Expanding The Boundaries Of Teaching And Learning Class 2 For Slideshare

Expanding the Boundaries of Teaching and Learning Graduate Level Course Salem State College/Northeast Consortium for Staff Development NE 9994 September 15, 2008

Do Now

Sit at tables that have only one other person from your level at the table.

Read the 3-2-1 response from last time, located at http://cianews.wikispaces.com/3-2-1+Results

If you have not already done so, create a google account by going to www.google.com and following the instructions to create an account.

Once you have completed all of these items go to the Web Literacy Course Comments page at http://cianews.wikispaces.com/Web+Literacy+Course+Comments and begin to add your group information.

Goals for Day 2-September 15, 2008

Solve technological and logistical issues

Continue to construct cohort relationships

Develop norms for course

Talk about alternative evaluation

Begin to understand web literacy

Identify current areas of need and areas of expertise

Create and develop personal web sites

Create a google reader on your google account

Create a delicious account

Talk about Assignment #11 (Conference Assignment)

Talk about January classes

Discuss the need to transform classrooms and schools (if time)

Evaluate Day 2 and Next Steps

Today’s quote

"It is not the strongest species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the ones most responsive to change"

Charles Darwin

Assignments

Assignment 2: Complete the online course, Blogging for Educators, from November Learning. Password and User Name will be given to participants in June.

Due: September 15, 2008 (This assignment is worth 5% of your grade).

Alternative Evaluation

To provide professional growth for Reading teachers using an alternative approach to teacher evaluation. The purpose of the Alternative Evaluation is to differentiate the process for PTS teachers by allowing them to choose projects and activities that focus on their professional growth and align with the Reading Standards for Effective Teaching.

This course qualifies as an alternative evaluation

For Teachers Pursuing Alternative Evaluation

Year 1 of Alternative Evaluation (Planning and Preparation Year)

October 15-Evaluation Proposal due to the building principal (in lieu of annual goals)

Prior to October 15th, the teacher should meet with the building principal to discuss the possibilities of pursuing an alternative evaluation.

By November 1-Building Principal and Assistant Superintendent meet with teacher to review proposal

By November 15-Notification to teacher on status of proposal

June 1-Midcycle review of proposal by building principal

Year 2 of Alternative Evaluation (Implementation Year)

October 15-Status review of proposal by building principal (In lieu of annual goals)

February 1-Status review of proposal by building principal

Late April-Presentation at Annual PreK-12 Staff Sharing Conference

May 1-Final Evaluation report due to building principal

Type of Proposal

Professional Growth Portfolio

The professional growth portfolio is a means of collecting evidence and reflecting on a professional growth experience. Teachers select the areas in which they wish to enhance their skills. In this process the teacher will select learner-centered goals, develop professional goals and plans based on one or more standards/ indicators of the Reading Standards for Effective Teaching, document progress in achieving these goals, and reflect on the learning experience and results of the goal setting.

Preparing the Proposal

Preparing the Proposal

Complete the Alternative Evaluation Proposal Form. Indicate the alternative evaluation selected and the standard(s)/indicators(s) of focus from the Reading Standards for Effective Teaching. You will need to provide the following information:

Description of Project or Activities Including Timeline

Describe the project or activities you will implement to achieve growth toward the standard(s)/indicators(s) you selected. Include a timeline showing when activities will be accomplished including the middle and end of year conferences with the evaluator.

Describe how you have prepared or will prepare to complete this project.

Outcomes

How will the implementation of this proposal improve student’s learning and assist you to achieve professional growth in the selected Reading Standards for Effective Teaching?

Evaluation

What type of evidence or criteria (reflection journal, student work/ assessments, data, documents, etc.) will you use to evaluate your professional growth and improve student learning?

Alternative Evaluation

Forms are located at

http://cianews.wikispaces.com/Documents+for+Course

Blogging

To set up blog

Go to www.nlcommunities.com

Scroll down to Reading Public Schools Community

Click on that community

When you get to the RPS community page, click on register in upper right hand corner of page.

Read the agreement

http://nlcommunities.com/user/UserAgreement.aspx?ReturnUrl=/&Mode=Registration

Accept the agreement and follow the instructions from there.

RSS

Real Simple Syndication

Allows you to consume information in more efficient and relevant ways.

Content comes to you instead of you having to go get it.

You can read more content from more sources in less time.

You can personalize your interest.

What does it mean for you?

Students could be immediately updated when new information about research topics is published.

Teachers could track for discussions about pedagogy and content.

Administrators could track areas on leadership or their school.

Steps and Advice

Go slow

If you do not already have an RSS feed, create a google account (unless you have already created one).

Go to your google account.

Click on reader (under more)

Follow the instructions to create your reader.

Add the following link under subscriptions

http://nlcommunities.com/communities/default.aspx?GroupID=1807

Blogging Advice (Continued)

Pick five more blogs/sites to subscribe to

Possible source for subscriptions

http://cianews.wikispaces.com/Resources+for+Web+2.0

Rules of Blogging

Use Headlines

Keep your entries meaningful and exciting

Don’t share all of your ideas all at once. Spread it out over several entries.

Allow for interactivity

Minimize the gimmicks

Don’t be afraid of lists

Show up and write with a purpose

Say it, don’t hide it.

Link, Link, Link

Source: Jeff Utecht-The Thinking Stick

Example of an amateur blog

http://nlcommunities.com/communities/jd/default.aspx

Blogging Resource

http://cianews.wikispaces.com/Resources+for+Web+2.0

Creating a Del.icio.us Account

Go to www.delicious.com

Create an account

Developing Norms for the Cohort

[According to a cohort participant,] cohorts are created not born. They are successful when everyone works collaboratively and collectively on improving their own and others' learning experiences. It takes self-responsibility, patience, courage, humor, commitment, sensitivity, and a lot of hard work to create such an enriching learning experience for everybody. (Nesbit 2001, p. 3)

Developing Norms for the Cohort

Go to your “level” groups.

If you do not know who is in your “level” groups, go to http:// cianews.wikispaces.com/Documents+for+Course

Go to: http://www.calpro-online.org/ERIC/docs/pab00033.pdf

Read the article in Groups of 4

Based upon this article and your knowledge of effective classrooms, brainstorm 5 or less norms for the group.

Place your norms on http://cianews.wikispaces.com/Norms+for+the+Cohort

We will agree upon a set of norms at our next class.

My Personal Norms for this Course

Start on time and finish on time

Provide a safe environment for you to take risks

Challenge you to think differently, but provide support

Encourage risk taking

Encourage dialogue

Give timely feedback and support

Know that I am not an expert

Use the resources in this room to improve the course

Web Literacy

Go to http://cianews.wikispaces.com/Web+Literacy+Activity

IP Addresses

Web browsers search these numbers for access to a website

Example: 212.58.240.33

Domain Names

Example cnn.com

Component 1-Created by the owner of the site

Example: cnn

Component 2-Top Level Domain

Designated for certain groups or categories

.com commercial

.gov government

.k12 K-12 Education

.edu Universities

.org Organization

Web Literacy

Third Component-Country Code

.us United States

.cn China

.za South Africa

.mx Mexico

URL (Uniform Resource Locator)

Another name for web address

Most begin with www (World Wide Web)

Go back to http://cianews.wikispaces.com/Web+Literacy+Activity

How to Validate Information on the Web

Use Get REAL Acronym

R ead the URL

Do you recognize the domain name?

What is the extension in the domain name?

Are you on a personal page?

Look for a name

Look for a ~

Look for a %

Look for the words users, people, or members

Examine the Content

Is the information on the Web site useful for the topic?

Are additional resources and links provided?

Do the links work?

Is the site current?

Do you know when the site was last updated?

Do you think the information is accurate?

Does the information contradict information you have found elsewhere?

Go back to http://cianews.wikispaces.com/Web+Literacy+Activity

Ask about the author

Is the author’s name provided?

Is there a contact person or an address provided?

Is there biographical information provided about the author?

Does the author seem knowledgeable? Is he or she an expert in the field?

What kinds of results do you see when you do a search on the author’s name?

Web Literacy

Using your knowledge of web literacy, investigate the following:

You are a student in an astronomy class and you are curious as to why Pluto is no longer a planet.

Using the web find out why Pluto is no longer a planet. Cite your web sources.

http:// www.edutopia.org /student-web-research-technology-literacy

Carousel Brainstorm

Get into your “like” groups

If you do not know who is in your “like” groups, go to http://cianews.wikispaces.com/Documents+for+Course

Each group should go to a chart

You will have two minutes at each chart.

Brainstorm questions that you would like answered under each topic in your color marker.

If you are an “expert” in this topic, place a post it with your name.

For the sheet marked “other”, identify other areas that you would like to learn about in this course other than the ones listed.

For the sheet marked “expert” identify areas that you feel you are comfortable presenting to the group.

Next Time

Continue Web Literacy

Why transform schools?

Assignment 3: Read or listen to The World is Flat and critically analyze the Partnership for 21st Century Skills Website ( http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/ ). Answer the following question in detail as a blog post:

“ Your Superintendent/Principal has read “The World is Flat” and is deeply concerned that the district/school is graduating students who are not globally competitive. He/She has asked you to produce a draft list of recommendations for their consideration of what the district/school can do to prepare students for a 21st Century Global Society. Your memo is in two parts:

1. What can the district/school do to take advantage of a Flat World?

2. How can the district prepare students to be successful in a Flat World?”

Due: Post it to your blog by October 1, 2008

(This assignment will count as 10% of final grade.)

Next Time

Assignment 4 : All course participants will create a Weblog on November Learning and will be instructed on how to add to and maintain their sites during the second class sessions. In addition, participants will be shown how to develop an RSS (Really Simple Syndication). You will be expected to add, at a minimum, one blog post a week along the lines of but not limited to the following:

* Reflections on reading

* Experiences at school

* Sharing of Lessons

* Interesting Websites or Blogs

In addition, course participants should maintain an RSS with a minimum of 5 blogs (from outside the cohort) and plan on offering one comment per week on one of your classmates’ blogs.

Due: September 16, 2008 – April 15, 2009 ( This assignment will count as 20% of final grade. You will post to your blog each week for 30 weeks (including the assignment posts below.) Each post will be worth a maximum of 5 points for a total of 150 points for this component.)

Refreshments (Google Docs)

Technology Conference

Assignment 11 : Attend a technology conference sometime between June 1, 2008 and March 1, 2009. Write about the experience in your blog. In addition, make a 10 minute presentation on the workshops that you attended at a staff meeting in your school and in class. Explain how the information that you learned at the conference could impact your school or classroom. Here are some possible guiding questions: