A Principal's Reflections

DECEMBER 21, 2011

'Cross-posted at the NJ Principals and Supervisors Association. 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,

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The Web20Classroom

DECEMBER 6, 2011

'When it comes to mobile learning there are loads of great sites for apps for kids and teachers. Everything from apps organized by Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy to apps organized by grade level and subject area. But what you might not know, especially if you are an administrator is that there are some great apps out there for you. What are they? Well my administrator friend, here are my Top 9 Apps For Administrators (All of these are for iPad but you can find many, or an equivalent, in the Android Ma

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Educational Technology Guy

DECEMBER 21, 2011

Google Good to Know is another great resource from Google. Good to Know has information and tips for internet safety, how your data is collected and used online, how Google uses data, and how to manage your data and what you share with web sites and Google. This is a great resource for everyone and educators can use this to help students be more safe online and more knowledgeable about online data.

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Data Google Internet Safety Twitter 100

The 21st Century Principal

DECEMBER 15, 2011

'In October, I posted “Top 10 Signs Your School Is Caught in a Time Warp: List for School Leaders.” Of course the whole idea behind that post was to call attention to those leadership proclivities that are actually hindering movement toward a 21st century learning environment. Now, let me be just a bit more direct in this post. Here’s the list of indications that your school leadership is obsolete and in need of a big upgrade. 1.

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The Mobile Native

DECEMBER 2, 2011

'QR codes, also known as Quick Response codes, are starting to pop up everywhere, and now they are finding their way into classrooms. Here are some QR code resources and links.

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Resources Classroom Education 110

SpeechTechie

DECEMBER 7, 2011

'We often hear the question from parents: What can I do to help my child at home? I try to keep a list of resources I can tell parents about, and here''s one for you: Chris and Melissa Bugaj''s Night Light Stories. Chris, an Assistive Technology Specialist and SLP, and his wife Melissa, a classroom teacher, have created this blog and podcast featuring original stories "that light up the imagination of kids of all ages.

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Elementary Assistive Technology Strategy Resources 83

The Web20Classroom

DECEMBER 9, 2011

'Earlier this year our group adopted the TPACK model of technology integration. What is TPACK you ask? Basically, it takes the approach that planning for technology integration shouldn''t be an event. It should be something that adds to what we are already doing. Through the use of Activity Types , teachers can take the activities they are already doing and match them up with appropiate technologies that may or may not work, depending on the context of learning.

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Technology Examples Groups Classroom 201

EdTechSandyK

DECEMBER 23, 2011

'Courtesy of morguefile.com The holiday season is often a period of looking backwards and forwards at the same time. We reflect on the happenings and learnings of the twelve months that are coming to a close while anticipating what may come our way in the new year ahead. As a practical outworking of this reflection and anticipation, I encourage you to set aside some time to tidy up your online presence.

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The 21st Century Principal

DECEMBER 22, 2011

'There is one 21st century leadership skill very few have considered: managing and monitoring a school or school district’s online reputation. Most of the time, administrators are in “reactive” mode when it comes to sudden, unwanted attention to their schools brought about due to some online Web posting to a blog or social media. This often means the damage is already done way before they were even aware that there was a problem.

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Social Media Facebook Google Twitter 88

Learning with 'e's

DECEMBER 2, 2011

We have had pencils in our school now for some time, and we were one of the first to adopt them, but it has been an uphill struggle. There aren't enough to go around, and often several of the children have to crowd around to use the pencils at the same time. But we are better off than many schools. We have a well equipped pencil suite where the chained desktop pencils are used in special sessions, and often, as a reward for good behaviour children are allowed to come into the suite (under teache

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Blackboard Mobility Twitter Course 78

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.

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SpeechTechie

DECEMBER 6, 2011

'The shortlist of nominees for the 2011 Edublog Awards was announced this weekend. Though I was a little bummed a few deserving nominees didn''t make it in, it was excellent that the event actually acknowledged SLPs as a standout and active group in the effort that defines the whole purpose of the awards- to acknowledge educators who are sharing through social media and help educators find and follow this content.

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A Principal's Reflections

DECEMBER 3, 2011

'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.

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Case Study Study Learning Analysis 254

The Web20Classroom

DECEMBER 30, 2011

'Is it 2012 already? Another year has come and gone and like several of my good blogging friends have done I wanted to recap the Top 5 Posts from this year. I am sorta surprised at the mix but there are some, if I do say so myself, good posts. Quick List Of iPad Resources For The Classroom -This was my top post of the year. It contains several of my favorite sites and collections of using not just iPads but mobile devices in general in the classroom.

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iPad Twitter Mobility Resources 192

The Daring Librarian

DECEMBER 29, 2011

'I''m usually not one for new year''s resolutions. If I decide to do something the calendar doesn''t matter & I''ve blown too many good resolutions to believe an arbitrary day will make a diff. BUT.there are a few things that are easily done & feels great for a SUPER GEEKY SAFE.errm Aware! New Year. (There is no *safe* on the Interwebs, only Aware!

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Wiki Facebook Twitter Personal Learning Network 77

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 21st Century Principal

DECEMBER 29, 2011

'Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach writes in her book, The Connected Educator: Learning and Leading in a Digital Age, "We can reach out to our network, harvest the collective wisdom found there, and then bring it back to the school." Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach is right. There is a great deal of collective wisdom on the web, and those in a position to tap into that network of wisdom and expertise are those who know how to engage effectively in 21st century social networking tools.

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Twitter Education Social Media Professional Learning 85

Learning with 'e's

DECEMBER 12, 2011

I think it's about time we reconsidered the way curricula in schools are presented. The tired, just in case model of curriculum just doesn't make sense anymore. Content is still very much king in schools, because 'content as curriculum' is easy and cost effective to deliver, and that is what most governments require and impose. But most teachers will tell you it's not the best approach.

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Knowledge Base Training Tools Mobility 77

EdTechSandyK

DECEMBER 11, 2011

'Used With Permission from Morguefile.com A Lesson from my Classroom Years When I was a newish 6th Grade language arts teacher, I learned about a Christmas time activity from a veteran teacher down the hall, and I incorporated it into my classroom every December after that. We would take a break from the normal class routine one day and bust out the markers and white construction paper.

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Libraries Facebook Software Elementary 69

A Principal's Reflections

DECEMBER 17, 2011

'I often talk about change whether it be through this blog or during presentations to various education groups. It is hard work to change cultures, systems, and perceptions that have been firmly entrenched for a long time. The transformation taking place at New Milford High School to create a 21st Century culture of teaching an learning would fit this bill.

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System Groups Learning Education 191

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The Web20Classroom

DECEMBER 12, 2011

'If you haven''t heard You Tube Education officially launched today. It''s actually been around for a few weeks but today was the unavailing of the site and the announcement of major content partners. First, a video: So basically as as district or school you can (if your filtering allows) unblock just the subdomain of You Tube Education, have access to the content there while keeping the rest of You Tube blocked for end-users.

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Education Video Accessibility Learning 181

SpeechTechie

DECEMBER 13, 2011

'The Kid Should See This is a cute curation of videos and other materials from around the internet related to culture and education, kind of like a kids'' version of Open Culture. From the author: There''s just so much science, nature, music, arts, technology, storytelling and assorted good stuff out there that my kids (and maybe your kids) haven''t seen.

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The 21st Century Principal

DECEMBER 28, 2011

'As 21st century school leaders, the New Year gives us the opportunity to declare the direction we are going to move as 21st century educational leaders in our schools and districts. While there are certainly other areas to consider as we make New Year Resolutions as school leaders, here''s three I consider imperative. Social Media In the coming year, it’s time to begin a genuine examination of the place social media has in your professional life and practice.

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Social Media Microsoft Accessibility Resources 79

wwwatanabe

DECEMBER 15, 2011

'Ever wonder what math looks like in an one-to-one environment? Is it just worksheets and math problems online, or is there an advantage to learning math in one-to-one classrooms? Math in one-to-one When I was in Tina Jada''s class, I saw students actively engaged, engrossed in their learning the standards at a deeper level, with a context for why they were learning and when they''d use these standards in the real world.

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Differentiated Instruction Analysis STEM Groups 68

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 Electric Educator

DECEMBER 30, 2011

'I know that cloud-based applications were supposed to eliminate the need to back up your files. Call me paranoid, but I have begun to back up my Google Docs account. In the event that someone hacks into my account, causing it to be locked by Google, I could lose access to some very important documents and information. To mitigate this risk, I have begun saving a copy of my documents on a semi-regular basis.

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Google Twitter Accessibility How To 63

Learning with 'e's

DECEMBER 20, 2011

Like any other part of the training and skills sector, the construction industry depends upon the reliable and effective training of well qualified and competent individuals. Training is rigorous and comprehensive, because if a builder gets it wrong, the consequences can be catastrophic. At Unitec , in Auckland, New Zealand, they train construction workers in all the trades, but there seems to be a particular demand for skilled carpenters in the Land of the Long White Cloud.

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Training Industry Technology Support Technology 66

The Web20Classroom

DECEMBER 22, 2011

'How Social Media can Enhance Schools as Professional Learning Communities tags: socialmedia PLC favorite Educators – Google Plus Is For You tags: google+ favorite The A-Z Dictionary of Educational Twitter Hashtags tags: twitter hashtags favorite Turning Your Group Into A Team tags: plc favorite Do You Know About The Many Free Resources For Education Available from Apple?

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Resources Social Media iPad Twitter 152

SpeechTechie

DECEMBER 23, 2011

'I recently had several evaluations in which the students had variable ability to engage in traditional standardized assessments. Specifically, the often quite useful CELF-4 Formulated Sentences subtest, in which the student is asked to produce a sentence to correspond with a presented picture using a target word, put these particular kids at a dead-end of silence and "I don''t know"s.

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Assessment iPad Course Mobility 63

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

The 21st Century Principal

DECEMBER 11, 2011

'I have not hid the fact that Chrome is my browser of choice, and from the looks of articles like this one, “Google’s Chrome Browser Surging Past Firefox”, it looks many more are beginning to choose the browser as their favorite. One of the features of Chrome that I like are the extensions and the Apps that can be downloaded and used. Chrome Apps Page For those not familiar with Chrome extensions and Chrome apps, the difference between the two is that Chrome Extensions run within the browser win

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Twitter Android Tools Accessibility 73

wwwatanabe

DECEMBER 22, 2011

'The #elemchat on Dec. 17th, focusing on strategies and approaches for helping students become better writers , got me thinking about what writing looks like in 21st century learning. What does 21st century learning look like? Some rights reserved by sntgmdm Students engaged in authentic task Students are collaboratively problem solving Collaboration -- students helping peers Students are creating original work to represent their ideas Teacher is walking around the room facilitating Noticeable r

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Differentiated Instruction Learning Strategy Examples 62

The Electric Educator

DECEMBER 5, 2011

'Image: Flicker via Worcester Academy It''s very easy for a school to argue that its technology implementation/integration is one of its strengths. The typical campaign goes something like this: [School Name] is a leader in educational technology. Each classroom is equipped with a digital projector and interactive whiteboard. In the high school there is a 1:1 laptop program designed to teach students the importance of collaboration and 21st century skills.

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Technology Laptops Twitter Google 63

EdTechSandyK

DECEMBER 26, 2011

'I just came across this very informative video which is posted on the Stanford Copyright and Fair Use Center website. In it, the executive director and associate director of the Stanford Fair Use Project, who also happen to be lawyers, answer questions about what is permissible to post to YouTube (or really anywhere) and what isn''t when it comes to using material for which someone else holds the copyright.

Video 60

Video Digital Citizenship Software Course 60

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