective book documenting their learning experiences.   You can view the book that was created last year HERE.  This particular book was created in Adobe CS4.  With Adobe CS6 now available for our students Mr. Pevny and I can only image how awesome upcoming books will look.   Give teachers the tools, freedom, and support to be innovative and they will develop learning activities that allow students to demonstrate mastery of concepts in a creative fashion.  Yes, this type of learning can be messy at times and not always work out as planned.  However, the result will be something that stays with them for years to come and could possibly be a catalyst for even greater things....a love for learning.   Please consider sharing your stories and examples of creativity in the teaching and learning process.     Allowing students to create content not only fosters creativity, but also makes learning engaging and meaningful.  Many of my teachers at NMHS embrace this ultimately rewarding challenge.  Joe Andolino (Applied Music Theory teacher at New Milford High School) and his class routinely hit upon a subject that every teen is interested in: cellphones. In previous classes the students created their own original music tracks. Building upon this experience they wanted to have ownership of something that is in their everyday lives. Mr. Andolino devised an innovative a way to connect with sound on a portable level by challenging the student to apply what they had learned in class to create an authentic ringtone using Mac Books and web 2.0 applications.   In creating a custom ringtone a few parameters should be kept in mind. Mr. Andolino highly recommends creating something that is not too long or that has an elaborate, busy musical arrangement. It should be identifiable and catchy. Due to the mono nature of most cellphones, a clear simple track should be produced so that the sound projects. Students also needed to consider looping the song piece so it repeated for up to 30 seconds. If one desires you could even add your own voice!  Several audio techniques can be used to develop the tone. Transfering the tone to the phone can have some variables depending on the phones capabilities. Specifically, iPhone and iPods are great and most phones accept Mp3 files.  Check out two student ringtones created by Gerwin Marca and Brian Drew that were eventually uploaded to their personal cellphones.  Brian actually came to my office with Mr. Andolino to share the ringtone with me that he had created.  If you could only have seen the joy and pride on his face!  Now this is what learning is all about and the reason why we decided to pursue a career in education!   The graphics department at NMHS, led by Walt Pevny, has long been a hotbed for student-created content as a means to demonstrate conceptual mastery and learning. Mr. Pevny extends his expertise well beyond the courses and students he teaches to other disciplines.  Using Adobe Creative Design Suite, specifically InDesign and Photoshop, students from our Holocaust Study Tour work with him to create a reflective book documenting their learning experiences.   You can view the book that was created last year HERE.  This particular book was created in Adobe CS4.  With Adobe CS6 now available for our students Mr. Pevny and I can only image how awesome upcoming books will look.   Give teachers the tools, freedom, and support to be innovative and they will develop learning activities that allow students to demonstrate mastery of concepts in a creative fashion.  Yes, this type of learning can be messy at times and not always work out as planned.  However, the result will be something that stays with them for years to come and could possibly be a catalyst for even greater things....a love for learning.   Please consider sharing your stories and examples of creativity in the teaching and learning process.     Wed, 30 May 2012 16:02:21 GMT http://edge.ascd.org/_Learning-Should-Be-Creative/blog/6130039/127586.html Eric_Sheninger 2012-05-30T16:02:21Z Blogs ASCD EDge Allowing students to create content not only fosters creativity, but also makes learning engaging and meaningful.  Many of my teachers at NMHS embrace this ultimately rewarding challenge.  Joe Andolino (Applied Music Theory teacher at New Milford High School) and his class routinely hit upon a subject that every teen is interested in: cellphones. In previous classes the students created their own original music tracks. Building upon this experience they wanted to have ownership of something that is in their everyday lives. Mr. Andolino devised an innovative a way to connect with sound on a portable level by challenging the student to apply what they had learned in class to create an authentic ringtone using Mac Books and web 2.0 applications.   In creating a custom ringtone a few parameters should be kept in mind. Mr. Andolino highly recommends creating something that is not too long or that has an elaborate, busy musical arrangement. It should be identifiable and catchy. Due to the mono nature of most cellphones, a clear simple track should be produced so that the sound projects. Students also needed to consider looping the song piece so it repeated for up to 30 seconds. If one desires you could even add your own voice!  Several audio techniques can be used to develop the tone. Transfering the tone to the phone can have some variables depending on the phones capabilities. Specifically, iPhone and iPods are great and most phones accept Mp3 files.  Check out two student ringtones created by Gerwin Marca and Brian Drew that were eventually uploaded to their personal cellphones.  Brian actually came to my office with Mr. Andolino to share the ringtone with me that he had created.  If you could only have seen the joy and pride on his face!  Now this is what learning is all about and the reason why we decided to pursue a career in education!   The graphics department at NMHS, led by Walt Pevny, has long been a hotbed for student-created content as a means to demonstrate conceptual mastery and learning. Mr. Pevny extends his expertise well beyond the courses and students he teaches to other disciplines.  Using Adobe Creative Design Suite, specifically InDesign and Photoshop, students from our Holocaust Study Tour work with him to create a reflective book documenting their learning experiences.   You can view the book that was created last year HERE.  This particular book was created in Adobe CS4.  With Adobe CS6 now available for our students Mr. Pevny and I can only image how awesome upcoming books will look.   Give teachers the tools, freedom, and support to be innovative and they will develop learning activities that allow students to demonstrate mastery of concepts in a creative fashion.  Yes, this type of learning can be messy at times and not always work out as planned.  However, the result will be something that stays with them for years to come and could possibly be a catalyst for even greater things....a love for learning.   Please consider sharing your stories and examples of creativity in the teaching and learning process.     blogs, change, creativity, innovation, leadership nonadult false Learning Should Be Creative text blog blogs,change,creativity,innovation,leadership 1536 10 5.0 http://edge.ascd.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=24953942&as=127586 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/127586/photos/PHOTO_10211009_127586_24953942_ap_160X120.jpg false United States NJ New Milford 0 Blogs 0 6130039 24953942 ASCD EDge Member 250 http://edge.ascd.org/_Common-Misconceptions-of-Educators-Who-Fear-EdTech/blog/6032607/127586.html Education is currently at a crossroads as traditional methods and tools are changing as a result of advances in technology and learning theory.  We are beginning to see some schools across the country take the lead in merging sound pedagogy with the effective integration of technology.  These schools and educators, whether they realize it or not, are not only enhancing the teaching and learning process, but they are also providing their learners with essential skill sets pivotal for success in today’s society.  These skill sets include critical thinking/problem solving, media literacy, collaboration, creativity, technological proficiency, and global awareness.  The ultimate result with this shift has been increases in engagement as well as a sense of relevancy and meaning amongst learners, all of which are foundations for improving achievement.   Even as we are seeing more schools and educators transform the way they teach and learn with technology, many more are not.  Technology is often viewed either as a frill or a tool not worth its weight in gold.  Opinions vary on the merits of educational technology, but common themes seem to have emerged.  Some of the reasons for not embracing technology have to do with several misconceptions revolving around fear.   Time:  The time excuse seems to rear its ugly head more than any other excuse not to move forward with technology integration.  The fear of not being able to meet national and state standards, as well as mandates, leaves no time in the minds of many educators to either work technology into lessons, the will to do so, or the desire to learn how to.  Current reform efforts placing an obscene emphasis on standardized tests are expounding the situation.  This is extremely unfortunate as integrating technology effectively does not take as much time as people think.  Educators would be well served to spend a little time investigating how technology can be leveraged to engage learners.  Once they do, their fears will subside as it will become apparent that standards and mandates can still be met while making learning more relevant, meaningful, and engaging for students.   Cost:  With budget cuts across the country putting a strain on the financial resources of districts and schools, decision makers have become fearful of allocating funds to purchase and maintain current infrastructure.  This is unfortunate as there are many creative ways to cut costs, as well as to free resources that can be used with existing infrastructures.  Schools can utilize cost-effective lease purchase programs for computers, investigate the implementation of a Bring Your Own Technology (BYOT) program, or promote the use of a plethora of free Web 2.0 tools.  Where there is a will, there is a way.  Cost can be prohibitive at times, but there are ways to overcome this and move forward.   Assessment: Many teachers and administrators alike often fear how students can be appropriately assessed in technology-rich learning environments.  This fear has been established as a result of a reliance on transitional methods of assessment as the only valid means to measure learning.  Projects involving the use of technology that unleash creativity, promote critical thought, have students solve problems, and enhance communication/collaboration can easily be assessed with teacher-developed rubrics.  There are also many software and web-based computer programs aligned to standards that have assessments embedded into them while offering real-time results and feedback.   Control: For technology to be not only integrated effectively, but also embraced, a culture needs to be established where teachers and administrators are no longer fearful of giving up a certain amount of control to students.  The issue of giving up control seems to always raise the fear level, even amongst many of the best teachers, as schools have been rooted in structures to maintain it at all costs.  Schools and classrooms do not, and will not, spiral out of control when we allow teachers the flexibility to take calculated risks to innovate with technology or permit students to learn using social media or their own devices.  To truly create an innovative culture of learning we must not fear failure either.  When we give up control a certain level of failure will follow.  However, it is from failure that we learn best and get better.   Lack of training: With the integration of technology comes change.  With change comes the inevitable need to provide quality professional development.  Many educators fear technology as they feel there is not, or will not be, the appropriate level of training to support implementation.  Rest assured, training can be provided and, in most cases, it turns out to be cost-effective.  Schools can leverage tech savvy teachers to facilitate professional development.  There are also numerous free webinars available throughout the year.  One of the most powerful means of professional development is through the use of social media where educators can create their own Personal Learning Network (PLN) based entirely on their unique needs and passions.    All of the above misconceptions that promote a sense of fear when it comes to educational technology in schools were a reality for me a mere three years ago. It wasn’t until I took the time to educate myself to better lead my school in the 21st Century that I soon realized my fears were solely built from misconceptions.  The end result has been the transformation of New Milford High School, a transformation which is still continuing today.  Don’t let fear based on misconception prevent you from creating a more student-centered, innovative learning culture.  Rest assured everything else will fall into place. Education is currently at a crossroads as traditional methods and tools are changing as a result of advances in technology and learning theory.  We are beginning to see some schools across the country take the lead in merging sound pedagogy with the effective integration of technology.  These schools and educators, whether they realize it or not, are not only enhancing the teaching and learning process, but they are also providing their learners with essential skill sets pivotal for success in today’s society.  These skill sets include critical thinking/problem solving, media literacy, collaboration, creativity, technological proficiency, and global awareness.  The ultimate result with this shift has been increases in engagement as well as a sense of relevancy and meaning amongst learners, all of which are foundations for improving achievement.   Even as we are seeing more schools and educators transform the way they teach and learn with technology, many more are not.  Technology is often viewed either as a frill or a tool not worth its weight in gold.  Opinions vary on the merits of educational technology, but common themes seem to have emerged.  Some of the reasons for not embracing technology have to do with several misconceptions revolving around fear.   Time:  The time excuse seems to rear its ugly head more than any other excuse not to move forward with technology integration.  The fear of not being able to meet national and state standards, as well as mandates, leaves no time in the minds of many educators to either work technology into lessons, the will to do so, or the desire to learn how to.  Current reform efforts placing an obscene emphasis on standardized tests are expounding the situation.  This is extremely unfortunate as integrating technology effectively does not take as much time as people think.  Educators would be well served to spend a little time investigating how technology can be leveraged to engage learners.  Once they do, their fears will subside as it will become apparent that standards and mandates can still be met while making learning more relevant, meaningful, and engaging for students.   Cost:  With budget cuts across the country putting a strain on the financial resources of districts and schools, decision makers have become fearful of allocating funds to purchase and maintain current infrastructure.  This is unfortunate as there are many creative ways to cut costs, as well as to free resources that can be used with existing infrastructures.  Schools can utilize cost-effective lease purchase programs for computers, investigate the implementation of a Bring Your Own Technology (BYOT) program, or promote the use of a plethora of free Web 2.0 tools.  Where there is a will, there is a way.  Cost can be prohibitive at times, but there are ways to overcome this and move forward.   Assessment: Many teachers and administrators alike often fear how students can be appropriately assessed in technology-rich learning environments.  This fear has been established as a result of a reliance on transitional methods of assessment as the only valid means to measure learning.  Projects involving the use of technology that unleash creativity, promote critical thought, have students solve problems, and enhance communication/collaboration can easily be assessed with teacher-developed rubrics.  There are also many software and web-based computer programs aligned to standards that have assessments embedded into them while offering real-time results and feedback.   Control: For technology to be not only integrated effectively, but also embraced, a culture needs to be established where teachers and administrators are no longer fearful of giving up a certain amount of control to students.  The issue of giving up control seems to always raise the fear level, even amongst many of the best teachers, as schools have been rooted in structures to maintain it at all costs.  Schools and classrooms do not, and will not, spiral out of control when we allow teachers the flexibility to take calculated risks to innovate with technology or permit students to learn using social media or their own devices.  To truly create an innovative culture of learning we must not fear failure either.  When we give up control a certain level of failure will follow.  However, it is from failure that we learn best and get better.   Lack of training: With the integration of technology comes change.  With change comes the inevitable need to provide quality professional development.  Many educators fear technology as they feel there is not, or will not be, the appropriate level of training to support implementation.  Rest assured, training can be provided and, in most cases, it turns out to be cost-effective.  Schools can leverage tech savvy teachers to facilitate professional development.  There are also numerous free webinars available throughout the year.  One of the most powerful means of professional development is through the use of social media where educators can create their own Personal Learning Network (PLN) based entirely on their unique needs and passions.    All of the above misconceptions that promote a sense of fear when it comes to educational technology in schools were a reality for me a mere three years ago. It wasn’t until I took the time to educate myself to better lead my school in the 21st Century that I soon realized my fears were solely built from misconceptions.  The end result has been the transformation of New Milford High School, a transformation which is still continuing today.  Don’t let fear based on misconception prevent you from creating a more student-centered, innovative learning culture.  Rest assured everything else will fall into place. Tue, 01 May 2012 03:19:14 GMT http://edge.ascd.org/_Common-Misconceptions-of-Educators-Who-Fear-EdTech/blog/6032607/127586.html Eric_Sheninger 2012-05-01T03:19:14Z Blogs ASCD EDge Education is currently at a crossroads as traditional methods and tools are changing as a result of advances in technology and learning theory.  We are beginning to see some schools across the country take the lead in merging sound pedagogy with the effective integration of technology.  These schools and educators, whether they realize it or not, are not only enhancing the teaching and learning process, but they are also providing their learners with essential skill sets pivotal for success in today’s society.  These skill sets include critical thinking/problem solving, media literacy, collaboration, creativity, technological proficiency, and global awareness.  The ultimate result with this shift has been increases in engagement as well as a sense of relevancy and meaning amongst learners, all of which are foundations for improving achievement.   Even as we are seeing more schools and educators transform the way they teach and learn with technology, many more are not.  Technology is often viewed either as a frill or a tool not worth its weight in gold.  Opinions vary on the merits of educational technology, but common themes seem to have emerged.  Some of the reasons for not embracing technology have to do with several misconceptions revolving around fear.   Time:  The time excuse seems to rear its ugly head more than any other excuse not to move forward with technology integration.  The fear of not being able to meet national and state standards, as well as mandates, leaves no time in the minds of many educators to either work technology into lessons, the will to do so, or the desire to learn how to.  Current reform efforts placing an obscene emphasis on standardized tests are expounding the situation.  This is extremely unfortunate as integrating technology effectively does not take as much time as people think.  Educators would be well served to spend a little time investigating how technology can be leveraged to engage learners.  Once they do, their fears will subside as it will become apparent that standards and mandates can still be met while making learning more relevant, meaningful, and engaging for students.   Cost:  With budget cuts across the country putting a strain on the financial resources of districts and schools, decision makers have become fearful of allocating funds to purchase and maintain current infrastructure.  This is unfortunate as there are many creative ways to cut costs, as well as to free resources that can be used with existing infrastructures.  Schools can utilize cost-effective lease purchase programs for computers, investigate the implementation of a Bring Your Own Technology (BYOT) program, or promote the use of a plethora of free Web 2.0 tools.  Where there is a will, there is a way.  Cost can be prohibitive at times, but there are ways to overcome this and move forward.   Assessment: Many teachers and administrators alike often fear how students can be appropriately assessed in technology-rich learning environments.  This fear has been established as a result of a reliance on transitional methods of assessment as the only valid means to measure learning.  Projects involving the use of technology that unleash creativity, promote critical thought, have students solve problems, and enhance communication/collaboration can easily be assessed with teacher-developed rubrics.  There are also many software and web-based computer programs aligned to standards that have assessments embedded into them while offering real-time results and feedback.   Control: For technology to be not only integrated effectively, but also embraced, a culture needs to be established where teachers and administrators are no longer fearful of giving up a certain amount of control to students.  The issue of giving up control seems to always raise the fear level, even amongst many of the best teachers, as schools have been rooted in structures to maintain it at all costs.  Schools and classrooms do not, and will not, spiral out of control when we allow teachers the flexibility to take calculated risks to innovate with technology or permit students to learn using social media or their own devices.  To truly create an innovative culture of learning we must not fear failure either.  When we give up control a certain level of failure will follow.  However, it is from failure that we learn best and get better.   Lack of training: With the integration of technology comes change.  With change comes the inevitable need to provide quality professional development.  Many educators fear technology as they feel there is not, or will not be, the appropriate level of training to support implementation.  Rest assured, training can be provided and, in most cases, it turns out to be cost-effective.  Schools can leverage tech savvy teachers to facilitate professional development.  There are also numerous free webinars available throughout the year.  One of the most powerful means of professional development is through the use of social media where educators can create their own Personal Learning Network (PLN) based entirely on their unique needs and passions.    All of the above misconceptions that promote a sense of fear when it comes to educational technology in schools were a reality for me a mere three years ago. It wasn’t until I took the time to educate myself to better lead my school in the 21st Century that I soon realized my fears were solely built from misconceptions.  The end result has been the transformation of New Milford High School, a transformation which is still continuing today.  Don’t let fear based on misconception prevent you from creating a more student-centered, innovative learning culture.  Rest assured everything else will fall into place. blogs, change, educational technology, leadership nonadult false Common Misconceptions of Educators Who Fear EdTech text blog blogs,change,educational technology,leadership 1704 11 5.0 http://edge.ascd.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=24953942&as=127586 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/127586/photos/PHOTO_10211009_127586_24953942_ap_160X120.jpg false United States NJ New Milford 1 Blogs 0 6032607 24953942 ASCD EDge Member 250 http://edge.ascd.org/_Khan-Academy-Friend-of-Foe/blog/6007281/127586.html While attending the NSBA Annual Conference this past weekend, I had the opportunity to attend Sal Khan’s keynote on Sunday.  Khan is the creator of Khan Academy.  He began his keynote by sharing a video montage of Khan Academy highlights and then presenting some impressive statistics on usage.  To date, these statistics are: 140 million+ lessons delivered, 500 million+ exercises done, and 6+ million unique visits per month. It is obvious from these statistics that many stakeholders, including students, are finding some form of value from the service that Khan Academy provides.   The catalyst for Khan Academy began some years ago with a Yahoo doodle Sal developed to help a family member with her struggles in math. In addition to using Yahoo doodle, he began writing quiz software in 2006.  Dismissive at first, he then began to create video tutorials that were uploaded to YouTube.  As Sal emphasized, his key finding during this exploratory process was that viewers could engage in the content when they were ready for, or needed, it and could learn at their own pace. Once on YouTube, the videos took on a life of their own and were widely watched and used by teachers, parents, and students.    He officially started Khan Academy in 2009 knowing that quality videos would withstand test of time.  As the site increased in popularity it caught the eye of Bill Gates and Google with an end result being over 4 million in funding.  The Khan Academy site now contains over 3000 videos mapped to the Common Core and associated assessments that allow learners to practice and reinforce skills acquired through the videos. Detailed statistics are provided to learners and coaches (i.e. teachers) to provide a snapshot of what has been learned.  You can learn more details about other associated features here.   As students show mastery in one concept they move on to the next. Sal Khan says his system is out of sync with that of traditional education systems that have become indoctrinated over many years.  He feels that his service increases valuable time for teachers to connect with students in class.  As he stated, student teacher ratio isn't important - it is the student to valuable teacher time ratio that matters.  Khan Academy’s new features provide powerful data on growth and achievement that teachers can utilize to modify instruction.   I must say Sal Kahn is a riveting storyteller.  He had the audience laughing, cheering, and literally in awe with Khan Academy and it’s potential in schools.  All one had to do was read the Twitter stream to deduce this.  However, the Twitter back channel also revealed many skeptics in regards to the finances provided by certain champions for education reform,   Some tweets:   @mcpssuper: Why do I feel like I'm watching a really cool sales pitch for #khanacademy   @cascadingwaters: All of this #khanacademy bit works, right up until the kid gets stuck. And they do.   @MCSDrSpence: Implications of Khans work for closing achievement gap are enormous. Next challenge: we have to bridge the digital divide for kids   @irasocal: There are few bigger frauds in American than Sal Khan #NSBAconf   Khan Academy is not a silver bullet that will fix education and improve achievement as a stand-alone entity. It has its merits, as does the flipped learning approach that his videos are generally associate with, but more as an instructional supplement to enhance the teaching and learning process.  The video resources and associated services provided for free by Khan Academy are powerful learning tools, if they can be accessed by populations (rural and urban) that need them the most.  Khan Academy merely provides the content.  Great teachers are the key to developing authentic tasks for students to apply what they have learned and assessing to provide feedback.  As a tool Khan Academy will benefit educators, students, and parents in a quest for knowledge, practice, and reinforcement.  It will not, however, be a game-changing reform agent as the private sector sees it.   With this being said, what are your thoughts on Khan Academy and it's implications on education? While attending the NSBA Annual Conference this past weekend, I had the opportunity to attend Sal Khan’s keynote on Sunday.  Khan is the creator of Khan Academy.  He began his keynote by sharing a video montage of Khan Academy highlights and then presenting some impressive statistics on usage.  To date, these statistics are: 140 million+ lessons delivered, 500 million+ exercises done, and 6+ million unique visits per month. It is obvious from these statistics that many stakeholders, including students, are finding some form of value from the service that Khan Academy provides.   The catalyst for Khan Academy began some years ago with a Yahoo doodle Sal developed to help a family member with her struggles in math. In addition to using Yahoo doodle, he began writing quiz software in 2006.  Dismissive at first, he then began to create video tutorials that were uploaded to YouTube.  As Sal emphasized, his key finding during this exploratory process was that viewers could engage in the content when they were ready for, or needed, it and could learn at their own pace. Once on YouTube, the videos took on a life of their own and were widely watched and used by teachers, parents, and students.    He officially started Khan Academy in 2009 knowing that quality videos would withstand test of time.  As the site increased in popularity it caught the eye of Bill Gates and Google with an end result being over 4 million in funding.  The Khan Academy site now contains over 3000 videos mapped to the Common Core and associated assessments that allow learners to practice and reinforce skills acquired through the videos. Detailed statistics are provided to learners and coaches (i.e. teachers) to provide a snapshot of what has been learned.  You can learn more details about other associated features here.   As students show mastery in one concept they move on to the next. Sal Khan says his system is out of sync with that of traditional education systems that have become indoctrinated over many years.  He feels that his service increases valuable time for teachers to connect with students in class.  As he stated, student teacher ratio isn't important - it is the student to valuable teacher time ratio that matters.  Khan Academy’s new features provide powerful data on growth and achievement that teachers can utilize to modify instruction.   I must say Sal Kahn is a riveting storyteller.  He had the audience laughing, cheering, and literally in awe with Khan Academy and it’s potential in schools.  All one had to do was read the Twitter stream to deduce this.  However, the Twitter back channel also revealed many skeptics in regards to the finances provided by certain champions for education reform,   Some tweets:   @mcpssuper: Why do I feel like I'm watching a really cool sales pitch for #khanacademy   @cascadingwaters: All of this #khanacademy bit works, right up until the kid gets stuck. And they do.   @MCSDrSpence: Implications of Khans work for closing achievement gap are enormous. Next challenge: we have to bridge the digital divide for kids   @irasocal: There are few bigger frauds in American than Sal Khan #NSBAconf   Khan Academy is not a silver bullet that will fix education and improve achievement as a stand-alone entity. It has its merits, as does the flipped learning approach that his videos are generally associate with, but more as an instructional supplement to enhance the teaching and learning process.  The video resources and associated services provided for free by Khan Academy are powerful learning tools, if they can be accessed by populations (rural and urban) that need them the most.  Khan Academy merely provides the content.  Great teachers are the key to developing authentic tasks for students to apply what they have learned and assessing to provide feedback.  As a tool Khan Academy will benefit educators, students, and parents in a quest for knowledge, practice, and reinforcement.  It will not, however, be a game-changing reform agent as the private sector sees it.   With this being said, what are your thoughts on Khan Academy and it's implications on education? Mon, 23 Apr 2012 22:58:06 GMT http://edge.ascd.org/_Khan-Academy-Friend-of-Foe/blog/6007281/127586.html Eric_Sheninger 2012-04-23T22:58:06Z Blogs ASCD EDge While attending the NSBA Annual Conference this past weekend, I had the opportunity to attend Sal Khan’s keynote on Sunday.  Khan is the creator of Khan Academy.  He began his keynote by sharing a video montage of Khan Academy highlights and then presenting some impressive statistics on usage.  To date, these statistics are: 140 million+ lessons delivered, 500 million+ exercises done, and 6+ million unique visits per month. It is obvious from these statistics that many stakeholders, including students, are finding some form of value from the service that Khan Academy provides.   The catalyst for Khan Academy began some years ago with a Yahoo doodle Sal developed to help a family member with her struggles in math. In addition to using Yahoo doodle, he began writing quiz software in 2006.  Dismissive at first, he then began to create video tutorials that were uploaded to YouTube.  As Sal emphasized, his key finding during this exploratory process was that viewers could engage in the content when they were ready for, or needed, it and could learn at their own pace. Once on YouTube, the videos took on a life of their own and were widely watched and used by teachers, parents, and students.    He officially started Khan Academy in 2009 knowing that quality videos would withstand test of time.  As the site increased in popularity it caught the eye of Bill Gates and Google with an end result being over 4 million in funding.  The Khan Academy site now contains over 3000 videos mapped to the Common Core and associated assessments that allow learners to practice and reinforce skills acquired through the videos. Detailed statistics are provided to learners and coaches (i.e. teachers) to provide a snapshot of what has been learned.  You can learn more details about other associated features here.   As students show mastery in one concept they move on to the next. Sal Khan says his system is out of sync with that of traditional education systems that have become indoctrinated over many years.  He feels that his service increases valuable time for teachers to connect with students in class.  As he stated, student teacher ratio isn't important - it is the student to valuable teacher time ratio that matters.  Khan Academy’s new features provide powerful data on growth and achievement that teachers can utilize to modify instruction.   I must say Sal Kahn is a riveting storyteller.  He had the audience laughing, cheering, and literally in awe with Khan Academy and it’s potential in schools.  All one had to do was read the Twitter stream to deduce this.  However, the Twitter back channel also revealed many skeptics in regards to the finances provided by certain champions for education reform,   Some tweets:   @mcpssuper: Why do I feel like I'm watching a really cool sales pitch for #khanacademy   @cascadingwaters: All of this #khanacademy bit works, right up until the kid gets stuck. And they do.   @MCSDrSpence: Implications of Khans work for closing achievement gap are enormous. Next challenge: we have to bridge the digital divide for kids   @irasocal: There are few bigger frauds in American than Sal Khan #NSBAconf   Khan Academy is not a silver bullet that will fix education and improve achievement as a stand-alone entity. It has its merits, as does the flipped learning approach that his videos are generally associate with, but more as an instructional supplement to enhance the teaching and learning process.  The video resources and associated services provided for free by Khan Academy are powerful learning tools, if they can be accessed by populations (rural and urban) that need them the most.  Khan Academy merely provides the content.  Great teachers are the key to developing authentic tasks for students to apply what they have learned and assessing to provide feedback.  As a tool Khan Academy will benefit educators, students, and parents in a quest for knowledge, practice, and reinforcement.  It will not, however, be a game-changing reform agent as the private sector sees it.   With this being said, what are your thoughts on Khan Academy and it's implications on education? blogs, change, flipped learning, khan academy nonadult false Khan Academy: Friend of Foe? text blog blogs,change,flipped learning,khan academy 1515 10 5.0 http://edge.ascd.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=24953942&as=127586 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/127586/photos/PHOTO_10211009_127586_24953942_ap_160X120.jpg false United States NJ New Milford 2 Blogs 0 6007281 24953942 ASCD EDge Member 250 http://edge.ascd.org/_The-Best-Ideas-For-Our-Schools/blog/5876007/127586.html This past week I was fortunate to attend the NASSP 2012 Annual Conference as a presenter, 2012 Digital Principal Award recipient, and most importantly a learner.  On Friday morning I attended a session facilitated by Dr. Gary Stager, a progressive educator whose work I have come to know over the past couple of years.  Gary’s message is one that resonates with me and many other educators who frequent digital spaces.  All around the world there are ideas that are put into action.  These ideas, for the most part, put student learning front and center and consist of experiences that enhance essential skills that all learners should possess.  These include creativity, problem-solving, critical thinking, technological proficiency, global awareness, media literacy, communication, and collaboration.    Ideas like the ones Gary discussed also lead to the promotion of ingenuity, entrepreneurialism, and self-directed learning.  As he weaved together stories and firsthand accounts of these ideas in action one thing became painfully apparent and that was that the majority of schools in the United States to not place a high value on this type of learning.  Current reform practices and a system of education still entrenched in preparing students for an industrialized society squash many schools attempts or desires to embrace a better way of learning.  Gary is not one to mince his words and is blunt when it comes to the reasons why many schools and educators in our country are not changing.  In his opinion the problem is incrementalism and he stressed that this is the greatest enemy of change.  It is not secret that the policy of making changes is a process fraught with issue after issue.   This is, after all, what we hear and experience from those that resist change.   Now I have posted in the past some of my personal thoughts on factors impeding the change process and can now add this one to the list (thanks Gary).   As leaders, whether in the capacity as a teacher or administrator, it is our duty to be agents of change.  We must collaboratively develop and implement our own ideas to improve the learning process in a way that emphasizes our student’s cognitive growth, passions, and strengths, while challenging them to push their own boundaries.   It is difficult work to transform a culture of learning that has been embedded for nearly a century, but as Gray eloquently put it, every problem in education has been solved sometime or somewhere before.  The time is now for all of us to critically analyze our respective schools and take a stand against the status quo in order to do what is best for our students.    Best ideas in the world don’t succumb to incrementalism or any other type of excuse or challenge.    As Gary stated they evolve around the following:  1.    Respect for each learner:  We need to have actual conversations with our students.  They must be part of transformation efforts and their voices can provide invaluable feedback in efforts to reshape everything from curriculum, to pedagogy, to technology purchases, to how time for learning is allocated.  Respect also entails we will consistently seek paths to grow professionally in order to discover and implement new ideas on their behalf. 2.    Authentic problems: This is as real world as it gets.  In my opinion there is no other powerful learning strategy that to have students exposed to and tackle problems that have meaning and relevancy.  3.    Real tools and materials: Students are using technology to solve problems outside of school.  They are also creating their own technology in some cases.  As Gary emphasized, learners are capable of incredible things if they are placed the right environment.  Just take a look at some of the Super AwesomeSylvia videos he shared.  It is our responsibility to create these environments.  To do so me must relinquish control, provide support (purchasing the right tools and providing quality professional development), encourage calculated risk-taking, exhibit flexibility, and model expectations. 4.    Expanded opportunities:  I could not agree with Gary more on this one.  We have made great strides in this area in my District through the development of the Academies at NMHS.  With this initiative all students have the opportunity to be exposed to authentic learning experiences, online courses, specialized field trips, independent study, credit for learning experiences outside of school, and internships.  We plan to eventually incorporate capstone projects into our Academies program as well.  5.    Collegiality: Let’s face it, as educators we need to work together in order to successfully implement the best ideas in order to improve teaching and learning.  We must overcome personal agendas, bring the naysayers on board, implement a system focused on shared decision-making, and move to initiative a change process that is sustainable.  The best ideas will only become reality through collegiality. The best ideas in the world can and should be cultivated in our schools.  As leaders it is our responsibility to see that they are.  The time is now! This past week I was fortunate to attend the NASSP 2012 Annual Conference as a presenter, 2012 Digital Principal Award recipient, and most importantly a learner.  On Friday morning I attended a session facilitated by Dr. Gary Stager, a progressive educator whose work I have come to know over the past couple of years.  Gary’s message is one that resonates with me and many other educators who frequent digital spaces.  All around the world there are ideas that are put into action.  These ideas, for the most part, put student learning front and center and consist of experiences that enhance essential skills that all learners should possess.  These include creativity, problem-solving, critical thinking, technological proficiency, global awareness, media literacy, communication, and collaboration.    Ideas like the ones Gary discussed also lead to the promotion of ingenuity, entrepreneurialism, and self-directed learning.  As he weaved together stories and firsthand accounts of these ideas in action one thing became painfully apparent and that was that the majority of schools in the United States to not place a high value on this type of learning.  Current reform practices and a system of education still entrenched in preparing students for an industrialized society squash many schools attempts or desires to embrace a better way of learning.  Gary is not one to mince his words and is blunt when it comes to the reasons why many schools and educators in our country are not changing.  In his opinion the problem is incrementalism and he stressed that this is the greatest enemy of change.  It is not secret that the policy of making changes is a process fraught with issue after issue.   This is, after all, what we hear and experience from those that resist change.   Now I have posted in the past some of my personal thoughts on factors impeding the change process and can now add this one to the list (thanks Gary).   As leaders, whether in the capacity as a teacher or administrator, it is our duty to be agents of change.  We must collaboratively develop and implement our own ideas to improve the learning process in a way that emphasizes our student’s cognitive growth, passions, and strengths, while challenging them to push their own boundaries.   It is difficult work to transform a culture of learning that has been embedded for nearly a century, but as Gray eloquently put it, every problem in education has been solved sometime or somewhere before.  The time is now for all of us to critically analyze our respective schools and take a stand against the status quo in order to do what is best for our students.    Best ideas in the world don’t succumb to incrementalism or any other type of excuse or challenge.    As Gary stated they evolve around the following:  1.    Respect for each learner:  We need to have actual conversations with our students.  They must be part of transformation efforts and their voices can provide invaluable feedback in efforts to reshape everything from curriculum, to pedagogy, to technology purchases, to how time for learning is allocated.  Respect also entails we will consistently seek paths to grow professionally in order to discover and implement new ideas on their behalf. 2.    Authentic problems: This is as real world as it gets.  In my opinion there is no other powerful learning strategy that to have students exposed to and tackle problems that have meaning and relevancy.  3.    Real tools and materials: Students are using technology to solve problems outside of school.  They are also creating their own technology in some cases.  As Gary emphasized, learners are capable of incredible things if they are placed the right environment.  Just take a look at some of the Super AwesomeSylvia videos he shared.  It is our responsibility to create these environments.  To do so me must relinquish control, provide support (purchasing the right tools and providing quality professional development), encourage calculated risk-taking, exhibit flexibility, and model expectations. 4.    Expanded opportunities:  I could not agree with Gary more on this one.  We have made great strides in this area in my District through the development of the Academies at NMHS.  With this initiative all students have the opportunity to be exposed to authentic learning experiences, online courses, specialized field trips, independent study, credit for learning experiences outside of school, and internships.  We plan to eventually incorporate capstone projects into our Academies program as well.  5.    Collegiality: Let’s face it, as educators we need to work together in order to successfully implement the best ideas in order to improve teaching and learning.  We must overcome personal agendas, bring the naysayers on board, implement a system focused on shared decision-making, and move to initiative a change process that is sustainable.  The best ideas will only become reality through collegiality. The best ideas in the world can and should be cultivated in our schools.  As leaders it is our responsibility to see that they are.  The time is now! Mon, 19 Mar 2012 13:47:19 GMT http://edge.ascd.org/_The-Best-Ideas-For-Our-Schools/blog/5876007/127586.html Eric_Sheninger 2012-03-19T13:47:19Z Blogs ASCD EDge This past week I was fortunate to attend the NASSP 2012 Annual Conference as a presenter, 2012 Digital Principal Award recipient, and most importantly a learner.  On Friday morning I attended a session facilitated by Dr. Gary Stager, a progressive educator whose work I have come to know over the past couple of years.  Gary’s message is one that resonates with me and many other educators who frequent digital spaces.  All around the world there are ideas that are put into action.  These ideas, for the most part, put student learning front and center and consist of experiences that enhance essential skills that all learners should possess.  These include creativity, problem-solving, critical thinking, technological proficiency, global awareness, media literacy, communication, and collaboration.    Ideas like the ones Gary discussed also lead to the promotion of ingenuity, entrepreneurialism, and self-directed learning.  As he weaved together stories and firsthand accounts of these ideas in action one thing became painfully apparent and that was that the majority of schools in the United States to not place a high value on this type of learning.  Current reform practices and a system of education still entrenched in preparing students for an industrialized society squash many schools attempts or desires to embrace a better way of learning.  Gary is not one to mince his words and is blunt when it comes to the reasons why many schools and educators in our country are not changing.  In his opinion the problem is incrementalism and he stressed that this is the greatest enemy of change.  It is not secret that the policy of making changes is a process fraught with issue after issue.   This is, after all, what we hear and experience from those that resist change.   Now I have posted in the past some of my personal thoughts on factors impeding the change process and can now add this one to the list (thanks Gary).   As leaders, whether in the capacity as a teacher or administrator, it is our duty to be agents of change.  We must collaboratively develop and implement our own ideas to improve the learning process in a way that emphasizes our student’s cognitive growth, passions, and strengths, while challenging them to push their own boundaries.   It is difficult work to transform a culture of learning that has been embedded for nearly a century, but as Gray eloquently put it, every problem in education has been solved sometime or somewhere before.  The time is now for all of us to critically analyze our respective schools and take a stand against the status quo in order to do what is best for our students.    Best ideas in the world don’t succumb to incrementalism or any other type of excuse or challenge.    As Gary stated they evolve around the following:  1.    Respect for each learner:  We need to have actual conversations with our students.  They must be part of transformation efforts and their voices can provide invaluable feedback in efforts to reshape everything from curriculum, to pedagogy, to technology purchases, to how time for learning is allocated.  Respect also entails we will consistently seek paths to grow professionally in order to discover and implement new ideas on their behalf. 2.    Authentic problems: This is as real world as it gets.  In my opinion there is no other powerful learning strategy that to have students exposed to and tackle problems that have meaning and relevancy.  3.    Real tools and materials: Students are using technology to solve problems outside of school.  They are also creating their own technology in some cases.  As Gary emphasized, learners are capable of incredible things if they are placed the right environment.  Just take a look at some of the Super AwesomeSylvia videos he shared.  It is our responsibility to create these environments.  To do so me must relinquish control, provide support (purchasing the right tools and providing quality professional development), encourage calculated risk-taking, exhibit flexibility, and model expectations. 4.    Expanded opportunities:  I could not agree with Gary more on this one.  We have made great strides in this area in my District through the development of the Academies at NMHS.  With this initiative all students have the opportunity to be exposed to authentic learning experiences, online courses, specialized field trips, independent study, credit for learning experiences outside of school, and internships.  We plan to eventually incorporate capstone projects into our Academies program as well.  5.    Collegiality: Let’s face it, as educators we need to work together in order to successfully implement the best ideas in order to improve teaching and learning.  We must overcome personal agendas, bring the naysayers on board, implement a system focused on shared decision-making, and move to initiative a change process that is sustainable.  The best ideas will only become reality through collegiality. The best ideas in the world can and should be cultivated in our schools.  As leaders it is our responsibility to see that they are.  The time is now! blogs, change, innovation, leadership, transformation nonadult false The Best Ideas For Our Schools text blog blogs,change,innovation,leadership,transformation 413 11 5.0 http://edge.ascd.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=24953942&as=127586 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/127586/photos/PHOTO_10211009_127586_24953942_ap_160X120.jpg false United States NJ New Milford 0 Blogs 0 5876007 24953942 ASCD EDge Member 250 http://edge.ascd.org/_Children-Stressed-to-the-Breaking-Point-Due-to-Standardized-Testing/blog/5840053/127586.html Recently New York City made public teacher evaluations based on student standardized test scores.  This proceeded the state of New York's decision to change how educators are evaluated, in part by connecting the standardized test scores of students into final ratings.  The following letter was shared with me by a friend whose daughter is in the New York City Public School System.  She plans on sending this to officials in the NYC Department of Education to inform them of the potential that more standardized testing will have as a result of recent reform efforts.   Let me start off by saying that I have tried to draft this letter at least four times without the anger and the frustration that I am feeling.  Unfortunately, I have come to the realization that it is an impossibility to do so.   As my daughter is 12 years old, and already faces the stress and anxiety because of these standardized tests, I feel it necessary, as a mother, to voice my opinion.   I believe that it is an injustice to all of these children that their level of understanding and competency is judged by a test.  As educators and as leaders of our society, you should be ashamed of yourselves.  Who gives you the right to give my child and all the other children any undue stress and anxiety?  Who gives you the right to tell me that my child will not go forward to the next grade even though she has an 85 to a 90 average?  How on earth do you justify stressing out children to the point where they are actually getting themselves sick over the demands that you are placing on them?   As our children grow, they are also supposed to be learning.  How can these kids learn anything in school when the way they are being taught is ludicrous?  You expect all these children to learn at the same rate and expect them to comprehend on the same level.   Every child is different in their own way, so how can you base their level of understanding on one end-of-year test?  Not to mention that our children are spending so much time learning things that they will never, ever need to know in life.  Do you really think it is appropriate that they spend 2 weeks on learning about rocks and minerals?  Do you really think it is fair that they are given one day to learn new math and the next day go on to learn something new again? How do you justify this?                Yes, there are some children out there that are able to keep up with YOUR standards, the majority cannot.  In my daughter’s school alone, many kids that were in ARISTA or Honor roll dropped, on the average, at least 4 points.  They are now being enrolled in tutoring services or test prep classes which they never needed before.               As a parent, education is obviously one of the things we want our children to have, but just as high on the list of priorities are morals, discipline, and confidence.  There are children out there who have some, or none, of these other values.  My daughter, in particular, cannot find the confidence in herself because no matter how well she does in school, the end result is passing these standardized tests.  A child like mine, who struggles with such high test anxiety, although she is receiving the help for this anxiety, still has trouble passing these tests.  She has been in summer school the last three years just because of these tests, but has maintained an 87 average.   Does this seem fair? She is a wonderful student, works hard, gets good grades, focuses, and does what needs to be done on a daily basis.  But still, the Department of Education feels the need to push her confidence to the lowest level.  I guess these other values that make our children well developed and a valuable part of society have no relevance.  I am assuming you can find some sort of loophole to validate this fact as well.                   There are children out there that are barely passing their classes, but just because they find themselves lucky enough to pass these tests, you, as educators, feel like you are doing your job.  Well, my daughter surpasses what needs to be done on a daily basis, as do many other children; the message you are sending is that the school year does not matter, only your assessments and standardized tests do.   I hope you are aware that many other parents feel the way I do, and even your own teachers do not agree with your education process.  This is a disgrace, as these are the people teaching our children.  Please know that this letter, although it criticizes the education process, is also to help you understand what these children are going through on a daily basis.   With all of this being said, what are your thoughts on standardized testing, it's role in education, impact on students, and the data being used to evaluate educators? Is this the direction that educational reform should be headed in? As a parent of two young children my response is a resounding NO! Recently New York City made public teacher evaluations based on student standardized test scores.  This proceeded the state of New York's decision to change how educators are evaluated, in part by connecting the standardized test scores of students into final ratings.  The following letter was shared with me by a friend whose daughter is in the New York City Public School System.  She plans on sending this to officials in the NYC Department of Education to inform them of the potential that more standardized testing will have as a result of recent reform efforts.   Let me start off by saying that I have tried to draft this letter at least four times without the anger and the frustration that I am feeling.  Unfortunately, I have come to the realization that it is an impossibility to do so.   As my daughter is 12 years old, and already faces the stress and anxiety because of these standardized tests, I feel it necessary, as a mother, to voice my opinion.   I believe that it is an injustice to all of these children that their level of understanding and competency is judged by a test.  As educators and as leaders of our society, you should be ashamed of yourselves.  Who gives you the right to give my child and all the other children any undue stress and anxiety?  Who gives you the right to tell me that my child will not go forward to the next grade even though she has an 85 to a 90 average?  How on earth do you justify stressing out children to the point where they are actually getting themselves sick over the demands that you are placing on them?   As our children grow, they are also supposed to be learning.  How can these kids learn anything in school when the way they are being taught is ludicrous?  You expect all these children to learn at the same rate and expect them to comprehend on the same level.   Every child is different in their own way, so how can you base their level of understanding on one end-of-year test?  Not to mention that our children are spending so much time learning things that they will never, ever need to know in life.  Do you really think it is appropriate that they spend 2 weeks on learning about rocks and minerals?  Do you really think it is fair that they are given one day to learn new math and the next day go on to learn something new again? How do you justify this?                Yes, there are some children out there that are able to keep up with YOUR standards, the majority cannot.  In my daughter’s school alone, many kids that were in ARISTA or Honor roll dropped, on the average, at least 4 points.  They are now being enrolled in tutoring services or test prep classes which they never needed before.               As a parent, education is obviously one of the things we want our children to have, but just as high on the list of priorities are morals, discipline, and confidence.  There are children out there who have some, or none, of these other values.  My daughter, in particular, cannot find the confidence in herself because no matter how well she does in school, the end result is passing these standardized tests.  A child like mine, who struggles with such high test anxiety, although she is receiving the help for this anxiety, still has trouble passing these tests.  She has been in summer school the last three years just because of these tests, but has maintained an 87 average.   Does this seem fair? She is a wonderful student, works hard, gets good grades, focuses, and does what needs to be done on a daily basis.  But still, the Department of Education feels the need to push her confidence to the lowest level.  I guess these other values that make our children well developed and a valuable part of society have no relevance.  I am assuming you can find some sort of loophole to validate this fact as well.                   There are children out there that are barely passing their classes, but just because they find themselves lucky enough to pass these tests, you, as educators, feel like you are doing your job.  Well, my daughter surpasses what needs to be done on a daily basis, as do many other children; the message you are sending is that the school year does not matter, only your assessments and standardized tests do.   I hope you are aware that many other parents feel the way I do, and even your own teachers do not agree with your education process.  This is a disgrace, as these are the people teaching our children.  Please know that this letter, although it criticizes the education process, is also to help you understand what these children are going through on a daily basis.   With all of this being said, what are your thoughts on standardized testing, it's role in education, impact on students, and the data being used to evaluate educators? Is this the direction that educational reform should be headed in? As a parent of two young children my response is a resounding NO! Wed, 07 Mar 2012 17:19:19 GMT http://edge.ascd.org/_Children-Stressed-to-the-Breaking-Point-Due-to-Standardized-Testing/blog/5840053/127586.html Eric_Sheninger 2012-03-07T17:19:19Z Blogs ASCD EDge Recently New York City made public teacher evaluations based on student standardized test scores.  This proceeded the state of New York's decision to change how educators are evaluated, in part by connecting the standardized test scores of students into final ratings.  The following letter was shared with me by a friend whose daughter is in the New York City Public School System.  She plans on sending this to officials in the NYC Department of Education to inform them of the potential that more standardized testing will have as a result of recent reform efforts.   Let me start off by saying that I have tried to draft this letter at least four times without the anger and the frustration that I am feeling.  Unfortunately, I have come to the realization that it is an impossibility to do so.   As my daughter is 12 years old, and already faces the stress and anxiety because of these standardized tests, I feel it necessary, as a mother, to voice my opinion.   I believe that it is an injustice to all of these children that their level of understanding and competency is judged by a test.  As educators and as leaders of our society, you should be ashamed of yourselves.  Who gives you the right to give my child and all the other children any undue stress and anxiety?  Who gives you the right to tell me that my child will not go forward to the next grade even though she has an 85 to a 90 average?  How on earth do you justify stressing out children to the point where they are actually getting themselves sick over the demands that you are placing on them?   As our children grow, they are also supposed to be learning.  How can these kids learn anything in school when the way they are being taught is ludicrous?  You expect all these children to learn at the same rate and expect them to comprehend on the same level.   Every child is different in their own way, so how can you base their level of understanding on one end-of-year test?  Not to mention that our children are spending so much time learning things that they will never, ever need to know in life.  Do you really think it is appropriate that they spend 2 weeks on learning about rocks and minerals?  Do you really think it is fair that they are given one day to learn new math and the next day go on to learn something new again? How do you justify this?                Yes, there are some children out there that are able to keep up with YOUR standards, the majority cannot.  In my daughter’s school alone, many kids that were in ARISTA or Honor roll dropped, on the average, at least 4 points.  They are now being enrolled in tutoring services or test prep classes which they never needed before.               As a parent, education is obviously one of the things we want our children to have, but just as high on the list of priorities are morals, discipline, and confidence.  There are children out there who have some, or none, of these other values.  My daughter, in particular, cannot find the confidence in herself because no matter how well she does in school, the end result is passing these standardized tests.  A child like mine, who struggles with such high test anxiety, although she is receiving the help for this anxiety, still has trouble passing these tests.  She has been in summer school the last three years just because of these tests, but has maintained an 87 average.   Does this seem fair? She is a wonderful student, works hard, gets good grades, focuses, and does what needs to be done on a daily basis.  But still, the Department of Education feels the need to push her confidence to the lowest level.  I guess these other values that make our children well developed and a valuable part of society have no relevance.  I am assuming you can find some sort of loophole to validate this fact as well.                   There are children out there that are barely passing their classes, but just because they find themselves lucky enough to pass these tests, you, as educators, feel like you are doing your job.  Well, my daughter surpasses what needs to be done on a daily basis, as do many other children; the message you are sending is that the school year does not matter, only your assessments and standardized tests do.   I hope you are aware that many other parents feel the way I do, and even your own teachers do not agree with your education process.  This is a disgrace, as these are the people teaching our children.  Please know that this letter, although it criticizes the education process, is also to help you understand what these children are going through on a daily basis.   With all of this being said, what are your thoughts on standardized testing, it's role in education, impact on students, and the data being used to evaluate educators? Is this the direction that educational reform should be headed in? As a parent of two young children my response is a resounding NO! blogs, education reform, opinion, standardized testing nonadult false Children Stressed to the Breaking Point Due to Standardized Testing text blog blogs,education reform,opinion,standardized testing 2056 10 5.0 http://edge.ascd.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=24953942&as=127586 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/127586/photos/PHOTO_10211009_127586_24953942_ap_160X120.jpg false United States NJ New Milford 0 Blogs 0 5840053 24953942 ASCD EDge Member 250 http://edge.ascd.org/_A-Commitment-to-Digital-Learning/blog/5771003/127586.html New Milford High School proudly joined 37 states, 15,000 teachers, and over 2 million students on February 1 for the inaugural Digital Learning Day.  This day, however, was not really much different than any other day at NMHS as we have made a commitment to integrate digital learning into school culture for some time now.  As Principal I am proud to state that many of the pedagogical techniques, learning activities, and tools described in the rest of this post are consistently in use on a daily basis across all content areas.  The reason for this is that we have put a premium on creating a teaching and learning culture that better meets the needs of our learners while enhancing essential skills such as collaboration, communication, creativity, media literacy, and global awareness.  Below I have summarized some of the pre-planned activities that my teachers planned and had their students engaged in on Digital Learning Day.   In Ms. Levy’s U.S. History class, students learned about the rise of Jacksonian Democracy and had to determine if Jackson was a highly successful president or a corrupt leader.  Students were broken up into groups of 5-6 students.  Each student went on line and looked at one source from Ms. Levy’s website.  They then had to use their “Origin Perspective Value Limitation” handout to answer and dissect the source in classic IB format.  Once they had evaluated the source for these 4 elements, they wrote down their answers in a group created Google Doc.  Finally, they came together as a group to decide their perspective on Andrew Jackson’s presidency.  After students decided as a group, they voted individually as a class about their opinion on the source with “Poll Everywhere,” using their cell phones.     In Mrs. Morel’s art class, students embarked on a QR Code scavenger art hunt around the school. This activity began with an introduction to QR Codes: what they are, how they are used in the marketing world, how we are going to use them, and best of all, how they (students) could use them in their lives. Students also reviewed artists’ work and tried out a few QR codes in class. For the lesson, students were paired up with a partner and utilized their Smartphone, iPod, etc. to search for clues that led them to QR Codes. The QR Codes contained various artists’ work and clue information.  Mrs. Morel wrapped up the activity with a summary of the findings and then transitioned into having the students create their own QR codes with links to their artwork and websites.  These were then posted in school for our school community to scan.     Mrs. Vicari’s business classes utilized YouTube, a variety of video sites, and websites to preview Superbowl commercials as an introduction to the semester Marketing/Advertising course.  Students discussed the definitions of marketing and advertising and how they are different.  They used a series of thought-provoking questions, while viewing the various commercials, to identify different areas of marketing and advertising that will be discussed in this course throughout the semester.     Students in Mr. Tusa’s history class investigated the history of Europe through painting (1500-1800).  He challenged students to think of a painting as an essay - in the sense that it captures not in words, as an essay does, but through a visual image, some aspect(s) of the life, history, and culture of a particular historical period from the point of view not of a writer but of an artist.  Students were given a list of paintings/engravings produced in the period 1500-1800. Working with partners, they had to choose one painting from each category, study it by paying particular attention to the political, economic, religious, social, industrial, and/or artistic way in which it captures/criticizes some aspect(s) of the period 1500-1800, and record their impressions accordingly. He reminded students to “read” the painting as they would read an essay and record their view/impression of what historical themes, ideas, person or people, the painting is portraying/criticizing.  Using Mac Books:  one student recorded and shared their comments on a Google Doc while the other searched for and viewed the paintings. Links were also provided for students to locate and view paintings.     Students in Mrs. Beiner’s Culinary Arts classes created a “how to” video for recipes.  They then posted them on her YouTube account and tracked how many hits they received over the Superbowl weekend.  Her Early Childhood Development classes read a book to the pre-school children on an iPad and worked with a website to review the book.   In math, Mrs. Chellani began the lesson with mobile learning devices and Poll Everywhere to review prior learning. She then utilized a variety of virtual manipulatives (using the SMART tablet) from the National Library of Virtual Manipulatives.  These virtual games/math problems are a fantastic way to further embed the Smart tablet into daily instruction, help foster the students' development of higher-order thinking skills, and make the learning experience more challenging and enjoyable.     History teacher Ms. Millan collaborated with Mrs. Keesing, our media specialist, on a QR code assignment. Students used their cellphones to download an app to both create and read QR codes.  To tie in with their study of the English monarchy in the Elizabethan-Stuart era, they researched websites to find quality information on selected, relevant topics.  They then created QR codes for those websites.  Students printed the codes and affixed them to some of the school library's books -- some of which greatly benefited from the updated information the students located.     Later in the day, Mrs. Keesing again collaborated with a colleague, this time in science.  With Ms. Chowdhury's honors physics class, students used Edmodo as a means of collaborating on a new topic.  They shared their observations with their pre-set groups and uploaded images that they had created to further examine the concepts they were learning about and applying.     The students in Mrs. Westervelt’s Independent Living Skills course became familiar with, and completed an online job application to practice applying for a job in the 21st century.     In music, Mrs. Swarctz conducted a survey using Smartphones in all of her classes.  Those students who did not have one worked with those who did.  In addition, she used YouTube in each class to watch other schools that have performed the music they are currently performing.  During her second period class the students conducted research using YouTube to help with their solos.  Each lesson ended with students continuing to work in the Music lab on an on-line music theory program.     Students in Ms. Perna’s US History I class created Wordles to review information studied prior to their midterm.  In order to review prior learning, students worked in pairs to create Wordles related to the presidencies of Washington and Adams, up until the election of 1800.  This allowed students to work collaboratively using technology (computers) while reviewing prior learning.  As a class, they viewed and discussed the Wordles created in order for students to see what their peers had created while reviewing together as a large group before moving on with the curriculum.     Mr. Andolino had his Applied Music Theory students create a music commercial using software.  Finished products were posted to Pure Volume.  Prior to Digital Learning Day an original vocal rap and live performance was recorded with a portable recorder and uploaded online.     Ms. Millian’s math students utilized an Avermedia document camera to display work.  Poll Everywhere was used in class to express opinions and check for understanding by completing problems and texting answers in.     Using the Poll Everywhere, Mrs. Mackey’s English students used their cell phones to respond to questions based on what they knew about persuasive writing. The teacher gave out sample HSPA (High School Proficiency Assessment) rubrics specifically for persuasive essay writing. Then, using the Smart Board, the students read actual HSPA essay prompts and responses while using Poll Everywhere to answer, "What score do you think this essay received?" For closure, the students responded to an open ended polling question: "As of today, how do you feel you will do on the essay portion of the HSPA?"     Students in Ms. Ginter’s Biology class have been working on creating a travel brochure PowerPoint presentation using several websites that provided them with specific information on their assigned biomes. The assignment required them to include key information specific to the biome (ex. native animals, native plants, average temperature, and average precipitation), as well as interesting things for people to do or see there. They incorporated graphics in their presentation through the usage of charts, pictures, diagrams, and videos - where appropriate. The students were then responsible for rating the presentations and voting on the best one to present to a client using Poll Everywhere and their cell phones.   Here is a video we produced leading up to Digital Learning Day showcasing our Social Studies Department.     As you can see, NMHS has made a commitment to digital learning, not just on one day, but everyday. New Milford High School proudly joined 37 states, 15,000 teachers, and over 2 million students on February 1 for the inaugural Digital Learning Day.  This day, however, was not really much different than any other day at NMHS as we have made a commitment to integrate digital learning into school culture for some time now.  As Principal I am proud to state that many of the pedagogical techniques, learning activities, and tools described in the rest of this post are consistently in use on a daily basis across all content areas.  The reason for this is that we have put a premium on creating a teaching and learning culture that better meets the needs of our learners while enhancing essential skills such as collaboration, communication, creativity, media literacy, and global awareness.  Below I have summarized some of the pre-planned activities that my teachers planned and had their students engaged in on Digital Learning Day.   In Ms. Levy’s U.S. History class, students learned about the rise of Jacksonian Democracy and had to determine if Jackson was a highly successful president or a corrupt leader.  Students were broken up into groups of 5-6 students.  Each student went on line and looked at one source from Ms. Levy’s website.  They then had to use their “Origin Perspective Value Limitation” handout to answer and dissect the source in classic IB format.  Once they had evaluated the source for these 4 elements, they wrote down their answers in a group created Google Doc.  Finally, they came together as a group to decide their perspective on Andrew Jackson’s presidency.  After students decided as a group, they voted individually as a class about their opinion on the source with “Poll Everywhere,” using their cell phones.     In Mrs. Morel’s art class, students embarked on a QR Code scavenger art hunt around the school. This activity began with an introduction to QR Codes: what they are, how they are used in the marketing world, how we are going to use them, and best of all, how they (students) could use them in their lives. Students also reviewed artists’ work and tried out a few QR codes in class. For the lesson, students were paired up with a partner and utilized their Smartphone, iPod, etc. to search for clues that led them to QR Codes. The QR Codes contained various artists’ work and clue information.  Mrs. Morel wrapped up the activity with a summary of the findings and then transitioned into having the students create their own QR codes with links to their artwork and websites.  These were then posted in school for our school community to scan.     Mrs. Vicari’s business classes utilized YouTube, a variety of video sites, and websites to preview Superbowl commercials as an introduction to the semester Marketing/Advertising course.  Students discussed the definitions of marketing and advertising and how they are different.  They used a series of thought-provoking questions, while viewing the various commercials, to identify different areas of marketing and advertising that will be discussed in this course throughout the semester.     Students in Mr. Tusa’s history class investigated the history of Europe through painting (1500-1800).  He challenged students to think of a painting as an essay - in the sense that it captures not in words, as an essay does, but through a visual image, some aspect(s) of the life, history, and culture of a particular historical period from the point of view not of a writer but of an artist.  Students were given a list of paintings/engravings produced in the period 1500-1800. Working with partners, they had to choose one painting from each category, study it by paying particular attention to the political, economic, religious, social, industrial, and/or artistic way in which it captures/criticizes some aspect(s) of the period 1500-1800, and record their impressions accordingly. He reminded students to “read” the painting as they would read an essay and record their view/impression of what historical themes, ideas, person or people, the painting is portraying/criticizing.  Using Mac Books:  one student recorded and shared their comments on a Google Doc while the other searched for and viewed the paintings. Links were also provided for students to locate and view paintings.     Students in Mrs. Beiner’s Culinary Arts classes created a “how to” video for recipes.  They then posted them on her YouTube account and tracked how many hits they received over the Superbowl weekend.  Her Early Childhood Development classes read a book to the pre-school children on an iPad and worked with a website to review the book.   In math, Mrs. Chellani began the lesson with mobile learning devices and Poll Everywhere to review prior learning. She then utilized a variety of virtual manipulatives (using the SMART tablet) from the National Library of Virtual Manipulatives.  These virtual games/math problems are a fantastic way to further embed the Smart tablet into daily instruction, help foster the students' development of higher-order thinking skills, and make the learning experience more challenging and enjoyable.     History teacher Ms. Millan collaborated with Mrs. Keesing, our media specialist, on a QR code assignment. Students used their cellphones to download an app to both create and read QR codes.  To tie in with their study of the English monarchy in the Elizabethan-Stuart era, they researched websites to find quality information on selected, relevant topics.  They then created QR codes for those websites.  Students printed the codes and affixed them to some of the school library's books -- some of which greatly benefited from the updated information the students located.     Later in the day, Mrs. Keesing again collaborated with a colleague, this time in science.  With Ms. Chowdhury's honors physics class, students used Edmodo as a means of collaborating on a new topic.  They shared their observations with their pre-set groups and uploaded images that they had created to further examine the concepts they were learning about and applying.     The students in Mrs. Westervelt’s Independent Living Skills course became familiar with, and completed an online job application to practice applying for a job in the 21st century.     In music, Mrs. Swarctz conducted a survey using Smartphones in all of her classes.  Those students who did not have one worked with those who did.  In addition, she used YouTube in each class to watch other schools that have performed the music they are currently performing.  During her second period class the students conducted research using YouTube to help with their solos.  Each lesson ended with students continuing to work in the Music lab on an on-line music theory program.     Students in Ms. Perna’s US History I class created Wordles to review information studied prior to their midterm.  In order to review prior learning, students worked in pairs to create Wordles related to the presidencies of Washington and Adams, up until the election of 1800.  This allowed students to work collaboratively using technology (computers) while reviewing prior learning.  As a class, they viewed and discussed the Wordles created in order for students to see what their peers had created while reviewing together as a large group before moving on with the curriculum.     Mr. Andolino had his Applied Music Theory students create a music commercial using software.  Finished products were posted to Pure Volume.  Prior to Digital Learning Day an original vocal rap and live performance was recorded with a portable recorder and uploaded online.     Ms. Millian’s math students utilized an Avermedia document camera to display work.  Poll Everywhere was used in class to express opinions and check for understanding by completing problems and texting answers in.     Using the Poll Everywhere, Mrs. Mackey’s English students used their cell phones to respond to questions based on what they knew about persuasive writing. The teacher gave out sample HSPA (High School Proficiency Assessment) rubrics specifically for persuasive essay writing. Then, using the Smart Board, the students read actual HSPA essay prompts and responses while using Poll Everywhere to answer, "What score do you think this essay received?" For closure, the students responded to an open ended polling question: "As of today, how do you feel you will do on the essay portion of the HSPA?"     Students in Ms. Ginter’s Biology class have been working on creating a travel brochure PowerPoint presentation using several websites that provided them with specific information on their assigned biomes. The assignment required them to include key information specific to the biome (ex. native animals, native plants, average temperature, and average precipitation), as well as interesting things for people to do or see there. They incorporated graphics in their presentation through the usage of charts, pictures, diagrams, and videos - where appropriate. The students were then responsible for rating the presentations and voting on the best one to present to a client using Poll Everywhere and their cell phones.   Here is a video we produced leading up to Digital Learning Day showcasing our Social Studies Department.     As you can see, NMHS has made a commitment to digital learning, not just on one day, but everyday. Sun, 12 Feb 2012 21:36:36 GMT http://edge.ascd.org/_A-Commitment-to-Digital-Learning/blog/5771003/127586.html Eric_Sheninger 2012-02-12T21:36:36Z Blogs ASCD EDge New Milford High School proudly joined 37 states, 15,000 teachers, and over 2 million students on February 1 for the inaugural Digital Learning Day.  This day, however, was not really much different than any other day at NMHS as we have made a commitment to integrate digital learning into school culture for some time now.  As Principal I am proud to state that many of the pedagogical techniques, learning activities, and tools described in the rest of this post are consistently in use on a daily basis across all content areas.  The reason for this is that we have put a premium on creating a teaching and learning culture that better meets the needs of our learners while enhancing essential skills such as collaboration, communication, creativity, media literacy, and global awareness.  Below I have summarized some of the pre-planned activities that my teachers planned and had their students engaged in on Digital Learning Day.   In Ms. Levy’s U.S. History class, students learned about the rise of Jacksonian Democracy and had to determine if Jackson was a highly successful president or a corrupt leader.  Students were broken up into groups of 5-6 students.  Each student went on line and looked at one source from Ms. Levy’s website.  They then had to use their “Origin Perspective Value Limitation” handout to answer and dissect the source in classic IB format.  Once they had evaluated the source for these 4 elements, they wrote down their answers in a group created Google Doc.  Finally, they came together as a group to decide their perspective on Andrew Jackson’s presidency.  After students decided as a group, they voted individually as a class about their opinion on the source with “Poll Everywhere,” using their cell phones.     In Mrs. Morel’s art class, students embarked on a QR Code scavenger art hunt around the school. This activity began with an introduction to QR Codes: what they are, how they are used in the marketing world, how we are going to use them, and best of all, how they (students) could use them in their lives. Students also reviewed artists’ work and tried out a few QR codes in class. For the lesson, students were paired up with a partner and utilized their Smartphone, iPod, etc. to search for clues that led them to QR Codes. The QR Codes contained various artists’ work and clue information.  Mrs. Morel wrapped up the activity with a summary of the findings and then transitioned into having the students create their own QR codes with links to their artwork and websites.  These were then posted in school for our school community to scan.     Mrs. Vicari’s business classes utilized YouTube, a variety of video sites, and websites to preview Superbowl commercials as an introduction to the semester Marketing/Advertising course.  Students discussed the definitions of marketing and advertising and how they are different.  They used a series of thought-provoking questions, while viewing the various commercials, to identify different areas of marketing and advertising that will be discussed in this course throughout the semester.     Students in Mr. Tusa’s history class investigated the history of Europe through painting (1500-1800).  He challenged students to think of a painting as an essay - in the sense that it captures not in words, as an essay does, but through a visual image, some aspect(s) of the life, history, and culture of a particular historical period from the point of view not of a writer but of an artist.  Students were given a list of paintings/engravings produced in the period 1500-1800. Working with partners, they had to choose one painting from each category, study it by paying particular attention to the political, economic, religious, social, industrial, and/or artistic way in which it captures/criticizes some aspect(s) of the period 1500-1800, and record their impressions accordingly. He reminded students to “read” the painting as they would read an essay and record their view/impression of what historical themes, ideas, person or people, the painting is portraying/criticizing.  Using Mac Books:  one student recorded and shared their comments on a Google Doc while the other searched for and viewed the paintings. Links were also provided for students to locate and view paintings.     Students in Mrs. Beiner’s Culinary Arts classes created a “how to” video for recipes.  They then posted them on her YouTube account and tracked how many hits they received over the Superbowl weekend.  Her Early Childhood Development classes read a book to the pre-school children on an iPad and worked with a website to review the book.   In math, Mrs. Chellani began the lesson with mobile learning devices and Poll Everywhere to review prior learning. She then utilized a variety of virtual manipulatives (using the SMART tablet) from the National Library of Virtual Manipulatives.  These virtual games/math problems are a fantastic way to further embed the Smart tablet into daily instruction, help foster the students' development of higher-order thinking skills, and make the learning experience more challenging and enjoyable.     History teacher Ms. Millan collaborated with Mrs. Keesing, our media specialist, on a QR code assignment. Students used their cellphones to download an app to both create and read QR codes.  To tie in with their study of the English monarchy in the Elizabethan-Stuart era, they researched websites to find quality information on selected, relevant topics.  They then created QR codes for those websites.  Students printed the codes and affixed them to some of the school library's books -- some of which greatly benefited from the updated information the students located.     Later in the day, Mrs. Keesing again collaborated with a colleague, this time in science.  With Ms. Chowdhury's honors physics class, students used Edmodo as a means of collaborating on a new topic.  They shared their observations with their pre-set groups and uploaded images that they had created to further examine the concepts they were learning about and applying.     The students in Mrs. Westervelt’s Independent Living Skills course became familiar with, and completed an online job application to practice applying for a job in the 21st century.     In music, Mrs. Swarctz conducted a survey using Smartphones in all of her classes.  Those students who did not have one worked with those who did.  In addition, she used YouTube in each class to watch other schools that have performed the music they are currently performing.  During her second period class the students conducted research using YouTube to help with their solos.  Each lesson ended with students continuing to work in the Music lab on an on-line music theory program.     Students in Ms. Perna’s US History I class created Wordles to review information studied prior to their midterm.  In order to review prior learning, students worked in pairs to create Wordles related to the presidencies of Washington and Adams, up until the election of 1800.  This allowed students to work collaboratively using technology (computers) while reviewing prior learning.  As a class, they viewed and discussed the Wordles created in order for students to see what their peers had created while reviewing together as a large group before moving on with the curriculum.     Mr. Andolino had his Applied Music Theory students create a music commercial using software.  Finished products were posted to Pure Volume.  Prior to Digital Learning Day an original vocal rap and live performance was recorded with a portable recorder and uploaded online.     Ms. Millian’s math students utilized an Avermedia document camera to display work.  Poll Everywhere was used in class to express opinions and check for understanding by completing problems and texting answers in.     Using the Poll Everywhere, Mrs. Mackey’s English students used their cell phones to respond to questions based on what they knew about persuasive writing. The teacher gave out sample HSPA (High School Proficiency Assessment) rubrics specifically for persuasive essay writing. Then, using the Smart Board, the students read actual HSPA essay prompts and responses while using Poll Everywhere to answer, "What score do you think this essay received?" For closure, the students responded to an open ended polling question: "As of today, how do you feel you will do on the essay portion of the HSPA?"     Students in Ms. Ginter’s Biology class have been working on creating a travel brochure PowerPoint presentation using several websites that provided them with specific information on their assigned biomes. The assignment required them to include key information specific to the biome (ex. native animals, native plants, average temperature, and average precipitation), as well as interesting things for people to do or see there. They incorporated graphics in their presentation through the usage of charts, pictures, diagrams, and videos - where appropriate. The students were then responsible for rating the presentations and voting on the best one to present to a client using Poll Everywhere and their cell phones.   Here is a video we produced leading up to Digital Learning Day showcasing our Social Studies Department.     As you can see, NMHS has made a commitment to digital learning, not just on one day, but everyday. blogs, change, digital learning, educational technology, new milford high school nonadult false A Commitment to Digital Learning text blog blogs,change,digital learning,educational technology,new milford high school 1922 11 5.0 http://edge.ascd.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=24953942&as=127586 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/127586/photos/PHOTO_10211009_127586_24953942_ap_160X120.jpg false United States NJ New Milford 2 Blogs 0 5771003 24953942 ASCD EDge Member 250 http://edge.ascd.org/_Twitter-A-Resource-For-All-Educators/blog/5753027/127586.html Everyone that knows me is well aware of my professional affinity for Twitter.  As I have previously mentioned many times on this blog, it was Twitter back in March of 2009 that served as a catalyst for my transformation into the leader that I am today.  Prior to delving into this 140 character world I utilized traditional mediums for communication and professional development, had no idea what Web 2.0 was, and adamantly believed social media had absolutely no place in education.  I would say things have changed a bit.   This past December I was honored to have Scholastic visit my school.  They were led here, after all, by Twitter.  This video below details my thoughts on this game-changing resource that is available for free to all educators.   I have some questions for those of you reading this post.  Why do you use Twitter?  If you don't, what are your reasons? Finally, how can we move more schools to embrace social media in general as a valuable educational tool?   (You can view the entire winter Scholastic Administrator magazine HERE). Everyone that knows me is well aware of my professional affinity for Twitter.  As I have previously mentioned many times on this blog, it was Twitter back in March of 2009 that served as a catalyst for my transformation into the leader that I am today.  Prior to delving into this 140 character world I utilized traditional mediums for communication and professional development, had no idea what Web 2.0 was, and adamantly believed social media had absolutely no place in education.  I would say things have changed a bit.   This past December I was honored to have Scholastic visit my school.  They were led here, after all, by Twitter.  This video below details my thoughts on this game-changing resource that is available for free to all educators.   I have some questions for those of you reading this post.  Why do you use Twitter?  If you don't, what are your reasons? Finally, how can we move more schools to embrace social media in general as a valuable educational tool?   (You can view the entire winter Scholastic Administrator magazine HERE). Sun, 05 Feb 2012 01:58:53 GMT http://edge.ascd.org/_Twitter-A-Resource-For-All-Educators/blog/5753027/127586.html Eric_Sheninger 2012-02-05T01:58:53Z Blogs ASCD EDge Everyone that knows me is well aware of my professional affinity for Twitter.  As I have previously mentioned many times on this blog, it was Twitter back in March of 2009 that served as a catalyst for my transformation into the leader that I am today.  Prior to delving into this 140 character world I utilized traditional mediums for communication and professional development, had no idea what Web 2.0 was, and adamantly believed social media had absolutely no place in education.  I would say things have changed a bit.   This past December I was honored to have Scholastic visit my school.  They were led here, after all, by Twitter.  This video below details my thoughts on this game-changing resource that is available for free to all educators.   I have some questions for those of you reading this post.  Why do you use Twitter?  If you don't, what are your reasons? Finally, how can we move more schools to embrace social media in general as a valuable educational tool?   (You can view the entire winter Scholastic Administrator magazine HERE). blogs, professional development, social media, twitter nonadult false Twitter: A Resource For All Educators text blog blogs,professional development,social media,twitter 408 10 5.0 http://edge.ascd.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=24953942&as=127586 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/127586/photos/PHOTO_10211009_127586_24953942_ap_160X120.jpg false United States NJ New Milford 0 Blogs 0 5753027 24953942 ASCD EDge Member 250 http://edge.ascd.org/_An-Idea-Whose-Time-Has-Come/blog/5725879/127586.html As we continue to move even further into the 21st Century, technology becomes more embedded in all aspects of society.   As a father, I see this firsthand with my son, who is in first grade.  The gift he wanted the most this past Christmas was an iPod Touch, which Santa was kind enough to bring him.  Then there is his younger sister who will regularly ask to use my iPad so she can either care for her virtual horse or dress Barbies in creative ways.  As I download all of the apps on these devices, the majority of their time is spent engaged in games that require thought, creativity, and sometimes collaboration. My point here is that many children across the world have access to, and are using, technology outside of school in a variety of ways.  Not only do many have access, but also older children possess their own devices (cell phones, smart phones, laptops, tablets, e-readers, etc.).   As society continues to move forward in terms of innovation, technology, and global connectivity, schools are being stymied by relentless cuts to education.  This has resulted in the reduction of staff, larger class sizes, lack of follow through to repair aging buildings, and the inability to keep up with purchasing and replacing educational technology.  It is essential that we rectify all of the above mentioned impacts of budget cuts, but when it comes to technology the perception is that it is the least important area in which to invest precious funds.  This is why the time is now for districts and schools to seriously consider developing a Bring Your Own Technology (BYOT) initiative.   The world of education is often defined by the “haves” and “have nots”.  It is this separation that ultimately drives decisions when it comes to educational technology.  Why should students in less affluent districts not be afforded the same opportunity as those with large budgets to utilize technology as a learning tool to create, collaborate, connect, communicate, and develop essential media literacies?  A BYOT initiative makes sense as we can now leverage a variety of devices that many of our students already possess.  It is how we utilize these student owned devices in schools that is the key to a successful BYOT initiative.   There are many well-respected educators that I greatly admire who feel that BYOT has no place in schools.  Their main reasons for this are equity in terms of students that have devices and the belief that it is each district’s responsibility to provide all technology to be used by students in schools.  I wholeheartedly agree with their positions, but those of us in the trenches must play with the cards that we have been dealt.  As educators, it is our duty to do everything in our power to provide our students with the best learning opportunities possible and in many cases allowing students to bring their own devices to school assists in meeting this lofty goal.   We launched our BYOT program at New Milford High School this past September after just piloting it with the senior class last spring.  There have been many lessons learned from this journey, the most important being that the students have greatly appreciated this shift.  Policies have been developed for students to bring in their own computing devices, a ban on cell phone use during non-instructional time has been lifted, and educational programs have been put in place to teach our students about digital citizenship, responsibility, and footprints.  We did not let excuses, such as equity, stop us from moving forward with an initiative that is turning out to have real value to our students and teachers.  Key components of a successful BYOT initiative include the following:  Begin to change the way students view their devices by changing the language when they are referenced.  Students need to fully understand that they are tools for learning.  Make consistent efforts to refer to them as mobile learning devices. When using these devices in the classroom, the teacher must ensure that there is a specific learning outcome connected to the device.  Ensuring equity is important and we must be cognizant of those students that might not own a device.  Determining those that do not in a confidential manner is very important.  If using mobile phones, teachers can easily pair students up. A BYOT initiative can actually supplement what a school might already have in terms of technology and increase access.  For example, let’s say a school has a laptop cart with only 20 devices because that is all that could be afforded, but there are 25 students in the class.  Student owned technology could then be utilized to close this gap. Develop appropriate support structures that align with current Acceptable Use Policies. Provide professional development and resources to teachers so that they can be successful in implementing mobile learning devices. Treat students like 21st Century adolescents.  Many of them own and use these devices outside of school.  If we can focus use on learning, then why would we not allow them to bring these tools and use them in school?  Unacceptable use is dealt with accordingly based on a school’s discipline code.  This should not be considered different than any other infraction.  When it comes to off task behavior in the classroom, this is most likely the result of a poorly planned lesson or ineffective classroom management techniques. Promote use of student owned devices for learning during non-instructional time.  At NMHS, one can now routinely see students using their devices during lunch to conduct research for projects, complete homework assignments, and organize their responsibilities.  Additionally, we have seen a dramatic reduction in behavior issues.   Instead of bashing BYOT and coming up with ideas on how and why it won’t work or how it is unfair, we would be best served to brainstorm ways in which it can become an educational component of our schools.  The excuses to write off BYOT only serve to undermine the students that we are tasked with educating.  A BYOT initiative will be unique to each district and should be carefully constructed based on socioeconomics and community dynamics.  To begin the process students should be asked for their input.  What are your thoughts on BYOT in schools?  If it has worked for you, please share your experiences. As we continue to move even further into the 21st Century, technology becomes more embedded in all aspects of society.   As a father, I see this firsthand with my son, who is in first grade.  The gift he wanted the most this past Christmas was an iPod Touch, which Santa was kind enough to bring him.  Then there is his younger sister who will regularly ask to use my iPad so she can either care for her virtual horse or dress Barbies in creative ways.  As I download all of the apps on these devices, the majority of their time is spent engaged in games that require thought, creativity, and sometimes collaboration. My point here is that many children across the world have access to, and are using, technology outside of school in a variety of ways.  Not only do many have access, but also older children possess their own devices (cell phones, smart phones, laptops, tablets, e-readers, etc.).   As society continues to move forward in terms of innovation, technology, and global connectivity, schools are being stymied by relentless cuts to education.  This has resulted in the reduction of staff, larger class sizes, lack of follow through to repair aging buildings, and the inability to keep up with purchasing and replacing educational technology.  It is essential that we rectify all of the above mentioned impacts of budget cuts, but when it comes to technology the perception is that it is the least important area in which to invest precious funds.  This is why the time is now for districts and schools to seriously consider developing a Bring Your Own Technology (BYOT) initiative.   The world of education is often defined by the “haves” and “have nots”.  It is this separation that ultimately drives decisions when it comes to educational technology.  Why should students in less affluent districts not be afforded the same opportunity as those with large budgets to utilize technology as a learning tool to create, collaborate, connect, communicate, and develop essential media literacies?  A BYOT initiative makes sense as we can now leverage a variety of devices that many of our students already possess.  It is how we utilize these student owned devices in schools that is the key to a successful BYOT initiative.   There are many well-respected educators that I greatly admire who feel that BYOT has no place in schools.  Their main reasons for this are equity in terms of students that have devices and the belief that it is each district’s responsibility to provide all technology to be used by students in schools.  I wholeheartedly agree with their positions, but those of us in the trenches must play with the cards that we have been dealt.  As educators, it is our duty to do everything in our power to provide our students with the best learning opportunities possible and in many cases allowing students to bring their own devices to school assists in meeting this lofty goal.   We launched our BYOT program at New Milford High School this past September after just piloting it with the senior class last spring.  There have been many lessons learned from this journey, the most important being that the students have greatly appreciated this shift.  Policies have been developed for students to bring in their own computing devices, a ban on cell phone use during non-instructional time has been lifted, and educational programs have been put in place to teach our students about digital citizenship, responsibility, and footprints.  We did not let excuses, such as equity, stop us from moving forward with an initiative that is turning out to have real value to our students and teachers.  Key components of a successful BYOT initiative include the following:  Begin to change the way students view their devices by changing the language when they are referenced.  Students need to fully understand that they are tools for learning.  Make consistent efforts to refer to them as mobile learning devices. When using these devices in the classroom, the teacher must ensure that there is a specific learning outcome connected to the device.  Ensuring equity is important and we must be cognizant of those students that might not own a device.  Determining those that do not in a confidential manner is very important.  If using mobile phones, teachers can easily pair students up. A BYOT initiative can actually supplement what a school might already have in terms of technology and increase access.  For example, let’s say a school has a laptop cart with only 20 devices because that is all that could be afforded, but there are 25 students in the class.  Student owned technology could then be utilized to close this gap. Develop appropriate support structures that align with current Acceptable Use Policies. Provide professional development and resources to teachers so that they can be successful in implementing mobile learning devices. Treat students like 21st Century adolescents.  Many of them own and use these devices outside of school.  If we can focus use on learning, then why would we not allow them to bring these tools and use them in school?  Unacceptable use is dealt with accordingly based on a school’s discipline code.  This should not be considered different than any other infraction.  When it comes to off task behavior in the classroom, this is most likely the result of a poorly planned lesson or ineffective classroom management techniques. Promote use of student owned devices for learning during non-instructional time.  At NMHS, one can now routinely see students using their devices during lunch to conduct research for projects, complete homework assignments, and organize their responsibilities.  Additionally, we have seen a dramatic reduction in behavior issues.   Instead of bashing BYOT and coming up with ideas on how and why it won’t work or how it is unfair, we would be best served to brainstorm ways in which it can become an educational component of our schools.  The excuses to write off BYOT only serve to undermine the students that we are tasked with educating.  A BYOT initiative will be unique to each district and should be carefully constructed based on socioeconomics and community dynamics.  To begin the process students should be asked for their input.  What are your thoughts on BYOT in schools?  If it has worked for you, please share your experiences. Sun, 22 Jan 2012 13:01:56 GMT http://edge.ascd.org/_An-Idea-Whose-Time-Has-Come/blog/5725879/127586.html Eric_Sheninger 2012-01-22T13:01:56Z Blogs ASCD EDge As we continue to move even further into the 21st Century, technology becomes more embedded in all aspects of society.   As a father, I see this firsthand with my son, who is in first grade.  The gift he wanted the most this past Christmas was an iPod Touch, which Santa was kind enough to bring him.  Then there is his younger sister who will regularly ask to use my iPad so she can either care for her virtual horse or dress Barbies in creative ways.  As I download all of the apps on these devices, the majority of their time is spent engaged in games that require thought, creativity, and sometimes collaboration. My point here is that many children across the world have access to, and are using, technology outside of school in a variety of ways.  Not only do many have access, but also older children possess their own devices (cell phones, smart phones, laptops, tablets, e-readers, etc.).   As society continues to move forward in terms of innovation, technology, and global connectivity, schools are being stymied by relentless cuts to education.  This has resulted in the reduction of staff, larger class sizes, lack of follow through to repair aging buildings, and the inability to keep up with purchasing and replacing educational technology.  It is essential that we rectify all of the above mentioned impacts of budget cuts, but when it comes to technology the perception is that it is the least important area in which to invest precious funds.  This is why the time is now for districts and schools to seriously consider developing a Bring Your Own Technology (BYOT) initiative.   The world of education is often defined by the “haves” and “have nots”.  It is this separation that ultimately drives decisions when it comes to educational technology.  Why should students in less affluent districts not be afforded the same opportunity as those with large budgets to utilize technology as a learning tool to create, collaborate, connect, communicate, and develop essential media literacies?  A BYOT initiative makes sense as we can now leverage a variety of devices that many of our students already possess.  It is how we utilize these student owned devices in schools that is the key to a successful BYOT initiative.   There are many well-respected educators that I greatly admire who feel that BYOT has no place in schools.  Their main reasons for this are equity in terms of students that have devices and the belief that it is each district’s responsibility to provide all technology to be used by students in schools.  I wholeheartedly agree with their positions, but those of us in the trenches must play with the cards that we have been dealt.  As educators, it is our duty to do everything in our power to provide our students with the best learning opportunities possible and in many cases allowing students to bring their own devices to school assists in meeting this lofty goal.   We launched our BYOT program at New Milford High School this past September after just piloting it with the senior class last spring.  There have been many lessons learned from this journey, the most important being that the students have greatly appreciated this shift.  Policies have been developed for students to bring in their own computing devices, a ban on cell phone use during non-instructional time has been lifted, and educational programs have been put in place to teach our students about digital citizenship, responsibility, and footprints.  We did not let excuses, such as equity, stop us from moving forward with an initiative that is turning out to have real value to our students and teachers.  Key components of a successful BYOT initiative include the following:  Begin to change the way students view their devices by changing the language when they are referenced.  Students need to fully understand that they are tools for learning.  Make consistent efforts to refer to them as mobile learning devices. When using these devices in the classroom, the teacher must ensure that there is a specific learning outcome connected to the device.  Ensuring equity is important and we must be cognizant of those students that might not own a device.  Determining those that do not in a confidential manner is very important.  If using mobile phones, teachers can easily pair students up. A BYOT initiative can actually supplement what a school might already have in terms of technology and increase access.  For example, let’s say a school has a laptop cart with only 20 devices because that is all that could be afforded, but there are 25 students in the class.  Student owned technology could then be utilized to close this gap. Develop appropriate support structures that align with current Acceptable Use Policies. Provide professional development and resources to teachers so that they can be successful in implementing mobile learning devices. Treat students like 21st Century adolescents.  Many of them own and use these devices outside of school.  If we can focus use on learning, then why would we not allow them to bring these tools and use them in school?  Unacceptable use is dealt with accordingly based on a school’s discipline code.  This should not be considered different than any other infraction.  When it comes to off task behavior in the classroom, this is most likely the result of a poorly planned lesson or ineffective classroom management techniques. Promote use of student owned devices for learning during non-instructional time.  At NMHS, one can now routinely see students using their devices during lunch to conduct research for projects, complete homework assignments, and organize their responsibilities.  Additionally, we have seen a dramatic reduction in behavior issues.   Instead of bashing BYOT and coming up with ideas on how and why it won’t work or how it is unfair, we would be best served to brainstorm ways in which it can become an educational component of our schools.  The excuses to write off BYOT only serve to undermine the students that we are tasked with educating.  A BYOT initiative will be unique to each district and should be carefully constructed based on socioeconomics and community dynamics.  To begin the process students should be asked for their input.  What are your thoughts on BYOT in schools?  If it has worked for you, please share your experiences. blogs, byod, byot, change, educational technology, innovation, mobile learning nonadult false An Idea Whose Time Has Come text blog blogs,byod,byot,change,educational technology,innovation,mobile learning 428 10 5.0 http://edge.ascd.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=24953942&as=127586 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/127586/photos/PHOTO_10211009_127586_24953942_ap_160X120.jpg false United States NJ New Milford 0 Blogs 0 5725879 24953942 ASCD EDge Member 250 http://edge.ascd.org/_The-Value-of-Bringing-Guests-Into-the-Classroom/blog/5704574/127586.html One of the main objectives of a sound lesson is for students to find meaning and relevancy in terms of what they are learning.  Typical questions students ask include the following: Why do we need to know this? What am I going to do with this later in life? How is this going to help me get a job? This can sometimes prove to be a difficult task as real world contexts are either not established or properly articulated.   One effective strategy is to leverage local resources by bringing in experts as guest instructors.  Not only is this cost effective, but students can hear from actual practitioners in the field whose experiences connect to what they are currently learning about.  They can also provide concrete connections between different content areas.  This is a fantastic way for students to acquire additional essential understandings of concepts and how they connect to specific lines of work.  It is one thing for students to learn concepts, but another to see how they are actually applied in a professional line of work.  Guest instructors serve as a great resource to answer the common questions listed above.  All of these reasons listed above are sure to increase engagement and instill a greater sense of relevancy and meaning amongst learners.   Each month my teachers bring in a variety of guest instructors.  Recent guests include alumni, local business leaders, and fellow teachers.  Below are some some examples during the month of December: On December 13, 2011, Art Coughlin from Nelson-Patterson Insurance Agency in New Milford was a guest speaker in Mrs. Vicari’s Business Strategy classes.  Mr. Coughlin spoke to the students about the Insurance Industry, types of business insurance, as well as, what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur. Additionally, Mr. Coughlin has graciously volunteered to give the students “mock” insurance quotes for their start-up businesses.  The students have to research the costs associated with starting a business and are then to ask for a loan as part of a business plan competition.  On December 15, 2011, Mr. Tusa of the Social Studies Department guest lectured on the history of racism in America in Mrs. DePoto’s AP Language and Composition class. The AP class is studying nonfiction works on a variety of themes this year; Mr. Tusa volunteered to bring a historical perspective to a piece the class was studying by Thomas Jefferson called “Notes from Virginia”. The class was able to trace the history of philosophical movements that impacted some of the earliest writers of our nation and are to see the connection between their ideas and various contemporary figures such as Martin Luther King and Malcolm X. Future collaboration between the Social Studies Department and the Language Arts Department is planned.      Mr. Thomas Jaworski, an alumnus of New Milford and a professional engineer visited the high school and delivered a presentation on civil engineering on Friday, December 16.  His presentation to the engineering class covered many of the fields of civil engineering. He discussed bridge construction in detail, citing local and familiar examples including the George Washington and Tappan Zee bridges.  The engineering students responded very well to the presentation and continued the discussion well after the class had ended.  Mr. Jaworski offered to assist Dr. Asa-Awuku and Mrs. Bergoffen with developing an activity for “Engineering Week” in February of 2012.   New Milford High School is obviously a place where students feel safe and comfortable while they are here as our students. This can be seen each year as former students come back to visit, work as substitutes, and in some cases even get hired as teachers. For two days this December, in Mrs. Collentine’s Global Perspectives in Literature Honors classes, NMHS class of 2005 alumnus Jonathan Silver was a “guest” speaker/teacher/actor and taught and performed Shakespeare’s Hamlet for Mrs. Collentine’s students. Jon, who is currently serving as producer and director of this year’s NMHS spring musical, is a professional actor. A graduate of the University of Cincinnati with a degree in Dramatic Performance, Jon was thrilled to teach for two days when Mrs. Collentine asked if he would come into her classes. Jon spent a summer in London studying Shakespeare and even performed on the famous and historical Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts stage. He is a natural and a force to be reckoned with as he brought a palpable passion to Mrs. Collentine’s classes. He discussed why Shakespeare is so challenging for young adults, he gave them techniques in terms of approaching the text, and he logically compared the analysis and reading of Shakespeare to math problems like calculus and trigonometry. His booming voice took on the roles of Hamlet, the Ghost and King Claudius. The kids read with him and he joked and laughed with them as he compared Hamlet’s world to the world of today’s teenager: Britney Spears was mentioned and the word “emo” was as well, along with other 21st century references. As hard as English teachers work to bring any text to life and off the page, there is always a welcome burst of energy when a professional actor comes to town.  Visiting artist Clifford Smith, a New Milford High School Alumnus, came to share his paintings with students in Ms. Bettini’s class.  Smith’s artwork is in exhibits at the Spanierman Galley (NYC), Fashion in the Hamptons (NY), Scott White Contemporary Art Gallery, the Travis Hansson Fine Art Gallery (CA), the Rosenbaum Contemporary Gallery and the Elaine Baker Gallery (NJ). He is known for his paintings of oceans, fields, landscapes, and portraits. Technology can also greatly assist educators in bringing in a variety of experts from all over the world in virtually every field.  Some fantastic free video conferencing tools include Skype and hangouts within Google+.  Establish your own unique real world learning experiences within the walls of your school today!   To see other guest instructors that have visited NMHS check out the archive of my monthly Principal's Report.   One of the main objectives of a sound lesson is for students to find meaning and relevancy in terms of what they are learning.  Typical questions students ask include the following: Why do we need to know this? What am I going to do with this later in life? How is this going to help me get a job? This can sometimes prove to be a difficult task as real world contexts are either not established or properly articulated.   One effective strategy is to leverage local resources by bringing in experts as guest instructors.  Not only is this cost effective, but students can hear from actual practitioners in the field whose experiences connect to what they are currently learning about.  They can also provide concrete connections between different content areas.  This is a fantastic way for students to acquire additional essential understandings of concepts and how they connect to specific lines of work.  It is one thing for students to learn concepts, but another to see how they are actually applied in a professional line of work.  Guest instructors serve as a great resource to answer the common questions listed above.  All of these reasons listed above are sure to increase engagement and instill a greater sense of relevancy and meaning amongst learners.   Each month my teachers bring in a variety of guest instructors.  Recent guests include alumni, local business leaders, and fellow teachers.  Below are some some examples during the month of December: On December 13, 2011, Art Coughlin from Nelson-Patterson Insurance Agency in New Milford was a guest speaker in Mrs. Vicari’s Business Strategy classes.  Mr. Coughlin spoke to the students about the Insurance Industry, types of business insurance, as well as, what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur. Additionally, Mr. Coughlin has graciously volunteered to give the students “mock” insurance quotes for their start-up businesses.  The students have to research the costs associated with starting a business and are then to ask for a loan as part of a business plan competition.  On December 15, 2011, Mr. Tusa of the Social Studies Department guest lectured on the history of racism in America in Mrs. DePoto’s AP Language and Composition class. The AP class is studying nonfiction works on a variety of themes this year; Mr. Tusa volunteered to bring a historical perspective to a piece the class was studying by Thomas Jefferson called “Notes from Virginia”. The class was able to trace the history of philosophical movements that impacted some of the earliest writers of our nation and are to see the connection between their ideas and various contemporary figures such as Martin Luther King and Malcolm X. Future collaboration between the Social Studies Department and the Language Arts Department is planned.      Mr. Thomas Jaworski, an alumnus of New Milford and a professional engineer visited the high school and delivered a presentation on civil engineering on Friday, December 16.  His presentation to the engineering class covered many of the fields of civil engineering. He discussed bridge construction in detail, citing local and familiar examples including the George Washington and Tappan Zee bridges.  The engineering students responded very well to the presentation and continued the discussion well after the class had ended.  Mr. Jaworski offered to assist Dr. Asa-Awuku and Mrs. Bergoffen with developing an activity for “Engineering Week” in February of 2012.   New Milford High School is obviously a place where students feel safe and comfortable while they are here as our students. This can be seen each year as former students come back to visit, work as substitutes, and in some cases even get hired as teachers. For two days this December, in Mrs. Collentine’s Global Perspectives in Literature Honors classes, NMHS class of 2005 alumnus Jonathan Silver was a “guest” speaker/teacher/actor and taught and performed Shakespeare’s Hamlet for Mrs. Collentine’s students. Jon, who is currently serving as producer and director of this year’s NMHS spring musical, is a professional actor. A graduate of the University of Cincinnati with a degree in Dramatic Performance, Jon was thrilled to teach for two days when Mrs. Collentine asked if he would come into her classes. Jon spent a summer in London studying Shakespeare and even performed on the famous and historical Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts stage. He is a natural and a force to be reckoned with as he brought a palpable passion to Mrs. Collentine’s classes. He discussed why Shakespeare is so challenging for young adults, he gave them techniques in terms of approaching the text, and he logically compared the analysis and reading of Shakespeare to math problems like calculus and trigonometry. His booming voice took on the roles of Hamlet, the Ghost and King Claudius. The kids read with him and he joked and laughed with them as he compared Hamlet’s world to the world of today’s teenager: Britney Spears was mentioned and the word “emo” was as well, along with other 21st century references. As hard as English teachers work to bring any text to life and off the page, there is always a welcome burst of energy when a professional actor comes to town.  Visiting artist Clifford Smith, a New Milford High School Alumnus, came to share his paintings with students in Ms. Bettini’s class.  Smith’s artwork is in exhibits at the Spanierman Galley (NYC), Fashion in the Hamptons (NY), Scott White Contemporary Art Gallery, the Travis Hansson Fine Art Gallery (CA), the Rosenbaum Contemporary Gallery and the Elaine Baker Gallery (NJ). He is known for his paintings of oceans, fields, landscapes, and portraits. Technology can also greatly assist educators in bringing in a variety of experts from all over the world in virtually every field.  Some fantastic free video conferencing tools include Skype and hangouts within Google+.  Establish your own unique real world learning experiences within the walls of your school today!   To see other guest instructors that have visited NMHS check out the archive of my monthly Principal's Report.   Wed, 11 Jan 2012 22:50:07 GMT http://edge.ascd.org/_The-Value-of-Bringing-Guests-Into-the-Classroom/blog/5704574/127586.html Eric_Sheninger 2012-01-11T22:50:07Z Blogs ASCD EDge One of the main objectives of a sound lesson is for students to find meaning and relevancy in terms of what they are learning.  Typical questions students ask include the following: Why do we need to know this? What am I going to do with this later in life? How is this going to help me get a job? This can sometimes prove to be a difficult task as real world contexts are either not established or properly articulated.   One effective strategy is to leverage local resources by bringing in experts as guest instructors.  Not only is this cost effective, but students can hear from actual practitioners in the field whose experiences connect to what they are currently learning about.  They can also provide concrete connections between different content areas.  This is a fantastic way for students to acquire additional essential understandings of concepts and how they connect to specific lines of work.  It is one thing for students to learn concepts, but another to see how they are actually applied in a professional line of work.  Guest instructors serve as a great resource to answer the common questions listed above.  All of these reasons listed above are sure to increase engagement and instill a greater sense of relevancy and meaning amongst learners.   Each month my teachers bring in a variety of guest instructors.  Recent guests include alumni, local business leaders, and fellow teachers.  Below are some some examples during the month of December: On December 13, 2011, Art Coughlin from Nelson-Patterson Insurance Agency in New Milford was a guest speaker in Mrs. Vicari’s Business Strategy classes.  Mr. Coughlin spoke to the students about the Insurance Industry, types of business insurance, as well as, what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur. Additionally, Mr. Coughlin has graciously volunteered to give the students “mock” insurance quotes for their start-up businesses.  The students have to research the costs associated with starting a business and are then to ask for a loan as part of a business plan competition.  On December 15, 2011, Mr. Tusa of the Social Studies Department guest lectured on the history of racism in America in Mrs. DePoto’s AP Language and Composition class. The AP class is studying nonfiction works on a variety of themes this year; Mr. Tusa volunteered to bring a historical perspective to a piece the class was studying by Thomas Jefferson called “Notes from Virginia”. The class was able to trace the history of philosophical movements that impacted some of the earliest writers of our nation and are to see the connection between their ideas and various contemporary figures such as Martin Luther King and Malcolm X. Future collaboration between the Social Studies Department and the Language Arts Department is planned.      Mr. Thomas Jaworski, an alumnus of New Milford and a professional engineer visited the high school and delivered a presentation on civil engineering on Friday, December 16.  His presentation to the engineering class covered many of the fields of civil engineering. He discussed bridge construction in detail, citing local and familiar examples including the George Washington and Tappan Zee bridges.  The engineering students responded very well to the presentation and continued the discussion well after the class had ended.  Mr. Jaworski offered to assist Dr. Asa-Awuku and Mrs. Bergoffen with developing an activity for “Engineering Week” in February of 2012.   New Milford High School is obviously a place where students feel safe and comfortable while they are here as our students. This can be seen each year as former students come back to visit, work as substitutes, and in some cases even get hired as teachers. For two days this December, in Mrs. Collentine’s Global Perspectives in Literature Honors classes, NMHS class of 2005 alumnus Jonathan Silver was a “guest” speaker/teacher/actor and taught and performed Shakespeare’s Hamlet for Mrs. Collentine’s students. Jon, who is currently serving as producer and director of this year’s NMHS spring musical, is a professional actor. A graduate of the University of Cincinnati with a degree in Dramatic Performance, Jon was thrilled to teach for two days when Mrs. Collentine asked if he would come into her classes. Jon spent a summer in London studying Shakespeare and even performed on the famous and historical Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts stage. He is a natural and a force to be reckoned with as he brought a palpable passion to Mrs. Collentine’s classes. He discussed why Shakespeare is so challenging for young adults, he gave them techniques in terms of approaching the text, and he logically compared the analysis and reading of Shakespeare to math problems like calculus and trigonometry. His booming voice took on the roles of Hamlet, the Ghost and King Claudius. The kids read with him and he joked and laughed with them as he compared Hamlet’s world to the world of today’s teenager: Britney Spears was mentioned and the word “emo” was as well, along with other 21st century references. As hard as English teachers work to bring any text to life and off the page, there is always a welcome burst of energy when a professional actor comes to town.  Visiting artist Clifford Smith, a New Milford High School Alumnus, came to share his paintings with students in Ms. Bettini’s class.  Smith’s artwork is in exhibits at the Spanierman Galley (NYC), Fashion in the Hamptons (NY), Scott White Contemporary Art Gallery, the Travis Hansson Fine Art Gallery (CA), the Rosenbaum Contemporary Gallery and the Elaine Baker Gallery (NJ). He is known for his paintings of oceans, fields, landscapes, and portraits. Technology can also greatly assist educators in bringing in a variety of experts from all over the world in virtually every field.  Some fantastic free video conferencing tools include Skype and hangouts within Google+.  Establish your own unique real world learning experiences within the walls of your school today!   To see other guest instructors that have visited NMHS check out the archive of my monthly Principal's Report.   blogs, guest instructors, innovation, relevancy nonadult false The Value of Bringing Guests Into the Classroom text blog blogs,guest instructors,innovation,relevancy 975 10 5.0 http://edge.ascd.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=24953942&as=127586 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/127586/photos/PHOTO_10211009_127586_24953942_ap_160X120.jpg false United States NJ New Milford 0 Blogs 0 5704574 24953942 ASCD EDge Member 250 http://edge.ascd.org/_Social-Media-is-Not-Just-For-Students/blog/5662550/127586.html When principals hear the words Twitter and Facebook they cringe. Immediately, visions of excessive socialization, time wasted, and meaningless conversations in the form of updates come to mind. This is true, in many cases, when these tools are used for personal use. I am here to share ways in which principals can harness the power of these free resources to improve communications, public relations, professional growth, instruction, and create a brand presence for your school. Quite simply, social media tools such as Twitter and Facebook have improved my effectiveness and efficiency as an educational leader. Twitter is a microblogging platform that allows users to send free messages called "tweets" in 140 characters or less. Character limits and the ability for people to receive tweets as SMS text messages make this a powerful communications tool. Why spend money on expensive information delivery systems when you can use Twitter for free? One of the benefits of using Twitter is that you can communicate information whenever and wherever you want, making it extremely convenient. Principals can use Twitter to easily and quickly communicate the following information: School events (concerts, art shows, Back to School Night) Meetings (PTO, PTA, Athletic Boosters) School closings Live athletic scores, updates, and final results Student honors Teacher innovations Emergency information News At New Milford High School I have created an official Twitter account to send out the above information. I developed a simple instruction sheet and disseminated it to all of my parents because many people still don’t really know what Twitter is or how it can be used for professional communications. This sheet explains how to sign up, activate updates on their cell phones, and the types of information that will be sent out. As I learned from my students, many more people use the social media tool, Facebook, than use Twitter. As a result of their advice, I created a NMHS Facebook page. The same information sent out using Twitter is also placed on our NMHS Facebook Page. Using these two resources together can allow principals to take control of their public relations and deliver positive information into the hands of stakeholders. Where principals once relied on the media, press releases, and websites, we now have the ability to get out links to media articles and website updates as well as pictures and video that highlight school programs. By doing so you ultimately create a brand presence for your building, one that conveys a message of success, organization, innovation, and achievement. Principals can also use social networking tools for professional growth and development. My journey started in March 2009 when I took a chance and began to utilize Twitter as a communications tool. After lurking and learning for a little while, I quickly discovered this vibrant community of passionate educators actively collaborating to improve educational practices. With this new knowledge in hand I began to formulate my own Personal Learning Network (PLN) that is based on global collaboration, active discussion, acquiring and sharing of resources, consistent feedback, proven strategies, and reflection. As my network has grown, so has my growth as an educational leader. With new ideas and strategies in hand, I am now working collaboratively with my staff to transform the teaching and learning culture of my school. Through a combination of sound pedagogy and effective technology integration, student engagement is on this rise. We are making learning relevant, meaningful, and creative! Twitter opened my eyes to a variety of Web 2.0 tools that could be used to improve my knowledge of educational leadership, effective instructional practices, and technology integration. Principals and schools should embrace Twitter, and social media in general. As leaders, it is our job to communicate effectively, promote all programs (academic, athletic, extracurricular), cultivate innovative teaching practices, and model life-long learning while growing professionally. Using social media to accomplish these goals in the 21st Century not only makes sense, but also is time well spent. When principals hear the words Twitter and Facebook they cringe. Immediately, visions of excessive socialization, time wasted, and meaningless conversations in the form of updates come to mind. This is true, in many cases, when these tools are used for personal use. I am here to share ways in which principals can harness the power of these free resources to improve communications, public relations, professional growth, instruction, and create a brand presence for your school. Quite simply, social media tools such as Twitter and Facebook have improved my effectiveness and efficiency as an educational leader. Twitter is a microblogging platform that allows users to send free messages called "tweets" in 140 characters or less. Character limits and the ability for people to receive tweets as SMS text messages make this a powerful communications tool. Why spend money on expensive information delivery systems when you can use Twitter for free? One of the benefits of using Twitter is that you can communicate information whenever and wherever you want, making it extremely convenient. Principals can use Twitter to easily and quickly communicate the following information: School events (concerts, art shows, Back to School Night) Meetings (PTO, PTA, Athletic Boosters) School closings Live athletic scores, updates, and final results Student honors Teacher innovations Emergency information News At New Milford High School I have created an official Twitter account to send out the above information. I developed a simple instruction sheet and disseminated it to all of my parents because many people still don’t really know what Twitter is or how it can be used for professional communications. This sheet explains how to sign up, activate updates on their cell phones, and the types of information that will be sent out. As I learned from my students, many more people use the social media tool, Facebook, than use Twitter. As a result of their advice, I created a NMHS Facebook page. The same information sent out using Twitter is also placed on our NMHS Facebook Page. Using these two resources together can allow principals to take control of their public relations and deliver positive information into the hands of stakeholders. Where principals once relied on the media, press releases, and websites, we now have the ability to get out links to media articles and website updates as well as pictures and video that highlight school programs. By doing so you ultimately create a brand presence for your building, one that conveys a message of success, organization, innovation, and achievement. Principals can also use social networking tools for professional growth and development. My journey started in March 2009 when I took a chance and began to utilize Twitter as a communications tool. After lurking and learning for a little while, I quickly discovered this vibrant community of passionate educators actively collaborating to improve educational practices. With this new knowledge in hand I began to formulate my own Personal Learning Network (PLN) that is based on global collaboration, active discussion, acquiring and sharing of resources, consistent feedback, proven strategies, and reflection. As my network has grown, so has my growth as an educational leader. With new ideas and strategies in hand, I am now working collaboratively with my staff to transform the teaching and learning culture of my school. Through a combination of sound pedagogy and effective technology integration, student engagement is on this rise. We are making learning relevant, meaningful, and creative! Twitter opened my eyes to a variety of Web 2.0 tools that could be used to improve my knowledge of educational leadership, effective instructional practices, and technology integration. Principals and schools should embrace Twitter, and social media in general. As leaders, it is our job to communicate effectively, promote all programs (academic, athletic, extracurricular), cultivate innovative teaching practices, and model life-long learning while growing professionally. Using social media to accomplish these goals in the 21st Century not only makes sense, but also is time well spent. Thu, 22 Dec 2011 01:30:27 GMT http://edge.ascd.org/_Social-Media-is-Not-Just-For-Students/blog/5662550/127586.html Eric_Sheninger 2011-12-22T01:30:27Z Blogs ASCD EDge When principals hear the words Twitter and Facebook they cringe. Immediately, visions of excessive socialization, time wasted, and meaningless conversations in the form of updates come to mind. This is true, in many cases, when these tools are used for personal use. I am here to share ways in which principals can harness the power of these free resources to improve communications, public relations, professional growth, instruction, and create a brand presence for your school. Quite simply, social media tools such as Twitter and Facebook have improved my effectiveness and efficiency as an educational leader. Twitter is a microblogging platform that allows users to send free messages called "tweets" in 140 characters or less. Character limits and the ability for people to receive tweets as SMS text messages make this a powerful communications tool. Why spend money on expensive information delivery systems when you can use Twitter for free? One of the benefits of using Twitter is that you can communicate information whenever and wherever you want, making it extremely convenient. Principals can use Twitter to easily and quickly communicate the following information: School events (concerts, art shows, Back to School Night) Meetings (PTO, PTA, Athletic Boosters) School closings Live athletic scores, updates, and final results Student honors Teacher innovations Emergency information News At New Milford High School I have created an official Twitter account to send out the above information. I developed a simple instruction sheet and disseminated it to all of my parents because many people still don’t really know what Twitter is or how it can be used for professional communications. This sheet explains how to sign up, activate updates on their cell phones, and the types of information that will be sent out. As I learned from my students, many more people use the social media tool, Facebook, than use Twitter. As a result of their advice, I created a NMHS Facebook page. The same information sent out using Twitter is also placed on our NMHS Facebook Page. Using these two resources together can allow principals to take control of their public relations and deliver positive information into the hands of stakeholders. Where principals once relied on the media, press releases, and websites, we now have the ability to get out links to media articles and website updates as well as pictures and video that highlight school programs. By doing so you ultimately create a brand presence for your building, one that conveys a message of success, organization, innovation, and achievement. Principals can also use social networking tools for professional growth and development. My journey started in March 2009 when I took a chance and began to utilize Twitter as a communications tool. After lurking and learning for a little while, I quickly discovered this vibrant community of passionate educators actively collaborating to improve educational practices. With this new knowledge in hand I began to formulate my own Personal Learning Network (PLN) that is based on global collaboration, active discussion, acquiring and sharing of resources, consistent feedback, proven strategies, and reflection. As my network has grown, so has my growth as an educational leader. With new ideas and strategies in hand, I am now working collaboratively with my staff to transform the teaching and learning culture of my school. Through a combination of sound pedagogy and effective technology integration, student engagement is on this rise. We are making learning relevant, meaningful, and creative! Twitter opened my eyes to a variety of Web 2.0 tools that could be used to improve my knowledge of educational leadership, effective instructional practices, and technology integration. Principals and schools should embrace Twitter, and social media in general. As leaders, it is our job to communicate effectively, promote all programs (academic, athletic, extracurricular), cultivate innovative teaching practices, and model life-long learning while growing professionally. Using social media to accomplish these goals in the 21st Century not only makes sense, but also is time well spent. blogs, change, educational technology, leadership, social media nonadult false Social Media is Not Just For Students text blog blogs,change,educational technology,leadership,social media 1248 10 5.0 http://edge.ascd.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=24953942&as=127586 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/127586/photos/PHOTO_10211009_127586_24953942_ap_160X120.jpg false United States NJ New Milford 0 Blogs 0 5662550 24953942 ASCD EDge Member 250 http://edge.ascd.org/_Use-of-Case-Studies-as-a-Student-Centered-Approach-to-Learning/blog/5652789/127586.html The use of case studies is a powerful pedagogical approach to incorporate student-centered learning activities into lessons.  As a science teacher I routinely utilized case studies as they provided a relevant context to what I was teaching.  Claire Davis and Elizabeth Wilcock conducted an excellent literature review and created a phenomenal resource called Teaching Materials Using Case Studies.    Below are some excerpts and thoughts that I would like to share:  They define case studies as student-centered activities based on topics that demonstrate theoretical concepts in an applied setting. Using case studies as an interactive learning strategy shifts the emphasis from teacher-centered to more student-centered activities. Case studies promote the following skills that are at the heart of authentic learning: problem-solving, critical thinking, communication, and collaboration. They expose students to real-life issues.  Incorporate characteristics of both problem and project-based learning.   One of my math teachers at New Milford High School has begun to integrate the use of case studies in her classes.  Mrs. Chellani's key goal is to connect key mathematical concepts to real-life and other disciplines so students are able to better comprehend the content, understand the significance of the material being taught, and recognize how each discipline is interrelated.  In order to achieve this objective, Mrs. Chellani goes beyond solely discussing these connections in class.  She utilizes a more complex approach by assigning a case study at the end of each unit so students are able to see these connections in practice.  These case studies are centered around real-world and interdisciplinary examples and provide another means to reinforce the learning in class.  Furthermore, these case studies involve the use of technology (i.e. MS Office applications, Internet research, trend/statistical Analysis, etc.) and higher-order thinking skills (i.e. drawing conclusions) that prepare students with essential skills sets. Here are 2 examples provided by Mrs. Chellani.   I applaud Mrs. Chellani's commitment to making mathematics more meaningful to her students through the use of case studies and feel that teachers in all disciplines can benefit from this approach.  Here are some other resources on the use of case studies in education: Case-Based learning from the UMDNJ Center for Teaching Excellence Using case studies to teach science from Actionbioscience National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science from the National Science Foundation Case method website: How to teach with cases from the University of CA (Santa Barbara) The use of case studies is a powerful pedagogical approach to incorporate student-centered learning activities into lessons.  As a science teacher I routinely utilized case studies as they provided a relevant context to what I was teaching.  Claire Davis and Elizabeth Wilcock conducted an excellent literature review and created a phenomenal resource called Teaching Materials Using Case Studies.    Below are some excerpts and thoughts that I would like to share:  They define case studies as student-centered activities based on topics that demonstrate theoretical concepts in an applied setting. Using case studies as an interactive learning strategy shifts the emphasis from teacher-centered to more student-centered activities. Case studies promote the following skills that are at the heart of authentic learning: problem-solving, critical thinking, communication, and collaboration. They expose students to real-life issues.  Incorporate characteristics of both problem and project-based learning.   One of my math teachers at New Milford High School has begun to integrate the use of case studies in her classes.  Mrs. Chellani's key goal is to connect key mathematical concepts to real-life and other disciplines so students are able to better comprehend the content, understand the significance of the material being taught, and recognize how each discipline is interrelated.  In order to achieve this objective, Mrs. Chellani goes beyond solely discussing these connections in class.  She utilizes a more complex approach by assigning a case study at the end of each unit so students are able to see these connections in practice.  These case studies are centered around real-world and interdisciplinary examples and provide another means to reinforce the learning in class.  Furthermore, these case studies involve the use of technology (i.e. MS Office applications, Internet research, trend/statistical Analysis, etc.) and higher-order thinking skills (i.e. drawing conclusions) that prepare students with essential skills sets. Here are 2 examples provided by Mrs. Chellani.   I applaud Mrs. Chellani's commitment to making mathematics more meaningful to her students through the use of case studies and feel that teachers in all disciplines can benefit from this approach.  Here are some other resources on the use of case studies in education: Case-Based learning from the UMDNJ Center for Teaching Excellence Using case studies to teach science from Actionbioscience National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science from the National Science Foundation Case method website: How to teach with cases from the University of CA (Santa Barbara) Sat, 17 Dec 2011 15:41:40 GMT http://edge.ascd.org/_Use-of-Case-Studies-as-a-Student-Centered-Approach-to-Learning/blog/5652789/127586.html Eric_Sheninger 2011-12-17T15:41:40Z Blogs ASCD EDge The use of case studies is a powerful pedagogical approach to incorporate student-centered learning activities into lessons.  As a science teacher I routinely utilized case studies as they provided a relevant context to what I was teaching.  Claire Davis and Elizabeth Wilcock conducted an excellent literature review and created a phenomenal resource called Teaching Materials Using Case Studies.    Below are some excerpts and thoughts that I would like to share:  They define case studies as student-centered activities based on topics that demonstrate theoretical concepts in an applied setting. Using case studies as an interactive learning strategy shifts the emphasis from teacher-centered to more student-centered activities. Case studies promote the following skills that are at the heart of authentic learning: problem-solving, critical thinking, communication, and collaboration. They expose students to real-life issues.  Incorporate characteristics of both problem and project-based learning.   One of my math teachers at New Milford High School has begun to integrate the use of case studies in her classes.  Mrs. Chellani's key goal is to connect key mathematical concepts to real-life and other disciplines so students are able to better comprehend the content, understand the significance of the material being taught, and recognize how each discipline is interrelated.  In order to achieve this objective, Mrs. Chellani goes beyond solely discussing these connections in class.  She utilizes a more complex approach by assigning a case study at the end of each unit so students are able to see these connections in practice.  These case studies are centered around real-world and interdisciplinary examples and provide another means to reinforce the learning in class.  Furthermore, these case studies involve the use of technology (i.e. MS Office applications, Internet research, trend/statistical Analysis, etc.) and higher-order thinking skills (i.e. drawing conclusions) that prepare students with essential skills sets. Here are 2 examples provided by Mrs. Chellani.   I applaud Mrs. Chellani's commitment to making mathematics more meaningful to her students through the use of case studies and feel that teachers in all disciplines can benefit from this approach.  Here are some other resources on the use of case studies in education: Case-Based learning from the UMDNJ Center for Teaching Excellence Using case studies to teach science from Actionbioscience National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science from the National Science Foundation Case method website: How to teach with cases from the University of CA (Santa Barbara) authentic learning, blogs, case studies, student-centered learning nonadult false Use of Case Studies as a Student-Centered Approach to Learning text blog authentic learning,blogs,case studies,student-centered learning 731 10 5.0 http://edge.ascd.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=24953942&as=127586 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/127586/photos/PHOTO_10211009_127586_24953942_ap_160X120.jpg false United States NJ New Milford 0 Blogs 0 5652789 24953942 ASCD EDge Member 250 http://edge.ascd.org/_Advice-for-34Education-Reformers34/blog/5643753/127586.html Ask yourself why you or someone you know chose a profession in education for a living.  Is it because of the paycheck? Do you like the hours? Do the working conditions suit you? Is it because you couldn’t decide on a major until halfway through your Bachelor’s Degree and figured that teaching would be your best option?  If you answered yes to any of these questions then you are definitely in the wrong line of work. If you answered no and are committed to working tirelessly to ensure that all children learn and are successful at it then why do you not have a place at the education reform table?   Being an educator means that you are a part of the noblest profession.  Each day is a gift as it provides you with an opportunity to make a positive difference in the life of a child.  Quite frankly it takes a special person to be an educator.  You understand that your reward for a long days work is not money or bonuses, but instead the satisfaction of knowing that the lesson you spent a great deal of time preparing resulted in student learning.  One of the greatest gifts you can ever receive is the acknowledgment from a past student thanking you for never giving up on him/her when others would have.  You realize that the summer months are an opportunity to become better.  As a result you use this time to engage in professional growth opportunities, read the latest research, and prepare innovative lessons.  In your eyes the glass is always half full.   The educator that I just described is driven by passion.  They love working with children, will do what it takes to do the job right, never fall victim to the bitterness that is found in all schools, and are committed to continual improvement.  Educators driven by a passion to help children learn are the most important components of our society and should be treated as such.  Those driven by passion: Understand that all students can learn. Are not afraid of failure because they realize that this is a means to improve their craft. Are compassionate even when pushed to the brink. Treat professional development as an opportunity as opposed to an annoyance. Openly share their ideas, lessons, and opinions with others.  Their mantra is “together we are better”. Regularly communicate with parents regularly before and after the school day to keep them abreast of their child’s progress. Consistently model life-long learning, especially during the summer months. Regularly reflect in order to enhance teaching and learning.  Create and foster a student-centered learning culture.  View the evaluation process as a growth opportunity. Realize that there will be some bad days, but these are far outnumbered by the great ones. Serve as unofficial mentors to others that need support and feedback. Embrace change that is in the best interests of the entire school community. Are not afraid to admit when they are wrong. Reform in education begins with passion.  Educators, those who are in the trenches working tirelessly to help all children learn, should be in the driver's seat when it comes to reform.  They have not only experienced success in terms of increasing achievement, by are driven by a passion to guide all students on a path to success.  These are the change agents we need to reform education, not those individuals or groups that have no vested interest or experience working with students in a public school.   Ask yourself why you or someone you know chose a profession in education for a living.  Is it because of the paycheck? Do you like the hours? Do the working conditions suit you? Is it because you couldn’t decide on a major until halfway through your Bachelor’s Degree and figured that teaching would be your best option?  If you answered yes to any of these questions then you are definitely in the wrong line of work. If you answered no and are committed to working tirelessly to ensure that all children learn and are successful at it then why do you not have a place at the education reform table?   Being an educator means that you are a part of the noblest profession.  Each day is a gift as it provides you with an opportunity to make a positive difference in the life of a child.  Quite frankly it takes a special person to be an educator.  You understand that your reward for a long days work is not money or bonuses, but instead the satisfaction of knowing that the lesson you spent a great deal of time preparing resulted in student learning.  One of the greatest gifts you can ever receive is the acknowledgment from a past student thanking you for never giving up on him/her when others would have.  You realize that the summer months are an opportunity to become better.  As a result you use this time to engage in professional growth opportunities, read the latest research, and prepare innovative lessons.  In your eyes the glass is always half full.   The educator that I just described is driven by passion.  They love working with children, will do what it takes to do the job right, never fall victim to the bitterness that is found in all schools, and are committed to continual improvement.  Educators driven by a passion to help children learn are the most important components of our society and should be treated as such.  Those driven by passion: Understand that all students can learn. Are not afraid of failure because they realize that this is a means to improve their craft. Are compassionate even when pushed to the brink. Treat professional development as an opportunity as opposed to an annoyance. Openly share their ideas, lessons, and opinions with others.  Their mantra is “together we are better”. Regularly communicate with parents regularly before and after the school day to keep them abreast of their child’s progress. Consistently model life-long learning, especially during the summer months. Regularly reflect in order to enhance teaching and learning.  Create and foster a student-centered learning culture.  View the evaluation process as a growth opportunity. Realize that there will be some bad days, but these are far outnumbered by the great ones. Serve as unofficial mentors to others that need support and feedback. Embrace change that is in the best interests of the entire school community. Are not afraid to admit when they are wrong. Reform in education begins with passion.  Educators, those who are in the trenches working tirelessly to help all children learn, should be in the driver's seat when it comes to reform.  They have not only experienced success in terms of increasing achievement, by are driven by a passion to guide all students on a path to success.  These are the change agents we need to reform education, not those individuals or groups that have no vested interest or experience working with students in a public school.   Wed, 14 Dec 2011 19:29:38 GMT http://edge.ascd.org/_Advice-for-34Education-Reformers34/blog/5643753/127586.html Eric_Sheninger 2011-12-14T19:29:38Z Blogs ASCD EDge Ask yourself why you or someone you know chose a profession in education for a living.  Is it because of the paycheck? Do you like the hours? Do the working conditions suit you? Is it because you couldn’t decide on a major until halfway through your Bachelor’s Degree and figured that teaching would be your best option?  If you answered yes to any of these questions then you are definitely in the wrong line of work. If you answered no and are committed to working tirelessly to ensure that all children learn and are successful at it then why do you not have a place at the education reform table?   Being an educator means that you are a part of the noblest profession.  Each day is a gift as it provides you with an opportunity to make a positive difference in the life of a child.  Quite frankly it takes a special person to be an educator.  You understand that your reward for a long days work is not money or bonuses, but instead the satisfaction of knowing that the lesson you spent a great deal of time preparing resulted in student learning.  One of the greatest gifts you can ever receive is the acknowledgment from a past student thanking you for never giving up on him/her when others would have.  You realize that the summer months are an opportunity to become better.  As a result you use this time to engage in professional growth opportunities, read the latest research, and prepare innovative lessons.  In your eyes the glass is always half full.   The educator that I just described is driven by passion.  They love working with children, will do what it takes to do the job right, never fall victim to the bitterness that is found in all schools, and are committed to continual improvement.  Educators driven by a passion to help children learn are the most important components of our society and should be treated as such.  Those driven by passion: Understand that all students can learn. Are not afraid of failure because they realize that this is a means to improve their craft. Are compassionate even when pushed to the brink. Treat professional development as an opportunity as opposed to an annoyance. Openly share their ideas, lessons, and opinions with others.  Their mantra is “together we are better”. Regularly communicate with parents regularly before and after the school day to keep them abreast of their child’s progress. Consistently model life-long learning, especially during the summer months. Regularly reflect in order to enhance teaching and learning.  Create and foster a student-centered learning culture.  View the evaluation process as a growth opportunity. Realize that there will be some bad days, but these are far outnumbered by the great ones. Serve as unofficial mentors to others that need support and feedback. Embrace change that is in the best interests of the entire school community. Are not afraid to admit when they are wrong. Reform in education begins with passion.  Educators, those who are in the trenches working tirelessly to help all children learn, should be in the driver's seat when it comes to reform.  They have not only experienced success in terms of increasing achievement, by are driven by a passion to guide all students on a path to success.  These are the change agents we need to reform education, not those individuals or groups that have no vested interest or experience working with students in a public school.   blogs, change, opinion, reform nonadult false Advice for "Education Reformers" text blog blogs,change,opinion,reform 763 11 5.0 http://edge.ascd.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=24953942&as=127586 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/127586/photos/PHOTO_10211009_127586_24953942_ap_160X120.jpg false United States NJ New Milford 0 Blogs 0 5643753 24953942 ASCD EDge Member 250 http://edge.ascd.org/_Empowering-Students-to-Make-School-Decisions/blog/5499589/127586.html This past September I was fortunate enough to attend a professional development program on the Chromebook at the Google offices in New York City. At the conclusion of the workshop, I immediately began to think about the potential of this computing device in my school. However, something was missing. The missing piece to making a decision of this magnitude was the thoughts and advice from the most important constituency in schools, the students. So I floated an idea to Google, which at the time I didn’t think would ever pan out. I asked them if I could bring back a group of students from New Milford High School so that they could try out the devices and provide me with feedback as to whether or not they would be a good fit for our school. The idea was enthusiastically embraced.   On Monday November 14, 2011, I took ten students from our STEM Academy on an amazing adventure to the Google offices in New York City. This would turn out to be the most exciting and meaningful daylong trip of their high school experience. The agenda for the day was as follows: Tour of the offices and themed floors. Chromebook overview and hands-on time with the device. Special meeting with “Googlers” to learn about what it is like to work there, the application process, and the diversity of programs that they work on. Lunch in one of the five specialized cafeterias.   Since this was an Academy experience, I gave the students an assignment that had to be completed after the trip (which comes back to why we were at Google in the first place). Each student had to write a persuasive essay explaining why I should or should not purchase Chromebooks for the school. I reinforced the fact that they, not me, would make this important decision. I don’t know who was more excited about this, the students or me. Students have begun to send their essays to me using Google Docs and I can’t resist sharing one of them here. The following is the persuasive essay by senior Amanda Howell:   On Monday November 14th, myself, along with a small group of students, had an unparalleled opportunity. We were able to visit the Google offices in New York City, and try the Chromebooks that Google has come out with. Not only was the trip to Google an amazing experience, but also to be able to test out technology that could be beneficial to my fellow students was an amazing personal experience.   I found the Chromebooks would be a great investment for New Milford High School for several reasons. These reasons include the computers simplicity, speed, and value. 
 The first, and perhaps best quality of the Chromebooks, is its simplicity. This I personally love, but I also think will be a great quality for the student body. The Chromebook has the least hassle of any computer I have ever surfed the web on, and it was an extremely refreshing experience to be able to boot up and go. The students here at New Milford will be able to turn on their Chromebook, enter their information, and begin working on whatever they desire. I believe that this feature will be particularly useful for a classroom setting because students will need no instructions on what to do. It wastes time in a classroom when teachers have to give their students instructions on operating devices, but not with the Chromebook.
   Time, and speed in particular, is another fantastic aspect of the Chromebook. Personally, my P.C takes what seems like forever to boot up, but not the Chromebook. You press the power button and within eight seconds you have access to the World Wide Web. Eight seconds is extremely fast, and will save time in classes. This high efficiency will also be beneficial for a classroom setting because the students will have an ample amount of time to perform research, or whatever else the class requires. This is in contrast to the laptops teachers have access to now, which take what seems like the whole class period just to start up. Not only is the start up for the Chromebooks fast, but also the computer itself operates faster than any other computer the school has. 
   The final aspect of the Chromebooks that make them beneficial is value. The Chromebooks are extremely reasonable compared to other laptops, such as Macs. The value of the Chromebooks is so high because of accessibility. There are many times that students are working on a project, or doing research, but when they sign on the next day, the computer they were using is not available. This problem is completely eliminated with the Chromebooks because students can pick up and go from any of the computers. Students are not saving their work to the computer, but rather to their account. This not only increases accessibility, but security as well because without your password no one has access to your account.   Over all, I believe that because of all these aspects of the Chromebooks, they would be a great asset at New Milford High School. The book’s simplicity, speed, and value place them in a category, which no other technology is in. They would be extremely helpful in bettering the student’s education and learning experience here at our school. They are an extremely smart investment, and I am even considering one myself.   Once all of the essays have been submitted and reviewed I will meet with this group of students and inform them of my decision to purchase or not.  This decision will be made entirely from their input.  The point here is that students are being placed in positions to make important decisions as part of our school transformation efforts. By involving them in this process it is our hope that they will take more ownership of their learning. After all, students are the reasons why we do what we do. It only makes sense to involve them as much as possible. This past September I was fortunate enough to attend a professional development program on the Chromebook at the Google offices in New York City. At the conclusion of the workshop, I immediately began to think about the potential of this computing device in my school. However, something was missing. The missing piece to making a decision of this magnitude was the thoughts and advice from the most important constituency in schools, the students. So I floated an idea to Google, which at the time I didn’t think would ever pan out. I asked them if I could bring back a group of students from New Milford High School so that they could try out the devices and provide me with feedback as to whether or not they would be a good fit for our school. The idea was enthusiastically embraced.   On Monday November 14, 2011, I took ten students from our STEM Academy on an amazing adventure to the Google offices in New York City. This would turn out to be the most exciting and meaningful daylong trip of their high school experience. The agenda for the day was as follows: Tour of the offices and themed floors. Chromebook overview and hands-on time with the device. Special meeting with “Googlers” to learn about what it is like to work there, the application process, and the diversity of programs that they work on. Lunch in one of the five specialized cafeterias.   Since this was an Academy experience, I gave the students an assignment that had to be completed after the trip (which comes back to why we were at Google in the first place). Each student had to write a persuasive essay explaining why I should or should not purchase Chromebooks for the school. I reinforced the fact that they, not me, would make this important decision. I don’t know who was more excited about this, the students or me. Students have begun to send their essays to me using Google Docs and I can’t resist sharing one of them here. The following is the persuasive essay by senior Amanda Howell:   On Monday November 14th, myself, along with a small group of students, had an unparalleled opportunity. We were able to visit the Google offices in New York City, and try the Chromebooks that Google has come out with. Not only was the trip to Google an amazing experience, but also to be able to test out technology that could be beneficial to my fellow students was an amazing personal experience.   I found the Chromebooks would be a great investment for New Milford High School for several reasons. These reasons include the computers simplicity, speed, and value. 
 The first, and perhaps best quality of the Chromebooks, is its simplicity. This I personally love, but I also think will be a great quality for the student body. The Chromebook has the least hassle of any computer I have ever surfed the web on, and it was an extremely refreshing experience to be able to boot up and go. The students here at New Milford will be able to turn on their Chromebook, enter their information, and begin working on whatever they desire. I believe that this feature will be particularly useful for a classroom setting because students will need no instructions on what to do. It wastes time in a classroom when teachers have to give their students instructions on operating devices, but not with the Chromebook.
   Time, and speed in particular, is another fantastic aspect of the Chromebook. Personally, my P.C takes what seems like forever to boot up, but not the Chromebook. You press the power button and within eight seconds you have access to the World Wide Web. Eight seconds is extremely fast, and will save time in classes. This high efficiency will also be beneficial for a classroom setting because the students will have an ample amount of time to perform research, or whatever else the class requires. This is in contrast to the laptops teachers have access to now, which take what seems like the whole class period just to start up. Not only is the start up for the Chromebooks fast, but also the computer itself operates faster than any other computer the school has. 
   The final aspect of the Chromebooks that make them beneficial is value. The Chromebooks are extremely reasonable compared to other laptops, such as Macs. The value of the Chromebooks is so high because of accessibility. There are many times that students are working on a project, or doing research, but when they sign on the next day, the computer they were using is not available. This problem is completely eliminated with the Chromebooks because students can pick up and go from any of the computers. Students are not saving their work to the computer, but rather to their account. This not only increases accessibility, but security as well because without your password no one has access to your account.   Over all, I believe that because of all these aspects of the Chromebooks, they would be a great asset at New Milford High School. The book’s simplicity, speed, and value place them in a category, which no other technology is in. They would be extremely helpful in bettering the student’s education and learning experience here at our school. They are an extremely smart investment, and I am even considering one myself.   Once all of the essays have been submitted and reviewed I will meet with this group of students and inform them of my decision to purchase or not.  This decision will be made entirely from their input.  The point here is that students are being placed in positions to make important decisions as part of our school transformation efforts. By involving them in this process it is our hope that they will take more ownership of their learning. After all, students are the reasons why we do what we do. It only makes sense to involve them as much as possible. Mon, 21 Nov 2011 20:27:59 GMT http://edge.ascd.org/_Empowering-Students-to-Make-School-Decisions/blog/5499589/127586.html Eric_Sheninger 2011-11-21T20:27:59Z Blogs ASCD EDge This past September I was fortunate enough to attend a professional development program on the Chromebook at the Google offices in New York City. At the conclusion of the workshop, I immediately began to think about the potential of this computing device in my school. However, something was missing. The missing piece to making a decision of this magnitude was the thoughts and advice from the most important constituency in schools, the students. So I floated an idea to Google, which at the time I didn’t think would ever pan out. I asked them if I could bring back a group of students from New Milford High School so that they could try out the devices and provide me with feedback as to whether or not they would be a good fit for our school. The idea was enthusiastically embraced.   On Monday November 14, 2011, I took ten students from our STEM Academy on an amazing adventure to the Google offices in New York City. This would turn out to be the most exciting and meaningful daylong trip of their high school experience. The agenda for the day was as follows: Tour of the offices and themed floors. Chromebook overview and hands-on time with the device. Special meeting with “Googlers” to learn about what it is like to work there, the application process, and the diversity of programs that they work on. Lunch in one of the five specialized cafeterias.   Since this was an Academy experience, I gave the students an assignment that had to be completed after the trip (which comes back to why we were at Google in the first place). Each student had to write a persuasive essay explaining why I should or should not purchase Chromebooks for the school. I reinforced the fact that they, not me, would make this important decision. I don’t know who was more excited about this, the students or me. Students have begun to send their essays to me using Google Docs and I can’t resist sharing one of them here. The following is the persuasive essay by senior Amanda Howell:   On Monday November 14th, myself, along with a small group of students, had an unparalleled opportunity. We were able to visit the Google offices in New York City, and try the Chromebooks that Google has come out with. Not only was the trip to Google an amazing experience, but also to be able to test out technology that could be beneficial to my fellow students was an amazing personal experience.   I found the Chromebooks would be a great investment for New Milford High School for several reasons. These reasons include the computers simplicity, speed, and value. 
 The first, and perhaps best quality of the Chromebooks, is its simplicity. This I personally love, but I also think will be a great quality for the student body. The Chromebook has the least hassle of any computer I have ever surfed the web on, and it was an extremely refreshing experience to be able to boot up and go. The students here at New Milford will be able to turn on their Chromebook, enter their information, and begin working on whatever they desire. I believe that this feature will be particularly useful for a classroom setting because students will need no instructions on what to do. It wastes time in a classroom when teachers have to give their students instructions on operating devices, but not with the Chromebook.
   Time, and speed in particular, is another fantastic aspect of the Chromebook. Personally, my P.C takes what seems like forever to boot up, but not the Chromebook. You press the power button and within eight seconds you have access to the World Wide Web. Eight seconds is extremely fast, and will save time in classes. This high efficiency will also be beneficial for a classroom setting because the students will have an ample amount of time to perform research, or whatever else the class requires. This is in contrast to the laptops teachers have access to now, which take what seems like the whole class period just to start up. Not only is the start up for the Chromebooks fast, but also the computer itself operates faster than any other computer the school has. 
   The final aspect of the Chromebooks that make them beneficial is value. The Chromebooks are extremely reasonable compared to other laptops, such as Macs. The value of the Chromebooks is so high because of accessibility. There are many times that students are working on a project, or doing research, but when they sign on the next day, the computer they were using is not available. This problem is completely eliminated with the Chromebooks because students can pick up and go from any of the computers. Students are not saving their work to the computer, but rather to their account. This not only increases accessibility, but security as well because without your password no one has access to your account.   Over all, I believe that because of all these aspects of the Chromebooks, they would be a great asset at New Milford High School. The book’s simplicity, speed, and value place them in a category, which no other technology is in. They would be extremely helpful in bettering the student’s education and learning experience here at our school. They are an extremely smart investment, and I am even considering one myself.   Once all of the essays have been submitted and reviewed I will meet with this group of students and inform them of my decision to purchase or not.  This decision will be made entirely from their input.  The point here is that students are being placed in positions to make important decisions as part of our school transformation efforts. By involving them in this process it is our hope that they will take more ownership of their learning. After all, students are the reasons why we do what we do. It only makes sense to involve them as much as possible. blogs, change, leadership, students nonadult false Empowering Students to Make School Decisions text blog blogs,change,leadership,students 1037 11 5.0 http://edge.ascd.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=24953942&as=127586 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/127586/photos/PHOTO_10211009_127586_24953942_ap_160X120.jpg false United States NJ New Milford 4 Blogs 0 5499589 24953942 ASCD EDge Member 250 http://edge.ascd.org/_The-Questions-I-Ask/blog/5430686/127586.html I have been fortunate over the past few days to have attended the Authorspeak Conference.  This experience has allowed me to listen to and connect with some of the best minds in education (i.e. Robert Marzano, Rick DuFour, Carol Tomlinson, Doug Reeves, Will Richardson).  Additionally,  I have been able to network with other amazing educators from all over the world and actively share how we are transforming the culture at New Milford High School.   During the second day of the conference I presented on Communicating and Connecting With Social Media with my co-authors Bill Ferriter and Jason Ramsden.  Throughout the 45 minute presentation we shared proven strategies to harness the power inherent within social media tools to enhance communications, establish the foundation for a positive public relations platform, connect with other educators to learn, and create policies to ensure effective use.  I believe our session went very well and attendees left with a vision and strategies to begin integrating social media tools into their professional practice.  For a brief summary check out the synopsis by Nick Provezano at The Nerdy Teacher blog.   However, after reflecting on the session and speaking with some of the attendees, it is apparent that the embracement of social media in schools and by educators will continue to be an uphill battle.  For those educators and schools that are either resistant to or unsure about using social media I pose these questions to you: Why would educators and schools not want to use free social media tools such as Twitter and Facebook to communicate important information (student honors, staff accomplishments, meetings, emergency information) to stakeholders in real-time?  Who would not want to take control of their public relations and produce a constant stream of positive news?  If we don't share our story someone else will and we then run the chance that it will not be positive. Why should establishing a brand presence be restricted to the business world when schools and districts now have the tools at their fingertips to do this in a cost-effective manner? What educator would not want to connect with experts and peers across the globe to grow professionally through knowledge acquisition, resource sharing, engaged discussion, and to receive feedback? Why do many schools refuse to allow educators to use free social media tools to engage learners and unleash their creativity? Why are schools missing the opportunity and failing students by not teaching digital responsibility/citizenship through the effective use of social media? Who would not want to tap into countless opportunities that arise through conversations and transparency in online spaces? When will the profession of education catch up to society? These are the questions that I believe many of us who are engaged in social media ask.  I encourage you to share these with other schools, administrators, teachers, and board of education members who still question the value of social media in education.  Together we can continue to be the change that we want to see in education. I have been fortunate over the past few days to have attended the Authorspeak Conference.  This experience has allowed me to listen to and connect with some of the best minds in education (i.e. Robert Marzano, Rick DuFour, Carol Tomlinson, Doug Reeves, Will Richardson).  Additionally,  I have been able to network with other amazing educators from all over the world and actively share how we are transforming the culture at New Milford High School.   During the second day of the conference I presented on Communicating and Connecting With Social Media with my co-authors Bill Ferriter and Jason Ramsden.  Throughout the 45 minute presentation we shared proven strategies to harness the power inherent within social media tools to enhance communications, establish the foundation for a positive public relations platform, connect with other educators to learn, and create policies to ensure effective use.  I believe our session went very well and attendees left with a vision and strategies to begin integrating social media tools into their professional practice.  For a brief summary check out the synopsis by Nick Provezano at The Nerdy Teacher blog.   However, after reflecting on the session and speaking with some of the attendees, it is apparent that the embracement of social media in schools and by educators will continue to be an uphill battle.  For those educators and schools that are either resistant to or unsure about using social media I pose these questions to you: Why would educators and schools not want to use free social media tools such as Twitter and Facebook to communicate important information (student honors, staff accomplishments, meetings, emergency information) to stakeholders in real-time?  Who would not want to take control of their public relations and produce a constant stream of positive news?  If we don't share our story someone else will and we then run the chance that it will not be positive. Why should establishing a brand presence be restricted to the business world when schools and districts now have the tools at their fingertips to do this in a cost-effective manner? What educator would not want to connect with experts and peers across the globe to grow professionally through knowledge acquisition, resource sharing, engaged discussion, and to receive feedback? Why do many schools refuse to allow educators to use free social media tools to engage learners and unleash their creativity? Why are schools missing the opportunity and failing students by not teaching digital responsibility/citizenship through the effective use of social media? Who would not want to tap into countless opportunities that arise through conversations and transparency in online spaces? When will the profession of education catch up to society? These are the questions that I believe many of us who are engaged in social media ask.  I encourage you to share these with other schools, administrators, teachers, and board of education members who still question the value of social media in education.  Together we can continue to be the change that we want to see in education. Fri, 04 Nov 2011 00:27:27 GMT http://edge.ascd.org/_The-Questions-I-Ask/blog/5430686/127586.html Eric_Sheninger 2011-11-04T00:27:27Z Blogs ASCD EDge I have been fortunate over the past few days to have attended the Authorspeak Conference.  This experience has allowed me to listen to and connect with some of the best minds in education (i.e. Robert Marzano, Rick DuFour, Carol Tomlinson, Doug Reeves, Will Richardson).  Additionally,  I have been able to network with other amazing educators from all over the world and actively share how we are transforming the culture at New Milford High School.   During the second day of the conference I presented on Communicating and Connecting With Social Media with my co-authors Bill Ferriter and Jason Ramsden.  Throughout the 45 minute presentation we shared proven strategies to harness the power inherent within social media tools to enhance communications, establish the foundation for a positive public relations platform, connect with other educators to learn, and create policies to ensure effective use.  I believe our session went very well and attendees left with a vision and strategies to begin integrating social media tools into their professional practice.  For a brief summary check out the synopsis by Nick Provezano at The Nerdy Teacher blog.   However, after reflecting on the session and speaking with some of the attendees, it is apparent that the embracement of social media in schools and by educators will continue to be an uphill battle.  For those educators and schools that are either resistant to or unsure about using social media I pose these questions to you: Why would educators and schools not want to use free social media tools such as Twitter and Facebook to communicate important information (student honors, staff accomplishments, meetings, emergency information) to stakeholders in real-time?  Who would not want to take control of their public relations and produce a constant stream of positive news?  If we don't share our story someone else will and we then run the chance that it will not be positive. Why should establishing a brand presence be restricted to the business world when schools and districts now have the tools at their fingertips to do this in a cost-effective manner? What educator would not want to connect with experts and peers across the globe to grow professionally through knowledge acquisition, resource sharing, engaged discussion, and to receive feedback? Why do many schools refuse to allow educators to use free social media tools to engage learners and unleash their creativity? Why are schools missing the opportunity and failing students by not teaching digital responsibility/citizenship through the effective use of social media? Who would not want to tap into countless opportunities that arise through conversations and transparency in online spaces? When will the profession of education catch up to society? These are the questions that I believe many of us who are engaged in social media ask.  I encourage you to share these with other schools, administrators, teachers, and board of education members who still question the value of social media in education.  Together we can continue to be the change that we want to see in education. blogs, change, media, social nonadult false The Questions I Ask text blog blogs,change,media,social 1865 11 5.0 http://edge.ascd.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=24953942&as=127586 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/127586/photos/PHOTO_10211009_127586_24953942_ap_160X120.jpg false United States NJ New Milford 0 Blogs 0 5430686 24953942 ASCD EDge Member 250 http://edge.ascd.org/_The-Future-is-Here-Take-Advantage-of-It/blog/5368501/127586.html At New Milford High School we have begun to leverage technology that many students possess.  This has led to a Bring Your Own Technology (BYOT) initiative, where students are encouraged to bring in their mobile learning devices, which include cell phones or personal computing devices (laptops, tablets, iPod Touches, eReaders, etc). Students that bring their own computing devices have the ability to connect to our secure wireless network.  Check out the recent story CBS New York did on our initiatiative. We highly value equity in terms of access to technology.  In the case of mobile learning devices (cell phones), if a student does not have a device my teachers have been instructed to pair or group them when using polling sites like Poll Everywhere or conducting research.   Students that bring their own computing device primarily use them in the cafeteria during their 48 minute lunch to conduct research, work on homework/projects, or for organization.  It is at the teachers' discretion whether or not to allow a student to use their personal computing device in class.  Many times students that have brought their own devices will us them in lieu of school-provided options (laptop carts, computer labs).    The mobile learning revolution is upon us.  Isn't it time schools and some educators stop making excuses not to move forward and leverage the technology that our students already possess? How mobile learning devices are adopted in each school will vary as there is no one-size-fits-all approach due to the uniqueness of communities.  If you have pondered or are against BYOT at least engage your students, teachers, administrators, and other stakeholders in a conversation to elicit their thoughts.  If you do I am willing to wager that you will take advantage of mobile learning devices as well. At New Milford High School we have begun to leverage technology that many students possess.  This has led to a Bring Your Own Technology (BYOT) initiative, where students are encouraged to bring in their mobile learning devices, which include cell phones or personal computing devices (laptops, tablets, iPod Touches, eReaders, etc). Students that bring their own computing devices have the ability to connect to our secure wireless network.  Check out the recent story CBS New York did on our initiatiative. We highly value equity in terms of access to technology.  In the case of mobile learning devices (cell phones), if a student does not have a device my teachers have been instructed to pair or group them when using polling sites like Poll Everywhere or conducting research.   Students that bring their own computing device primarily use them in the cafeteria during their 48 minute lunch to conduct research, work on homework/projects, or for organization.  It is at the teachers' discretion whether or not to allow a student to use their personal computing device in class.  Many times students that have brought their own devices will us them in lieu of school-provided options (laptop carts, computer labs).    The mobile learning revolution is upon us.  Isn't it time schools and some educators stop making excuses not to move forward and leverage the technology that our students already possess? How mobile learning devices are adopted in each school will vary as there is no one-size-fits-all approach due to the uniqueness of communities.  If you have pondered or are against BYOT at least engage your students, teachers, administrators, and other stakeholders in a conversation to elicit their thoughts.  If you do I am willing to wager that you will take advantage of mobile learning devices as well. Sat, 22 Oct 2011 21:54:09 GMT http://edge.ascd.org/_The-Future-is-Here-Take-Advantage-of-It/blog/5368501/127586.html Eric_Sheninger 2011-10-22T21:54:09Z Blogs ASCD EDge At New Milford High School we have begun to leverage technology that many students possess.  This has led to a Bring Your Own Technology (BYOT) initiative, where students are encouraged to bring in their mobile learning devices, which include cell phones or personal computing devices (laptops, tablets, iPod Touches, eReaders, etc). Students that bring their own computing devices have the ability to connect to our secure wireless network.  Check out the recent story CBS New York did on our initiatiative. We highly value equity in terms of access to technology.  In the case of mobile learning devices (cell phones), if a student does not have a device my teachers have been instructed to pair or group them when using polling sites like Poll Everywhere or conducting research.   Students that bring their own computing device primarily use them in the cafeteria during their 48 minute lunch to conduct research, work on homework/projects, or for organization.  It is at the teachers' discretion whether or not to allow a student to use their personal computing device in class.  Many times students that have brought their own devices will us them in lieu of school-provided options (laptop carts, computer labs).    The mobile learning revolution is upon us.  Isn't it time schools and some educators stop making excuses not to move forward and leverage the technology that our students already possess? How mobile learning devices are adopted in each school will vary as there is no one-size-fits-all approach due to the uniqueness of communities.  If you have pondered or are against BYOT at least engage your students, teachers, administrators, and other stakeholders in a conversation to elicit their thoughts.  If you do I am willing to wager that you will take advantage of mobile learning devices as well. blogs, learning, mobile nonadult false The Future is Here: Take Advantage of It text blog blogs,learning,mobile 863 11 5.0 http://edge.ascd.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=24953942&as=127586 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/127586/photos/PHOTO_10211009_127586_24953942_ap_160X120.jpg false United States NJ New Milford 0 Blogs 0 5368501 24953942 ASCD EDge Member 250 http://edge.ascd.org/_Transformational-Shifts-in-Instruction/blog/5277822/127586.html With the first month of the school year in the books, I am extremely pleased with how more staff members are embracing educational technology and effectively integrating a variety of tools into instruction.   At New Milford High School we clearly articulate that technology is a powerful tool. Together, with a sound pedagogical foundation, these dynamic 21st Century tools have the ability to assist in transforming learning environments where students are engaged and excited to learn. Here are some highlights from the past month: ·    Students in Ms. Perna’s US History I course worked on developing a colonial road trip project this month. Students were to develop a trip that someone could take today to explore colonial history through one of the three colonial regions. Students created detailed trip itineraries, after conducting research, and used Google Docs to put together their itineraries. After completing itineraries, they created visual representations of their trips to “sell” it to their peers, and then in class, students set up their trips for a “fair” in which they walked around and viewed other students’ trips. Students enjoyed the project and made colonial history come alive!   ·    Since the start of the school year, technology has been a huge part of Mr. Fiscina’s lessons. Each day students are greeted by the interactive SMART board. The students in Geometry honors have learned how to use the board’s construction tools. They now can come up to the board and use the compass, ruler, and protractor (all within the SMART notebook software) to construct different Geometric relationships. Students from Algebra 1B and Elements of Geometry have used Poll Everywhere in order to answer multiple choice questions. A live chart, showing results from the classroom, is posted on the SMART board during this question and answer time. Students can see how they are doing compared to the rest of the class and Mr. Fiscina can assess the class as a whole. Also, in the beginning of the month, Mr. Fiscina used a program called Jing in order to help a student with a problem. Jing is a program where you can select part of your screen to be recorded and make a short film featuring picture and sound. Mr. Fiscina used Jing and the SMART notebook software to make a short video instructing the student on how to use the problem. Mr. Fiscina plans to post videos throughout the year in order to help with difficult problems. The biggest complaint students normally have with math is that they understand the problems in class, do fine with the work in class, but when they go home they have no idea how to do their work anymore. Now with Jing, they can bring Mr. Fiscina home with them in order to help study.   ·    One of Mrs. Chellani’s goals at NMHS is to infuse technology into daily math instruction to make the learning process more interactive, engaging, and relevant for students. She has employed a variety of methods in order to accomplish this goal. A recent initiative has been integrating a Smart Board interactive game at the beginning of each class to review key mathematical concepts taught in prior lessons. This initiative not only acts as a cumulative review on previous material, but it creates an engaging, student-centered learning environment and serves as an alternate means to individually assess the learning of each student.   ·    Mr. Hawkins has been developing a website for his math classes. This was developed for students to get extra practice on their studies in a variety of ways. It includes random problem generators, solver pages, and videos.   ·    Mrs. Morel has been having her art classes utilize their students’ smart phones to look up definitions to art terms, which are shared in class, and design images to further stimulate and influence students’ creativity. The students are excited to share their findings with one another and, if they find images they desire to use as references, they can print them using the computer and printer in the art studio.   ·    The World Language Department at New Milford High School has recently gained access to Voki Classroom, a website in which students create their own avatars (graphical representation of the user), and use them to improve oral communication in the target language.  The World Language teachers are currently collaborating and working on different lesson plans using Voki Classroom and plan to implement them within the next month.   ·    Mrs. Levy has been creating websites for her courses using Google Sites.  The main website is used for all activities, classes, and communication.  The two websites Mrs. Levy created just for her classes are: U.S. History I - This website allows students to find out what homework is assigned, provides all handouts given in class, lists dates for projects and tests and allows students to submit their homework online via form to Mrs. Levy’s Dropbox. It also enables students to take online polls.  Each week in our newsletter section, Mrs. Levy brags about the superstars of that week who really stood out in class and they get a phone call home too.  World History - This website allows students to find out what homework is assigned, provides all handouts given in class, provides dates for projects and tests and allows students to submit their homework online via forms to Mrs. Levy’s Dropbox.  It also enables students to take online polls.   Each week in the newsletter section, Mrs Levy brags about the superstars of that week who really stood out in class and they receive a phone call home for additional reinforcement.   These dedicated teachers have made a point to upgrade their instruction this year with 21st Century tools, many of which are free, to facilitate authentic learning.  It is an exciting time to be at NMHS to witness this transformation.  The end result, engaged students excited to learn.  How is your school transforming the teaching and learning process? With the first month of the school year in the books, I am extremely pleased with how more staff members are embracing educational technology and effectively integrating a variety of tools into instruction.   At New Milford High School we clearly articulate that technology is a powerful tool. Together, with a sound pedagogical foundation, these dynamic 21st Century tools have the ability to assist in transforming learning environments where students are engaged and excited to learn. Here are some highlights from the past month: ·    Students in Ms. Perna’s US History I course worked on developing a colonial road trip project this month. Students were to develop a trip that someone could take today to explore colonial history through one of the three colonial regions. Students created detailed trip itineraries, after conducting research, and used Google Docs to put together their itineraries. After completing itineraries, they created visual representations of their trips to “sell” it to their peers, and then in class, students set up their trips for a “fair” in which they walked around and viewed other students’ trips. Students enjoyed the project and made colonial history come alive!   ·    Since the start of the school year, technology has been a huge part of Mr. Fiscina’s lessons. Each day students are greeted by the interactive SMART board. The students in Geometry honors have learned how to use the board’s construction tools. They now can come up to the board and use the compass, ruler, and protractor (all within the SMART notebook software) to construct different Geometric relationships. Students from Algebra 1B and Elements of Geometry have used Poll Everywhere in order to answer multiple choice questions. A live chart, showing results from the classroom, is posted on the SMART board during this question and answer time. Students can see how they are doing compared to the rest of the class and Mr. Fiscina can assess the class as a whole. Also, in the beginning of the month, Mr. Fiscina used a program called Jing in order to help a student with a problem. Jing is a program where you can select part of your screen to be recorded and make a short film featuring picture and sound. Mr. Fiscina used Jing and the SMART notebook software to make a short video instructing the student on how to use the problem. Mr. Fiscina plans to post videos throughout the year in order to help with difficult problems. The biggest complaint students normally have with math is that they understand the problems in class, do fine with the work in class, but when they go home they have no idea how to do their work anymore. Now with Jing, they can bring Mr. Fiscina home with them in order to help study.   ·    One of Mrs. Chellani’s goals at NMHS is to infuse technology into daily math instruction to make the learning process more interactive, engaging, and relevant for students. She has employed a variety of methods in order to accomplish this goal. A recent initiative has been integrating a Smart Board interactive game at the beginning of each class to review key mathematical concepts taught in prior lessons. This initiative not only acts as a cumulative review on previous material, but it creates an engaging, student-centered learning environment and serves as an alternate means to individually assess the learning of each student.   ·    Mr. Hawkins has been developing a website for his math classes. This was developed for students to get extra practice on their studies in a variety of ways. It includes random problem generators, solver pages, and videos.   ·    Mrs. Morel has been having her art classes utilize their students’ smart phones to look up definitions to art terms, which are shared in class, and design images to further stimulate and influence students’ creativity. The students are excited to share their findings with one another and, if they find images they desire to use as references, they can print them using the computer and printer in the art studio.   ·    The World Language Department at New Milford High School has recently gained access to Voki Classroom, a website in which students create their own avatars (graphical representation of the user), and use them to improve oral communication in the target language.  The World Language teachers are currently collaborating and working on different lesson plans using Voki Classroom and plan to implement them within the next month.   ·    Mrs. Levy has been creating websites for her courses using Google Sites.  The main website is used for all activities, classes, and communication.  The two websites Mrs. Levy created just for her classes are: U.S. History I - This website allows students to find out what homework is assigned, provides all handouts given in class, lists dates for projects and tests and allows students to submit their homework online via form to Mrs. Levy’s Dropbox. It also enables students to take online polls.  Each week in our newsletter section, Mrs. Levy brags about the superstars of that week who really stood out in class and they get a phone call home too.  World History - This website allows students to find out what homework is assigned, provides all handouts given in class, provides dates for projects and tests and allows students to submit their homework online via forms to Mrs. Levy’s Dropbox.  It also enables students to take online polls.   Each week in the newsletter section, Mrs Levy brags about the superstars of that week who really stood out in class and they receive a phone call home for additional reinforcement.   These dedicated teachers have made a point to upgrade their instruction this year with 21st Century tools, many of which are free, to facilitate authentic learning.  It is an exciting time to be at NMHS to witness this transformation.  The end result, engaged students excited to learn.  How is your school transforming the teaching and learning process? Sun, 09 Oct 2011 16:16:48 GMT http://edge.ascd.org/_Transformational-Shifts-in-Instruction/blog/5277822/127586.html Eric_Sheninger 2011-10-09T16:16:48Z ASCD EDge With the first month of the school year in the books, I am extremely pleased with how more staff members are embracing educational technology and effectively integrating a variety of tools into instruction.   At New Milford High School we clearly articulate that technology is a powerful tool. Together, with a sound pedagogical foundation, these dynamic 21st Century tools have the ability to assist in transforming learning environments where students are engaged and excited to learn. Here are some highlights from the past month: ·    Students in Ms. Perna’s US History I course worked on developing a colonial road trip project this month. Students were to develop a trip that someone could take today to explore colonial history through one of the three colonial regions. Students created detailed trip itineraries, after conducting research, and used Google Docs to put together their itineraries. After completing itineraries, they created visual representations of their trips to “sell” it to their peers, and then in class, students set up their trips for a “fair” in which they walked around and viewed other students’ trips. Students enjoyed the project and made colonial history come alive!   ·    Since the start of the school year, technology has been a huge part of Mr. Fiscina’s lessons. Each day students are greeted by the interactive SMART board. The students in Geometry honors have learned how to use the board’s construction tools. They now can come up to the board and use the compass, ruler, and protractor (all within the SMART notebook software) to construct different Geometric relationships. Students from Algebra 1B and Elements of Geometry have used Poll Everywhere in order to answer multiple choice questions. A live chart, showing results from the classroom, is posted on the SMART board during this question and answer time. Students can see how they are doing compared to the rest of the class and Mr. Fiscina can assess the class as a whole. Also, in the beginning of the month, Mr. Fiscina used a program called Jing in order to help a student with a problem. Jing is a program where you can select part of your screen to be recorded and make a short film featuring picture and sound. Mr. Fiscina used Jing and the SMART notebook software to make a short video instructing the student on how to use the problem. Mr. Fiscina plans to post videos throughout the year in order to help with difficult problems. The biggest complaint students normally have with math is that they understand the problems in class, do fine with the work in class, but when they go home they have no idea how to do their work anymore. Now with Jing, they can bring Mr. Fiscina home with them in order to help study.   ·    One of Mrs. Chellani’s goals at NMHS is to infuse technology into daily math instruction to make the learning process more interactive, engaging, and relevant for students. She has employed a variety of methods in order to accomplish this goal. A recent initiative has been integrating a Smart Board interactive game at the beginning of each class to review key mathematical concepts taught in prior lessons. This initiative not only acts as a cumulative review on previous material, but it creates an engaging, student-centered learning environment and serves as an alternate means to individually assess the learning of each student.   ·    Mr. Hawkins has been developing a website for his math classes. This was developed for students to get extra practice on their studies in a variety of ways. It includes random problem generators, solver pages, and videos.   ·    Mrs. Morel has been having her art classes utilize their students’ smart phones to look up definitions to art terms, which are shared in class, and design images to further stimulate and influence students’ creativity. The students are excited to share their findings with one another and, if they find images they desire to use as references, they can print them using the computer and printer in the art studio.   ·    The World Language Department at New Milford High School has recently gained access to Voki Classroom, a website in which students create their own avatars (graphical representation of the user), and use them to improve oral communication in the target language.  The World Language teachers are currently collaborating and working on different lesson plans using Voki Classroom and plan to implement them within the next month.   ·    Mrs. Levy has been creating websites for her courses using Google Sites.  The main website is used for all activities, classes, and communication.  The two websites Mrs. Levy created just for her classes are: U.S. History I - This website allows students to find out what homework is assigned, provides all handouts given in class, lists dates for projects and tests and allows students to submit their homework online via form to Mrs. Levy’s Dropbox. It also enables students to take online polls.  Each week in our newsletter section, Mrs. Levy brags about the superstars of that week who really stood out in class and they get a phone call home too.  World History - This website allows students to find out what homework is assigned, provides all handouts given in class, provides dates for projects and tests and allows students to submit their homework online via forms to Mrs. Levy’s Dropbox.  It also enables students to take online polls.   Each week in the newsletter section, Mrs Levy brags about the superstars of that week who really stood out in class and they receive a phone call home for additional reinforcement.   These dedicated teachers have made a point to upgrade their instruction this year with 21st Century tools, many of which are free, to facilitate authentic learning.  It is an exciting time to be at NMHS to witness this transformation.  The end result, engaged students excited to learn.  How is your school transforming the teaching and learning process? nonadult false Transformational Shifts in Instruction text blog 1070 1 5.0 http://edge.ascd.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=24953942&as=127586 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/127586/photos/PHOTO_10211009_127586_24953942_ap_160X120.jpg false United States NJ New Milford 2 0 5277822 24953942 ASCD EDge Member 250 http://edge.ascd.org/_Do-You-Have-the-Desire/blog/5150707/127586.html "In order to succeed, your desire for success should be greater than your fear of failure" - Bill Cosby   As I welcomed my staff back two weeks ago I wanted to craft and deliver a meaningful message that would hopefully resonate with them throughout the school year.  So I stepped out of my comfort zone (as a science teacher I tend to be very concrete sequential and analytical) and developed an acronym focused on the word "desire".  Here is a quick summary:   Development:  As educators we must always model life-long learning for our students and continually  pursue avenues for growth.  I remember during my time at the Google Academy for Administrators hearing the term "lead learner" for the very first time.  How can we expect our students to embrace this concept if we do not?  In addition to a District PLC initiative, my administrative team and I worked over the summer to reduce non-instructional duties so that the majority of the staff would have time embedded into the day to pursue a variety of growth opportunities, including those associated with a Personal Learning Network (PLN).  You can read more about this initiative HERE. Energy: "To teach is to touch a life forever" - Anonymous  As educators we must exhibit a passion for what we do because each day we have the opportunity to positively impact the life of a child.  It's our energy and passion that convey to students that learning is fun, possible, and important.  If we lack the energy to instruct each and every learner to the best of our ability day in and day out we might possibly lose one of the most precious gifts in our profession.....helping all of our students accomplish and exceed their goals. Solutions:  Change, increasing student achievement, and getting better is hard work.  Educators must diligently strive to eliminate the excuses, collaborate, and respect one another.  With this in mind, a culture will be established that seeks to find solutions as opposed to focusing on just problems. Innovation:  Abiding by the status quo is not an option.  We must continually reflect upon our pedagogical techniques to cover the curriculum in a way that enables our students to develop critical thinking skills, foster problem solving techniques, work collaboratively, build technological/media fluencies, and make interdisciplinary connections.  Innovation also requires us to integrate 21st Century tools into our instruction, take calculated risks, and relinquish control at times. Resolve: "His resolve is not to seem, but to be the best" - Aeschylus  It is imperative that we continuously exhibit resolve in our quest to provide our students with essential skills to be successful in college or the workforce.  A collective mindset on becoming and being the best educator possible must always be our goal. Environment:  Learning environments must be transformed in a way that best meets the needs of our learners.  They should be student-centered, integrate technology, flexible, allow for creativity, support higher-order thinking, and celebrate student accomplishments.  I even discussed the push to move away from traditional seating arrangements in order to promote collaboration.   I asked my staff and now ask you the same, do you have the desire to:   go above and beyond to ensure that all students succeed? model life-long learning? collaborate with peers, share resources, and be pillars of support when needed? take calculated risks without the fear of failure? share student and personal accomplishments? create a student-centered, rigorous, and relevant learning environment? extend yourself outside of the classroom and in the community? If so then it is time to put these desires into action!  Best of luck to all of you in your quest to bring out the best in your students and put them on a path to exceed their goals.   Note: All teachers received this acronym on poster board for display in their classrooms.  It has also been placed on the walls in offices.   "In order to succeed, your desire for success should be greater than your fear of failure" - Bill Cosby   As I welcomed my staff back two weeks ago I wanted to craft and deliver a meaningful message that would hopefully resonate with them throughout the school year.  So I stepped out of my comfort zone (as a science teacher I tend to be very concrete sequential and analytical) and developed an acronym focused on the word "desire".  Here is a quick summary:   Development:  As educators we must always model life-long learning for our students and continually  pursue avenues for growth.  I remember during my time at the Google Academy for Administrators hearing the term "lead learner" for the very first time.  How can we expect our students to embrace this concept if we do not?  In addition to a District PLC initiative, my administrative team and I worked over the summer to reduce non-instructional duties so that the majority of the staff would have time embedded into the day to pursue a variety of growth opportunities, including those associated with a Personal Learning Network (PLN).  You can read more about this initiative HERE. Energy: "To teach is to touch a life forever" - Anonymous  As educators we must exhibit a passion for what we do because each day we have the opportunity to positively impact the life of a child.  It's our energy and passion that convey to students that learning is fun, possible, and important.  If we lack the energy to instruct each and every learner to the best of our ability day in and day out we might possibly lose one of the most precious gifts in our profession.....helping all of our students accomplish and exceed their goals. Solutions:  Change, increasing student achievement, and getting better is hard work.  Educators must diligently strive to eliminate the excuses, collaborate, and respect one another.  With this in mind, a culture will be established that seeks to find solutions as opposed to focusing on just problems. Innovation:  Abiding by the status quo is not an option.  We must continually reflect upon our pedagogical techniques to cover the curriculum in a way that enables our students to develop critical thinking skills, foster problem solving techniques, work collaboratively, build technological/media fluencies, and make interdisciplinary connections.  Innovation also requires us to integrate 21st Century tools into our instruction, take calculated risks, and relinquish control at times. Resolve: "His resolve is not to seem, but to be the best" - Aeschylus  It is imperative that we continuously exhibit resolve in our quest to provide our students with essential skills to be successful in college or the workforce.  A collective mindset on becoming and being the best educator possible must always be our goal. Environment:  Learning environments must be transformed in a way that best meets the needs of our learners.  They should be student-centered, integrate technology, flexible, allow for creativity, support higher-order thinking, and celebrate student accomplishments.  I even discussed the push to move away from traditional seating arrangements in order to promote collaboration.   I asked my staff and now ask you the same, do you have the desire to:   go above and beyond to ensure that all students succeed? model life-long learning? collaborate with peers, share resources, and be pillars of support when needed? take calculated risks without the fear of failure? share student and personal accomplishments? create a student-centered, rigorous, and relevant learning environment? extend yourself outside of the classroom and in the community? If so then it is time to put these desires into action!  Best of luck to all of you in your quest to bring out the best in your students and put them on a path to exceed their goals.   Note: All teachers received this acronym on poster board for display in their classrooms.  It has also been placed on the walls in offices.   Tue, 20 Sep 2011 23:14:18 GMT http://edge.ascd.org/_Do-You-Have-the-Desire/blog/5150707/127586.html Eric_Sheninger 2011-09-20T23:14:18Z ASCD EDge "In order to succeed, your desire for success should be greater than your fear of failure" - Bill Cosby   As I welcomed my staff back two weeks ago I wanted to craft and deliver a meaningful message that would hopefully resonate with them throughout the school year.  So I stepped out of my comfort zone (as a science teacher I tend to be very concrete sequential and analytical) and developed an acronym focused on the word "desire".  Here is a quick summary:   Development:  As educators we must always model life-long learning for our students and continually  pursue avenues for growth.  I remember during my time at the Google Academy for Administrators hearing the term "lead learner" for the very first time.  How can we expect our students to embrace this concept if we do not?  In addition to a District PLC initiative, my administrative team and I worked over the summer to reduce non-instructional duties so that the majority of the staff would have time embedded into the day to pursue a variety of growth opportunities, including those associated with a Personal Learning Network (PLN).  You can read more about this initiative HERE. Energy: "To teach is to touch a life forever" - Anonymous  As educators we must exhibit a passion for what we do because each day we have the opportunity to positively impact the life of a child.  It's our energy and passion that convey to students that learning is fun, possible, and important.  If we lack the energy to instruct each and every learner to the best of our ability day in and day out we might possibly lose one of the most precious gifts in our profession.....helping all of our students accomplish and exceed their goals. Solutions:  Change, increasing student achievement, and getting better is hard work.  Educators must diligently strive to eliminate the excuses, collaborate, and respect one another.  With this in mind, a culture will be established that seeks to find solutions as opposed to focusing on just problems. Innovation:  Abiding by the status quo is not an option.  We must continually reflect upon our pedagogical techniques to cover the curriculum in a way that enables our students to develop critical thinking skills, foster problem solving techniques, work collaboratively, build technological/media fluencies, and make interdisciplinary connections.  Innovation also requires us to integrate 21st Century tools into our instruction, take calculated risks, and relinquish control at times. Resolve: "His resolve is not to seem, but to be the best" - Aeschylus  It is imperative that we continuously exhibit resolve in our quest to provide our students with essential skills to be successful in college or the workforce.  A collective mindset on becoming and being the best educator possible must always be our goal. Environment:  Learning environments must be transformed in a way that best meets the needs of our learners.  They should be student-centered, integrate technology, flexible, allow for creativity, support higher-order thinking, and celebrate student accomplishments.  I even discussed the push to move away from traditional seating arrangements in order to promote collaboration.   I asked my staff and now ask you the same, do you have the desire to:   go above and beyond to ensure that all students succeed? model life-long learning? collaborate with peers, share resources, and be pillars of support when needed? take calculated risks without the fear of failure? share student and personal accomplishments? create a student-centered, rigorous, and relevant learning environment? extend yourself outside of the classroom and in the community? If so then it is time to put these desires into action!  Best of luck to all of you in your quest to bring out the best in your students and put them on a path to exceed their goals.   Note: All teachers received this acronym on poster board for display in their classrooms.  It has also been placed on the walls in offices.   nonadult false Do You Have the Desire? text blog 2574 10 5.0 http://edge.ascd.org/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=24953942&as=127586 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/127586/photos/PHOTO_10211009_127586_24953942_ap_160X120.jpg false United States NJ New Milford 0 0 5150707 24953942 ASCD EDge Member 250