A Principal's Reflections

APRIL 8, 2013

'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

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Common Core Educreations Personal Learning Network Flipped Classroom 359

The Web20Classroom

APRIL 25, 2013

'Blogging is an important part of who I am as a professional. I can use this space to share resources with you, reflect on my own practice and try to figure out how to be a better educator. It is my public reflection on technology, leadership and learning. Think about when you were in school. You write an essay. Who read it? Most likely the teacher and that is where it ended.

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Educational Technology Guy

APRIL 26, 2013

'I''ve been using a Chromebook since getting a CR-48 from Google a few years ago, and I love it. I am currently using a Samsung Chromebook, and our district is deploying over 5000 of them. The Chromebooks, and Chrome OS in general, are fast and work great, but every once in a while they can bog down when doing serious multitasking. Many only have 2GB of RAM and do not offer the ability to add more RAM physically.

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Chromebook Google Twitter Resources 191

Baker's B.Y.O.D.

APRIL 28, 2013

'While browsing through the Language Arts community on Edmodo, I came across a post by Kalina Noelle, who shared a simple and easy n ewspaper clipping generator , and Mrs. Osborne who replied with another site with even more newspaper templates. Cool! While the newspaper clipping tool is very useful for creating story starters or fake articles about content studied in class, I also came across something even cooler on t he site and generator blog : Talking Squirrels.

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Technology Edmodo EdTech Study 136

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wwwatanabe

APRIL 1, 2013

'Students need to be taught how to read complex texts. One of the strategies for learning how is close reading. It slows the reader down to notice and ponder more. It also connects meaning and builds systems of thought. Text complexity with close reading Complex text requires a close reading. So what makes a text complex ? There are three "ingredients" to text complexity: It''s important to understand text complexity to build students'' literacy skills.

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Educreations iPad Common Core Strategy 111

The 21st Century Principal

APRIL 15, 2013

'“School buildings must change because instruction must change. We need creative new designs that will support 21st century learning.” Frank S. Kelly, Ted McCain, and Ian Jukes, Teaching the Digital Generation: No More Cookie-Cutter High Schools A great deal of the reform talk that we engage in focuses on changing how teaching and learning should change to better fit the needs of 21st century learners, but how much of that talk focuses on how we can better redesign our schools so that they bette

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Learning Industry Examples Conference 106

The Web20Classroom

APRIL 8, 2013

'As someone who helps develop and deliver professional development to teachers, I''ve heard lots of reasons why some of the PD schools offer to teachers might not be a good fit. It''s not relevant to me. It''s a waste of time. Boring. I am sure if you ask, most teachers can recall some PD they''ve suffered through with great detail. PD should be something that we look forward to.

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Course Twitter iPad Trends 251

Educational Technology Guy

APRIL 26, 2013

'Google’s Keep , Google''s easy to use note taking app, has some new features, improved features and bug fixes. Here is the list of new features from the Google Play Store. • Create notes, lists, and audio notes • Add photos to any note • Hide and show checkboxes to turn notes into checkable lists • View and create notes from homescreen and lockscreen widgets (lockscreen widgets require Android 4.2+) • Selectable color for notes • Safely sync notes to Google Drive and other devices • Notes can a

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Google Android Twitter Accessibility 174

Baker's B.Y.O.D.

APRIL 6, 2013

'I''m constantly writing about the dilemmas of student writing and how to grade student academic writing in an efficient and effective manner. This is probably borderline obsessive. but, I am the type of learner who when faced with an issue/problem/question, obsesses until. Options for Grading Writing: Traditional : teacher does all the grading and marking up of students'' writing.

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Common Core Digital Citizenship Assessment Google 131

The Innovative Educator

APRIL 9, 2013

'I developed this quiz with members of my personal learning network (found at end of post) to get students thinking about their digital footprint. The quiz was created at the request of high school students I spoke with who thought the creation of a such a quiz could lead to a smart conversation about ways students can update their digital footprint so that it is one that leads to college and career success.

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Social Media Personal Learning Network Personalized Learning Education 97

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

APRIL 9, 2013

'There are obviously quite a few social media resources available to school leaders on the Web, but finding high-quality information can be difficult. Here are some books that I consider vital for school leaders seeking to learn as much as they can about its potential to enhance leadership and education. Each of these books are excellent sources of information for the school leader trying to learn about social media and potential in educational leadership.

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Social Media Resources Personal Learning Network Personalized Learning 106

A Principal's Reflections

APRIL 30, 2013

'It is springtime at New Milford High School and new ideas are flourishing. Teachers are consistently empowered and given the autonomy to take calculated risks without the fear of failure to enhance the teaching and learning process. The end result is that our students benefit from lessons that combine sound pedagogy with the effective integration of technology.

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Social Media BYOD Classroom Facebook 285

EdTechSandyK

APRIL 24, 2013

'There is some big legislation pending regarding the Texas Teacher Retirement System. Below is the letter I just sent to my state representative. Fellow Texas educators, have you been following this legislation? If not, you should be, and you should be making your voice heard! A very good update can be found here: [link]. Find out who represents you and follow links to their web pages where you can email them.

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System Education 91

Educational Technology Guy

APRIL 29, 2013

'Mobile and social study platform, StudyBlue today announced the launch of its annual teacher appreciation program “Thank a Teacher a Latte.” As the largest digital library of peer-sourced study materials, StudyBlue is inviting students, parents and industry leaders nationwide to join in building a virtual Wall of Thanks to give back to the educators who have made a difference in their lives.

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Digital Badges Social Media Industry Mobility 124

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

Baker's B.Y.O.D.

APRIL 25, 2013

'Check out this video, fellow teacher Carolyn P. and I made introducing Voice Comments as a cool tool for the 21st Century. Primarily used for the teacher to record voice comments on a student''s Google doc, I anticipate that the capabilities will expand to include use for peer editing with classmates, and, as you will hear, use for classes that require audio.

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Google EdTech Assessment Tools 121

The Innovative Educator

APRIL 22, 2013

'Remind101 provides a safe, one-way, mass text messaging system created specifically for use in Education. It keeps your phone number, and the phone number's of your subscribers completely private, stores all of your sent messages, and it's completely free to use. Just sign up and create a list for others to join via a simple text or email. Because of the convenience of sending messages directly to phones, Remind101 is a perfect tool for announcements and reminders such as school holiday

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The 21st Century Principal

APRIL 23, 2013

'School’s continuing to ban cell phones and smartphones are fighting a losing battle. In spite of administrative efforts to keep cell phones out of our schools, our students are becoming “cell-only” internet users according to a recent report, entitled “ Teens and Technology 2013,” released by the Pew Research Center’s Internet and American Life Project.

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Smartphone Tablets Mobility Policies 105

A Principal's Reflections

APRIL 3, 2013

'I was devastated to learn a few weeks back that Google Reader was getting the ax. I took solace knowing that many of the other Google tools that I have become quite attached to were still around. That was until I read a tweet about Google Alerts quietly being shutdown. I paused and then quickly realized that something was amiss, as I had not been regularly receiving my alerts.

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Android iPhone Facebook Personal Learning Network 281

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SpeechTechie

APRIL 5, 2013

'I like icons. I think it is one of the things that we all like about the iPad. App icons have a visual appeal that tends to stick with us, and we sometimes even look more closely at an app and consider buying it because of the icon. At least I do. It''s like app fashion. So, for a long time I resisted any significant use of folders on my iPad screens, and as a result, my iPad(s) became a total hot mess.

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iPad Data Course Examples 89

The Electric Educator

APRIL 11, 2013

'For the past 18 days I have been in Pangasinan, Philippines working with Rushton Hurley , Kim Randall , and Leslie Fisher to train 106 Filipino teachers on the use of technology in education. Together we led the first international partnership between the Krause Center for Innovation (KCI) at Foothill College and the Philippine government. I have never worked with a more eager or persistent group of educators.

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Edmodo Twitter Google EdTech 84

Baker's B.Y.O.D.

APRIL 3, 2013

'In December, Dean Shareski , professor at the University of Regina in Saskatchewan, Canada, put a call out on Twitter for teachers who would be willing to pair with his pre-service student teachers for a virtual mentoring project. While I''ve mentored pre-service teachers in person (and in New Jersey), doing so online was new for me, and I jumped on the opportunity.

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Edmodo Google Assessment Flipped Classroom 104

The Innovative Educator

APRIL 7, 2013

'Educator''s make their way to the red carpet. I''m in the purple dress with my boyfriend, back right. Envision a world that values education like it values entertainment. That is the goal of The Bammy Awards. It’s time for The Bammy nominations, a cross-discipline honor that identifies and acknowledges the extraordinary work being done across the education field every day-- from teachers, principals and superintendents, to advocates, researchers, education journalists and parents.

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Education Policies Secondary Report 95

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 21st Century Principal

APRIL 14, 2013

'“Too many organizations not just companies, but governments and nonprofits as well still operate from assumptions about human potential and individual performance that are outdated, unexamined, and rooted more in folklore than in science.” Daniel Pink, Drive: The Surprising Truth about What Motivates Us It’s not just businesses that are still caught in outdated assumptions about performance and motivation.

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A Principal's Reflections

APRIL 11, 2013

'As the end of the school year draws near, the education reform rhetoric is heating up. This means states like New Jersey and New York are closer to implementing new teacher evaluation systems as a result of Race to the Top, NCLB waivers, and other mandates adopted through recent legislation. It seems like we are now at a crossroads between what the reformers think is best for elevating education in our country and the opinions of actual educators who work with students day in and day out.

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Training Common Core System Course 276

SpeechTechie

APRIL 15, 2013

'Today, though on school vacation week, I was wrapped up in what now seem to be very small problems indeed. I was snapped out of this when my friend texted me and told me to put on the TV, because "something had happened" at the Boston Marathon. This story is still unfolding, with many horrible and tragic details. Many of us in Boston spent the afternoon making sure our friends and loved ones were safe.

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EdTechSandyK

APRIL 24, 2013

'There is some big legislation pending regarding the Texas Teacher Retirement System. Below is the letter I just sent to my state senator. Fellow Texas educators, have you been following this legislation? If not, you should be, and you should be making your voice heard! A very good update can be found here: [link]. Find out who represents you and follow links to their web pages where you can email them.

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System Education 78

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

Baker's B.Y.O.D.

APRIL 20, 2013

'In my last post , I discussed that academic writing needs to be put on display and showcased to motivate students to write well. Writing is meant to be read, not to be locked up in a folder in a file cabinet or later tossed in the trash after the grade received. Students think that when they turn in the assignment and meet the teacher''s due date, the writing is good & done.

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Digital Citizenship Google Assessment Meeting 103

The Innovative Educator

APRIL 19, 2013

'Co-authored by Lisa Nielsen and Lisa Cooley A recent Common Sense Media story about Facebook Home warns parents that the new Facebook Home app will be an ever-present distraction in the lives of young people. It states that as your teen's engagement with friends via Facebook goes up, engagement in the “real world” can go down. Adults need to wake up.

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Social Media Facebook Company Course 89

The 21st Century Principal

APRIL 24, 2013

'According to Matt Ivester in his book lol…OMG: What Every Student Needs to Know about Online Reputation Management, Digital Citizenship and Cyberbullying , “ Many of today’s students are finding themselves with a very real permanent record one that reflects every poor decision of their youth, and is stored online forever.” Most of us remember those moments of major embarrassment in high school, and fortunately we are often the only ones who remember those incidents.

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Digital Citizenship Resources Student Engagement How To 89

A Principal's Reflections

APRIL 17, 2013

'I have been extremely blessed to be invited to speak and work with administrators all over the country. There is nothing more exhilarating than sharing the work of my students and teachers as it has radically changed how I lead. Especially during keynote presentations, I talk about the need for school leaders to take calculated risks to initiate meaningful change.

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Student Engagement iPad Conference Technology 262

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