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Contents contributed and discussions participated by Anna Kron

Anna Kron

21 Definitions for a 21st-Century Education - 0 views

  • I recently asked thousands of educatorswhat “21st-century skills and tools” means to them, and how one might integrate such technologies and skills into today’s classrooms
  • A teacher possessing 21st-century skills fearlessly seeks out methods and tools—technology—that will enhance not only their students’ learning—but their own personal growth as well.
  • utilize technology to deliver curriculum content in a manner that is both rigorous and relevant
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  • A fully integrated curriculum that includes technology tools that deliver, enhance and create passionate, accountable individuals who use problem-solving skills and resources to transition from a learning environment to a working environment, seamlessly
  • Twenty-first century learning is a remix of multiple literacies which fuse with the tools of technology—and the skills of critical thinking—to stimulate authentic, relevant learning opportunities for all learners, anywhere, anytime.
  • skills in communication, collaboration, and information analysis
  • 21st-century skills require a high level of socio-emotional competence and sophistication
  • Don’t make the mistake of seeing technology as itself and get afraid of it—see it as a tool, as transparent
  • Technology is enabling us to connect to each other in remote areas of the world, share ideas, identify and solve problems—it’s a new, global classroom. Embracing and mastering new 21st-century skills and tools is an essential part of this revolution to ‘C’ the future: Connect. Communicate. Collaborate. Change.
  • skills students will need to be competitive in their future careers
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    This post is a set of responses from educators who attempt to define 21st-century skills and tools. It is useful to remember that this means many different things to different people, yet there are running trends through the comments as well!
Anna Kron

A Starting Point for Ensuring Student Online Privacy - 0 views

  • real impact that student privacy concerns have on the education sector
  • 90 percent of respondents are either very or somewhat concerned with how private companies with non-educational interests are able to access and use students' personal information
  • a majority know not very much (32 percent) or nothing at all (30 percent) about how schools currently collect, use, store and destroy student data, including information such as social security numbers, grades and behavior and attendance records
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  • the government -- at the state, federal and local levels -- is turning its eye to student privacy, and so laws and regulations in the area might be changing soon
  • Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), which has undergone regulatory changes in recent years that some claimed have weakened it
  • Consistently, clearly and regularly communicating with students, parents and the community about privacy rights and district policies and practices with regards to student data privacy
  • districts that have adopted strong privacy policies should also have procedures in place to allow teachers to suggest apps or other online educational service that they would like to use (or have students use). While the process may slow down the introduction of the app into the learning environment, it will hopefully provide peace of mind to teachers, who will know the app has been properly vetted with regards to student privacy.
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    This article gives a brief overview of the issues surrounding student privacy when it comes to information that has been posted somewhere online. Then, it gives a few tips for classroom teachers!
Anna Kron

Advice for a New Teacher - 3 views

  • Over time you, your principal, and fellow teachers will be able to work together to create the school culture that you want. Your school culture will support your classroom culture and make your job much more manageable.
  • decide on your classroom boundaries
  • Be consistent.
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  • Give more freedom, and take it away if need be.
  • You will have to try a few things and see what works for you and your students.
  • Be positive.
  • Say out loud to the class (narrate) that you see them, and write their name up on the positive board.
  • Not only will this help reinforce positives with your kids, but it will also help keep you positive.
  • Use body language.
  • Often walking to a student veering off track and just putting your hand on their desk can help.
  • If you do have to say something negative to a student, make sure it’s private (whenever possible).
  • Use routines.
  • When kids know what to expect, they’re better at doing what you want them to do.
  • Seek advice and feedback, try ideas in your class, and try again, try again, try again! Keep trying new things until you figure out what works for you and your students.
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    This post gives some great advice to new teachers, particularly how to be consistent, be positive, use body language, and use routines. I hope I can look back to this post during my first year of teaching in order to prevent some of the mistakes I will inevitably make!
Anna Kron

3 Ways to Plan for Diverse Learners: What Teachers Do - 1 views

  • every teacher already has the tools to differentiate in powerful ways for all learners
  • The core of differentiation is a relationship between teachers and students. The teacher's responsibility is connecting content, process, and product. Students respond to learning based on readiness, interests, and learning profile.
  • Content is comprised of the knowledge, concepts, and skills that students need to learn based on the curriculum.
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  • If we provide a variety of ways to explore the content outcomes, learners find different ways to connect.
  • Process is how students make sense of the content. They need time to reflect and digest the learning activities before moving on to the next segment of a lesson.
  • Processing helps students assess what they do and don't understand.
  • Reflection is a powerful skill that is developed during processing experiences
  • Product differentiation is probably the most common form of differentiation. Teachers give choices where students pick from formats. Students propose their own designs.
  • The key to product options is having clear academic criteria that students understand.
  • When considering your students' needs, reach even higher in your practice -- that extra stretch is inside us all -- and students will benefit.
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    This article describes the teacher's role for effective planning of differentiated instruction. I hope that I can use the three points in this article (differentiating content, process, and product) in order to create the best learning experiences for my students.
Anna Kron

8 Things to Look For in Today's Classroom - 0 views

  • Students should have the opportunity to not only learn from others but also share their learning with others as well.
  • I actually cared what I was learning about.
  • time to connect and reflect on what is being learned
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  • new and better
  • We need to have students that are able to ask questions and challenge what they see, but always in a respectful way.
  • we spend too much time focusing on being able to tell others what our students can do and know, and not enough time helping students understand those things themselves.
  • Let’s start asking kids to really look into finding what the problems are and giving them some purpose in solving something real.
  • it is not beneficial to give students problems that aren’t real.
  • With most people that having a computer also having a Skype account, there are many that are willing to share their expertise in different areas.  This does not only have to be via technology, but we should also be bring in experts from our community to talk to students. 
  • Treat others with kindness and consideration. Always.
  • have students not only learn, but teach each other.
  • everyone can be a teacher, and everyone a learner
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    This article discusses eight things we should be looking for in a learner-focused classroom: voice, choice, time for reflection, opportunities for innovation, critical thinkers, problem finders and solvers, self-assessment, and connections.
Anna Kron

Engaging Your School Community Through Social Media - 0 views

  • Schools are busy places, and parents need a trusted place to find the right information.
  • It must be mobile friendly.
  • It must be easy to update, preferably automatically.
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  • Link your other social media initiatives on your website.
  • The hardest but most important part is that your site must provide a sense of your school's culture.
  • Be sure to monitor your posts.
  • Our teachers use Twitter to celebrate what they are doing in their classrooms, ask questions, share resources, and document their learning.
  • At this point, we use LinkedIn to recruit potential teachers and reach the working members of our TIS families.
  • Since you may not be able to police the other videos, you should have an official YouTube channel.
  • Now our news is a blog, constantly updated -- we post articles and announcements as they are written.
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    This blog post is about creating home-to-school connections through the use of various social media platforms. I hope my school utilizes the different types of technology discussed in this article so that I have an efficient means through which I can reach my students' families.
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