Rowland Foundation

Today ask yourself... 1. What am I teaching and to whom? 2. Why am I teaching it? 3. How am I teaching it? 4. Why am I teaching it that way? 5. What evidence will I collect to show my kids are getting it? 6. How will my students know they are getting it?

"The Campus Technology Conference is for higher education professors, instructors, administrators, curriculum developers and IT professionals who are tasked with integrating emerging technology into their programs. Over 4 days, the conference delivers the most up-to-date information on new tools, applications and services-and how they work on real campuses."

While this is for "higher ed" it might be interesting to attend. Sometimes I think that there is too much of a disconnect between what happens in high school and what happens in college. They are not exclusive of one another, but a continuing process to a student's achievement of their goals. I believe that both (hs and colleges) need to figure out how we can integrate more pieces of our work.

That's how blended learning should work-a combination of personal digital learning and community connected, team-based, production-focused, authentic, engaging, and relevant activities.  At Maker High, students would publish rather than 'turn it in'.  They would demonstrate mastery rather than finishing a class.

This is the report we discussed in my reading group at the Rowland Fellows meeting this week. The Pew research Center's report on the Millennials, the generation born between 1980 and 1997, is full of interesting findings which have implications for how schools will need to change in order to reach the Net Generation.

Dr. Helen Barrett shows how portfolios can be used as reflective work tools and and also to report out on student learning--two different purposes obviously.This is a follow-up to the discussion led by Jean Berthiaume at our Rowland Fellows Meeting this week. Here is her lecture on the topic: http://blip.tv/eportfolios/balancing-the-two-faces-of-eportfolios-3162109

I wonder if there could be some mutual advantages of a high school and a college working together on a framework around ePortfolios?

The idea that a leader responds to undercurrents and tailors changes to anticipate what will eventually rise to the surface proves true in the work of Rowland Fellows in their school systems...The best of our school leaders - teachers, principals, superintendents - listen and look for the groundswell. The beauty of transformation from the ground up is that, like a good undercurrent, the conditions that allow it to spread and then surface are best arrived at when philosophies and practices become invitations to participate and a recognition that there are many unique and valuable ways to be a part of a growing undercurrent - for long-term changes to manifest, a good leader proposes - not imposes.

"1. Open up lessons 2. Think outside the classroom box 3. Get personal 4. Tap into students' digital expertise 5. Get real with projects 6. Expect (and help) students to be teachers 7. Help (and expect) teachers to be students 8. Measure what matters 9. Work with families, not just children 10. Power to the student"

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

"The internationally renowned innovation consultant calls for transformation, not just reformation, of public education."

Is the student who organizes tag during recess or chooses to help a classmate with math on track to be a senator, a CEO, or a community leader? He-or she-may well be.

What is EduCon? "...not a technology conference. It is an education conference. It is, hopefully, an innovation conference where we can come together ... to discuss the future of schools. Every session will be an opportunity to discuss and debate ideas - from the very practical to the big dreams."

Option to attend either in person or virtually

The Institute on Thailand and its Cultures is a study abroad program for Vermont educators and teachers in Thailand. The program, which includes three instate planning session and three weeks overseas, provides participants with the opportunity to study various aspects of Thai culture such as economic development, education, and women's social status, and minority cultures in Thailand.

In my humble opinion, the best way to think out of the box is to actually get out of the box. What a better way to do that than something like this?

Find interventions (educational programs, practices, or policies) that address your school or district's needs and summarize their evidence of effectiveness. Only interventions with research evidence that meets WWC standards are included in the summary results.

"... research and others' research in these settings has convinced me, beyond any doubt, that the natural drives and abilities of young people to learn are fully sufficient to motivate their entire education. When they want or need help from others, they ask for it. We don't have to force people to learn; all we need to do is provide them the freedom and opportunities to do so."

Interesting, and for lots of reasons of course. In the EDLP course this summer, we noted the similar architectural styles of two of our schools, as seen in presentation photos. Then someone (Mike M.?) mentioned that some schools and prisons from a particular era had the same architects. I'd love to discover more about that. The metaphorical implications are too loaded.

"Peter Hyman's article on the importance of reinventing education and moving away from the prevalent exam-factory model"

"I believe that we are part of a growing movement of teachers out there who know our schools must change, who know the current system leaves so much untapped potential, who believe that it is possible to create a school experience that has a life and a depth and an emotional power that leaves our children wanting more, not less."

Nellie Mae has put together a nice piece of work.

A great resource for PBGR, personalized learning, innovative schools. We are hoping to visit a few affiliates this year.