A Principal's Reflections

DECEMBER 22, 2013

'This post is the sixth in a series that will outline the foundational elements of my new book, Digital Leadership: Changing Paradigms for Changing Times. It is set to be published by Corwin Press on January 14, 2014. Currently there is a pre-publication discount of 15% for any orders before this date. Over the next couple of weeks I will introduce what I have come to identify as the Pillars of Digital Leadership , a conceptual framework for leaders to begin thinking about changes to professiona

Learning 287

Learning Trends Social Media Company 287

Tom Murray

DECEMBER 26, 2013

'The role of the typical school district technology director has become obsolete. Speak with your average teacher in many school districts in the U.S., and you’ll find the technology department is better known for getting in the way than for serving the educational needs of both staff and students. Many technology departments, led by obsolete tech directors, are inadvertently inhibiting learning.

Digital Learning 271

Digital Learning Technology Learning Education 271

Educational Technology Guy

DECEMBER 23, 2013

'I am the Chief Information Officer (CIO) for an urban public school district. We have over 21,000 students, 3500 faculty and staff, 40 buildings, 15,000 devices, a full data center and fiber network, and an IT department staff of 15. We manage multiple large IT projects at once, including desktops, Chromebooks, Smartboards, network upgrades, Kronos, printers, new school construction, multiple network applications and software, and also consult on all technology issues and purchases in the distr

Software 215

Software Chromebook Android Laptops 215

Baker's B.Y.O.D.

DECEMBER 22, 2013

'Autocrat is a versatile mail merge script created by Andrew Stillman that can be used to generate and send documents to recipients. You can send letters, assignments , grades & comments , lesson plans , and more with Autocrat. Big thanks to Cheryl Morris for teaching me about Autocrat for assignment delivery ! General Steps: 1. Create master template Google document that includes the mail merge tags: > 2.

Google 82

Google Education 82

Advertisement

How can we actively engage learners 24/7, on their level and according to their interests, while respecting their learning styles? It’s not impossible. In this guide: Explore how to transform traditional, one-way videos into two-way interactive learning experiences Understand different types of artificial intelligence (AI), including - Generative vs.

Personalized Learning

The Innovative Educator

DECEMBER 22, 2013

'High school student Courtney Gressman made a powerful public service announcement as part of her social studies class titled “ Learning is NATURAL. The Way We Learn Should Be OPTIONAL.” Unlike most high school students, however, her work didn’t stay locked in the walls of the classroom. Gressman explains, “Our class is a very opinionated group of independent, connected learners.

Social Media 89

Social Media Study Twitter Learning 89

Tom Murray

DECEMBER 26, 2013

'Every year, school districts around the country waste a tremendous amount of time and money on ineffective professional development. The traditional model of “sit and get,” where a one-size-fits-all approach is utilized, yields abhorrent results. Ask teachers from typical school districts in America their thoughts on traditional in-service time, and the feedback won’t be pretty.

271

271

Baker's B.Y.O.D.

DECEMBER 24, 2013

'I connected with Ross LeBrun via Twitter this past year and met face to face at TeachMeetNJ 2013. Ross is an ELA supervisor and an awesome #NJED educator. I greatly value his opinion and use him as a sounding board for some of my crazy ideas. He has commissioned me and 10 others to complete a 4-part blog post as a way for us to connect and share. Here we go!

Twitter 60

Twitter iPad Company Training 60

Saving Socrates

DECEMBER 25, 2013

'Over the past few months, I have been fortunate enough to work closely with the Magen David Yeshivah blended learning teachers. I created a blended learning template that I adapted from the original Grant Wiggins template on unit planning. I am passionate about unit planning instead of lesson planning alone for all the reasons it has largely been adopted by most good school districts across the country.

Blended Learning 69

Blended Learning Common Core Classroom Learning 69

Tom Murray

DECEMBER 26, 2013

'Each week, educators from around the world take part in various conversations on Twitter known as “chats.” These conversations have become an excellent way for educators to connect on relevant topics, share resources and best practices, all while challenging each other’s thinking. The premise of a Twitter chat is simple. Each lasts for 60 minutes, moderators pose questions on a predetermined topic, and participants use a consistent hashtag (#) to communicate.

Twitter 271

Twitter Resources Education 271

The Innovative Educator

DECEMBER 25, 2013

'What a nice gift this holiday season to find that Common Sense Media''s Graphite blog listed this The Innovative Educator as one of the 11 to follow in 2014. This blog was in great company with several members of my personal learning network being named as well. Here is the rest of the list: 1. Steven Anderson @web20classroom 2. Richard Byrne @rmbyrne 3.

Personal Learning Network 68

Personal Learning Network Education Conference Company 68

Speaker: Andrew Cohen, Founder & CEO of Brainscape

The instructor’s PPT slides are brilliant. You’ve splurged on the expensive interactive courseware. Student engagement is stellar. So… why are half of your students still forgetting everything they learned in just a matter of weeks? It's likely a matter of cognitive science! With so much material to "teach" these days, we often forget to incorporate key proven principles into our curricula — namely active recall, metacognition, spaced repetition, and interleaving practice.

Training

The 21st Century Principal

DECEMBER 25, 2013

'I have made it known that I am no fan of using value-added measures in teacher evaluations. There''s just too much room for error, and there''s too many things that can go wrong, from the test to the calculations. Value-added calculations are done in a mysterious black-box and there is too little oversight and protection measures in place to ensure that the data is error-free.

Policies 54

Policies Company Data Report 54

SpeechTechie

DECEMBER 26, 2013

'The Dr. Panda series continues to produce fun apps with educational possibilities. Specifically, the series of apps (and I need to write about the others) provides a context for exploring different settings and situations in the real world. Though made of "mini games," the apps are slow-paced and provide plenty of moments for breaking away from the screen and discussing what is going on.

Elementary 51

Elementary Google Groups Education 51

Tom Murray

DECEMBER 26, 2013

'Recently, I had the opportunity to record a Google Hangout with four connected educators on “Growing Your PLN.” Lyn Hilt (@l_hilt), Nick Provenzano (@thenerdyteacher), Lisa Dabbs (@teachingwthsoul) and Patrick Larkin (@patrickmlarkin) joined the conversation and shared a wealth of advice on how educators can develop a strong personal learning network.

Professional Learning 271

Professional Learning Personal Learning Network Learning Personalized Learning 271

The Innovative Educator

DECEMBER 24, 2013

'I dreamed so hard To end education that is charred No more bean counting No more data scrubbing I dream of meaningful education Children’s accomplishments are celebrated I see teachers with real dedication Learning Styles are elevated I open my eyes and look around Educational desolation still rules the land No change is found Everyone is still listening to its command I want to believe that change can happen right now And I want to receive news that real educators are in charge again somehow S

Data 68

Data Education Learning 68

This white paper examines and proposes revisions to the "Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education" introduced by Arthur Chickering and Zelda Gamson in 1987 for today's technology-driven world.

Technology

Saving Socrates

DECEMBER 25, 2013

'This is a topic I have been hesitant to tackle. The reason being is that I never want to discourage a teacher from learning new things, or putting new items in their "toolbox;" however, I have found many times that teachers prefer to learn things that are catchy or sound cool, rather than learn about things they actually need to improve on as a classroom teacher to be more effective with their students.

Assessment 40

Assessment Survey Meeting Tools 40

Educator Innovator

DECEMBER 24, 2013

Several Educator Innovator partners are participating in the upcoming 3rd annual Digital Learning Day on February 5, 2014 , an event that recognizes the powerful work of educators and youth, in school and out, who are making thoughtful use of digital tools. The Afterschool Alliance , Edutopia , YALSA , Digital Is , and the National Writing Project will be highlighting the ways digital tools are leveraged to support Connected Learning.

Digital Learning 28

Digital Learning Education Learning Tools 28

Tom Murray

DECEMBER 26, 2013

'Schools around the country are being cleaned, waxed, and made to look their best in preparation for another year. It’s about this time when principals begin planning for the new year. Data is analyzed, goals are formed, schedules reworked, communication to parents planned, etc. But where does school culture fit into planning for next year? What steps can principals take to build a positive school culture and strong team?

Data 271

Data Examples 271

The Innovative Educator

DECEMBER 21, 2013

'Here’s the roundup of what''s been popular on The Innovative Educator blog. Below you’ll see the top posts along with the number of page views. I hope there''s something that looks of interest to you. If it does, check it out. If you’re inspired use one of those icons below the post to share it with others and/or leave a comment. Entry Pageviews Does Twitter have a minimum age requirement?

Twitter 67

Twitter Learning Education 67

Advertisement

Managing a K-12 campus with constant pressure to meet performance metrics is challenging. And tardiness can significantly limit a school from reaching these goals. Learn more about why chronic lateness matters, and key strategies to address the following impacts: Data errors caused by manual processes Low attendance and graduation rates that affect a school’s reputation Classroom disruption, which leads to poor academic performance High staff attrition and “The Teacher Exodus” Unmet LCAP goals t

Classroom

The 21st Century Principal

DECEMBER 27, 2013

'E-reading has matured to the point that the software for the PC and the apps for the tablets are extremely reliable, and offer users options to make reading electronically comparable, if not better, then reading a physical book. I am an avid reader, and I can count the number of "physical books" I purchased last year on a single hand, and those books were purchased only because e-books were not available.

eBook 92

eBook Tablets iPad Libraries 92

mauilibrarian2 in Olinda

DECEMBER 26, 2013

'I get asked this question all of the time. Why do you blog? I enjoy it! That''s the #1 reason. I like documenting and reflecting on what I learn, for future reference. My memory bank is sometimes unreliable. That''s #2. I like sharing what I learn with others who might benefit. #3. We librarians teach and thrive in an open environment. Now that open environment is a whole lot bigger, and so are the rewards. ?

Libraries 49

Libraries Chromebook Google EdTech 49

Tom Murray

DECEMBER 26, 2013

'Year after year, hundreds of millions of dollars are funneled into technology initiatives and resources in school districts throughout the country. From hardware and software, to infrastructure and one-to-one devices, money is flowing into programs and tools for schools like never before, but are these technology devices and tools making a worthwhile impact considering the cost?

Software 271

Software Tools Resources Technology 271

Tom Murray

DECEMBER 26, 2013

'It was sitting at a breakfast meeting three years ago with a colleague in a neighboring school district and my close friend, Rich Kiker (@rkiker) that it hit me. Rich and I were discussing needs in our home districts, plans moving forward, effective aspects of our professional development, and how to continue to improve on our already successful programs.

Meeting 271

Meeting How To 271

Speaker: Chris Paxton McMillin, President of D3 Training Solutions

There are plenty of great authoring tools for developing eLearning, but the one you select could directly impact your course's outcomes. Depending upon your learners’ needs and your organization’s performance goals, you could be overlooking considerations that impact the both effectiveness of your courses and how long it takes to finish them. From general capabilities to specific workflow structures, some aspects are critical when it comes to learning objectives and deadlines.

Comparison

Tom Murray

DECEMBER 26, 2013

'This past week, I had the privilege of introducing US Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, as a guest moderator for #edtechchat, an educational Twitter chat that I founded with four members of my personal learning network (PLN). Over the course of 60 minutes, almost 2,000 people from around the world, shared about 10,000 tweets in response to the Secretary''s six questions related to being a Connected Educator.

Twitter 271

Twitter Personal Learning Network Personalized Learning Course 271

Tom Murray

DECEMBER 26, 2013

'Each week educators from around the world engage in meaningful conversations on Twitter. Twitter chats have connected educators globally and transformed the way many view professional development. Currently, there are over 200 of these chats, which range in topic, participants, and purpose. An up-to-date list of these educational chats can be found at: bit.ly/officialchatlist.

Twitter 271

Twitter Education 271

Tom Murray

DECEMBER 26, 2013

'The Quakertown Community School District, winner of the 2011 iNACOL Innovative Program Award, has been highlighted by Michael Horn, author of “Disrupting Class,” on numerous occasions for its self-blend educational model. QCSD, a K-12 public school in Bucks County, Pa., is a rare breed among public schools, as all students in grades 6-12 have a full menu of both cyber and blended learning options.

Blended Learning 269

Blended Learning Learning Education 269

mauilibrarian2 in Olinda

DECEMBER 27, 2013

'Inspired by Shannon McLintock Miller ''s list of favorites from the Edublogs Best Free Education Web Tool 2013 list, I put together three lists of my own. My favorites from the list, in order of use: Google Apps for Education Google+ Hangouts Twitter Screencast-o-matic Dropbox Pinterest Animoto Tools I''m going to explore: Buncee - "Your creation and presentation tool, simplified" Canva - "Amazingly simple graphic design" LearnZillion - "Exceptional preparation for the Common Core" InfuseLearni

BYOD 59

BYOD Common Core Tools Google 59

Speaker: Amanda Davis, Chief Experience Officer and Liam O'Malley, VP of Association Solutions

The "new normal" is now a little less new, a little more normal. Does that mean your current LMS strategy is in need of a refresh? Is your organization or association leaning into the always-evolving eLearning environment to ensure you have the tools and content to remain relevant through all this change? There are many complex decision-making processes within your learning & development strategy and LMS lifecycle management, including: Selection.

LMS