Double D for Dummies

O.K. We got the Analysis down  at our 'garage sale' last week, so now we move on to developing learning objectives and designing and developing the plan. At CCTS we are very fortunate to have the best and the brightest people for our Professional Development through the vision of Kathy Hartford, Assistant Superintendent. A forward thinker who has been training us for years in Bloom and writing objectives and backward design, so I think much of this part of ADDIE we do, on a weekly basis.
There were some helpful ideas in the Dummies book like listing  all the learning objectives  and breaking them down to smaller parts. This is especially useful with our special population. Metering the contents for your learners  so it is just right.  I love the idea of designing ice-breakers to relate to the content.  Timing is another area to think about, for example, in any particular class there are students who zip right through and others who are painstakingly slow.  Pages and pages of ideas in Chapter 5 (summer reading ***).
I loved this class even though I was frustrated MOST of the time. Amy, it was an interesting ride with bonuses.
Looking forward to the Fall and our next challenge -Learning Theories.

Collaboration and Community with a Multi Cultural twist

All I can say is WOW!  If you were unfortunate enough not to attend the Brigantine Elementary School 2010
Arts Night, not to worry, I am going to give you a peek at what you missed.  With the help of Amy's gift of a Flip camera I was off and videoing some of these amazing children  and the unbelieveable things they accomplished . 
Arts was the platform, however there was so much more going on .  Having worked in school districts for over 15 years I have never seen what was was occuring in Brigantine.
Yes there was a theme. This year Eurasian Quest and the whole school was turned into foreign places-Ancient Greece and Rome, The Italian Renaissance, Germany, Poland ( the pierogies were great) , Austria, Hungary, Ukraine and Russia. As you moved through the building you were taken back in time. Students have been immersed in these cultures all year, each with their specific projects and cultures. This night was the very proud culmination of their learning and work.This is what we were treated to see.
What wasn't so obvious was the comming together and cooperation of an entire community. Ahh! if we could only bottle this.  It was obvious that a massive project such as this could not have happened without
the full committment of everyone from the Superintendent (very handsome by the way) a very nice man, and
all the way down to the children. Volunteers abounded. Parents participated and encouraged. One little girl
was to participate in the Austrian part, she came in a pony tail and another sudent reminded mom she was suppose to be in braids- the problem was fixed immediately.
I was embarrassed when I saw 3rd and 4th graders using technology. The made WIKIPIKIS  and were very willing to help those digital imigrants who needed it. That wasn't all, as we walked through the halls they
were Skyping to New Zealand  getting art lessons. Awesome!  I'm not sure if any of this is in the Principals
job description but Brigantine is very lucky to have Don Marrandino.
Enough of the chit-chat. Take a look.  

Net Gen

Grown Up Digital by Don Tapscott has been on this generation since he wrote Growing-up Digital  in 1997.  (way) Back then most people were using a primitive Internet based on the programming language-HTML. It was about viewing content. The young ones though were using the Web to communicate with friends-which became the core of Web2.0.
That was then, now they have grown.  Tapscott surveyed more than 11,000 young people and reveals the results, such as, how the brain of Net Generation processes information (something I am very interested in). Also he reveals seven characteristics the Generation  as well as seven guidelines for educators to tap the Net Gen potential.
If you want to meet the future, this is the read!

ISTE NETS

ISTE stands for the International Society for Technology in Education and NETS stands for National Educational Technology Standards .  Who knew?  

ISTE is the premier membership association for educators and education leaders engaged in improving learning and teaching by advancing the effective use of technology in PK-12 and higher education.
Their mission is to advance excellence in learning and teaching through innovative and effective uses of technology.
They have developed the NETS due to the call for technology to be included in all subject areas , Most states are requiring teachers to adapt to standard driven education. Leaders in business and education agreed to request that the Department of Education include technology into standards-based curriculum and establish accountability models for the inclusion of 21st century skills to assure the students receive the necessary skills to become global citizens for the future.
The NETS have served as a road map since 1998 for improved learning and teaching.

The standards for teachers are organized into 5 categories as of 2008.

1. Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity
2. Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments
3. Model Digital-Age Work and Learning
4. Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility
5. Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership

There are also Standards and Performance indicators for students, all of which can be found on http://www.iste.org/
ISTE also has a lesson database you can search by grade level, subject, and/or key words.

So, what are your reactions  to the ISTE National Educational Technology Standards. Do you think they are beneficial to teachers or students?

Social Media in the Classroom

     Online Universities  published  a Blog on May 4, 2010 listing "100 Inspiring Ways to Use Social Media In the Classroom."  Besides being a fun way to connect with friends, social media has evolved into a powerful tool for education.
     The ideas are categorized for all levels.  They include K-12;College;ways students can use SM;ways instructors can use SM;communication;class projects;promoting community and collaboration;and SM tools for students. Check it out.

http://www.onlineuniversities.com/blog/2010/05/100-inspiring-ways-to-use-social-media-in-the-classroom/

I loved the first inspiring idea-Make literature real- where students create a Facebook page for a character from literature you are studying. Maybe an idea for Capstone in the College section like #13, Research social media.  I could have used #20 Practice a language when I was taking Greek lessons.
#47 Help shy students who may feel uncomfortable approaching their teacher is an interesting idea. Under Class Projects  students can, #51 Share book reviews, #57 Create Stories, or conduct  Interviews #60.
The Promoting Community and Collaboration section has 10 ideas and #71  Inclusion is an  inspiring way to help students who have to be out of the classroom due to special needs or illness  be connected to the class remotely. (beats sending work home) . Don't miss the Social Media Tools for Students #'s 72-85.
  Last but not least there is a whole section of Preparing for Employment.  They say it pays to advertise so use Facebook ads  to get the attention of potential employers.#100.