Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Resources for Creating a Technology Rich Environment

-computers

-video cameras

-digital cameras

-audio/video editing software

-DDR - Dance Dance Revolution

-wii fit

-laptops

What else?

-tv in the hallway

-microphones

-

jdthomas7 (Jeff Thomas)

jdthomas7: http://twitpic.com/iuzje - PLC
Original Tweet: http://twitter.com/jdthomas7/status/4324570065
Sent via TweetDeck (www.tweetdeck.com)


PLC Book Study #1 Underway

Think Big - It Is Our Time!

Project-based learning = Teachers designing the experience and the students taking part in the process and product.

Redefine your personal edge to push yourself to go farther and farther.

C.A.S.E = Change Agents for the Student Experience

C.A.S.E = Change Agents for the School Experience

Become the Agent - constantly redesign your edge

Initiatives -
>"...to become the most technology rich learning environment..."
> it's about the staff and the students
> not necessarily about having the pieces

> Teacher Web Pages - consistent and timely communication

> ePortfolios for all students - digital content managed by one person
>Here's an example at Atomic Learning:
http://www.atomiclearning.com/k12/eportfolio?from_legacy=1

Assist students in building a collection of student work - How could we do this? What are some ideas?
-website
-blog
-wiki
-collaboration
-research
-Google docs

>student accounts and email - How will we get the information out to kids successfully?
>Students in Tech CASE class will be assigned to new users --> teach the basics, be held accountable through real-world experiences and applied learning processes

>create an effective PLC - related to student learning

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Community, Collaboration, & Communication

The 3C's as we are calling them, I believe, are essential for us to learn about ourselves and build upon our vision of empower students and teachers to think critically with digital tools, the Internet, and Web 2.0 (or maybe Web 4.0).

I'm looking at Appendix A at the "Essential Learning Functions" and am thinking about a fabulous group of people who came to an optional in-service today to learn how to make their lines of communication better which will ultimately improve their immediate community, but also the Grace community. This could not have happened without collaboration. We are "doing" the "list" in Appendix A without even realizing it. We are creating opportunities for students in alignment with the National Educational Technology Standards for Students (NETS-S) and teachers don't even realize it. Life is just that great for our students right now, and I am proud to be a part of what we have and what Grace will become.

It's amazing to me that everything stems from an idea which insists that we can always improve. We are all learners, students and teachers together, and I find myself wondering, "Is this real?" I ask myself this question because we are learning so much so fast, it is very difficult to keep up, but it does come back to the 3C's. It's a book, a PLC, an idea, a website, an app, a podcast, a wiki, a conversation, an email, or a smile that brings us all together in a place where we are learning to lead and living to serve.
tonyvincent: New video podcast: Create a comic strip with saved images from Maps and Safari on an iPod touch. http://j.mp/7DEWM

Friday, September 18, 2009

What is Project-Based Learning?

When you hear the term project-based learning, what does that mean to you? Are you using this type of student learning in your classroom already? If you are, what are you doing? What type of technology are you integrating in your project?

Let's see what we are doing...

PLC Book Study

The Middle School (MS) teachers are reading Reinventing Project-Based Learning by Suzie Boss & Jane Krauss

Our Professional Learning Community (PLC) will meet on Wednesday after school.