"The Common Core standards don't just suggest novel technology use as a way to "engage students," but rather requires learners to make complex decisions about how, when, and why to use technology-something educators must do as well."

good to share with parents

Awesome video about student engagement (and rigor that goes with that). In my mind, it goes back to the student-centered task -- the evidence of learning. Powerful statements in the video are: What's wrong with education is we think of end results, content we have to chung and plug, with deadlines. We plan our calendars in the summers before we even get the kids in our classrooms. It's as if the kids don't matter. Engagement is what matters. Is the kid engaged? What is the learning experience we want the kid to have? -- SO, it starts with the kid (instead of the outcome). Make room for curiosity. In the traditional classroom, there's not time for curiosity, inquiry, ... Take the time to fail, risk to innovate, be curious, inquire, and LEARN! Have a passion for learning! Hook the kids to want to learn! Engage them! "Content is the context for participating." -- What do we want kids participating in? -- Connect the content with student task. = Engagement

"Common Core Resources for Parents Materials developed for parents of K-12 students"

"Common Core Close Reading Sample Lessons These exemplars contain full materials for two to five lessons each, including: Readings with teacher and student instructions Text dependent questions Student discussion activities Vocabulary and syntax tasks for challenging words and phrases Writing-based formative assesments Fiction and non-fiction lessons, searchable by grade levels. "

The Common Core State Standards expect students to use evidence from texts to present careful analyses, well-defended claims, and clear information. A central tool to help students develop these skills is text-dependent questions: questions that can only be answered by referring back to the text. On this page teachers can find tools to help write and evaluate text-dependent questions, as well as a link to lesson materials with examples of text-dependent questions included.

This is so right on -- and reminds me of two Common Core Standards also: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.7 Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse media and formats, including visually and quantitatively, as well as in words.1 AND CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.W.8 Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, assess the credibility and accuracy of each source, and integrate the information while avoiding plagiarism. They must be able to currate to do these! -- My recommendation is to get the students on Diigo (where they can create collaborative annotative bibliographies!)

"In Close Read Complex Text, and Annotate with Tech--Part 1, the focus was how to do a close reading. In Part 2, the focus is how to annotate with iPads, and insights gained from a lesson done with students in first through third grades."

As we think about how to evaluate progress, I wonder about rubrics such as this. More importantly, I think about the Analyzing Students' Work, Thinking, and Learning Analysis Tool we created at the beginning of this school year. -- I heard Heidi Hayes Jacobs refer to this in a recent webinar I watched of her. 

"Lesson Objective Assess learning using the Common Core Standards Length 1 min Questions to Consider How does the Common Core help Ms. Wu communicate with families and students? How could you educate families about the Common Core Standards? What can you learn from Ms. Wu about using the Common Core during planning and assessment?"

Fish Bowl is a type of Socratic Seminar  4 students in middle, the rest are outside the fishbowl looking in accountability is built in by replacing the "fish" in the bowl

Great video connecting DOK with Common Core