World-Shaker

CREATE is an instructional model designed to close the achievement gap in urban classrooms. The acronym represents the six components of the model:

C - Culturally Responsive Instruction
R - Rigorous Expectations and Rewards
E - Essentials-Focused Planning
A - Assessing for Mastery During Class
T - Test Models
E - Extra One-on-One Tutoring for Struggling Students

The CREATE model is strongly against lecturing from “bell to bell.” In fact, I am never up in front of the board “teaching” the class for more than 15-20 minutes! Let me explain.

Sorry, dear followers: You’ll have to click through to learn more :o)

It’s a pretty compelling idea, even more so given that it was student-developed rather than corporate. Click through if you’d like to learn a bit more.

I’ve asked several times this year (here, here, and here) if the education world really needs another LMS. Regardless of how boring the Blackboard-bashing has become (to me personally at least), the number of new entrants in the LMS field does indicate that folks believe there’s room for competition and improvement. Certainly there is still a strong (and overwhelmingly negative) response to the incumbent players. As such, almost everyone in the learning management system industry now says that they’re rethinking what an LMS should do.

That includes, of course, Coursekit, which is taking a more social approach than administrative approach to the LMS. “Our goal is to turn courses into communities online,” says CEO Cohen. Doing so “transforms the learning experience from something that happens twice a week into a continuous conversation.”

specialbunny:

Hey all-
Yesterday my grandfather passed away from pancreatic cancer. He’d been fighting for four years, and he lost. He was a wonderful mn who had many talents, and though I m devastated he’s gone, I got to see him one last time before he passed and I know he’s not suffering anymore.

I had to make emergency sub plans for the first time last night. it’s incredibly difficult to ensure that someone will take your plans and carry them out the way you want them. This has me incredibly pre-occupied because I will be gone for the next three days and the kids have a piece of writing due Friday. I’m terrified that the kids will have nothing done when I return

I now see how the other side feels when they call for a sub…..I’m just glad that when I was a day substitute that I did my best.

Requesting some Tumblr Teacher support over here :o(

I know I’ve gotten some great professional development out of Twitter. Here’s another educator’s experience (click through for more information on getting started):

As an educator, there have been few things that have played as large a part in my own professional growth as Twitter. I have seen many benefits in the last three years:

• I’ve developed supportive working relationships with some amazing educators, about 50 of whom I talk to nearly every week.
• I’ve been exposed to ideas from people actually using them with students. For example, moving away from points-based grading and toward a model of assessment focused on learning and feedback was very helpful to me as a new teacher.
• I’ve been able to share my own ideas with an authentic audience and receive meaningful feedback.
• I’ve met many of the colleagues whom I knew first through Twitter in person at conferences and events and have formed true friendships with them. Teachers know that relationships are key to a successful learning environment, and I have strengthened the bonds I have with teachers from around the world.
• I’ve been able to participate in and lead conference sessions, including some that my colleagues from Twitter and I have organized. For example, in January, I presented at Educon in Philadelphia, where I connected with around 300 teachers I had met on Twitter. The sessions were all set up as conversations where the presenters fostered dialogue with the participants.
• I’ve taken responsibility for my own growth as a teacher.
• I’ve even received job offers. I’ve been offered full-time positions, freelance work, and conference speaking engagements from people whom I have interacted with on Twitter.

A new competition sponsored by the Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation has just announced 12 winning libraries and museums that will receive $1.2 million in grant money help push the boundaries of what these institutions look like, specifically helping to create facilities that are better “learning labs” for teens.

The idea was inspired by YOUmedia, a teen learning space at the Chicago Public Library’s downtown center. YOUmedia provides teens with access to thousands of books. But it also contains over 100 laptop and desktop computers — machines that are equipped with various media creation software — as well as an in-house recording studio with keyboards, turntables and a mixing board. YOUmedia also provides classes and connections to mentors so that teens can learn how to use the equipment.

Recognizing the importance of museums and libraries as sites for hands-on learning, the MacArthur Foundation and IMLS-sponsored competition plans to take the YOUmedia model and spread it nationally. The hope is for the new learning labs to serve as places where teens can explore science, technology, art, and literature — not just to not just to read about it — through building and making.

What do you think of this?

An interesting collection of what one university is doing to help. Here’s one thing from the list:

2. Digital backpacks

While teachers may access top-level classrooms and technology tools at their university, they often land in schools that don’t provide the same resources. For the past five or six years, the center has addressed this challenge by providing select teachers with grant-funded digital backpacks.

These backpacks include tools such as laptops, flip cameras and portable wireless access points, among other things. But because of the closed nature of school networks, they struggle to get devices on the networks, Festa said. As much as possible, the center works with 28 districts in its professional development network to address this issue.

A really fascinating overview of some of the challenges and solutions in blogging assignments. Here’s an excerpt:

In his article, “Instructional Blogging: Promoting Interactivity, Student-Centered Learning, and Peer Input,” Stuart Glogoff relays student feedback after the use of instructional blogs in one of his classes. One student reported that reading about new subjects via the blogging format was enjoyable; she found that researching the topics to post on the class blog was helpful to her overall learning experience. The student, however, complained that, “the posts were few and far between.” She expressed further disappointment over the fact that none of her posts received comments, a complaint echoed amongst other students who took the survey

In order to make instructional blogging more effective, Glogoff gave blogging assignments that required each student to post entries and comment a certain number of times on the work of others. Afterward, students reported general increases in their sense of community. They also reported greater satisfaction with the overall blogging experience. Others said the entire blogging and peer-reviewing process not only helped them understand the course material but also provided a better avenue for helping each other learn through conversation.

girlwithalessonplan:

fernham:

coming soon….the new essays (in bold) are awesome!!!

I. Need. This. So. Badly. 

We’re expected to include more nonfiction next year as part of our literacy initiative.  This would be amazing to have for reading assignments.  Scouring the Internet for essays is a bear.    

If only WWNorton saw this and offered to send an awesome English teacher a complimentary copy for the holidays…

Broken up by subject. There’s bound to be at least one or two new things in here!

Would consumers (parents) be willing to make the ideological jump to paying more for a quality educational app?

fromtheclassroomtrenches:

Every few weeks, I feel the need to check job listings in careers other than teaching. Because of the public service loan forgiveness option I have chosen to take care of my massive student debt, I have limited options. However, I also feel limited because of public perception, and perhaps my own…

Great read. Be sure to add your advice!

An awesome thread going on right now over at Reddit. (Former) students sharing their gratitude is something I’m thankful for!