ISTE Inspiration Awards: Nominate Yourself or a Colleague

ISTE (The International Society for Technology in Education) recognizes individuals who inspire others through innovative use of technology. If you know of a teacher or school leader who deserves this recognition, be sure to fill in one of the nomination forms.  Categories for recognition include: Outstanding Leader Award, Outstanding Teacher Award, Outstanding Young Educator Award, Sylvia Charp Award for District Innovation, Public Policy Advocate Award, President’s Volunteer Service Award, and several more. Winners will receive recognition at the ISTE Conference and Expo, free registration, membership to ISTE, and other prizes and cash awards. Deadline: February 28, 2014.

Why Educators Should Blog

Edubabbling for the Masses! features K-12 Teaching Resources for teachers, students, and parents. In the blog, created by an educator from Canada, you’ll find ideas to motivate yourself and your students, current events, opinions, and resources. Some of the latest blog entries include reasons why you should get involved in blogging, ELL instructional strategies, information on whether bullying prevention programs are working, and four of the top trends in Education for 2013-2014. 

So, what does Edubabbling consider the emerging trends? Answer: virtual learning, personalized learning, early childhood education, and environmental/outdoor education. How about you? What do you think are the top trends for this school year?

Daily Infographic: Condensed Visual Information

It’s fun to look at the exciting visuals produced by Daily Infographic. The group puts out a new “poster” every day, and although not all will fit your course needs, you’re sure to find excellent resources among the infographics.

You can sign up to get one each day through RSS, eMail, Facebook, or Twitter and/or you can search available infographics by categories such as Contests, Health, Politics, Education, Environmental, Tech, Mind Blowing, and Music. Some of the education offerings are Bring Food Education Back, Famous Personality Types, Do You Love Science, and Reading for the Future.

Today’s Leaders in Education

Profiles in Leadership, sponsored by Tech & Learning, HP, and Intel focuses on creating effective leaders who can bring about change in today’s schools. Information from superintendents, directors of technology, directors of information services, and principals is included in a brochure you can download. Other resources include links to sites such as Digital Learning Environments, Digital Learning blog, Tech & Learning, School CIO, K12 Blueprint site, and Project RED.

Project RED: How to Implement Tech Programs

In Project RED’s 2010 study of schools and tech, 997 schools in 49 states and the District of Columbia were represented. The study found that the leadership of the school principal was highly important in whether programs were successful; “online collaboration increases learning productivity and student engagement”; schools that put the key implementation factors to work outperformed other schools; and to get the best results, tech should be used every day. Based on research results, Project RED Community was launched to help transform education.

Be sure to take a look at the key implementation factors.  Those should benefit all schools.

Keeping Up with Technology

Barry Saide, Inservice Guest Blogger, ASCD, likens learning about technology to training for a 5K race. Teachers and administrators worry that they don’t know what they need to know and, as advances in technology move forward, their worries escalate. According to Saide, getting attuned to technology you use in the classroom is like preparing for a marathon. Taking on the challenge of learning what you need to know can be divided into small steps. Keep in mind that you don’t need to learn everything at once, that the digital world doesn’t always work, and that you can ask for help. Saide suggests that you give in to becoming a student, learn from your mistakes, and be creative about how you take on your learning.

Make a Difference

Teachers, administrators, and technology specialists and coordinators can enter Tech & Learning’s 2013 Leader of the Year Program. If you use technology in innovative ways to help teachers teach and students learn, make sure to share your ideas on the Tech & Learning site. Entries are due by October 31, 2013. Award winners and prizes will be announced in the December issue of the magazine.

Change Mindsets to Change Schools

J. Robinson in the Tech & Learning Advisor Blog tells us that installing technologies in our classrooms isn’t the way to bring about change, since many teachers will continue as they have always done and as their predecessors did before.  What we need to do is to “stop automating the twentieth century ways of teaching and learning” to move forward.  If the mindset of teachers doesn’t change, teaching won’t change. —But, Robinson doesn’t tell us how to accomplish a change in mindset.

Of course, some teachers have already changed, and they are helping others to follow. Isn’t that what Apple’s Classrooms of Tomorrow research said many years ago—be patient, because you can’t force change? Perhaps, for all classrooms to change, those tech savvy kids of today will need to jump into tomorrow’s classrooms.

Common Core Pushback

What’s all the fuss over Common Core Standards? Marc Tucker, in his Education Week blog piece “Testing, the Common Core, and Consumer Resistance”, says that American teachers are used to tests that don’t match the curriculum, are cheap, don’t really assess complex skills or creativity, are too dependent on multiple choice questions, are far too frequent, and aren’t like those used in countries with top-performing students. Therefore, the rebellion against Common Core is understandable, especially if schools don’t have curricula and tests that align with the standards. Perhaps, we are not ready for Common Core? Do other parts of our educational systems need to be revamped before we can put such standards into place? Do we need to change testing by grade level and test, like some other countries, just a few times in a student’s education? Do teacher evaluations need to be linked to test results? Anti-Common Core groups such as Hoosiers against Common Core and Arizonans Against Common Core are springing up throughout the country. Indiana, for example, has decided to “pause” entrance into Common Core. We know that we need to improve our schools, but many parents and teachers are telling us that Common Core and frequent testing is not the way.

Year-Round School?

Patrick Henry School of Science and Arts is a year-round charter school for students K-5 in Petersburg, Virginia. There are 8 other elementary level year-rounds in Virginia. According to a report by WTVR in Richmond, there were initial problems involving transition to a new schedule. The year-round school, according to Patrick Henry principal Sabrina Beamon, allows students “that continuation of learning, of studying and being about to be remediated during the school year.”

Those interested in more information about year-round schools may want to take a look at the National Education Association’s Research Spotlight on Year-Round Education. Some of the arguments for and against year-round schools include: The Pros - remediation can occur when needed, increase in retention rates, more efficient use of buildings; The Cons – scheduling may differ from that of other schools and programs, extracurricular programs suffers from scheduling problems, and inconclusive studies related to academic benefits.