Week of August 29

Thursday Thoughts August 29

 

As I write my blog this week I am reflecting on the 50 year anniversary of the March on Washington.  I am so excited about the diversity of our student body and the global perspective that our students are exposed to on a daily basis.  We have students whose families are from all over the world.  Our school is a true representation of the 21st Century world and workforce in which our students will be immersed.  Thank you for your commitment to making Medlock Bridge a place that is welcoming and inviting to all who walk through our doors.   

Staff Spotlight:

Please take a moment to check out Madison Farish's bulletin board in her classroom.  She has taken the ever popular Beanie Babies and tied them into specific reading strategies for her students.  When her students take a particular "beanie" off of the board, there is a reading strategy that it represents and it identifies what the child should focus on as they read.  A creative way to help students make connections.


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

Please check out an excerpt from this blog :

Creativity is the Secret Sauce in STEM by Ainissa Ramirez

Humans have a few basic needs: air, food, water, clothing, shelter, belonging, intimacy and Wi-Fi. (OK, the last one is not really on the list.) Regardless of my attempt to be funny, what is no laughing matter is that we have primary needs. What might surprise you is that another primary need is the need to be creative. We are creative creatures and have been since we first existed, as evidenced by the first cave paintings formed over 40,000 years ago. But somehow in this modern day, we've forgotten that being creative is part of the human experience.

There is plenty of talk in the news about making our children more creative to prepare for the jobs for the 21st century. The word "creativity" is used a lot, but no one is taking the time to define it. Plato used to think frequently about creativity and would describe it as being a channel for a muse. OK, where can you get a muse these days? eBay? As you can see, this intangible and hard-to-describe resource makes it very hard to identify, never mind nurture and teach. However, we know creativity when we see it. And, despite all this confusion, we also know that everyone is creative (to varying degrees).

Creativity is the secret sauce to science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). It is a STEM virtue. While most scientists and engineers might be reluctant to admit that, and to accept the concept of STEAM (where A is for Art), I’ve witnessed that the best of the best are the most creative.

So how do we make our children more creative?

Researchers have found that play is important for productive thought. Playing with ideas also increases learning. We must encourage playing with concepts to nurture creativity in students.¹ Can you show the material you are discussing in far-out ways? Can it be compared to a sport, an event or a celebrity? Try it. Playing with concepts provides multiple entry points and multiple ways of engagement.

 

Technology Tidbits:

Check out the following websites:

http://www.transum.org/software/SW/index.asp
A collection of Math teaching resources designed to be projected on to a white board.


http://www.transum.org/Software/SW/Starter_of_the_day/index.htm
Start your Maths lesson with this Starter Of The Day. Click on the date in the calendar below for the Starter Of The Day.

http://www.ecokids.ca/pub/games_activities/index.cfm
Site for science activities/games.  Please play around on the site as it links you to numerous science websites covering a variety of topics.

News and Notes:

We have been cleared to open the 1st grade class but no word yet on possbile changes with itinerants.  I will keep you posted.

Make sure you have completed your orientation and TKES self assessment by end of day tomorrow.  Email me (some of you alredy have) if you are not able to access the portal so I can compile a list.

On 9/10 we will meet with each grade level during common planning time for the TKES pre conference. If you do not have a common planning time then see me so we can schedule a time to meet for your pre-conference after 9/10. 

Have a great Labor Day Weekend!!!!!

Week of August 22

Thursday Thoughts August 22

As I am writing this week's blog I realize that it is only Day 9 of school (actually Day 8 because I'm writing it on Wednesday night).  The significance of this statement is that I feel like we have worked ourselves into a frenzy.  As type "A" people (most of us are) we don't stop and reflect on how well things are going.  We only focus on what's going wrong.  Step back and look at your students today.
For just a few minutes don't think about BAS, RTI,TKES, Curriculum Night, affidavits, your checklist items, the fact that Fulton Connect is not working properly, the parent that is ready for their third conference with you etc... etc.   Just look at your kids and the smiles that light up the room when they "get it".   Know that it will all get done....it always does.  You are the best!

Staff Spotlight:

5th grade teachers have posters in their rooms highlighting the ways that students can use mini post it notes to highlight certain aspects of their novels as they read (I tried to post a picture of one but no such luck).  The students have common symbols that will identify funny parts, surprising parts, favorite parts etc...... Please walk down and check it out!

4th grade teachers had their students use www.wordle.com  to describe themselves.  Parents enjoyed reading the wordles at Curriculum Night to try and figure out which one described their child. Great activity!

I will work on uploading pictures to the blog!



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

Please check out an exerpt from this article:

What Does 21st Century Learning Look Like in an Elementary School?

Posted by Ian Jukes on June 18, 2013

“One of the points stressed by former teacher Angela Watson in this Cornerstone article is that the majority of ed tech trends in education today are oriented towards the higher grades. Thus was born her journalistic quest to illustrate what learning in the 21st century looks like for the elementary school classroom. Read on for some great insights and resources to help you envision this. ”

To me, 21st century learning in an elementary school has the same overall goals as a secondary school: it’s only the implementation that differs. We want students to be practicing the 4 C’s: communication, collaboration, creativity, and critical thinking. They should be producing content, not just consuming it passively. Though technology isn’t synonymous with 21st century learning, it IS an integral part of it, and it’s often the set of tools that makes this new approach to teaching and learning possible. The purpose of technology used in a 21st century classroom should be (in my opinion) to connect students with their world and enable them learn from others and to share their own ideas. It should also be used to differentiate the curriculum so that students are learning on their own developmental levels and are able to pursue their unique interests and passions.
I think that’s one of the greatest things about technology and one of the most exciting aspects of the vision for 21st century schools: that children are no longer all forced to learn the same thing the same way just because the teacher doesn’t have a simple way to differentiate. I don’t think we’re quite at the point where technology makes it “simple” to differentiate instruction, but certainly simpler. And with the thousands of new apps and websites being launched each day, I believe the quality and a variety of tools available for teachers is going to continue increasing. Even the most tech-averse teacher will be saying in 10 years, Wow, [insert name of tool/program/app] really makes it easier to help my students. How did I ever live without this? Many of us have already reached that point with tech tools in our personal lives (smart phones, laptops, tablets, eReaders): our teaching lives are going to be transformed soon, too. For some teachers, that’s already a reality, and it’s amazing to see.
 

Technology Tidbits:

Check out the following websites:

www.busyteacherscafe.com
This is a resources site for K-6 teachers.  You will find resources, ideas. lessons etc.

http://teachers.post-it.com
Who knew you could do so much with post it notes!  Check out the hundreds of activities that are available on this site.  The activities are sorted by subject and grade level.

News and Notes:

Last Spring a front door video and audio security system was proposed and funding approved by the Board during the capital budgeting process.

The intent of this system is to allow staff to secure all exterior doors once the school day has begun and monitor/control visitor access to the building through a single entry.
It is anticipated that the work will begin soon after the October Board meeting and will be completed at all schools by spring break.  The focus will be on getting the system installed at all elementary school sites first, middle and high schools to follow, with multiple installation teams working throughout the county.   Of course I will keep you posted.

First Week of School-August 15th

Thursday Thoughts- August 15th

Whew! What a week.  Thank you so much for your patience and assistance this week with our unexpected transportation woes.  Now we just have to get through the 10th day of school.  Our current student enrollment is 632.  We won't broadcast it because we wouldn't want to make our sister schools jealous....lol.

Staff Spotlight:

Welcome to the following new staff members:
 Julie McCay-IRR paraprofessional

Erin Wynens- IRR Teacher
Erin is currently enrolled in the Georgia Teaching Fellows Program.  She was formerly a Nature's Classroom Environmental Educator in Massachusetts where she taught 4th-8th grade students interdisciplinary classes in science, math and language arts.

We are excited to have Julie and Erin join our Medlock Team!


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

So you’ve heard of the 4 C’s—critical thinking, creative thinking, communicating, and collaborating—but how are you supposed to teach your own subject and the 4 C’s?

Step 1: Prompt Critical and Creative Thinking
After introducing and modeling a new concept, prompt students to think critically and creatively about it. Assign a 5-minute activity that students complete individually. Here are some examples:

• Sentence completion: Ask students to complete a sentence in as many ways as possible.
  Complete the following sentence in as many ways as you can: “The cell membrane helps the cell by . . .”
• Definitions: Ask students to define a key term, providing its denotation, along with examples, synonyms, and antonyms.
  Define the term “executive branch,” giving examples, synonyms, and antonyms.
• Problem solving: Ask students to list ways that a problem could be solved.
  List as many ways as you can think of that global economic inequality could be reduced.
• Clustering: Ask students to write an important concept in the center of a piece of paper and to create as many personal connections as they can to it.
  Write “Supply and Demand” in the middle of a piece of paper and circle it. Around it, write ways supply and demand affect your life.
• Modeling: Ask students to represent a concept visually, whether in a sketch, a diagram, a symbol, or some other form.
  Create a visual representation of entropy—a drawing, diagram, graph, or other visual.
• Questioning: Ask students to write five questions about the current topic and to pick the most interesting one.
  Write down five questions you have about logarithms and pick the most interesting one.

Step 2: Prompt Communication and Collaboration
After students have completed their individual, 5-minute activities, have them turn to a classmate or small group to share their ideas. This activity requires students to take something written and internal and make it spoken and external. It makes students think critically and creatively with each other—the definition of communication and collaboration. You can once again provide specific prompts, which appear below, from quick activities to involved ones:

• Select a thought: Ask students to share their ideas with a partner or small group and work together to select one specific thought they find most interesting to pursue.
  Share your ideas with a partner and choose one aspect of Beowulf that most interests you. Be ready to indicate why.
• Wild hares: Ask students to share their ideas with a partner or small group and decide which idea is the most “out there”—unique and perhaps a little wacky. Ask students to be able to indicate why.
  Discuss your ideas about mitochondrial DNA and, as a group, choose the idea that is most original or bizarre. Be ready to indicate why you find the idea unique.
• Summarize: Ask students to share their ideas and create a statement that summarizes what they have found.
  In a group of three or four, share your ideas about human trafficking and write one sentence that summarizes all of the ideas.
• Advocates: Ask student pairs to select one idea from each student. Then have the opposite partner advocate the idea, presenting reasons to support it.
  Discuss your proposals for creating energy independence. Choose one proposal from each partner, and have the opposite person argue for the proposal.
• Dramatize: Ask students to share ideas and choose one idea that they will dramatize in a 30-second public service announcement, which they will act out in front of the class.
  With a partner, share your ideas about the Truman Doctrine. Choose one idea and create a P.S.A. that you will act out in support of or in opposition to the doctrine.
• Rapid prototyping: Ask student groups to select an idea and create a rapid prototype of the concept—a drawing, model, program, or other representation of how it might work.
  As a group, choose one trebuchet design that should work best to launch a Ping Pong ball. Using the materials on the back table, build a working prototype of your design.

Step 3: Present
After students have communicated and collaborated, have them share their group’s ideas with the whole class. One person should be chosen to be the main presenter, but all members should participate in some way. This step requires more critical and creative thinking, communicating and collaborating. It also cements the concept you are trying to teach. Finally, when students know they will need to share what they come up with, they have a reason to care about the work they put in.
Scheduling the Steps
At a minimum, this 3-step process will take 15-20 minutes, depending on how involved you make each step. At a maximum, it could take multiple class periods, so decide how important a given concept is for students. If you would’ve lectured for 20 minutes on the concept, turn it into a 20-minute inquiry experience instead. If your concept is one that you would spend days on, you can use an inquiry experience like those listed above to lead to a larger-scale project, such as a scale model or film.

Remember: You aren’t just teaching your subject in an engaging way. You are teaching your subject in a way that deepens understanding and helps students develop the 4 C’s

This blog was originally posted at www.ThoughtfulLearning.com



Technology Tidbits:

http://popplet.com/

An online free web mapping that can be used by the students and have access at school or home. It is great for them to organize their Ideas.


http://www.kineticcity.com/labcar/
An interactive science website covering numerous topics.  Be sure to play around on it a bit to make sure it covers topics for your grade level.


News and Notes:

The School Board unanimously approved the FY 13 Mid Term Budget Adjustment on February 21, 2013 which included the attachment: Midyear Adjustments Doc A.

Item# 4- "Transition to semi-monthly payroll for current FCS monthly employees. 
First date for new payroll system: 01.15.2014

In layman's terms.......we will get paid twice per month starting January 15th.

Stay tuned for more information!!

 

August 8th- Welcome Back

Thursday Thoughts- August 8th

                                                         

I am so excited about the start of this school year!  As we continue on this journey toward 21st Century teaching and learning, school governance and unlimited possibilities with technology I wanted to implement a way to keep you constantly informed and engaged.   Welcome to the first edition of Thursday Thoughts, a weekly blog that is intended to share information that is relevant and useful.  Please enjoy!

Staff Spotlight:
Welcome to our newest staff members!

Jennifer Briskin-Psychologist
Kate Brooks- Autism 3-5
Patrick Denney-Music Itinerant
Traci Fleck- Special Needs Pre K Inclusion
Melinda Gallagher- ESOL
Ashley Rose Kelley- 5th grade
Joy Kim- ESOL Bilingual Community Liasion
Jacqueline LaMere-Art Itinerant
Kayla Lear-IRR
Susan Le Baron- Professional Assistant II
Janet McClung- Speech
Michelle Metcalfe
Laryn Nelson- Assistant Principal
Lindsay Padgett- Special Needs Pre K
Jennifer Park-IRR
Lisa Pizzurro- 5th
Lauren Plummer- Autism K-2
Joseph Smith- IRR
Kristen Stulz
Dana Thornton- Autism paraprofessional


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

Check out this blog about the 4C's:

https://webmail.fultonschools.org/OWA/redir.aspx?C=HuKdqIu6J0KUR_mgWWqTxWv5Nl46aNAIczad0qy4pL3Z9tKA2D5unSdJ6O0hTFhJUJSbpP_8e1o.&URL=http%3a%2f%2fweb.tech4learning.com%2fblog-0%2fbid%2f45149%2fThe-21st-century-classroom-where-the-3-R-s-meet-the-4-C-s

There is a good chance that I did not attach it correctly.  If it does not open, just shoot me an email and I will send it via email.


Technology Tidbits:

Checkout www.remind101.com

This is a safe way for you to text messages to parents without them having access to your private phone number.  It is basically a one way broadcast system that does not allow for a reply.
You can access it via the website or an app for iPhone or Android.

Checkout  www.DOGOnews.com

This is a site that has current events for kids.  There is also a link for teachers to create lesson plans to go with the news articles. 


News & Notes:

Please stay abreast of your teaching certification expiration date.  You may want to start collecting PLU's now so the June 2016 date does not surprise you.  You can verify your PLU's by accessing the Learning Solution page in ESS.

• Educators holding clear renewable certification expiring June 30, 2016 and thereafter will be required to satisfy 6 semesters hours or 10 quarter hours of college course work, or 10 Professional Learning Units (PLUs), or 10 credits of Continuing Education Units (CEUs). PLUs used to renew must be earned during the validity period preceding the certification expiration date.

  If my certification expires		Am I required to meet PLU requirements?
  June 30, 2011		NO
  June 30, 2012		NO
  June 30, 2013		NO
  June 30, 2014		NO
  June 30, 2015		NO
  June 30, 2016		YES