Week of September 26

 

Thursday Thoughts September 26

 

This week I had to take off my principal hat and trade it in for my mom hat.  I don't mean that I had to carpool or cook ....I mean that I worried (like all moms do) because my son was sick and I couldn't get clear answers.  Please know that he is fine and that is not really the gist of this story.  But as he was being poked and prodded by numerous doctors I kept thinking..... this child (my children) represent the best part of me.  They represent the best that I am, the best thing I'll ever do in life and the best that I have to offer the world.  I would move heaven and earth for them.  Thus I figured this must be how our parents feel when they send their children to school....to us.  This is how they must feel when they fight for things that we consider minor or when they make a "big deal" out of something that we see occur everyday.  So I am challenging myself to start viewing the many parent situations that I deal with through their eyes.  If I know that they are fighting for or reasoning with me about their most valuable possession, then I hope that I will have the ability to look at the situation through their eyes and spend just an extra minute or two letting them know that I too think their child is valuable. 


Staff Spotlight:
I would like to shine the spotlight on Nisha Bradley this week.  Although Nisha is a part of the administrative team, her responsibilities far exceed those of an administrative capacity.  In addition to teaching classes, working with individual students and facilitating SST meetings, Nisha organizes the PALS program and oversees the parent volunteer registry process.  You can find Nisha in carpool most mornings assisting students with a smile on her face.  I can tell you that I have visited her office more than once for "counseling".  Nisha is an example of the many "one person" departments that are vital to our school success.


4C's: Collaboration, Communication, Creativity, Critical Thinking Skills

Technology and the 4C's

Written by Amber Brown

In my post about the 4 C’s, I mentioned that technology plays a significant role in building these necessary skills. How so? How can simple gadgets help build these monumental skills that are expected to propel our students forward?
Well, for starters, we have to stop thinking of technology use strictly for researching information, typing papers, or practicing fact/drills. It can certainly be used for efficiency and neatness, but technology is a multi-faceted tool, and if we teach our students to view and utilize it to its full potential, then we will begin to sow the seed of the 21^st Century learner.

Creativity and Innovation
There are a multitude of interactive web2.0 and multimedia tools already available to the educational environment. To fully reap the benefits of these tools, we need to think outside the proverbial box and expand our creative ideas in order to guide our students to complete tasks that expect them to do the same. Elementary students can be assigned to create simple web pages that teach other students how to display and solve simple mathematical arrays. Middle school and secondary students can be assigned to design interactive games to apply the standards covered in recent social studies or biology lessons. Digital storytelling can be used by students to create non-linguistic representations of a concept. Technology offers endless possibilities in encouraging student (and teacher!) creativity and innovative ideas.

Communication
Whether students realize it or not, they love to communicate! Social networks like MySpace, Twitter, and Facebook have clearly dominated life as we know it. They all actively encourage students to communicate, so why aren’t we? Why are educators nervous about harnessing the power of these networks to further learning objectives? Teachers can use Twitter to introduce a new topic/unit of learning by tweeting the topic (i.e. the Civil War) and students can be required to reply with information about the topic before the next class (i.e. start/end date, purpose, location, etc.). Similarly, with Facebook, post a debatable topic related to the current lesson and let students respond and discuss their opinions. Require them to back up their opinions with data, and post links to the source of their information. If we demonstrate how to use social networks in a positive manner – using professional text – and require our students to do the same, we will have a new wealth of resources that will inspire our students to communicate about educational topics with one another.

Collaboration
Wikis, blogs, presentations – all infamous for the ability to allow people to collaborate with one another – can easily be used in conjunction with classroom activities to encourage interaction. Why not take it up a notch? Pair with a teacher in another school (or even another state!) and have students use the internet to collaborate with long-distance partners. Web based presentations like Prezi allow users in different locations to be able to access, create, and edit presentations online with ease. Incorporating technology enhances students’ ability to work with one another, whether in the same group in class or in different time zones across the United States.

Critical Thinking & Problem Solving
Critical thinking uses the upper crust of the new Blooms taxonomy (analyzing, evaluating, and creating) to solve problems. Students can quickly learn how to analyze and evaluate informative blogs before creating their own. Educators can present students with the beginning stages of a web page project, provide them with expected outcomes, and allow them to create their own finished product. Mind-mapping has proven to be a great tool to use in visualizing problems and planning the thought-process towards a solution. There are web-based tools available that allow students to create mind-maps from home or in class. Mindomo is one such program.
We must remember, though, technology does not solve problems on its own. Educators should present technology as a tool used in the problem solving process as opposed to looking at technology as the solution itself. We must instill in our students that technology is an extension of their own thinking.

Preparing students for the 21^st Century is undoubtedly different from the manner of teaching used in past decades, though I’d like to believe we are perhaps more fortunate than those who taught us. We have a wealth of digital tools readily available to us that provide such magnificent opportunities to engage and guide students in attaining the necessary skills. It’s time we start applying them in our classrooms today!

  
Technology Tidbits:

Check out the following websites:

http://kids.usa.gov/index.shtml

Amazing site that will link you to hundreds of websites for all disciplines.

http://www.makebeliefscomix.com/Comix/
Students have the ability to make their own comic strips using this site.  (please play around on the site before you have the students try)

 News & Notes

We are one of several elementary schools that will be receiving new playgrounds.  An assessment was done in July and it has been confirmed that our playscapes will be replaced.  At this point I only have a copy of the prototype but as soon as we are given a firm installation date I will let you know.  The three playscapes that we currently have will be replaced with two larger ones (K-2nd and  3rd-5th).  I will share additional details once I have them.

Week of September 19

Thursday Thoughts- September 19th



Over the last couple of weeks I have had an opportunity to have encounters with former Medlock Bridge students.  I don't mean kids that have moved on to middle and high school.  I mean adults that were students at Medlock Bridge.  It was intriguing to hear about their experience and one adult acutally has a child that currently attends our school.  The other person is the designer of our Runapalooza shirts.  Although my memories of elementary school aren't too vivid, I can tell you that I don't remember a thing about the curriculum.  All I remember is that special teacher that made me feel like I was one in a million.  What will children remember about you when they become adults? 

Staff Spotlight:
I have finally started walk throughs and I can tell you that there are some amazing things going on in the classrooms.  I was able to view a couple of Kindergarten classes (Miller & Jackson) during their math time and it looks like Kindergarten has the station concept down to a science.  Their classrooms were a well oiled machine.  They had a chart identifying which students should be working in a particular station (the stations are numbered) and the students were working independently while the teacher administered a math assessment one child at a time.  I think there were at least 10 stations with about two students per station  (not a worksheet in sight). 
Very impressive ladies!!!


4C's: Collaboration, Communication, Creativity, Critical Thinking Skills

Collaboration – The Big C – Do Not Wait!

Posted by Kathy Adkins

Collaboration is one of the 4C’s that propels our district’s 21st century vision of learning along with Creativity, Critical Thinking and Communication. Collaboration is the big C that embraces the others and makes them stronger. Learners love to connect and share their knowledge in the classroom with each other and their desire to experience and share beyond walls is obvious. As they think, communicate and create collaboratively, the learning becomes larger. I am reminded of one collaborative project with first grade students, Hands Around the World, and how we worked to squeeze this project into the end of the year. It was a huge learning process for all learners including myself. Why should we wait to the end of the year when we have many resources and digital learning tools such as Edmodo and Wikispaces? Connect with a project or begin your own and collaboratively share your learners’ knowledge with others. Do not wait!

Five for Friday – Global Collaborative Connections

A great place to start is The Global Classroom Project, where teachers and students share on the global stage. Their wikispace shares ways to follow via twitter and facebook. Be sure to check out the Craze Crazes, under What’s Happening?
Projects by Jen, from Jen Wagner (creator of Wordle of the Day) provides projects for K-6 grades throughout the school year. OREO 2012 is a simple project for young learners and provides a wealth of resources to celebrate the 100th birthday of the OREO. Registration is now open with project lasting Sept. 17 – Oct. 12. Follow Jen Wagner on twitter @jenwagner.
Journey North offers collaborative sharing throughout the year. Currently Hummingbird Migration is being observed and reported weekly. Journey North now has an app to report sightings.
The Center for Innovation in Engineering and Science Education, CIESE, offers many ongoing and collaborative projects inspired by real time data.
Flat Stanley is a project that has truly embraced all ages. Be sure to check out current news and check the free IOS mobile app.
 
Technology Tidbits:

Check out the following websites:

http://www.hoodamath.com/index.html
Great site for math games for all grade levels


http://www.childrensmuseum.org/games
Interactive Science games

News and Notes:

You can earn 2 PLU's for free through Kennesaw State University- See below

K-12 Online and Blended Learning

Kennesaw State's first MOOC, K-12 Blended & Online Learning, will leverage KSU's existing technological strengths and infrastructure to provide innovative teaching and learning opportunities to a "massive" number of students at no cost. The MOOC will expand educational opportunities while showcasing the considerable talents of the Bagwell College of Education (BCOE) faculty. In addition, the MOOC will support KSU's strategic goals of increasing the number of degrees offered online, improving recruitment and becoming more engaged and prominent in the local community, Georgia, and the nation.
If you hold a Georgia K-12 teaching license or are just interested in learning more about blended and online learning, this MOOC may be for you.
The course is designed to introduce K-12 teachers and the community to blended and online learning through the instructional media of a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC). Throughout the MOOC, participants will engage in community discourse and online interaction. The course's first level will include 20 contact hours for 2 PLUs. This level is for all participants. Participants will gain knowledge and understanding of what encompasses K-12 blended and online learning. They will watch videos and read key documents that address foundational knowledge about trends in K-12 online learning, iNACOL standards, engaged learning strategies, assessment and differentiation in the online learning environment. Learning will be assessed using strategies aligned to knowledge and understanding.

Visit this website for more info: http://mooc.kennesaw.edu/courses/k12_online_blended_learning.php
 

Week of September 12

Thursday Thoughts September 12

This week I really noticed that a school is very much like an ecosystem.  No I don't say this because of the wasps in the classroom, or the critters that like to make their way into the school or even the water that seeps in during each heavy rain.  I believe that our school is an ecosystem because we are a system of interconnecting and interacting parts that must work together in order to keep a perfect balance.  We have multiple departments/areas within the school that are vital to our success. There are staff members in departments such as technology, the assistants, the clinic, the custodians, the cafeteria  and many more who ensure that our students' needs are met so that they can perform well for us (the teachers) in the classroom.  We depend on them to be there for us and can sometimes be handicapped if they are not there to help us out immediately.  As we survive together in this Medlock Bridge ecosystem, let us be mindful of how we all play an important role in taking care of children.

Staff Spotlight:

Many thanks to Poonam who has not only managed to get the numerous new teachers' laptops up and running, but has also gotten the labs configured and ready for student use in record time.  She has also prepared the Mustang Lab for the STAR universal screener (which she just learned about on Wednesday).  Poonan is a one woman department that has directly or indirectly helped just about everyone in the building at some point.  On a daily basis you will see her walking down the hall and before she makes it to her destination she has received several requests.  Way to keep us moving Poonam!!


4C's: Collaboration, Communication, Creativity, Critical Thinking Skills

What Should Students Learn in the 21st Century?

By Charles Fadel

It has become clear that teaching skills requires answering “What should students learn in the 21st century?” on a deep and broad basis. Teachers need to have the time and flexibility to develop knowledge, skills, and character, while also considering the meta-layer/fourth dimension that includes learning how to learn, interdisciplinarity, and personalization. Adapting to 21st century needs means revisiting each dimension and how they interact:

Knowledge - relevance required: Students’ lack of motivation, and often disengagement, reflects the inability of education systems to connect content to real-world experience. This is also critically important to economic and social needs, not only students’ wishes. There is a profound need to rethink the significance and applicability of what is taught, and to strike a far better balance between the conceptual and the practical. Questions that should be answered include: Should engineering become a standard part of the curriculum? Should trigonometry be replaced by more statistics? Is long division by hand necessary? What is significant and relevant in history? Should personal finance, journalism, robotics, and other new disciplines be taught to everyone - and starting in which grade? Should entrepreneurship be mandatory? Should ethics be re-valued? What is the role of the arts – and can they be used to foster creativity in all disciplines?

Skills – necessity for education outcomes: Higher-order skills (“21st Century Skills”), such as the “4 C’s” of Creativity, Critical thinking, Communication, Collaboration, and others are essential for absorbing knowledge as well as for work performance. Yet the curriculum is already overburdened with content, which makes it much harder for students to acquire (and teachers to teach) skills via deep dives into projects. There is a reasonable global consensus on what the skills are, and how teaching methods via projects can affect skills acquisition, but there is little time available during the school year, given the overwhelming amount of content to be covered. There is also little in terms of teacher expertise in combining knowledge and skills in a coherent ensemble, with guiding materials, and assessments.

“Character” (behaviours, attitudes, values) – to face an increasingly challenging world: As complexities increase, humankind is rediscovering the importance of teaching character traits, such as performance-related traits (adaptability, persistence, resilience) and moral-related traits (integrity, justice, empathy, ethics). The challenges for public school systems are similar to those for skills, with the extra complexity of accepting that character development is also becoming an intrinsic part of the mission, as it is for private schools.

Meta-Layer: Essential for activating transference, building expertise, fostering creativity via analogies, establishing lifelong learning habits, and so on. It will answer questions such as: How should students learn how to learn? What is the role of interdisciplinarity? What is the appropriate sequencing within subjects and between subjects? How do we develop curiosity? How do we facilitate students’ pursuing of their own passions in addition to the standard curriculum? How do we adapt curricula to local needs?

So what is actually being done to ensure that our workforce is skilled for 21st century success and to ensure that students are skilled, ready to work and contribute to society?

The global transformation, often called the "21st century skills" movement is helping move schools closer to learning designs that better prepare students for success in learning, work and life. The OECD Skills Strategy is responding to this by shifting the focus from a quantitative notion of human capital, measured in years of formal education, to the skills people actually acquire, enhance and nurture over their lifetimes. My hope is that schools, universities and training programs will become more responsive to the workforce and societal needs of today, and students will increasingly focus on growing and applying essential 21st century skills and knowledge to real problems and issues, not just learning textbook facts and formulas.

This will raise levels of creativity and innovation, and provide better skills , better jobs, better societies, and ultimately better lives.

Technology Tidbits:

Check out the following websites:

http://creativewritingprompts.com/
Great site for prompts that can be used for daily journals.

http://freerice.com/
Most appropriate for upper grades- for each answer the students (or you) get right, 10 grains of rice are donated through the World Food Program to help end hunger.  Great website to add to you grade level websites as well.

News and Notes:

PD 360 will replace the course catalog (Learning Solutions tab) in ESS by January 1, 2014 and will support the Professional Learning Course Catalog.  Required courses such as Sexual Harassment will be moving out of ESS and into PD 360.  Please start checking Learning Solutions for your professional development transcripts (PLU's) and anything that you may want to print and save for your records.


 

Week of September 5

Thursday Thoughts September 5th 

Why is it that the short weeks are always the longest?  I always view Labor Day as the end of summer.  I also view it as the end of the "school start" period and the beginning of the "flow" that we get into with our instruction.  Thank you for pouring yourself into your students and your work at school.  Please make sure that you don't neglect to take care of "you".  I am quickly learning that working 11 hour days and then coming home to work 3 more hours is not healthy or sustainable.  You have to strike a balance and the reality is that we may never get the piles down to zero.  I am going to try and take my own advice by leaving work on time one day per week.  What small step will you take to strike a balance?


Staff Spotlight:
Welcome to the newest member of our custodial staff, Mr. Glover Bolton. 
Mr. Bolton joins our team with over 20 years of cleaning experience including an extended tenure with Fulton County Schools. 

Congratulations to Leigh Martin who has been selected to participate in the Fulton County iPad Institute for Media and Educational Technology Instructors.  We are excited that after this year long program, Leigh will be able to develop a specific plan for the integration of the iPad into our school program.  Way to MOVE Leigh!

4C's: Collaboration, Communication, Creativity, Critical Thinking Skills


As you plan for Science units, check out the websites below:

Connecting PBL and STEM...40 Free Engaging Resources to Use in the Classroom

Blog by Michael Gorman
The sites below are considered to be great resources that provide ideas or blueprints for an entire PBL project. Included in most plans are project titles, content addressed, 21st century skills, driving questions, products, procedures, and evaluation. The resources in this collection tend to focus on the entire PBL process.
BIE.org – The people at the BUCK Institute For Education have a great area where you can search for activities and projects already made. Note how many projects include both math and science. Want an extra bonus? Include the arts and make STEAM!
Teach 21 – The educators in the state of West Virginia at Global 21 have provided this amazing PBL site. Just pick a grade level and subject area. You will find projects that encompass the STEM areas.
Learning Reviews – The PBL portion of this site provides some outstanding links to web resources that cover science, math, engineering and technology. You will find grade levels along with the number of resources supplied.
Real Wold Math PBL - Small selection of projects based on math skills.
Math Matter Geometry - Selection of 10 Geometry projects developed in Indiana and hosted by Indiana University.
Math Matter Algebra 1 - Selection of about 20 Algebra 1 Projects from Math Matters at Indiana University designed for middle school.
Math Matters Algebra 2 - Selection of over 20 Algebra 2 Projects from Math Matters at Indiana University designed for high school.
iEarn - Projects based on contemporary issues with an emphasis towards collaboration beyond your district, state, and country.community of high schools.
High Tech High School - Seven projects that have been successful at this PBL based school.
National Service Learning Clearing House - Hundreds of ideas. While not all may be PBL… they could sure be remixed to have all the components!
Exemplary Projects - While there are not a lot of projects… there are some cool ideas.
Foundation Components PBL
The following sites could be used as a foundation to build a PBL unit. Perhaps you’ll just want to use a portion of the site for a product, lesson, lecture, video, simulation, or activity in a new or existing PBL unit. While many focus on competition… remember that you do not have to compete., although it could be fun. Look at it as a giant smorgasbord of resources ready to be served up in building a STEM based PBL unit.
Siemens We Can Change The World Challenge – Great site loaded with resources, standards, and ideas. Either compete or just use the resources that are provided. Applicable to all levels of K-12 education.
Kids Science Challenge – Awesome and inspiring challenges involving bio-designed scientific inventions, sports on Mars, and detective science. Be sure to check out the great podcasts listed in Pulse of the Planet.
Young Scientists Challenge – Great resource for students in K-8. Lessons, multi-media, and other materials that can be incorporated into PBL units.
National Engineer Week: Future City – Great Project Based Learning Activity incorporating STEAM along with Language Arts and Social Studies. Engage students with Sim City Software, model building, and a new curriculum designed to integrate disciplines.
The Jason Project – Wow, what an awesome set of free digital curricula filled with multi-media, simulations, readings, class activities, and projects! Check out that roller coaster simulation just to name one!
Siemens Discovery STEM Academy – Vast amount of lessons, multimedia and activities, along with webinars, that are some of the finest for both student learning and teacher professional development.
eGFI Dream Up The Future – A huge database that will engage students with its colorful and student centered interface. Make sure to check all the links, including all the STEM resources found in the Teacher Resource area.
NSF Resources For STEM Education – A great collection of teacher resources, instructional materials, assessment, and up-to-date research regarding STEM.
PBS STEM Education Resources Center – Great information from PBS including engaging lessons, activities, and of course those award winning PBS videos.
NSDL – The National Science Digital Library has some outstanding resource that include numerous links to some great STEM programs and organizations.
Design Squad Nation – Another great service from PBS filled with some entertaining and engaging ways to integrate STEM into any classroom.
Museum of Science – Great database to search for lessons and ideas involving science, math, engineering from one of the finest science museums located in Boston.
Discover Engineering – Let your students discover engineering in some very exciting and engaging ways. From skateboards to roller coasters the activities and videos will bring you back for more.
ACSEville - The civil engineers at ASCEville have some amazing simulations, games, and adventures for your students. Have you ever built a gum drop dome or a paper bridge? Check it out… you may not want to leave!
Google Science Fair – How about a virtual science fair that can go beyond your classroom, district, state, and even nation? This is an event that will turn on the 21st century skills and the new common core!
KhanAcademy – Ready to flip the STEM classroom? Then check out these thousands of videos from Khan! Every area of Science and Math can be explored in short informative video clips. Either do a total flip or just reinforce skills in a short student controlled lesson.
TeachersDomain – Want to continue doing a flip? Then visit this site from WGBH, a PBS station in Boston. You will find videos, activities, and simulations! Best of all, you can archive it in your own classroom at the Teachers Domain Site.
PBS Teachers - Brand new site filled with lots of resources and videos. Search by grade level and curriculum area. Teachers can create an online classroom filled with outstanding and engaging material.
Wolframalpha – Not your typical search engine. This is a computational search engine that is a plus for any STEM educator. It is easy to use and its ability to find data is just plain fun!
Ciese- Dedicated to improving K-16 STEM education through the meaningful and effective integration of technology, CIESE fosters the use of research-based instructional methodologies and technologies to improve and pioneer novel technologies to explore and better understand their impact on improved education and society.
My Science Box- At My Science Box you’ll find complete, scaffolded lesson plans to teach a 4-6 week middle school science unit through activities, projects, and field trips.
Cases Online - A collection of inquiry-based lessons to engage exploring the science behind real-world problems. Promotes self-directed and life-long learners, critical thinkers and keen problem solvers. Cases are grounded in Problem-Based Learning (PBL), Investigative Case-Based Learning (ICBL),
Physics Online - Check out the projects link for some ideas that just might start a project.
Molecules Matters - provides PBL instruction and support for students and teachers with an emphasis on nanotechnology.
Software for STEM based PBL
How about free software to promote STEM in the classroom? Along with multimedia programs such as Movie Maker and iMovie… the programs listed below will facilitate students in their 21st century skill development. Since they are free, students can use them at school and download them to also connect at home.
SketchUp - A great CAD style product from the people at Google. I like to call it “CAD that’s fun!” Explore a world of educational resources that will engage students in the classroom allowing them to innovate and create!
West Point Bridge Project – Whether it be math, science, or engineering… students will enjoy this free program from the West Point Academy. Watch students compete in collaborative groups as they learn valuable content and understand the world of math and science through simulations and modeling.
Scratch – Wow… computational thinking at its best. A program that allows student to design a computer program with integration into any subject area. Learn more by watching my archived webinar at Discovery!
Google Earth – Another free and amazing program that will excite your students in any STEM class. Make sure you visit this educator page filled with resources on how to use Google Earth in the classroom.
Well, there you have it… a goldmine that will keep you mining resources for a long time Please continue to join me as I discuss other ways you can promote 21st century technology and learning in the classroom. But that’s not all… future posts will also contain resources on Digital Curriculum, evaluating web resources, Project Based Learning, STEM, Web 2.0, and so much more on 21st Century Learning. Please take a moment to subscribe by RSS or email! Your subscription means a lot to me and I thank you in advance. You can also give this article a retweet if you scroll to the bottom! It’s a great way to spread the word and I appreciate your support. Remember to follow me on Twitter at mjgormans. Thanks, and until next time… I am certain you will want to branch out with some STEM based PBL in the classroom Have a great week! – Mike

Technology Tidbits:

Check out the following website:

http://www.creativecommoncoreclassroom.com/
This link will take you to numerous free resources for Reading located in Teachers Pay Teachers.  Did I mention the resources are free??

News and Notes:

A 9/11 Remembrance Program will take place at the Northview H.S. Auditorium at 6:30pm on that day.  The Rotary Club of Johns Creek-North Fulton will present a free event to honor the service and sacrifice of first responders and military personnel.  The keynote speaker is Lieutenant General Glenn F. Spears, USAF (retired), a rotary club member and a Johns Creek resident.  He was commander of the 89th Airlift Wing at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland on September 11, 2001.