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Michael Wacker

Best Books 2009 - 12/1/2009 - School Library Journal - 0 views

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    Just when you think every topic has been covered to the fullest, somehow, talented writers, creative artists, and forward-thinking editors come up with new takes and fresh angles. This is particularly true of the books selected as the best of 2009.
Michael Wacker

Open Thinking Wiki - 0 views

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    Open Thinking Wiki Various Resources compiled by Dr. Alec Couros - May 5, 2009 - Resources What does it mean to be an educator in the 21st century?
Michael Wacker

KS3 Modern Foreign Languages - Thinking Skills | Teachers TV - 0 views

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    This programme explores how Andy Markham uses thinking skills techniques to teach Russian to mixed ability students at Frederick Gough School, a specialist language college in Scunthorpe.
Michael Wacker

Well, Duh! - 0 views

  • Students are more likely to succeed in a place where they feel known and cared about I realize there are people whose impulse is to sneer when talk turns to how kids feel, and who dismiss as “soft” or “faddish” anything other than old-fashioned instruction of academic skills. But even these hard-liners, when pressed, are unable to deny the relationship between feeling and thinking, between a child’s comfort level and his or her capacity to learn. Here, too, there are loads of supporting data. As one group of researchers put it, “In order to promote students’ academic performance in the classroom, educators should also promote their social and emotional adjustment.” And yet, broadly speaking, we don’t. Teachers and schools are evaluated almost exclusively on academic achievement measures (which, to make matters worse, mostly consist of standardized test scores). If we took seriously the need for kids to feel known and cared about, our discussions about the distinguishing features of a “good school” would sound very different. Likewise, our view of discipline and classroom management would be turned inside-out, seeing as how the primary goals of most such strategies are obedience and order, often with the result that kids feel less cared about -- or even bullied -- by adults.
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    Students are more likely to succeed in a place where they feel known and cared about I realize there are people whose impulse is to sneer when talk turns to how kids feel, and who dismiss as "soft" or "faddish" anything other than old-fashioned instruction of academic skills. But even these hard-liners, when pressed, are unable to deny the relationship between feeling and thinking, between a child's comfort level and his or her capacity to learn. Here, too, there are loads of supporting data. As one group of researchers put it, "In order to promote students' academic performance in the classroom, educators should also promote their social and emotional adjustment." And yet, broadly speaking, we don't. Teachers and schools are evaluated almost exclusively on academic achievement measures (which, to make matters worse, mostly consist of standardized test scores). If we took seriously the need for kids to feel known and cared about, our discussions about the distinguishing features of a "good school" would sound very different. Likewise, our view of discipline and classroom management would be turned inside-out, seeing as how the primary goals of most such strategies are obedience and order, often with the result that kids feel less cared about -- or even bullied -- by adults.
Michael Wacker

KnowU: Where Social Meets Learning - YouTube - 0 views

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    At first glance, I like this a lot. It combines existing social spaces and incorporates or provides the opportunity to fracture them into learning spaces as well. I've heard folks ask before if this is even where our students want us to be. good question. I think the tool, whatever it is, will need to allow for layers or (ahem) circles so that we can organize the input and output cleanly and easily. I still lik edmodo in this type of space as THE go-to tool because of the ability to work with kids and teachers P-12.
Michael Wacker

15 Tricks to Get Your Adult Learners Talking - 0 views

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    I came across a nice "Top 15" list that I thought was worth passing on. I'd love to hear what you all think. Are these enough? Is there something missing that you would add? They don't call out "directly" any of the Adult ID experts, so is that a place where they may be missing a key strategy? Feel free to pass on to any groups.
Michael Wacker

Blended Learning's Impact on Teacher Development | Innosight Institute - 1 views

  • Responding to student data in real-time is a paradigm shift for today’s teachers and a rich area of exploration for training and development.
  • Relationships will evolve as students spend less time in large impersonal classes and more time in small, personalized groups where they can have higher-quality interactions with adults.
  • They will help create learning playlists and/or learning paths
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  • Blended learning operators will disaggregate the teacher role in new and interesting ways that support novice teachers, make the profession more sustainable and increase the impact of expert teachers. 
  • First, technology is not a panacea, it enables schools to provide greater individualization which is the focus of much of the above.  Learning how colleagues effectively individualize through technology will just be part of “the work,” not a stand-alone discipline.  Second, social networking is creating communities of “early adopter” teachers beyond the walls of your organization.  Teacher preparation programs can help connect their educators to the best “influencers” of education technology in the field via Twitter and other communities.  EdModo, for example, has done a good job getting teachers to blog about their experiences with emerging tools.
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    A couple of quick takeaways for me are that it's nice to see professional development called out as something we need, but we really have to get away form the paradigm of thinking it's something we do "to" teachers or is done "to" us.  The other takeaway I have after reading this is around a question I've asked before. If we're truly "blending" our teaching and environment, what does the space look like? How can we professionally develop as teachers to be better prepared to adapt and modify our existing learning spaces to better meet the needs of a flexible, student centric, tech infused learning environment? If shifting the ENTIRE teaching model paradigm upside down is NOT an option, what is? Is this something that needs to be built, modeled, and then iterated? I culled some nuggets from the reading.
Michael Wacker

Dangerously Irrelevant: Top 20 TED Talks podcasts for busy school administrators - 0 views

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    Top 20 TED Talks podcasts for busy school administrators Here are my top 20 TED Talks podcasts for busy principals and superintendents (in no particular order). These are the TED presentations that I think are most likely to interest, educate, and entert
Michael Wacker

Dangerously Irrelevant: Top 10 K12 Online 2008 podcasts for busy school administrators - 0 views

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    Top 10 K12 Online 2008 podcasts for busy school administrators Here are my top 10 2008 K12 Online Conference podcasts for busy principals and superintendents (in no particular order). These are the K12 Online presentations that I think are most likely to
Michael Wacker

The Differentiator - 0 views

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    Students will ... (click to enter content) * Thinking Skill * Content * Resources * Product * Groups
Michael Wacker

What can a map tell us? | U Tech Tips - 0 views

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    Over the last three weeks we've been looking at maps…and just for a second stop and think about the maps these kids are going to need to know how to navigate in their future. You're still going to need an atlas when trying to find your way across Thailand
Michael Wacker

Google Wave: A Complete Guide - 0 views

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    To make sense of it all, we have compiled key information, definitions, and links related to the launch of Google Wave. This in-depth guide provides an overview of Google Wave, discusses the terminology associated with it, details information on Google Wave applications, (i.e. the Twitter Wave app Twave), and goes over ways to keep yourself informed. We know you're excited about Google Wave, so here's what we think you should know:
Michael Wacker

A GeekyMomma's Blog: Easier Said Than Done: Lessons Learned From a Born Again Teacher - 0 views

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    My administrators have been supportive; for the most part. I don't believe my principal is aware of the extent of the "digital reach" I offer to my students because although I've shared links to projects, our blog, etc. I've not received any response. My assistant principal, on the other hand, has taken the time to let me know that she has checked out some of our work and thinks I'm providing some great learning opportunities.
Michael Wacker

Education Futures - Timeline - 0 views

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    Education Futures celebrates its first five years of exploring new futures in human capital development with a timeline of the history of modern education. This timeline provides not only a glimpse into the past and present, but plots out a plausible future history for human capital development. The future history presented is intended to be edgy, but also as a conversation starter on futures for education and future thinking in human capital development.
Michael Wacker

American classrooms are outdated. Slate seeks your great ideas for how to modernize the... - 0 views

  • Slate is seeking your best ideas for transforming the American school. We're asking you to describe or even design the classroom for today, a fifth-grade classroom that takes advantage of all that we have learned since the 19th century about teaching, learning, and technology and what you think we have yet to learn. All entries must have a written description, and we strongly encourage submitting a sketch or a plan, so fellow readers can help visualize your ideas
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