District Wide Information

Digital Learning Day

Did you know that there are only 52 days (as of this posting) until Digital Learning Day (Feb. 6, 2013).  As presented to all licensed teachers in the district, Vera and I are looking for digital lessons taught across the district.  We, much like the state of Wisconsin, have set up a district wide Digital Learning Day website.  Please check it out as well as some of the many resources below from Wisconsin's statewide site for ideas.  There are ideas for classroom teachers, administrators, districts and community members in the information below.  Join the Digital Learning Day community as well as the EPIC-Ed Community (as shown below).  Please be in touch with Vera and me with videos or pictures of a digital lesson in your classroom.  We need to raise the awareness in our community of digital learning in the Marshall Public School District.  

Wisconsin Digital Learning Day Events

Wisconsin is ramping up for Digital Learning Day with the theme, “How well do you know digital learning?” State Superintendent Tony Evers is asking teachers, librarians, school leaders, community groups, and parents to do one or more of these three things: (1) showcase your success; (2) start or join a conversation; and (3) try one new digital learning activity in your classroom. Other planned activities include

• Wisconsin Digital Learning Collaborative;
• connected educator and personal learning networks;
• instruction using Common Core State Standards;
• Wisconsin school library media transformative vision;
• Wisconsin’s digital resources;
• Wisconsin Technology Initiative (WTI); and
• Institute at CESA #1 (an “innovation zone”).

 Check out everything that is happening on Wisconsin’s Digital Learning Day webpage.

EPIC-Ed Community (https://www.epiced.org/about; https://www.epiced.org/sites/default/files/epic_overview.pdf )
This is a resource to transition from a teacher-centered classroom  to learner-centered classroom.  It is a free membership community that is part of Connected Educators (http://connectededucators.org/)

District Wide Information

Take advantage of this Writing Contest (for grades 4-10)!  The entry guidelines are below.  If you would like this in a word document format, please contact me.

Writing Contest for Young Readers
DEADLINE. Entries must be postmarked by 1-11-2013, (and arrive at LAL Central no later than 1-23-2013).

Sponsored by the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress in cooperation with participating state centers for the book

2013 Entry Guidelines

Take the Letters About Literature writing challenge! Write a personal letter to an author you admire, an author of a book (fiction or nonfiction) that inspired you. Your letter must be personal but persuasive, explaining just how the author’s work changed your view of yourself or your world.


How to Enter


First: determine your competition level. LAL welcomes entries from all readers — reluctant as well as enthusiastic — on three levels of competition. Entrants must be at least 9 years old and fall into one of the following categories:


Level 1 — Grades 4–6 Level 2 — Grades 7-8 Level 3 — Grades 9-10

Second: Select and reflect! Select a fiction or nonfiction book you have read and about which you have strong feelings. Explore those feelings and why you reacted the way you did during or after reading the author’s work. Consider these questions when writing your letter:

• What did the book show you about your world that you never noticed before?

• What did you realize about yourself as a result of reading this book?

• What surprised you about yourself while you were reading this book? Why was this work meaningful to you?


Third: Write a persuasive letter stating your opinion and supporting that opinion with specific details. A letter is less formal than an essay or research paper. Write honestly and in your own voice, as if you were having a conversation with the author. Those are the best letters to read and the most fun to write! Keep in mind these two tips:

• Correspond, don’t compliment! Your letter should inform rather than flatter the author. All FAN letters will be eliminated!

• Do not summarize the book’s plot! The author wrote the book and knows what happened. What the author doesn’t know is how the book affected you and why it did so. Only YOU can explain that unique relationship you experienced while reading the book.


Fourth: Submit your letter by Friday, January 11, 2013, using the required entry coupon. (see below)


STATE AND NATIONAL AWARDS

LAL awards prizes on both the state and national levels. Each participating state center has its own panel of judges who select the top essayists in the state. State Winners will receive a cash award and advance to the national level judging. A panel of national judges for the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress will select one National Winner per competition level to receive a $1,000 cash award. The judges will also select one second place winner on each competition level to receive a $150 cash award.

How to Submit Your Class Set of Letters

(or individual letter if entering separately from a school or library)


RETURN ADDRESS. The child’s name and complete return address (either home or school) must appear in the upper right corner of the first page of the letter, as per letter formatting. Letters without a return address will be disqualified.

ENTRY COUPON. Each letter must be accompanied by an entry coupon (below). Staple the coupon to the last page of the letter. Should your student win a state, the State Center for the Book will contact you using this information, so be sure your coupon is complete and legible! Letters without a coupon will be eliminated.

TEACHER COVER LETTER. Each class set should include a teacher cover letter that provides contact information plus a list of the names of each student who has written a letter. Cover letters do not take the place of entry coupons. Each individual letter must have its own entry coupon.

MAILING ENVELOPE & ADDRESS. Mail class sets in a flat 8x10" envelope or larger. Indicate the competition level — either 1, 2 or 3 — on the envelope. Include a complete return address on your mailing envelope. Mail to:

Letters About Literature

Competition Level (Indicate level 1, 2 or 3)

P.O. Box 5308

Woodbridge, VA 22194


DEADLINE. Entries must be postmarked by 1-11-2013, (and arrive at LAL Central no later than 1-23-2013).


ASSESSMENT. Entries will be judged on the following criteria:

• Content (addressing the contest theme)

• Writer’s Voice (writing style and originality of expression)

• Exposition (language skills, organization and grammar)


Each criterion will be scored on a scale of zero (0) to five (5), where five (5) is excellent and zero (0) is not fulfilling the judging criteria.

OWNERSHIP. All letters become the property of the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress. Please make copies of your students’ entries, as no letters will be returned.

NOTIFICATION & CONTACT. Your State Center for the Book will notify the winners within your state on or about 4/15/13. The Center for the Book in the Library of Congress will notify National Winners on or about 5/1/13. For program updates, please refer to the LAL website, www.lettersaboutliterature.org or e-mail us at programdirector@lettersaboutliterature.org

PERMISSION RELEASE FORM. The participating state centers for the book will not release any child’s name nor the content of his/her letter without a permission release form signed by a parent/guardian. Should your student’s letter take a state prize, your state center will send you a release form to forward to the child’s parent/guardian. This form must be returned to the state center within two weeks upon receipt.


Note for Teachers Submitting Class Sets: Please do not assign the same book to an entire class, as this misses the spirit of the program — identifying a personal relationship with an author and/or book. Likewise, rather than assigning the same opening paragraph or topic sentences, encourage students to express themselves individually. Your signature on the form below indicates that you have reviewed the submitted letter and acknowledge it to be the student’s original work. Remember: Each individual letter must have its own entry coupon.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

LAL 2013 Entry Coupon – Please print!

Name _________________________________________________ Male [] Female [] Age _____ Grade _______

Book/Story Title ______________________________________________ Author ________________________________

School/Library: _________________________________________________________________________________________

Street ______________________________________ City ________________________ State _____ Zip Code _________

School/Library Phone: ( _____ ) _____________________ School/Library Email: ____________________________________

Teacher/Librarian Contact: _________________________________________ Email: _______________________________

This additional information is required if you are submitting a letter INDIVIDUALLY rather than through a school or library. Otherwise, this information is optional.

Child’s Home Address __________________________________________________________________________________

City ___________________________________ State ____ Zip Code _________ Home Email: _____________________



Parent’s signature (required) ____________________________________________ Home phone: ___________________

District Wide Information

Google Forms

I have experimented and used Google Forms for surveys, I also worked with Emily Snyder, the English teacher at MECLA (check this out on her teacher website under novels), to set up an easy way to have students respond to novels read in class, and helped organize the student referral online form for the high school.  What I like most about Google Forms is that it is easy to use, and replies are organized automatically in a google spreadsheet.  I do not have to do any extra work to collect data.  Last week I found the following article that shares other teacher uses of Google Forms.  Check out for ideas as to how you can get student responses, make formative assessments, student exit tickets, or gather other information or data to help make decisions.  If you have an idea and would like some assistance with Google Forms, I am happy to help!

85 Interesting Ways* to Use Google Forms in the Classroom *and tips

https://docs.google.com/present/view?id=dhn2vcv5_779cnssm5g7

District Wide Information

Piece Together the History of the Civil War http://teachinghistory.org/civil-war I found this fantastic history resource in The Big Deal Technology Newsletter that I receive.  The interactive posters found below help teach about primary and secondary sources as well as piecing together the History of the Civil War.  Check it out! In 2011, TeachingHistory.org released an interactive poster and companion website about the United States Civil War. The 24" x 36" poster, entitled “How Do You Piece Together the History of the Civil War?”, features a collage of primary sources and related questions that get students thinking about how we know what we know about the past, especially in relation to our country’s most devastating conflict, the Civil War. The question, “How can geography impact a battle?” accompanies a map of Gettysburg, while a slave receipt prompts students to think about the laws, economics and people involved in the institution of slavery. The interactive version of the poster allows students to zoom in on different parts of the poster and click through to find more information about those artifacts and their roles in the Civil War. As a bonus for teachers, the interactive poster includes links to teaching materials and websites related to the Civil War. Topics include children’s voices during the Civil War, African American perspectives, women’s roles, Civil War–era music and emancipation as well as military history and life on the battlefield. Click Here to Access Free Interactive Civil War Poster

Plus: In 2012, TeachingHistory.org released two more interactive posters. “Doing History is Like Solving a Mystery” is an interactive poster for elementary school students. The poster uses images with notes to guide students through the process of developing good research questions and recording their ideas. “History is an Argument About the Past” is an interactive poster for middle school and high school students. The poster walks students through identifying primary and secondary sources of information and then using that information to create an argument. Click Here to Access Free Interactive Elementary Poster  Click Here to Access Free Interactive Secondary Poster

District Wide Information

As We Honor Veterans

http://blogs.slj.com/connect-the-pop/2012/11/movies/as-we-honor-veterans-a-film-to-look-out-for-and-questions-to-ask/

The attached link goes to an article with Veterans Day 2013 in mind.  This movie trailer for Honor Flight http://www.honorflightthemovie.com/ which will be in theaters December 7th with limited engagements or you may contact jo@freethinkmedia.com to host your own screening of this heroic and honorable documentary of World War II veterans.  

District Wide Information

CyArk - archive.cyark.org/

Thanks to Jon Schreurs, an MHS Ag teacher, for sharing this fascinating website that focuses on digitally preserving the world's cultural heritage.  This site has an education tab where there are K-12 lesson plans available to educators.  All you need to do is set up an account and these hands-on and computer based activities are yours!  Check out this amazing site!

District Wide Information

High School Community Book Sale - Date Change
The dates for the Community Book Sale will be Monday, Nov. 26th - Dec. 4th, 2012.  This is different from the Music Boosters calendar.  Flyers will be sent home soon and posted in each building soon with times for each day. 

NBC Learn K-12 http://archives.nbclearn.com/portal/site/k-12
NBC Learn K-12 is a subscription service with videos including current events, author interviews as well as other standards based topics.  There is a 30-day free trial available.  If you sign up for this and find you like it please let me know.  I am looking into the cost for an annual subscription.

District Wide Information

Rutger University's RIOT (Research Information Online Tutorial)
http://blog.schoollibraryjournal.com/neverendingsearch/2012/10/09/rutgers-riot/
This article highlights five animated and interactive information literacy lessons in helping students with researching.  Although I introduce these topics in lessons I teach and classroom teachers address these topics of information literacy, these will be added to the media center websites (HS, MS, and WS) for student access so students can refresh or review as needed. The topics include:
- Select and narrow topics and apply limiters,


- Find sources, identify primary, secondary and tertiary sources, use   databases

- Select keywords for database searches

- Identify citations, distinguish between book and journal citations

- Evaluate sources: practice evaluating the quality of sources

District Wide Information

23 Ways To Use The iPad In The 21st Century PBL Classroom
http://www.teachthought.com/technology/23-ways-to-use-the-ipad-in-the-21st-century-pbl-classroom/

After attending Dr. Willert's informational presentation regarding RTTT, I thought this article may provide some additional information about using iPads with Project Based Learning (PBL).  I like how the ideas are categorized under Imagine, Design, and Publish.  I also like how the ideas are authentic ways to promote collaboration and innovation while using digital and social media.  This article also has active links to other ideas/articles that are definitely worth checking out.  As our district moves forward in a 1:1 environment with PBL and Personal Learning Plans, I will share more ideas.  What an exciting time for our district, for our students, for our community!

District Wide Information

What is Figment?

Figment is a community where you can share your writing, read what others are writing, and discover new stories and authors. Whatever you're into, from sonnets to mysteries, from sci-fi stories to cell phone novels, you can find it all here. This is a fantastic way to broaden the audience for writers (both teachers and students).  Check out the video for educator account opportunities for your class.

http://figment.com/signup/educators

Goodreads

Goodreads' mission is to help people find and share books they love.  Join Goodreads to share the love and fever of reading fantastic books!  This is a great way to keep a reading list for yourself, share about books you've read and enjoyed, and help you find more books to read! Make reading books addictive!  

http://www.goodreads.com/

District Wide Information

8 Unique Online Presentation Tools for Students (and Teachers)http://www.fluency21.com/blogpost.cfm?blogID=2980

Powerpoint is an unengaging presentation tool.  If you and your students are looking for a way to spice up a presentation, check out the options found in this article. 

How Well Are Schools Teaching CyberSafety and Ethics?
http://www.fluency21.com/blogpost.cfm?blogID=2989

This article helps us remember that cybersafety and ethics is a part of teaching 21st Century Skills.  Although students seem very tech savvy, students may not know everything when it comes to cybersafety and ethics.

District Wide Information

TeenTribune, TweenTribune, TTJunior & TTEspañol

TeenTribune, TweenTribune, TTJunior, and TTEspañol are daily news sites for students in grades 1-12.  The most compelling, relevant and interesing news for kids aged 8-18 are posted each day. Stories are selected by teens and tweens working closely with professional journalists. Students can comment upon these stories.

Unlike other news sites for kids, TeenTribune and TweenTribune are easy to use, updated daily and allow teens and tweens to participate in so many ways. But most importantly, these sites encourage teens and tweens to seek out news on a daily basis. Our democracy depends upon a well-informed public, so it's important to foster a daily news-reading habit at an early age.

I like how current events are available and geared for students at grade levels and in Spanish.  The Spanish version is a great opportunity for EL as well as Spanish classes.


Check it out and click below to sign up. It's fast, easy and free!

Grades 1-3: http://tweentribune.com/junior

Grades 4-8: http://tweentribune.com/

Grades 9-12: http://tweentribune.com/teen

In Spanish: http://tweentribune.com/spanish

District Wide Information

New Professional Books
The list of book titles below are new professional books that Marcia Ivers and I saw at the ISTE Conference and felt would be great resources for teachers in the district.  If you are interested in checking out any or these books contact the MHS media center.

101 Best Web Sites for Teacher Tools and Professional Development by James Lerman
Educators will be amazed to discover the tremendous variety of free, powerful, and practical teaching tools that are now available online.  For busy teachers have little time to track down and verify the usefulness of these web-based tools, Web expert James Lerman has collected the best of the best and profiled them here. 

Digital Citizenship in Schools by Mike Ribble
Today, billions fo people all over the planet interact using various technologies.  This interaction has created a digital society that affords its members opportunities for education, employment, entertainment, and social interaction.  As in any society, it is expected that digital citizens act in a certain way - according to accepted norms, rules, and laws.  Most of today's students are entirely comfortable with technology, but are they using it appropriately?  Do they understand their roles and responsibilites in a digital society?  How can teachers help students become responsible digital citizens?

Media Literacy in the K-12 Classroom by Frank W. Baker
The average 8-18 year old spends over 10 hours a day consuming media.  Unfortunately young people's minds are often shut off as they watch TV, surf the web, or listen to music.  Help your students tune in so they can begin to analyze messages and understand techniques used to influence them.  Teach your students to question marketing, recognize propaganda, and understand stereotypes, and you'll also be teaching them valuable critical thinking skills they need for a successful future.

Cell Phones in the Classroom: A Practical Guide for Educator by Liz Kolb
Kolb starts out by sharing case studies that illustrate practical ways teachers and administrators from schools around the world are using cell phones for classroom projects, homework assignments, and communication with parents.  She also includes resources such as sample lesson plans, tutorials for mobile-supported web 2.0 tools, strategies for involving students without cell phones, and guidance on planning and preparation. 

Toys to Tools: Connecting Student Cell Phones to Education by Liz Kolb
Liz Kolb sees cell phones as powerful technology in the hands of students.  Kolb provides a vision in which engaged students use the tools of their choice to enhance learning both inside and outside of the classroom.  Mini lessons and powerful resources throughout the book are easily adaptable and appropriate for almost any grade level.  This book also features guidelines for cell phone ettiquette, and a discussion of the future of cell phones in education.

Bookmapping: Lit Trips and Beyond by Terence W. Cavanaugh and Jerome Burg
With bookmapping, students can use technology to expand their understanding of the locations they visit and connect literature with geography, social studies, and more.  Bookmapping allows students to plot the locations of a story on an interactive map, adding multimedia and hyperlinks about the setting, characters, and plot.  And maps offer much more, helping students see places in the book up close.

Safe Practices for Life Online: A Guide for Middle and High Schools by Doug Fodeman and Marje Monroe
This new edition offers practical advice to help middle and high school students stay safe online by making better choices and minimizing their risks.  Cyberbullying, identity theft, phishing schemes, false advertising, the challenges of Facebook, and more are all fully explained.  This essential resource contains dozens of classroom-tested exercises and hundreds of links to websites, documents, and resources.

Flip Your Classroom: Reach Every Student in Every Class Every Day by Jonathon Bergmann and Aaron Sams
It all started with a simple observation: Students need their teachers present to answer questions or to provide help if they get stuck on an assignment: they don't need their teachers present to listen to a lecture or review content.  From there Jonathon Bergmann and Aaron Sams began the flipped classroom.  Learn what a flipped classroom is and why it works, and get the information you need to flip your own classroom.  You'll also learn the flipped mastery model, where students learn at their own pace.

From Fear to Facebook: One School's Journey by Matt Levinson
"From Fear to Facebook is an insider's view of the journey from peril to possibility with digital media in school communities. Matt Levinson gives a clear picture of how communities need to work together to create safe, innovative opportunities for kids to learn with digital media. From Fear to Facebook tells the story of the cultural shift happening in schools with technology and provides a road map for how to navigate this sea change with buy-in from all key stakeholders. The stories [Levinson] shares are grounded in the day-to-day challenges and opportunities that accompany digital media. From Fear to Facebook should be required reading for schools looking to figure out how to optimize technology to enhance teaching and learning."
-Jim Steyer, CEO and Founder, Common Sense Media


Digital Storytelling: Guide for Educators by Midge Frazel
 This book offers an overview of digital storytelling and its variations, including e-portfolios, digital photo essays, and scrapblogs.  This book aligns
digital storytelling to the NETS for Students, and each chapter includes a list of resources and links.

District Wide Information

U.S. Election Resources for Social Studies Teachers
http://www.fractuslearning.com/2012/08/27/us-election-resources-teachers/
As the election season gears up with more advertisements, signs posted in yards in your neighborhood, or billboards check out the link above with ideas for engaging your students in this opportunity to better understand civics in our country.  There are resources at various grade levels. If you haven't checked out iCivics game (founded by Sandra Day O'Connor) and resources click on this link www.icivics.org
Check out the following link too for 10 ways to teach about election day.
http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/11/01/10-ways-to-teach-about-election-day/

Who Owns Your Digital Library?
http://www.fractuslearning.com/2012/09/06/owns-digital-content/
I think this is a fascinating question to consider.  The link above to the this titled article can help answer this question.  This is something to share and discuss with students in your classroom.  If you polled the teachers in your building or the students in your class, more than likely the response to this question you would get is, "Me.  I bought it."  According to this article this is where reading the fine print in the terms of service for Apple or Amazon.  The terms of service grants you "nontransferable" rights to use content on up to five devices.  Read this article find out more.

District Wide Information

Minnesota Department of Education Reading Rocks Reading Rockoctober Program runs from October to April. This program promotes that with Reading Rocktober, students will be motivated to:
•Read for fun
•Read more often
•Improve their reading skills and overcome reading obstacles.

Check it out at http://readingrocksmn.com/index.html and register your school building at http://readingrocksmn.com/register.php.  This program may easily piggy back with the daily reading many classes ask students to do for their daily reading, but students set goals and can earn reward from participating sponsors.

District Wide Information

Banned Websites Awareness Day  http://www.ala.org/aasl/advocacy/bwad is Wednesday, October 3rd and Banned Book Week is Sept. 30th - Oct. 6th. http://www.ala.org/advocacy/banned/bannedbooksweek

Every year I post about Banned Book Week (this year celebrating 30 years). This year I encourage teachers to celebrate the freedom to read books that have been challenged and access websites that were once blocked (i.e. YouTube). If you are seeking books or resources that have been banned to help celebrate the freedom to read, be in touch with me. I have several resources.  This is a great way to teach about First Amendment rights (http://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/censorshipfirstamendmentissues)

 

District Wide Information

Twitter for Education Technology
http://www.fractuslearning.com/2012/05/25/twitter-follow-education-technology/

The link above suggests 10 Twitter accounts to follow for education technology.  I follow several of these and more including Fractus Learning.com which is where this link is from.  Another is Lisa Nielsen, writer of The Innovative Educator blog, @InnovativeEdu The link following is about using Voki (Go to www.Voki.com and set up an account for free or an education account for $29.50/year.) to engage students in writing, speaking, and listening.  http://innovativeedu.visibli.com/share/HrDXht 

Twitter is great way to learn and share about education ideas! 

District Wide Information

Welcome back!

Welcome to new teachers in the Marshall Public School District!  I hope this post finds you ready for the first day of school.  I do not have the most current email distribution lists, so please share this with new teachers in the district.  I like to focus on library media and technology topics.  This week I have learned about Connected Educators Month.  If you are interested, you may also be interested in Podstock by Kevin Honeycutt. (He has presented at the SW/WC Technology Conference.)

August is Connected Educators Month. 
http://connectededucators.org/
The U.S. Department of Education’s Connected Educators initiative has launched Connected Educator Month this month. Throughout August, there are coordinated opportunities to participate in events and activities in dozens of online locations to develop skills and enhance one’s personal learning network.  One event is:

Connected Educators: Using Social Networks to Support Educators and Improve Teaching and Learning.

What I Learned at PodstockThis webinar occursThursday, August 30th - 1:30PM Eastern Time
What is Podstock? 

It's a conference, started by Kevin Honeycutt. But it's more than a conference. It's conversation. It's family. It's inspirational educators getting together to share ideas about how to improve education. And using whatever it takes - technology, PBL, gaming, online tools... as long as it helps kids learn.

Podstock 2012 was in July in Kansas. Did you miss it? Here is a chance to hear about some of the new and creative ideas that came out of this year’s “unconference.” In true Podstock style, this webinar promises to be a good time. Be prepared to laugh and have fun as Kevin Honeycutt, Michael Campbell, and Jane Renner, share what they learned. This is an event you won’t want to miss!

“This was my second year attending PodStock. Podstock is the place to find like-minded educators who are really passionate about elevating learning, engaging children, and using technology effectively. I always leave this conference enthused about the future of education." –Michael Campbell

To Participate in the Live Session
- Login at
http://www.instantpresenter.com/AccountManager/RegEv.aspx?PIID=EB50D8888047

Kevin Honeycutt is the Technology Integration Specialist at ESSDACK in Hutchinson, Kansas. Kevin brings his personal life experience and a sense of humor to the mission of helping prepare 21st century learners. He spent 13 years teaching art in public school and 17 years leading creative and adventure summer camps for kids of all ages. Kevin works with schools to develop innovative, engaging curriculum to better prepare learners for the world they will face when they graduate. He is passionate about meeting the needs of at-risk learners. Kevin travels the world speaking at conferences and working with educators at the grassroots level.


Jane Renner is Director of Curriculum and Instruction at Reeds Spring School District, Missouri. She began her career as a high school English teacher at a small rural district just south of Marshfield. She stayed in the classroom 15 years before moving into the position of Curriculum Director. Jane has a Masters Degree in English from Missouri State University in Springfield and a Doctorate Degree in Educational Leadership from the University of Missouri, Columbia.


Michael Campbell is the Founder and Principal of Forward Thinking Educational Consulting. Michael has been actively involved in education marketing and sales positions spanning K-12 and higher education technology and publishing, and has held leadership positions at ETA hand2mind, Follett Software Company, Pearson Education, Cengage Learning, and McGraw-Hill Higher Education. Michael enjoys volunteering for his daughter's school PTO, and being an active member ASCD, ISTE, and SIIA.


This webinar is part of new series on edWeb.net, Inspiring Teachers - Changing Lives. http://edwebnet.blogspot.com/2012/05/inspiring-teachers-changing-lives.html
This series is dedicated to the power of one teacher - how just ONE teacher can change a life. We all wish every teacher had these powers to inspire and motivate our students and children. Their power comes from believing in their students as much as anything.

edWeb.net is a professional social network and learning community that makes it easy to connect with peers, share information and best practices, spread innovative ideas, and provide professional development.

- There is no pre-registration for this event.

- This webinar will be recorded and archived in this community for viewing at anytime.

District Wide Information

As we move forward with technology in our schools I found this graphic regarding The Digital Classroom.  It focuses on textbooks vs eBooks, rental eBooks, a comparison of the iPad vs the KindleFire, reinventing the textbook, and how classrooms are changing.
  
The Digital Classroom - http://www.onlineuniversities.com/digital-classroom

This is the last post for this school year.  Postings on the Media Info Bits Blog will resume in August.  Enjoy the summer!

District Wide Information

How Tech will Transform the Traditional Classroom - 
http://mashable.com/2012/03/22/tech-traditional-education/?utm_source=pulsenews&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Mashable+%28Mashable%29#


As teachers across the district submitted grant applications last Friday to make a paradigm shift in teaching in their classrooms, subject areas or across grade levels with the hopes of new technology, the article title and link above addresses several area where technology will transform the traditional classroom.  
Fortunately, here in the Marshall Public School District, we have a supportive school board, superintendent, administrative team, and many teachers ready to move forward with the idea of transformation in student learning.  This article is well presented, and provides new ideas as we move forward with technology in our schools and classrooms. 

District Wide Information

FREE Federal Resources for Educational Excellence
http://free.ed.gov/index.cfm
FREE has more than 1,500 federally supported teaching and learning resources from federal agencies.  It was conceived in 1997 by a federal working group in response to a memo from the President (President Clinton).
This site has animations, primary documents, photos, and videos.  Animations includes 30 resources such as A Tour of the Cell, Seeing Math Interactives, and Invention at Play to name a few.  There are a 134 Primary Documents.  Among these documents is Using Primary Sources in the Classroom to offer suggestions as to how use photos, documents, and other artifacts to bring history alive in your classroom.  Finally there are 80 photographic resources and 41 video resources available.  The FREE resources can be access by subject.  Check out this fabulously valuable resource!

District Wide Information

History of Earth Day - http://www.earthday.org/earth-day-history-movement
Today, April 22nd is Earth Day.  It is the 42nd Anniversary for this environmental movement.  The linked article speaks of the history of Earth Day.  Both the Earth Day Network http://www.earthday.org/ and the United States Environmental Protection Agency  http://www.epa.gov/earthday/ has many fantastic and educational resources to include in your teaching.  Check out Six Words for the Planet on the EPA website.  This is a way for students to creatively think about and express Earth Day, protecting our planet, or any environmental topic of essence in six words.


Pottermore - http://www.thedigitalshift.com/2012/04/k-12/pottermore-opens-to-all/
Have you heard J.K. Rowling's website Pottermore is here!  Pottermore is a free site where users can enter Hogwarts where you get sorted into one of the four houses and have a wand choose you!  It is an online experience from J.K. Rowling based on the Harry Potter books.  

District Wide Information

Encourage, Promote, and Persuade Summer Reading
The last few weeks I have been teaching students in grades K-8 about Award Winning books.  I love to book talk books just enough to entice student interest in this year's Award Winning books.  Below is a list of award winning books to encourage your students to read this summer.  


Newbery Award: Dead in Norvelt by Jack Gantos 
Newbery Honor: Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhha Lai and
Breaking Stalin's Nose by Eugene Yelchin 
Coretta Scott King Author Award Winner: Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans written and illustrated by Kadir Nelson
Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award Winner: Underground: Finding the Light to Freedom illustrated by Shane W. Evans
Pura Belpre Author Award Winner: Under the Mesquite by Guadalupe Garcia McCall
Pura Belpre Illustrator Award Winner: Diego Rivera: His World and Ours written and illustrated by Duncan Tonatiuh
Pura Belpre Illustrator Honor Books: The Cazuela that the Farm Maiden Stirred illustrated by Rafael López and Marisol McDonald Doesn’t Match /Marisol McDonald no combina illustrated by Sara Palacios

Caldecott Award: A Ball for Daisy written and illustrated by Chris Raschka

Caldecott Honor: Blackout written and illustrated by John Rocco; Grandpa Green written and illustrated by Lane Smith; and Me … Jane written and illustrated by Patrick McDonnell


For more ideas go to the American Library Associations book and media awards page at http://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia

Books to promote to high school students include the following award winning books.
Printz Award: Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley
Printz Honor: Why We Broke Up written by Daniel Handler; The Returning written by Christine Hinwood; Jasper Jones written by Craig Silvey; The Scorpio Races written by Maggie Stiefvater
Schneider Family Book Award: The Running Dream by Wendelin Van Draanen

District Wide Information

April is National Poetry Month(NPM) - In between all of the testing in April consider a fantastic month long celebration of poetry NPM was started in 1996 by the Academy of American Poets http://www.poets.org/page.php/prmID/41 You and your students could make a poem of the day book where each day a different student writes a poem.  This among many other ideas as seen in the websites I've included in this posting offer many ideas, lessons and resources. 
Check out the lessons and ideas to celebrate National Poetry Month provided by Read Write Think. There are lessons and ideas for teachers K-12.
http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/calendar-activities/april-national-poetry-month-20478.html
Scholastic highlights many well known poets such as Jack Prelutski, Karla Kuskin, Maya Angelou, and Shel Silverstein. This has many ideas and lessons available too.
http://teacher.scholastic.com/poetry/

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During the High School building level PLC time last Wednesday teachers presented how they were using the following tools in their classroom for formative assessments or for student learning.

Poll Everywhere - http://www.polleverywhere.com/
Poll Everywhere an easy way to poll student learning, opinions, or background knowledge.  It is easy to set up and use with computer, iPad or cell phone access. 

Go Soap Box - http://gosoapbox.com/ Go Soap Box is similar to Poll Everywhere in that you can poll students. But it also has backchanneling capability where students can ask questions as presentations by you or classmates share information.  This is a great way to get students to ask questions.  Especially those that may otherwise be too shy to raise their hand.


Socrative - http://socrative.com/ Mitch Maxwell has used Socrative in his science classrooms and has some terrific tips to get started at the following slide presentation.
http://portal.sliderocket.com/BMUZL/Socrative-presentation

Creating You Tube Videos for the Classroom

http://prezi.com/mco1vuefvzmr/creating-educational-videos-for-youtube/ Thank you to Marty Brandl, MHS math teacher, for sharing how he creates YouTube Videos for his classes.  He is willing to help anyone with questions.

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Big Book Babble - http://www.bigbookbabble.co.uk/
Big Book Babble is hosted by London's childrens' comedian, James Campbell.  The focus of this program is to encourage your students to read.  Children's authors are interviewed with the program running approximately 30 minutes aimed for students aged 7 - 11 years old.  The featured author on Tuesday, March 27th at 11 AM is Anthony Horowitz, the author of the Alex Rider series.

WatchKnowLearn.org - http://watchknowlearn.org/
WatchKnowLearn is a resource for over 33,000+ free educational videos for educational subjects in elementary and secondary learning.  This is another great repository for videos to enhance your teaching.

 

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ReadWorks.org - http://www.readworks.org/
The mission of ReadWorks.org is to improve teacher effectiveness and student achievement by providing K‐6 educators with a proven online reading comprehension curriculum and methodology.  Like Reading Rockets.org and Adlit.org, this site has many standards based lessons for comprehension including novel units for grades 5 and 6.  There are short video tutorials about this site at the following link http://www.readworks.org/full-site-tour#part5.  Here the videos highlight the following Part 1: Finding the Lessons (3 min.); Part 2: The K-4 Units (4 min.); Part 3: The Non-Fiction Reading Passages (3 min.); Part 4: The Elements of a Lesson and Standards Alignment (6 min.); Part 5: The 5th-6th Novel Units (4 min.); Part 6: Sharing Lessons and Searching by Standards (6 min.)

HippoCampus.org - http://www.hippocampus.org/
HippoCampus offers free multimedia study materials and educational information to high school students. Subjects include algebra, statistics, calculus, biology, physics, chemistry, Earth science, economics, history and government, psychology, and religion. Users can “mix” their own multimedia playlists, find existing playlists, and share their playlists with peers. Teachers can create playlists for easy student access. This is another great teaching resource using NROC (National Repository of Online Course), Khan Academy, PhET Interactive Simulations, and NOAA Collections (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration). 
HippoCampus is a project of the Monterey Institute for Technology and Education (MITE) and was designed as part of Open Education Resources (OER), a worldwide effort to improve access to quality education for everyone. (HippoCampus requires Adobe Flash.)

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Profile for Technology Literate Students


This week's example is from the Profiles for Technology Literate Students for grades 6-8.

1. Describe and illustrate a content-related concept or process using a model, simulation, or concept-mapping software. (1,2)

For teachers interested, my FLY presentation relates to this.  I am presenting four resources by WETA (Public Broadcasting for Greater Washington) and funded by the U.S. Department of Education.  These four website resources provide reading strategies, best practices and other resources.  These will help with the profile above which is indicated for grades 6-8, but the websites are for PK-12.  Check out http://www.adlit.org/ for grades 4-12, http://www.readingrockets.org/ for grades PK-3, LDOnline for help with students with learning disabilities or ADHD, and Colorin' Colorado for resources for ELL students and families.

Formative Assessments and Technology
I attended the SW/WC Technology Conference on Friday.  One session was titled Formative Assessments and Technology.  I will highlight some of the technology tools that I thought were interesting.  If anyone would like a copy of the hand-out I received to try other technology tools for formative assessments, just send me an email.
1. Educreations - http://www.educreations.com/ or Educreations app
This is a recordable virtual whiteboard that can be used to create video lessons or explanations and then uploaded to the Educreations website. These lessons can be emailed if needed.
2. Socrative - http://www.socrative.com/ 
This is a response/assessment tool.  Teachers create questions and students access them through a wireless device with a web browser.  Socrative provides color-coded reports of student performance so you can analyze student performance results quickly and easily.
3. PaperRater - http://www.paperrater.com/
Paper Rater is a free tool that gives students feedback on writing assignments including a grammar checker, plagiarism detector, writing suggestions and a tentative grade based on word choice, spelling, grammar, and more. 

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Profile for Technology Literate Students

This week's example is from the Profiles for Technology Literate Students for grades 9-12.

2. Create and publish an online art gallery with examples and commentary that demonstrate an understanding of different historical periods, cultures, and countries. (1,2)


The following website is an engaging art resource to make the connections as described in the above profile.  Art offers a visual understanding of the historic period and the culture of that time.


Smarthistory.org is a free, not-for-profit, multi-media web-book designed as a dynamic supplement  for the traditional art history textbook. As of October 2011, Smarthistory is a part of the Khan Academy.  Dr. Beth Harris and Dr. Steven Zucker are the creators of the podcasts and screen-casts found in Smarthistory.org.  These conversations discuss the works of art.
http://smarthistory.khanacademy.org/


1. Creativity and Innovation
2. Communication and Collaboration
3. Research and Information Fluency
4. Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making
5. Digital Citizenship
6. Technology Operations and Concepts




K-12 Tech Tools - http://edutechdatabase.wikispaces.com/home#.T1QpMYePW18

K-12 Tech Tools is a fantastic resource!  It includes many websites as well as iPad apps organized by subject area or grade level.  Check this out for new ideas!

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World Read Aloud Day - March 7, 2012
http://litworld.org/worldreadaloudday
World Read Aloud Day is another great way to model and motivate to our students, staff, faculty and community the importance of reading as well as the celebration of the power of words.  Consider registering at the attached website as an individual, a class, a team or a school wide celebration.


Goodnight iPad by Ann Droyd (aka Dave Milgrim)
http://www.davidmilgrim.com/DMDC/anndroyd.com
 Take a couple of minutes to watch the video of the story Goodnight iPad, a parody of the classic story Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown.  Like the batteries in our mobile devices need recharging, so do we.  We need to remember to recharge our bodies with sleep, socializing with friends, playing sports, and other activities than playing with electronic devices.  All is good with moderation.  Enjoy! (Thank you to Heidi Critchley for asking me to order this book.) 

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Profile for Technology Literate Students

This week's example is from the Profiles for Technology Literate Students for grades PK-2.

2. Identify, research, and collect data on an environmental issue using digital resources and propose a developmentally appropriate solution. (1,3,4)

When I read this profile, I thought of the upcoming new movie The Lorax, from the story written by Dr. Seuss.  I feel this is an appropriate time to consider a small project where students identify, research, and collect data on an environmental issue as simple as what is trash versus what should be recycled.  The Lorax Project in the Classroom is a starting point for such a project. http://www.seussville.com/Educators/lorax_classroom/educatorlorax_discuss.php
The Environmental Protection Agency Students K-12 http://www.epa.gov/students/index.html and The Center for Environmental Education Online http://www.ceeonline.org/ have other resources you may find helpful. ***Note that although this focus is for grades PK-2, many of these ideas and resources may be applicable to students up to grade 12 so check them out!***

1. Creativity and Innovation
2. Communication and Collaboration
3. Research and Information Fluency
4. Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making
5. Digital Citizenship
6. Technology Operations and Concepts

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Profile for Technology Literate Students


This week's example is from the Profiles for Technology Literate Students for grades 3-5.

9. Debate the effect of existing and emerging technologies on individuals, society, and the global community. (5, 6)
Technology is ever changing!  I find new ideas to use almost everyday.  The questions I always ask is "How will this help me or help a teacher?" "How will this be a benefit to students?" Here are 41 Websites for Teachers to Integrate Tech into the Classroom" https://askatechteacher.wordpress.com/2011/05/27/41-websites-for-teachers-to-integrate-tech-into-your-classroom/ Sometimes it is not the websites found but how technology changes.  A recent example is Google's new policy. http://www.google.com/policies/privacy/preview/  Although this may be too much to consider for students in grades 3-5, looking at our district Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) in general terms is important for students at this age and older to consider.  Very few students have even the most basic understanding of this policy even though they have signed the policy.  
1. Creativity and Innovation
2. Communication and Collaboration
3. Research and Information Fluency
4. Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making
5. Digital Citizenship
6. Technology Operations and Concepts


Did You Know...February 1st was the first Digital Learning Day?
Check out more about it at this link http://www.digitallearningday.org/  Many schools participated in Digital Learning Day and shared what they did.  The Toolkits tab has many resources.  Check it out for ideas!