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Best Individual Blog 2013 - Edublog Awards View more lists from Edublogs Best Resource Sharing / Ed Tech Blog 2013 - Edublog Awards View more lists from Edublogs Best Individual Tweeter 2013 - Edublog Awards View more lists from Edublogs Best Teacher Blog 2013 - Edublog Awards View more lists from Edublogs. Honored To Be a Finalist for 4 EduBlog Award Categories - You can vote directly from this post. simply scroll down! MORE
Check out Lisa''s Animoto video on EdmodoCon 2013 EdmodoCon. Guest post #6 is submitted by Lisa Butler, a middle school Spanish and Social Studies teacher in Hershey, PA. Lisa has been using Edmodo for 2.5 years and hosted an EdmodoCon viewing party, and "enjoyed both learning from the passionate speakers and the parallel discussions we had because of the sessions." MORE
The post Macworld/iWorld 2013 Distinguished Educator Showcase – Bringing Inspiration, Innovation, Creativity and Learning Together appeared first on OnCUE. Who wouldn’t enjoy a day packed full of exciting, applicable tips and fresh concepts you can take with you to your classrooms, fellow teachers and schools? The showcase brings a taste of the Apple Distinguished Educator community, an awesome group of education leaders from around the world. MORE
question mark image retrieved from likeable.com *Edmodo logo retrieved from edmodo.com If you would like to contribute and share a EdmodoCon 2013 post, please submit! Guest post #5 is written by Jaclyn Karabinas, a 3rd and 4th grade looping teacher from Hampton Falls, NH. Jaclyn started using Edmodo 1.5 years ago and has been busy getting other staff members on board. According to Jaclyn, "The possibilities with Edmodo are endless. MORE
The post Common Core Standards Featured Prominently in 2013 Annual CUE Conference appeared first on OnCUE. Educational leaders know that any change in pedagogy, standards and assessment would require large doses of quality professional development to implement effectively. So what do you do when all three are changing? Send your team to the CUE Conference, of course! This year’s event will return to Palm Springs for three days this week: March […]. MORE
Explore and Enjoy 2 Ways to Track Santa in 2013 created with ThingLink_EDU. This year Google has brought us a multimedia rich Santa Tracker which will use street-view technology to help us follow Santa''s big journey on Tuesday evening. Now there is an alternative to tracking Santa through the NORAD cameras. Which will you chose? Christmas multimedia NORAD Tracking Santa MORE
Thank you, Dara, for attending EdmodoCon 2013 and the compliments! If you would like to contribute and share a EdmodoCon 2013 post, please submit! Our fourth guest blog post is written by Dara Easterling, a Catholic elementary school teacher from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Dara has been teaching for almost 14 years and loves helping young children to learn about and use technology in a productive and creative way. MORE
Captured on March 16, 2013 closing the Annual CUE Conference, Kevin Honeycutt inspires and engages attendees. The post 2013 CUE Annual Conference Keynote: Kevin Honeycutt – Trends, Tools and Tactics for 21st Century Learning appeared first on OnCUE. Amazing, not to miss talk… Session Description: This keynote is funny and a fun look at the amazing things that happen when educators step outside their traditional methods and try new tools. MORE
Today is day three of the 2013 Global Education Conference. A summary of today''s sessions is shown below in US-Eastern Standard Time (GMT/UTC-5). To see the schedule in your own time zone, with the full session descriptions and a link to enter each session, go to [link]. To receive the daily conference schedule, be sure to join the Global Education Conference network. Recordings of all sessions are available here. MORE
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? Lead by example. It’s simple. As a whole, staff members watch and mimic MORE
March 14, 2013 kicking off the Annual CUE Conference, teacher Catlin Tucker, kickoff keynote speaker, shares her perspectives on embracing the Common Core Standards as a transformative leap in teaching and learning. The post 2013 CUE Annual Conference – Common Core: Transforming Teaching and Learning appeared first on OnCUE. MORE
It''s Edublog awards time! The 10th Annual Edublog awards are once again a reminder to the districts of the power of the Capitol, and how they must never rebel against their country again. Oh wait, that''s The Hunger Games. They are on my mind this weekend for some reason. The Edublog awards are an effort to "promote and demonstrate the educational value of social media," particularly as some school districts block blogs and Twitter. MORE
ISTE 2013 - Sunday Dinner at Mi Tierra (San Antonio) However, after dinner, we sat down with a few of our friends and began discussing what makes our schools so special. Avheuv, @TechMinock, @KleinErin, & @TechBradWaid In effort to keep this post from evolving into a novel, I''d like to share the highlights from my 2013 ISTE experience in a brief slide-show below. My 2013 ISTE Highlights. ISTE 2013 Scroll Through and Enjoy! MORE
Cross Post from @TonyVincent "Learning in Hand" It''s my pleasure to be on the team organizing Mobile Learning Experience 2013. Mobile Learning Experience 2013 will also address other devices like laptops, Chromebooks, and Android tablets. Please consider presenting at Mobile 2013. The Call for Proposals is open and the submission deadline is June 27, 2013. MORE
As 2013 comes to a close let''s take a quick look at the most popular posts here over the course of the last year. 2013 year in review It seems the voices, both for and against the Common Core State Standards got louder over the past year. Wherever you come down on the debate I hope we can all agree that, in most cases, summative assessments have their place. MORE
Happy New Year ~ from Kleinspiration This year was filled with many joyous moments. I feel so blessed to have such a wonderful family and caring friends. I''m lucky to have a job that I adore and hobbies that support what I enjoy doing. Thank you all for being so supportive over the year. I''ve had the pleasure of traveling the country presenting and working with Scholastic. Because of these experiences, I''ve had the opportunity to meet many of you in person. MORE
This is my first time participating in the Edublog Awards. Because blogging has been an instrumental part of reflecting on and improving my teaching and coaching practices, I''m excited to nominate the following candidates for these awards. MORE
As 2013 comes to a close, it is time to reflect on the past year. 2013 proved to be quite a transformative one. Spring 2013. 2013 began with the honor of being named PAECT ‘s Teacher of the Year in February. In May, I was elated to learn that I had been selected to be in the 2013 class of ASCD’s Emerging Leaders. End of the School Year/Summer 2013. Fall 2013. Winter 2013. MORE
Here is her recap of Edmodocon 2013: In Sweden Edmodo Con started at 4pm. Guest post #7 is from Lotta Neumann, a teacher of Swedish and English language and language arts at Falkenbergs gymnasieskola in Falkenberg, Sweden , instructing 16-19 year old students. The school has been 1:1 since 2010, and Lotta is fortunate enough to be able to work with the finding and implementation of digital resources and best practices. MORE
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? Who’s leading such implementation and reform? As these tools become more prevalent in schools, it’s school leaders MORE
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. Professional development in many districts must undergo radical reform, from a model that’s outdated and ineffective MORE
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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. The mantra of “lock it and block it” no longer works in a 21st century digital learning environment MORE
25 Fantastic Tech Blogs to Follow I just saw in my email that Kleinspiration has been nominated for the Circle of Mom''s Top 25 Tech Mom Blog 2013 Award. I''m not sure of the nomination process, but I''m thankful for the recognition. It means the world to me to have readers that support the ideas shared on this site. Of course, I''d appreciate any clicks to vote. With only 2 days left in the voting, there are some serious blogs with lots of votes. I wish I''d of noticed a bit earlier. MORE
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. Questions are posed in a sequential MORE
My best buddy and partner in crime, Liz Calderwood, and I are presenting at Edmodocon 2013 this summer! I hope you will join us online on August 7th, 2013 and view all the presentations. I am so thrilled to share this news! We are one of 15 presenters chosen for this global, virtual and free conference. Our session is titled Classroom Gymnastics: How to Use Edmodo for BYOD, 1:1 (When you can be), Paperless, and Flipped Learning. MORE
As 2013 comes to a close, it is time to reflect on the past year. 2013 proved to be quite a transformative one. Spring 2013. 2013 began with the honor of being named PAECT ‘s Teacher of the Year in February. In May, I was elated to learn that I had been selected to be in the 2013 class of ASCD’s Emerging Leaders. End of the School Year/Summer 2013. Fall 2013. Winter 2013. MORE
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. As we sat there eating our eggs, we began to see clearly, how through a few simple steps, we could continue to help transform professional MORE
The purpose of the Edublog Awards , or Eddies, is to raise awareness of educational blogging and social media for learning. MORE
Saturday, June 22rd - HACK EDUCATION 2013 : Audrey Watters of Hack Education co-chairs our all-day flagship event this year, as we yet again rebrand our "unconference" on teaching and learning (originally EduBloggerCon and called SocialEdCon last year). ISTE Unplugged is a series of independent events that take place in, around, and with the support of the annual ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education) conference. Boy, have we got some fun this year! MORE
SXSWedu takes place in Austin March 4th - 7th, 2013. WeAreTeachers invited me to be part of a panel called EduBrawl!, where four practicing educators will share opinions on hot topics in education such as mobile devices, game-based learning, and flipped classrooms. Here''s some inside scoop: It''s called a "brawl" because it''s likely we won''t all agree on the topics discussed! I am excited about the opportunity and think participating in the panel is going to be fun! MORE
The 2013 Core Leadership Summit, titled “Blended and Personalized Learning: Conversations for 21st Century Learners,” offered almost 200 leaders and administrators three featured speakers Barbara Nemko, Alan November, Catlin Tucker; one panel on Smarter Balanced Assessment led by Beverly Young; and a charismatic keynote speaker- Harvard University’s Eric Mazur. MORE
The finalists for the 2013 Edublog Awards were just announced, and voting is now open. The Edublog Awards is an annual initiative to promote the value of social media in education and share some great resources. Speech-language-related blogs and resources again are well-represented among this year''s finalists, so I would encourage you to go explore and vote. This year the voting is being done through list.ly, which you can sign into with Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or Google+ accounts. MORE
Because this was a helpful exercise for me at the end of 2012 / start of 2013, I thought I''d give it another go as 2013 ticks away its final hours and 2014 looms on the horizon. posts on my blog from 2013 as tracked by Blogger: How to Decode a Tweet , 1/7/13 - I originally wrote this post and created the graphic for it because I needed it for a Twitter for Professional Development workshop that I was going to be co-leading the next month. MORE
MACUL Conference 2013 The MACUL Conference is being held from March 20 - 22 in Detroit, MI at Cobo Center. education education conference MACUL MACUL 2013 MACUL Conference Michigan Technology Conference professional development teaching technology conference This is always one of my favorite conferences each year. It''s a time to connect with fellow educators, learn new ideas to bring into your classroom, and explore new technologies that may have been unfamiliar. MORE
Remind101 Launches Join Pages Remind101 is a free text messaging service. It is safe and secure. Teachers can sign up for a free account. They are given a specific number that is different than their personal phone number. Then, they can invite others to join their class. When others join, their information is private, too. Once others have joined, teachers can send out information with the click of a button! Others can''t reply, so teachers aren''t overwhelmed with messages to reply to. MORE
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. What is a personal learning network? A Personal Learning Network is an informal learning network that enables an individual to work MORE
2013 Related Topics Kleinspiration
DECEMBER 9, 2013
Best Individual Blog 2013 - Edublog Awards View more lists from Edublogs Best Resource Sharing / Ed Tech Blog 2013 - Edublog Awards View more lists from Edublogs Best Individual Tweeter 2013 - Edublog Awards View more lists from Edublogs Best Teacher Blog 2013 - Edublog Awards View more lists from Edublogs. Honored To Be a Finalist for 4 EduBlog Award Categories - You can vote directly from this post. simply scroll down!
Baker's B.Y.O.D.
JUNE 21, 2013
My best buddy and partner in crime, Liz Calderwood, and I are presenting at Edmodocon 2013 this summer! I hope you will join us online on August 7th, 2013 and view all the presentations. I am so thrilled to share this news! We are one of 15 presenters chosen for this global, virtual and free conference. Our session is titled Classroom Gymnastics: How to Use Edmodo for BYOD, 1:1 (When you can be), Paperless, and Flipped Learning.
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Kleinspiration
DECEMBER 31, 2013
Happy New Year ~ from Kleinspiration This year was filled with many joyous moments. I feel so blessed to have such a wonderful family and caring friends. I''m lucky to have a job that I adore and hobbies that support what I enjoy doing. Thank you all for being so supportive over the year. I''ve had the pleasure of traveling the country presenting and working with Scholastic. Because of these experiences, I''ve had the opportunity to meet many of you in person.
Kleinspiration
MARCH 5, 2013
25 Fantastic Tech Blogs to Follow I just saw in my email that Kleinspiration has been nominated for the Circle of Mom''s Top 25 Tech Mom Blog 2013 Award. I''m not sure of the nomination process, but I''m thankful for the recognition. It means the world to me to have readers that support the ideas shared on this site. Of course, I''d appreciate any clicks to vote. With only 2 days left in the voting, there are some serious blogs with lots of votes. I wish I''d of noticed a bit earlier.
Cool Tools for 21st Century Learners
DECEMBER 23, 2013
Explore and Enjoy 2 Ways to Track Santa in 2013 created with ThingLink_EDU. This year Google has brought us a multimedia rich Santa Tracker which will use street-view technology to help us follow Santa''s big journey on Tuesday evening. Now there is an alternative to tracking Santa through the NORAD cameras. Which will you chose? Christmas multimedia NORAD Tracking Santa
Philly Teacher
DECEMBER 31, 2013
As 2013 comes to a close, it is time to reflect on the past year. 2013 proved to be quite a transformative one. Spring 2013. 2013 began with the honor of being named PAECT ‘s Teacher of the Year in February. In May, I was elated to learn that I had been selected to be in the 2013 class of ASCD’s Emerging Leaders. End of the School Year/Summer 2013. Fall 2013. Winter 2013.
Kleinspiration
MARCH 3, 2013
MACUL Conference 2013 The MACUL Conference is being held from March 20 - 22 in Detroit, MI at Cobo Center. education education conference MACUL MACUL 2013 MACUL Conference Michigan Technology Conference professional development teaching technology conference This is always one of my favorite conferences each year. It''s a time to connect with fellow educators, learn new ideas to bring into your classroom, and explore new technologies that may have been unfamiliar.
Philly Teacher
DECEMBER 31, 2013
As 2013 comes to a close, it is time to reflect on the past year. 2013 proved to be quite a transformative one. Spring 2013. 2013 began with the honor of being named PAECT ‘s Teacher of the Year in February. In May, I was elated to learn that I had been selected to be in the 2013 class of ASCD’s Emerging Leaders. End of the School Year/Summer 2013. Fall 2013. Winter 2013.
EdTechSandyK
DECEMBER 30, 2013
Because this was a helpful exercise for me at the end of 2012 / start of 2013, I thought I''d give it another go as 2013 ticks away its final hours and 2014 looms on the horizon. posts on my blog from 2013 as tracked by Blogger: How to Decode a Tweet , 1/7/13 - I originally wrote this post and created the graphic for it because I needed it for a Twitter for Professional Development workshop that I was going to be co-leading the next month.
Baker's B.Y.O.D.
AUGUST 30, 2013
Here is her recap of Edmodocon 2013: In Sweden Edmodo Con started at 4pm. Guest post #7 is from Lotta Neumann, a teacher of Swedish and English language and language arts at Falkenbergs gymnasieskola in Falkenberg, Sweden , instructing 16-19 year old students. The school has been 1:1 since 2010, and Lotta is fortunate enough to be able to work with the finding and implementation of digital resources and best practices.
The Learning Revolution Has Begun
JANUARY 17, 2013
Saturday, June 22rd - HACK EDUCATION 2013 : Audrey Watters of Hack Education co-chairs our all-day flagship event this year, as we yet again rebrand our "unconference" on teaching and learning (originally EduBloggerCon and called SocialEdCon last year). ISTE Unplugged is a series of independent events that take place in, around, and with the support of the annual ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education) conference. Boy, have we got some fun this year!
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Kairos EdTech
NOVEMBER 26, 2013
This is my first time participating in the Edublog Awards. Because blogging has been an instrumental part of reflecting on and improving my teaching and coaching practices, I''m excited to nominate the following candidates for these awards.
The Web20Classroom
DECEMBER 29, 2013
As 2013 comes to a close let''s take a quick look at the most popular posts here over the course of the last year. 2013 year in review It seems the voices, both for and against the Common Core State Standards got louder over the past year. Wherever you come down on the debate I hope we can all agree that, in most cases, summative assessments have their place.
CUE
APRIL 18, 2013
March 14, 2013 kicking off the Annual CUE Conference, teacher Catlin Tucker, kickoff keynote speaker, shares her perspectives on embracing the Common Core Standards as a transformative leap in teaching and learning. The post 2013 CUE Annual Conference – Common Core: Transforming Teaching and Learning appeared first on OnCUE.
Baker's B.Y.O.D.
AUGUST 27, 2013
Check out Lisa''s Animoto video on EdmodoCon 2013 EdmodoCon. Guest post #6 is submitted by Lisa Butler, a middle school Spanish and Social Studies teacher in Hershey, PA. Lisa has been using Edmodo for 2.5 years and hosted an EdmodoCon viewing party, and "enjoyed both learning from the passionate speakers and the parallel discussions we had because of the sessions."
CUE
MARCH 12, 2013
The post Common Core Standards Featured Prominently in 2013 Annual CUE Conference appeared first on OnCUE. Educational leaders know that any change in pedagogy, standards and assessment would require large doses of quality professional development to implement effectively. So what do you do when all three are changing? Send your team to the CUE Conference, of course! This year’s event will return to Palm Springs for three days this week: March […].
SpeechTechie
NOVEMBER 23, 2013
It''s Edublog awards time! The 10th Annual Edublog awards are once again a reminder to the districts of the power of the Capitol, and how they must never rebel against their country again. Oh wait, that''s The Hunger Games. They are on my mind this weekend for some reason. The Edublog awards are an effort to "promote and demonstrate the educational value of social media," particularly as some school districts block blogs and Twitter.
EdTechSandyK
MARCH 2, 2013
SXSWedu takes place in Austin March 4th - 7th, 2013. WeAreTeachers invited me to be part of a panel called EduBrawl!, where four practicing educators will share opinions on hot topics in education such as mobile devices, game-based learning, and flipped classrooms. Here''s some inside scoop: It''s called a "brawl" because it''s likely we won''t all agree on the topics discussed! I am excited about the opportunity and think participating in the panel is going to be fun!
CUE
AUGUST 25, 2013
The 2013 Core Leadership Summit, titled “Blended and Personalized Learning: Conversations for 21st Century Learners,” offered almost 200 leaders and administrators three featured speakers Barbara Nemko, Alan November, Catlin Tucker; one panel on Smarter Balanced Assessment led by Beverly Young; and a charismatic keynote speaker- Harvard University’s Eric Mazur.
wwwatanabe
NOVEMBER 22, 2013
The purpose of the Edublog Awards , or Eddies, is to raise awareness of educational blogging and social media for learning.
CUE
APRIL 2, 2013
Captured on March 16, 2013 closing the Annual CUE Conference, Kevin Honeycutt inspires and engages attendees. The post 2013 CUE Annual Conference Keynote: Kevin Honeycutt – Trends, Tools and Tactics for 21st Century Learning appeared first on OnCUE. Amazing, not to miss talk… Session Description: This keynote is funny and a fun look at the amazing things that happen when educators step outside their traditional methods and try new tools.
SpeechTechie
DECEMBER 6, 2013
The finalists for the 2013 Edublog Awards were just announced, and voting is now open. The Edublog Awards is an annual initiative to promote the value of social media in education and share some great resources. Speech-language-related blogs and resources again are well-represented among this year''s finalists, so I would encourage you to go explore and vote. This year the voting is being done through list.ly, which you can sign into with Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or Google+ accounts.
Baker's B.Y.O.D.
AUGUST 17, 2013
Thank you, Dara, for attending EdmodoCon 2013 and the compliments! If you would like to contribute and share a EdmodoCon 2013 post, please submit! Our fourth guest blog post is written by Dara Easterling, a Catholic elementary school teacher from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Dara has been teaching for almost 14 years and loves helping young children to learn about and use technology in a productive and creative way.
Baker's B.Y.O.D.
AUGUST 27, 2013
question mark image retrieved from likeable.com *Edmodo logo retrieved from edmodo.com If you would like to contribute and share a EdmodoCon 2013 post, please submit! Guest post #5 is written by Jaclyn Karabinas, a 3rd and 4th grade looping teacher from Hampton Falls, NH. Jaclyn started using Edmodo 1.5 years ago and has been busy getting other staff members on board. According to Jaclyn, "The possibilities with Edmodo are endless.
CUE
JANUARY 28, 2013
The post Macworld/iWorld 2013 Distinguished Educator Showcase – Bringing Inspiration, Innovation, Creativity and Learning Together appeared first on OnCUE. Who wouldn’t enjoy a day packed full of exciting, applicable tips and fresh concepts you can take with you to your classrooms, fellow teachers and schools? The showcase brings a taste of the Apple Distinguished Educator community, an awesome group of education leaders from around the world.
The Mobile Native
MAY 19, 2013
Cross Post from @TonyVincent "Learning in Hand" It''s my pleasure to be on the team organizing Mobile Learning Experience 2013. Mobile Learning Experience 2013 will also address other devices like laptops, Chromebooks, and Android tablets. Please consider presenting at Mobile 2013. The Call for Proposals is open and the submission deadline is June 27, 2013.
The Learning Revolution Has Begun
NOVEMBER 20, 2013
Today is day three of the 2013 Global Education Conference. A summary of today''s sessions is shown below in US-Eastern Standard Time (GMT/UTC-5). To see the schedule in your own time zone, with the full session descriptions and a link to enter each session, go to [link]. To receive the daily conference schedule, be sure to join the Global Education Conference network. Recordings of all sessions are available here.
Kleinspiration
DECEMBER 31, 2013
Remind101 Launches Join Pages Remind101 is a free text messaging service. It is safe and secure. Teachers can sign up for a free account. They are given a specific number that is different than their personal phone number. Then, they can invite others to join their class. When others join, their information is private, too. Once others have joined, teachers can send out information with the click of a button! Others can''t reply, so teachers aren''t overwhelmed with messages to reply to.
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. The mantra of “lock it and block it” no longer works in a 21st century digital learning environment
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. Professional development in many districts must undergo radical reform, from a model that’s outdated and ineffective
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. Questions are posed in a sequential
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. What is a personal learning network? A Personal Learning Network is an informal learning network that enables an individual to work
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? Lead by example. It’s simple. As a whole, staff members watch and mimic
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? Who’s leading such implementation and reform? As these tools become more prevalent in schools, it’s school leaders
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. As we sat there eating our eggs, we began to see clearly, how through a few simple steps, we could continue to help transform professional
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