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Perfect for Documenting OF/FOR/AS Learning experiences! "To earn a micro-credential, an educator can select either a single micro-credential or a stack that is aligned with his or her interests or students' needs, collect the required evidence to demonstrate competency, and submit it online for assessment. For example, if an educator wants to earn a micro-credential in Wait Time-asking a question and then waiting 5-8 seconds before following up-she would select that micro-credential, access any resources or further information she needs to develop that skill, and submit a video of herself demonstrating wait time during instruction, as well as some context and a reflection, via the micro-credential platform. An assessor will download the video, and evaluate it through the publicly available rubric. If successful, he or she will earn the micro-credential in the form of a shareable digital badge. Micro-credentials can be posted on social media, shared with administrators or colleagues, or published on profiles and resumes."

"I spent the day working with educators who are developing their own learning portfolios, before we embark on a journey of students going through the same process. I truly believe that why digital portfolios have failed in so many places is that we are encouraging educators to teach them without learning how to do them first. This, to me, is the equivalent of someone teaching math who has never learned math. Though this process might be slower and not have students going through the process as quickly, it is the idea of going slow to move fast. The depth of this project can be much deeper if educators think of the process from the point of the view of a learner, not the teacher."

"That may partly be the result of a lack of constructive collaboration opportunities, however. For example, the study finds that less than 7 percent of the teachers had opportunities to observe other teachers. Other recent research has found that observations of other teachers can be an especially effective method of professional learning."

"Sprinkled throughout the newly reauthorized version of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act are references to an instructional strategy that supporters think has enormous potential for reaching learners with diverse needs. The next thing to do, those proponents say, is getting more educators to understand just what it means. Called universal design for learning, or UDL for short, the strategy encompasses a wide set of teaching techniques, allowing multiple ways for teachers to present information and for students to engage in lessons and demonstrate what they know.

"Two years of survey data from the 128 eighth graders revealed that over 90 percent of students felt Twitter enabled them to follow real science in real time and to interact with others outside of class. This also helped them to make connections between science and their lives and personal interests. Clearly, we need a lot more research on the use of social media in middle and high schools to better understand its ultimate potential for promoting learning. But in the meantime, in this media-saturated era, teens can benefit from the opportunity to experience the power of promising digital technologies alongside knowledgeable adults."

"Welcome to the brave new world of teacher "micro-credentialing," an effort to make professional development more personalized, engaging, and relevant to teachers. All in all, the two Wisconsin teachers say, it's a lot more focused and practical than the stereotypical continuing-education class."