Group items tagged

"The ingredients of social and collaboration have become key factors in successfully fostering innovation. But often it's not easy for organizations to transform their approach from single-area silo discussions to open, collaborative conversations."

Cooperative Learning is something that not only works for students...it works for adult professional groups (teachers) also.

Article that makes me question how schools and classrooms are physically designed. This is a direct reflection of how we do what we do. Would you try to play tennis on a beach volleyball court? If we really are going to change the sport we need to change the venue too.

Although a bit dated, this seems like a great example of the type of library we want to create.  Combine this physical space with inspiring, practical Professional Development and we're going to cook!

"If your school, and your school day, is not about students collaborating, connecting, and building knowledge and understandings together, why would anyone come?"

"Technology and social media specifically have provided tools that enable educators to connect, communicate collaborate and create. That ability makes a difference in individuals. It enables reflection and relevance. It is also creating two groups of educators, the connected, and the unconnected. The discussions of the connected seem to be focused on the future and moving toward it. The discussions of the unconnected seem to be steeped in the past with little or very slow-moving forward movement."

This simple video makes the essential elements of PBL come alive and brings to light the 21st Century skills and competencies (collaboration, communication, critical thinking) that will enable K-12 students to be college and work-ready as well as effective members of their communities.

"Here are 5 reasons why we are making student blogging and portfolio development a high priority."1. Positive digital footprints2. Communicating with digital tools3. Transparency for parents and family4. New ways of thinking about Web tools5. Effective digital citizenship++Their world view is changing

It would be interesting to see a group of teachers collaborate over the course of a semester in having each of their students create their own blog. This collaboration wouldn't require common planning / interdisciplinary assignments, but having a common theme to connect the content would make sense.

The "Collaborating for Success" Parent Engagement Toolkit is designed to provide parents with practical strategies for getting engaged in schools, and to offer schools research-based approaches to overcoming barriers to parental engagement. Parents will find strategies and information that will encourage their future or current involvement with their children's schools. The school-related approaches will support the development of new parent programs or the enhancement of existing ones.

Today's students adjust to rapid technological and social changes, navigate vast flows of information and learn to work collaboratively with diverse individuals and cultures in a global economy. Discover cognitive tools and teaching techniques to help them cultivate the skills and abilities required to succeed in the new millennium. - November 18, 2011 - November 20, 2011 at the Westin Boston Waterfront Hotel in Boston, MA

Photos from the first Rowland Foundation retreat with Barry & Wendy, the Board of Trustees, Director Chuck Scranton, and Rowland Fellows 2009-2013.

Thanks for sharing. We look great - and according to one of my breakout groups, we would look even better in Rowland fleeces (although some preferred hoodies).

Keep the digital records coming! I think the video you are taking could become a powerful tool of communication and transformation!

This is a clear example of how one teacher worked with his colleagues to develop a large interdisciplinary project for 9th graders around water. It involved English, Social Studies, and Science teachers.

"A badge is a validated indicator of accomplishment, skill, quality or interest that can be earned in any of these learning environments. Badges can support learning, validate education, help build reputation, and confirm the acquisition of knowledge. They can signal traditional academic attainment or the acquisition of skills such collaboration, teamwork, leadership, and other 21st century skills."

Great exploration of types/kinds of badges and badge characteristics/skill set indicators.

"If examinations challenge learners to solve problems the way they are solved in real life today, the educational system will change for ever. It is a small policy change that is required. Allow the use of the internet and collaboration during an examination. If we did that to exams, the curriculum would have to be different. We would not need to emphasise facts or figures or dates. The curriculum would have to become questions that have strange and interesting answers. "Where did language come from?", "Why were the pyramids built?", "Is life on Earth sustainable?", "What is the purpose of theatre?" Questions that engage learners in a world of unknowns. Questions that will occupy their minds through their waking hours and sometimes their dreams. Teaching in an environment where the internet and discussion are allowed in exams would be different. The ability to find things out quickly and accurately would become the predominant skill. The ability to discriminate between alternatives, then put facts together to solve problems would be critical. AThat's a skill that future employers would admire immensely."

"We have a romantic attachment to skills from the past which are no longer relevant on a curriculum for today's children."

If you have not seen doctopus and Google docs used in conjunction with assessments you ought to check it out! It is so phenomenal that I cannot express how super fantastic a tool it will be for you.

Sharing, and sharing online specifically, is not in addition to the work of being an educator. It is the work." Ewan Mcintosh

"For those who share this common commitment (and really, who among us does not?),there is, I am arguing, a moral responsibility, a strong one, to share our educational initiatives and innovations: to summarize them, share their key elements, show examples of them in practice, and, at best, reflect upon their successes and lack thereof."

"This is also an essential element of educational leadership. Leadership is showing the way to others and making it easier for them to follow, it is empowering others to benefit from your example, take inspiration, and improve upon your advances- to stand on your shoulders."

The new Groupthink on Groupthink?  A bit of discussion around this at the ACSR Critical Skills Master Teacher's training this past Saturday. Interesting.

"The biggest problem in American secondary schools may be boredom. What American youth need more then anything is opportunity to discover their passions and unleash them into the world. The Future Project, a NYC-based startup, is addressing this challenge by mobilizing an army-the Future Corps-to help American high school students find and begin working toward their dream."

Could be the next step for ELOs?! Starting to think about how I could present a proposal to collaborate with Castleton and/or Middlebury on developing similar project.

Short Summary of The Global Achievement Gap "In his 2008 book, The Global Achievement Gap, Tony Wagner discusses a variety of ways to improve education in the United States. At the heart of his thinking is the need for all schools to teach what he calls the "Seven Survival Skills", which have much in common with the thoughts of Friedman and Pink (who are both cited in his book)."

1. Critical thinking and problem solving 2. Collaboration across networks and leading by influence 3. Agility and adaptability 4. Initiative and entrepreneurialism 5. Effective oral and written communication 6. Accessing and analyzing information 7. Curiosity and imagination

"How do the Millennials work--what motivates them?

No lecture in the classroom The FIZZ Lecture professional development program trains teachers to create and publish a series of video lectures in order to make the content of their course completely transparent. "Why I flipped my classroom" - Math Teacher, Katie Gimbar

Why: 1. Flipping the Classroom for Accountability 2. Is this Recreating the Wheel? 3. Better Than A Front Row Seat 4. "Why it has to be me!" - Model Teacher, Katie Gimbar 5. Using Classroom Time to Differentiate 6. Self-paced, Differentiated and Collaborative 7. The Research Behind Flipping the Classroom with FIZZ How: 1. Buying the Lecture Boards 2. Writing on and Cleaning the Boards 3. Camera and Tripod 4. Condensing the Content to 6 Boards DOWNLOAD > FIZZ Lecture Planning.doc 5. Sliding the Boards 6. Setting up the Camera and Tripod 7. FIZZ Lecture: The Fine Print 8. Uploading and Posting Screencast tutorials on using Google Docs: Why use Google Docs? Part 1. Uploading Videos to Google Docs Part 2. Creating a Simple Web Page (click here for the template) Part 3. Sharing the URL with Your Students

Education for Sustainability - A Public Lecture/Learning Series - Spring 2012" ...questions addressed in this lecture series seek to: clarify what we know about educational approaches to learning that can move people to authentically embrace sustainability (what is "education for sustainability"), share best practices and new approaches to engaging with the values and substance of sustainability (updates from the field), and provide opportunities for practitioners and educators to evaluate, integrate, and create new approaches to education for sustainability (learning next steps)."

Series ScheduleFeb 2: Lecture: A conversation with Bill McKibben about educational priorities in the 21st CenturyFeb 9: Panel: New concepts in engaged education for sustainability (Poleman, Kolan, Nordstrom)Feb 16: Lecture: Greg SmithFeb 23: Lecture: Taylor RickettsMar 1: Workshop: Understanding major themes in Education for SustainabilityMar 15: Panel: Student Voices on SustainabilityMar 22: Lecture: TBAMar 29: Lecture: Environmental Contamination (Paul Ligon and Jill Kauffman Johnson)(Tentative) Apr 5: Workshop: Practices that work - concepts and experiences(Tentative) Apr 12: Panel: Spreading Sustainability - A Programmatic Model (UVM Sustainability Fellows)Apr 19: Lecture: Tentative Debra RoweApr 26: Workshop: Sustainability futures - Ideas and collaborations