A Principal's Reflections

MARCH 13, 2013

'Recently Jeff Fiscina , one of my math teachers, submitted a guest post on my blog that emphasized some of his grading practices that best support and promote student learning. That post got me thinking about the process we went through to assist Jeff in developing and embracing his current grading practices as well as that of other teachers. It was about a year ago that I decided to tackle the grading culture here at New Milford High School, which wasn''t much different than the majority of sc

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Handbook Guidelines Assessment Report 337

The Web20Classroom

MARCH 6, 2013

'I was having a conversation with a colleague the other day. We got to talking about parents and the struggle he was having getting them to realize that all these social media tools and Web 2.0 tools were worth the time and effort the teachers were spending to enhance learning in the classroom. So I asked, what had he done to get the parents involved in the conversation?

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Technology Classroom Social Media Tools 234

Educational Technology Guy

MARCH 21, 2013

'Google has just launched Keep , a note taking service, that is free. It is a cool note taking system, that allows you to quickly jot down notes, checklists, transcribe a voice memo, search your notes, and more. Your notes are saved in Google Drive and synced to all of your devices. There is an Android app for Android 4.0+ and you can access, edit and create new notes on the web at [link] and Google will be adding these functions directly in Google Drive shortly.

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Google Android Tablets Twitter 212

Mobile Musings

MARCH 18, 2013

'(cross-posted from K12 Open Ed ). ISTE’s Learning and Leading with Technology (L&L) just published an article I wrote about MOOCs. This article was a step in the progression of some thinking I’ve been doing about deeper professional learning. (Stay tuned for more on that.). As is often the case with print publications, there were several months between the writing of this article and its publication, and a lot has happened since then!

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MOOC Professional Learning EdTech Course 114

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Personalized Learning

The 21st Century Principal

MARCH 20, 2013

'“Mindfulness is simply noticing the way things are. By being mindful you can transform your life, your organization, and even your community. The first step is to transform yourself.” Maria Gonzalez, Mindful Leadership: The 9 Ways to Self-Awareness, Transforming Yourself, and Inspiring Others “During difficult times,” writes Maria Gonzales, “anyone in a leadership position is scrutinized more closely.

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Company Resources Technology Education 109

The Innovative Educator

MARCH 24, 2013

'By Rylie VanOrsdol In my fourteen years of life, I have been public schooled, online schooled, charter schooled, private schooled, Montessori schooled, and homeschooled. I’ve skipped a grade and completed a grade in three months online. After all the learning options I have experienced, what I have found is that the traditional path was unable to meet my needs.

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Meeting Learning Education 107

The Web20Classroom

MARCH 25, 2013

'I am a proud part of one of the most awesome projects anywhere around. Imagine you are 9 years old. You and your classmates are watching and learning about the Olympics, talking about the importance of fitness, graphing the stats of athletes in the various competitions, and discussing goals you have for now and the future. Then picture when an Olympic athlete that you have been watching appears in your classroom from Bejing or Alberta or South Africa via telepresence to check in on you and your

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Training Video Classroom Technology 216

EdTechSandyK

MARCH 31, 2013

'God works in mysterious ways. This week, He brought a couple of things across my virtual radar and convicted me to share on my blog some truths I believe to the core of my being. These are not truths that have to do with education or technology, but eternity. So here it is: I believe Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came to earth and lived a sinless life, died on the cross as a perfect sacrifice to pay for humanity''s sin for all time, and was resurrected from death as proof that God the Father ac

Facebook 96

Facebook EdTech Twitter Meeting 96

Nik Peachey

MARCH 30, 2013

A couple of years back I wrote about a really nice web based tool called Xtranormal and since then I've heard from so many teachers saying how useful their students have found it, so I was delighted yesterday to find that the same makes had now produced a free mobile / tablet app called Tellagami. The app runs on a mobile device and allows users to add animated speaking characters to a selection of backgrounds or to the users' own images.

Mobility 81

Mobility iPhone iPad Tablets 81

The 21st Century Principal

MARCH 5, 2013

'“Customer engagement means trusting, listening, and learning from your stakeholder communities, and responding to their comments with quality content in an honest, authentic manner.” Andy Beal and Judy Strauss, Radically Transparent: Monitoring and Managing Reputations Online The conventional way many administrators use social media is as a “21st century announcement system.

Social Media 98

Social Media Facebook System Twitter 98

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 Innovative Educator

MARCH 10, 2013

'In case you missed it, last week, John Stossel did a segment on unschooling as part of his “ Education Blob ” special. In the segment he pointed out that the number of homeschoolers is on the rise nationally, a whopping 75% since 1999. This puts the number of homeschoolers in the nation about equal to those attending charter schools. He shares that the number of families that homeschool today for religious purposes is on the decline as the choice today is more likely to be the result of dissat

System 104

System Education 104

A Principal's Reflections

MARCH 21, 2013

'This past weekend I was fortunate enough to present at the 2013 Annual ASCD Conference in Chicago. This conference is one of my must attend events of the year and I use it as an opportunity to develop new presentations based on my leadership experiences at New Milford High School. Since we have initiated and sustained quite a few changes that have transformed the teaching and learning culture at my school I felt that sharing the "why" and "how" would benefit others that have experienced difficu

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Conference System Strategy Learning 281

The Web20Classroom

MARCH 12, 2013

'I originally wrote this post way back in 2009. Lots has changed since then. So let''s dust it off and do some updating. Most schools and districts spend lot of time and effort trying to get their teachers up to speed on technology and its use/place in the classroom. And honestly that is where a majority of effort should be spent; working with those on the frontlines of instruction.

Twitter 207

Twitter Google Video Personal Learning Network 207

EdTechSandyK

MARCH 6, 2013

'Notes from SXSWedu presentation by Dr. Michael Mills [link] Bit.ly/BYODResources Bit.ly/byoddocs Bit.ly/rubrics Follow #BYODchat on Twitter Nothing is the magic tool for getting our kids where they need to be. But we can use mobile devices to help. We can no longer depend on textbooks for accurate information. A new state of matter was just discovered in December.

BYOD 94

BYOD Digital Divide Mobility Survey 94

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

The Electric Educator

MARCH 20, 2013

'On the 21-22 of March over 4,000 Michigan Educators will descend on Cobo Hall in Detroit, Michigan for the annual MACUL conference. This conference is the premier EdTech gathering in the state, and one of the largest in the midwest. This annual gathering isn''t the only event sponsored by MACUL. On November 4-5 the second annual miGoogle conference will be held at Brighton High School in Brighton, Michigan.

Chromebook 79

Chromebook Conference EdTech Google 79

The 21st Century Principal

MARCH 9, 2013

'What should be a school leader’s response when a student uses social media in an inappropriate manner? This Winston-Salem Journal Editorial “More Education, Guidelines Needed for Officials, Students on Social Media and School Security,” makes the usual call for more rules and education about improper use of social media. But was this event a “social media problem” or was it “a behavioral or crime problem?

Social Media 97

Social Media Guidelines Facebook Report 97

The Innovative Educator

MARCH 27, 2013

'Most educators are familiar with student response systems (SRS) a.k.a. clickers. Common brands are eInstruction, Sentio, TurningPoint, Activote. Those who use the systems know they run about $2,500 - $4,000 (depending on various options selected) for a class set and allow educators to track student learning, engage an entire class as they collect real-time responses from students, and enable them to quickly assess understanding and achievement.

Laptops 103

Laptops Tablets System Software 103

A Principal's Reflections

MARCH 17, 2013

'Love them or hate them, the Common Core is a reality for the majority of educators and schools across the country. As a principal I am always on the look out for resources that can aid my teachers with the successful implementation of these standards. While attending the 2013 ASCD Conference in Chicago I attended a session entitled Unwrapping Standards to Drive the Adoption of the Common Core State Standards.

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Common Core Wiki Conference Resources 279

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The Web20Classroom

MARCH 18, 2013

'I''ve spent the last several days attending the 2013 ASCD Annual Conference in Chicago. Educators from across the country and across the globe gathered to discuss pressing educational issues and talk about how we can all make teaching and learning better for kids, no matter where they are. I have always been impressed with the caliber of speakers here and the level of educational discussion.

Conference 194

Conference Edcamps Twitter Social Media 194

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!

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Flipped Classroom Game-Based Learning Mobility EdTech 88

Baker's B.Y.O.D.

MARCH 11, 2013

'Lacking time and energy (and talent perhaps), I haven''t written poetry in awhile. Using the Blogger app, I "wrote" this with the voice recorder keyboard on my Samsung Galaxy S3 phone. The voice recorder is close, but not exact (I was also on my Bluetooth ear piece while cooking dinner dictating this piece--multitasking as always). I didn''t say the word "whiskey" but evidently my phone heard it (subliminal?

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BYOD Google System Tools 68

The 21st Century Principal

MARCH 21, 2013

'For those users who, like myself, who are migrating to using Feedly due to Google Reader''s demise, here''s an excellent blog post from Feedly to help you with that migration process. "Tips for Google Readers Migrating to Feedly" The tips provided even help you customize your RSS reading experience to be more like you are accustom to in Google Reader.

Google 94

Google iPad 94

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

The Innovative Educator

MARCH 20, 2013

'Picture a half-full classroom with nearly-comatose students descending into the slow death that takes place while listening to a lecture that is as interesting as the buzzing of a mosquito that one cannot find in order to squash. It’s no secret that some teachers, even doctorates who work as college professors, suck when it comes to lecturing. Don’t let that be you!

Facebook 101

Facebook Training Classroom Education 101

A Principal's Reflections

MARCH 10, 2013

'The following is a guest post by Steve D’Ascoli. Steve visited New Milford High School on Thursday February 28, 2013. NMHS routinely hosts visits from outside educators, schools, and organizations in an effort to provide insights on our initiatives. Below is a reflection by Steve on his recent visit. Today I had the opportunity to meet with Eric Sheninger before he headed off to the 2013 NASSP Conference.

BYOD 254

BYOD Secondary Meeting Conference 254

MSEDTechie

MARCH 26, 2013

'As educators we want to create awesome lessons and projects for our students, but we all struggle with just one problem. TIME! Our days, weeks, and hours are structured as such that we always have very little time to cover very complex content. Prime example: You have this great idea for your students to create a video project to show their learning of a science lesson they just completed, but you don''t have a week to spend doing it with iMovie, so you just X the whole project.

Mobility 77

Mobility Educreations Common Core iPhone 77

SpeechTechie

MARCH 4, 2013

'I have been wanting for some time to dedicate some posts to augmented reality (AR) and its potential in speech-langauge and other interventions. As you can tell, I also wanted to wait until a month that had "AR" in it, and March is my last opportunity until next JanuARy, so here I go. First of all, the phrase "augmented reality" is probably quite complicated-sounding and scary, so I will assure you that I will try to make it simple and relevant to your work.

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Smartphone iPhone iPad Android 74

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

Learning with 'e's

MARCH 28, 2013

"Technology won't replace teachers, but teachers who use technology will probably replace teachers who don't" This was just one of the contentious and thought provoking statements made at Learning Through Technology this week in Glasgow. #LTT2013 was one of two conferences I was invited to speak at this week. I made my way up to Glasgow after speaking at #LILAC13 in Manchester.

Technology 78

Technology BYOD Libraries Gamification 78

The 21st Century Principal

MARCH 6, 2013

'In response to my "Top iPad Apps for Administrators," a few readers have emailed me asking for “observation” or “walk-through” apps for their iPad. There are some options out there, but I chose not to use them for three reasons. First of all, most of the apps I researched, while free, have what I consider expensive subscription costs (You can''t beat free).

iPad 89

iPad Google Mobility Accessibility 89

The Innovative Educator

MARCH 4, 2013

'The following post is excerpted with permission from Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life , by Peter Gray. Available from Basic Books, a member of The Perseus Books Group. Copyright © 2013. Purchase your copy at this link. "GO TO HELL.” The words hit me hard.

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Elementary System Groups Classroom 97

EdTechSandyK

MARCH 4, 2013

'Notes from panel presentation at SXSWedu. [link] Brainpop.com/games - New project from Brainpop bringing together educational games for teachers and students. Started 2 years ago. All free content. No login necessary. About 57 games with content support. Working toward allowing teachers to gather data on student use and progress in the games. Learning Games Network - nonprofit spinoff from university r&d groups.

Gamification 70

Gamification Learning LMS Assessment 70

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