Thursday Thoughts April 16
This week my heart was heavy as I watched the APS educators on trial. I do not think it is my place to give an opinion of the verdict, sentencing or even the people on trial. However it saddens me to think that the culture had become such that something like this could go on for years throughout the system. I know for a fact that culture matters. Todd Whitaker and Steve Gruenert have a book entitled, School Culture Rewired and one of the quotes that resonates with me is "....a school's culture influences everything that takes place under its roof." I think this is so true and it is one of the things that makes Medlock a great place. No we are not perfect but we do not have a "gotcha" culture. We look to support each other and do not dwell on mistakes or missteps. Although we hold ourselves and our students to very high standards, we take every opportunity to have fun and enjoy the journey. We know that our actions and words are powerful especially in the eyes of our students. Thank you for making a positive contribution to our school culture. Today was a great first day of testing! We are not afraid of failure.... we are excited for success!
Staff Spotlight
This week I would like to shine the spotlight on Rachel Jackson and Liz Nguyen. I had the pleasure of observing in Rachel's classroom this week and I can tell you that differentiation is her "thing". I know that the Kindergarten team plans together, however her ability to have numerous centers and then differentiate within each center is amazing. Her Kindergarten students were adding and subtracting like math whiz kids. In addition, Rachel has some students this year who have given her a run for her money. She shared the great gains that they are making both academically and behaviorally. The gains are tremendous and are in large part due to the differentiated instruction that is taking place in the classroom. Rachel and Liz, I appreciate your hard work to ensure that every student in your class learns to their optimal level.
4C's: Collaboration, Communication, Creativity, Critical Thinking Skills
YouTube Is Releasing An App For Kids
YouTube Is Releasing An App For Kidsby TeachThought Staff
Both USA Today and The Verge are reporting that YouTube will be releasing a first-party app for kids at the Kidscreen Summit event on February 23.
And at least at the beginning, it’s spurning rival-iOS and going Android-only.
It’s not surprising that Google-owned YouTube is releasing an app designed for engagement by those still developing their decision-making skills and capacity for self-restraint. Among the features are removal of comments, safer search, a way to control viewing time, and even original content for children.
We’ve long held that YouTube is one of the best-kept secrets in teaching and learning–in lieu of its ample underbelly. There is so much stunning content on YouTube–channels like Tested, Periodic Videos, Veritasium. Numberphile, Minute Physics times a billion.
If we loved Smarter Every Day, we’d explode.
In fact, there’s so much great content that it’s easy to miss, especially if you already have your mind made up about the “garbage” on YouTube. (Or more likely, your district blocks it.) Which is what made us so excited about Brainfeed, which we included in our 50 Apps That Clarify New Ways To Learn, and our Best Educational Apps For 2014. Brainfeed curates some of the better, edu-centered content into channels by content area or topic so you don’t have to bother, which makes it a perfect fit for self-directed learning, problem-based learning, and grab-and-go mini-lessons for your classroom.
The continued evolution of YouTube as an API (versus simple a website) is great to see, but about two years late. There is so much buzz around apps like Zaption and Seesaw that support flipped classrooms and allow teachers to create their own content, all the while neglecting the extraordinary (and often expert-sourced) content already there. YouTube hasn’t limited itself to an easy way to upload videos or embed video content on blogs.
Perhaps this is a sign that Google is finally realizing the extraordinary potential YouTube has above and beyond how it’s been used for the last decade.
We’d guess iOS users can expect a version later this summer.
Screen Chomp App
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