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The Reflective Principal: A Taxonomy of Reflection (Part IV) Reflection can be a challenging endeavor. It's not something that's fostered in school - typically someone else tells you how you're doing! Principals (and instructional leaders) are often so caught up in the meeting the demands of the day, that they rarely have the luxury to muse on how things went. Self-assessment is clouded by the need to meet competing demands from multiple stakeholders. In an effort to help schools become more reflective learning environments, I've developed this "Taxonomy of Reflection" - modeled on Bloom's approach. It's posted in four installments: 1. A Taxonomy of Reflection 2. The Reflective Student 3. The Reflective Teacher 4. The Reflective Principal It's very much a work in progress, and I invite your comments and suggestions. I'm especially interested in whether you think the parallel construction to Bloom holds up through each of the three examples - student, teacher, and principal. I think we have something to learn from each perspective. 4. The Reflective Principal Each level of reflection is structured to parallel Bloom's taxonomy. (See installment 1 for more on the model) Assume that a principal (or instructional leader) looked back on an initiative (or program, decision, project, etc) they have just implemented. What sample questions might they ask themselves as they move from lower to higher order reflection? (Note: I'm not suggesting that all questions are asked after every initiative - feel free to pick a few that work for you.) Bloom's Remembering : What did I do? Principal Reflection: What role did I play in implementing this program? What role did others play? What steps did I take? Is the program now operational and being implemented? Was it completed on time? Are assessment measures in place? Bloom's Understanding: What was

"StoryCorps' National Teachers Initiative will collect, preserve, and share stories that celebrate the impact of great educators on all of our lives. Focusing on the heroic work of teachers in classrooms across America, the National Teacher's Initiative is a unifying project of profound importance, inclusive of all ethnicities, cultures, and ages. By focusing on the voices and stories of teachers, the National Teachers Initiative will underscore the influence of educators on our lives and our nation's future."

"Planning is imperative for any technology initiative - iPad or otherwise. You need to ensure that you clearly understand and communicate how the technology integrates with your overall pedagogical objectives. Too many institutions purchase technology and then search for ways to utilize it ... or leave it collecting dust on the shelf. Planning needs to consider both infrastructure needs and the educational applications of the new technology. Without the proper preparation, technology initiatives are liable to become expensive failures."

The Technology Integration Matrix (TIM) illustrates how teachers can use technology to enhance learning for K-12 students." /> <!-- body { background-color: #FFFFFF; margin-left: 20px; margin-top: 10px; } --> This is a cached version of http://fcit.usf.edu/matrix/index.html. Diigo.com has no relation to the site.x

The iSchool Initiative is a student-led, non-profit organization that is dedicated to revolutionizing our education system through innovative technology. Our mission is to inspire and educate students on how to become life long digital learners in the information age. We accomplish this by raising awareness for the technological needs of the classroom, providing collaborative research on the use of technology in the classroom, and guiding schools in the implementation of this technology.

"So it's my pleasure to share with you our new education programs that are aimed at innovations in STEM+ learning and empowering socially responsible entrepreneurs through global collaboration and the power of technology. Our goal is to equip educators, students and aspiring entrepreneurs with the skills and tools to drive amazing social change in their communities and around the world. Needless to say, I'm VERY excited - I think you will be, too... We believe there is no better way to address society's most pressing challenges than by equipping students, educators and future entrepreneurs with the skills and technology to turn their ideas and ambition into action. Our long-term vision is a world where unlimited educational opportunities transform lives, strengthen communities and drive social change worldwide. To turn our vision into reality, we are partnering with leading education, non-profit and nongovernmental institutions to offer three new programs described below. So what could be more exciting than announcing these new programs? Perhaps selecting exciting and innovative proposals in a few months! Will yours be one of them?"

" Ready by 21 is the Forum's signature initiative based on decades of experience working with state and local leaders. It is a set of innovative strategies that helps communities and states improve the odds that all children and youth will be ready for college, work and life. Ready by 21 provides clear standards to achieve collective impact, tools and solutions to help leaders make progress, and ways to measure and track success along the way. Specifically, Ready by 21 helps leaders build broader partnerships, set bigger goals, collect and use better data, and take bolder actions. A growing number of communities and states are using these strategies to change the way they do business."

Traditional computing labs need to transform into flexible, technology-enhanced learning spaces. Initial research into space use and future needs can guide design and resource decisions. Involving all the stakeholders invests them in the outcome and optimizes design choices. Small changes can have big effects in redesign of existing spaces.

Although central to the business of higher education, the LMS has also become a symbol of the status quo that supports administrative functions more effectively than teaching and learning activities. Personal learning environments offer an alternative, but with their own limitations. An open learning network helps bridge the gap between the PLE and the LMS, combining the best elements of each approach. The initial implementation of an OLN at Brigham Young University represents a new learning platform model in higher education.

Nature: It's more than just a faraway beach or mountain. It's a fantastic factory that makes the building blocks of all our lives-food, drinking water, the stuff we own and the air we breathe. It makes amazing memories, and even protects us from floods and storms! That's why The Nature Conservancy and its 550 scientists have created a new initiative - Nature Works Everywhere - to help students learn the science behind how nature works for us…and how we can help keep nature running strong. Nature Works Everywhere gives teachers, students and families everything they need to start exploring and understanding nature's fantastic factory - videos, interactive games, and interactive lesson plans that align to standards. Hosted by Nature Conservancy scientists, Nature Works Everywhere takes your class around the world to visit nature at its productive best - from coral reefs to bee gardens, from Maine's snowy forests to Africa's grasslands. We'll be adding more lessons each year from around the globe on science and social studies topics that teachers can use as is or customize for their own classroom needs.

What does the research say about school one-to-one computing initiatives?

Actress Aruna Shields, who has done some nude sequences in Mr Singh & Mrs Mehta, a film that revolves around infidelity, says he was initially skeptical as to how the role of an emotionally damaged woman.

Support for STEM initiatives

"Are you ready to solve the challenges of space? Join the RealWorld-InWorld NASA Engineering Design Challenge! This is a unique education initiative that targets students in grades 9-12 and encourages them to explore and build skills essential for successful careers in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) through two phases of project-based learning and team competition"

"The Geospatial Revolution Project is an integrated public service media and outreach initiative about the world of digital mapping and how it is changing the way we think, behave, and interact."

The Pew Internet Project is an initiative of the Pew Research Center, a nonprofit "fact tank" that provides information on the issues, attitudes and trends shaping America and the world. Pew Internet explores the impact of the internet on children, families, communities, the work place, schools, health care and civic/political life. The Project is nonpartisan and takes no position on policy issues.

Project New Media Literacies (NML), a research initiative based within MIT's Comparative Media Studies program, explores how we might best equip young people with the social skills and cultural competencies required to become full participants in an emergent media landscape and raise public understanding about what it means to be literate in a globally interconnected, multicultural world.

The Teacher's Guide to International Collaboration was developed to help teachers use the Internet to "reach out" globally. These materials were prepared as part of the Department of Education's International Education Initiative.