A Pep Talk from Kid President to You - Teachers and everyone!

What if all humans thought like this?

"What will be your Space Jam? This is your time. This is our time. We are on the same team."

Kid President's Pep Talk to Teachers and Students!

You are teaching the world how to be awesome! Continue to be amazing!

See you in 2014!

~Rebecca

Safety Training Differentiation

Just as our students require differentiation strategies, we will be applying the same principle to our safety training this year. Make your selection through the embedded form on this post!

The following has been set up to accommodate the different needs of our faculty:

OPTION 1:

If you would prefer to have a face-to-face, compliance only, safety training for the 2013-2014 school year, there will be two 45-minute sessions. They will be given at HSS and HSN on January 29 and March 12. You will need to attend both of these sessions to be provided with the content of specific handling of chemicals and lab safety. Teachers from South and Grover will meet at HSS. Teachers from North and Community will meet at HSN. The dates that were initially given back to the department to provide teachers with time to complete the training videos will be put back into the calendar as face-to-face sessions for your PLCs.

Teachers who elect this option, but have already signed up for the Flinn workshop for January 31, may cancel their sessions and select alternate sessions. 

The face-to-face training, coupled with the two department meetings using Flinn videos and our current GCN videos, will allow us to comply with the minimum standards required by PEOSHA for this school year only. 

   If a teacher elects the face-to-face training dates, he or she will need to go through a minimal training next school year as well. Anyone who uses the Flinn training will not require any in-depth safety training before the 2015-2016 school year. 

      Anyone who has already completed the video training will not be required to attend any meetings or planning sessions for PLCs that occur on the dates that have already been given back to the department. 

OPTION 2:

     If you wish to complete the video program, you will just need to complete the training (January PD day and meeting dates that have already been given back and are listed on the calendar) and send me the certificate by July 1. These videos provide you with information that is above and beyond mere compliance for the state. As such, anyone who completes this series, will not have to attend any additional safety training next school year. Again, you will not be required to attend any common planning sessions or meetings that have already been given back to the department. 

     

      Should you wish to be part of a science safety committee moving forward, please reach out. Given the types of investigations taking place in our classrooms, and the inherent danger of our department, it would be a tremendous asset to our district to have multiple minds working on a plan for the safest classroom environments. 

** Blog post on recent classroom safety incident from NSTA - nstacommunities.org/blog/2014/01/06/lab-incident-at-a-manhattan-high-school-another-hard-safety-lesson-to-learn#.Ussl-I5jBmA.twitter 

How are we using educational technology?

http://www.nearpod.com/apps-that-redefine-education/

There are big questions we need to ask ourselves when we use technology in our classrooms. What is the purpose? Will this transform the learning experience? Is this a mere substitution of what I already do well without tech? 

When integrated thoughtfully, educational technology can be extremely powerful and redefine the student-centered environment we are all hoping to achieve. 

It is really easy to be pulled in by the glitz and glamour of edtech. If we are very deliberate in our usage, we can ensure we are taking student learning to new heights.

http://gettingsmart.com/2013/07/using-samr-to-teach-above-the-line/

Not heard of the SAMR model? No worries! You probably know it by another name or description. 

Check out the links below for resources on the ways teachers can integrate more technology in their classrooms. 

Ruben Puentedura's Weblog

Dr. Ruben Puentedura - iTunes podcasts

SAMR resources

Check out the SAMR model explained in 120 seconds. 

Looking for exemplars?

SAMR & a Chromebook Cart

Middle School Department Meeting Agenda 12/11/13

1. Jellybeans.
2. Clarifications:

• I have no expectation that you, or your students, are tweeting or blogging. 
• I do expect that we continue to use our best practices to impact the lives of our students and continue to grow as professionals.
• I do expect you to take your time completing the Flinn videos. The certificate is due to me by July 1. You can sign up for 1 or 2 sessions on the January PD day and there are 5 meetings that have been given back to you so you can complete the video modules on your own time whenever it is convenient for you. In two years time, we can re-evaluate how we as a department will comply with training everyone based on the regulations and time constraints. If you have suggestions, please reach out!
• Please continue to reach out to me whenever you have a concern.

3. Review the stations of our edcamp-style model of PD 

In our January-March department meetings we will be coming together to talk about the things that matter most to us: our interests, passions, and questions. These meetings have been designed to provide us with greater flexibility and autonomy and truly focus on areas that we have identified for continued growth. 

• The Danielson Framework (Group members will review the rubric and develop a document detailing specific classroom strategies that mirror the expectations in the Framework.)

• Tech Ninjas (The kickoff session will begin with Alan Johnson and Sharon Feig sharing information on the district initiative and the long-term plan. Group members will then develop ways to use technology and Google Apps for Education in the science classroom.)

• Standards-based Grading (Group members will be developing strategies for implementation in their respective courses.)

• Next Generation Science Standards (Group members will discuss ideas for implementing the science practices of the NGSS and create a document that will be shared with all science teachers.)

• Vertical Articulation (Group members will focus on how the core concepts spiral 6-12 and the best practices to increase student proficiency in science.)

• Common Assessment review (PLCs will review the shared work of their students in order to determine if the students have demonstrated proficiency on the common tasks and develop ways to differentiate based on the data.)

You will have the opportunity to either stay with a group for the three sessions or to switch if you are interested in one or more of the other sessions. 

If none of the above choices are appealing to you, please make a recommendation. You will be able to select based on how you would like to grow professionally.

Please sign up on the Google Spreadsheet to sign up for only one of the sessions in January. You will have the opportunity to sign up for additional sessions in February and March as well. 

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AnbU-Lg-UoWSdFFySVdaNG94ckxKd3hSOHBCTjh0dEE&usp=sharing#gid=0 

4. 20 things we should say more often. 

Have a great Winter Break and continue to be awesome. Our January meeting is on the 15th with all 6-12 teachers. 

Department Meeting Agenda 12.4.13 HSS room 207 3:20pm

1. Jellybeans.
2. Clarifications:

• I have no expectation that you, or your students, are tweeting or blogging. 
• I do expect that we continue to use our best practices to impact the lives of our students and continue to grow as professionals.
• I do expect you to take your time completing the Flinn videos. The certificate is due to me by July 1. You can sign up for 1 or 2 sessions on the January PD day and there are 5 meetings that have been given back to you so you can complete the video modules on your own time whenever it is convenient for you. In two years time, we can re-evaluate how we as a department will comply with training everyone based on the regulations and time constraints. If you have suggestions, please reach out!
• Please keep grades up to date in IC. 
• Please continue to reach out to me whenever you have a concern.

3. Review the stations of our edcamp-style model of PD 

In our January-March department meetings we will be coming together to talk about the things that matter most to us: our interests, passions, and questions. These meetings have been designed to provide us with greater flexibility and autonomy and truly focus on areas that we have identified for continued growth. 

• The Danielson Framework (Group members will review the rubric and develop a document detailing specific classroom strategies that mirror the expectations in the Framework.)

• Tech Ninjas (The kickoff session will begin with Alan Johnson and Sharon Feig sharing information on the district initiative and the long-term plan. Group members will then develop ways to use technology and Google Apps for Education in the science classroom.)

• Standards-based Grading (Group members will be developing strategies for implementation in their respective courses.)

• Next Generation Science Standards (Group members will discuss ideas for implementing the science practices of the NGSS and create a document that will be shared with all science teachers.)

• Vertical Articulation (Group members will focus on how the core concepts spiral 6-12 and the best practices to increase student proficiency in science.)

• Common Assessment review (PLCs will review the shared work of their students in order to determine if the students have demonstrated proficiency on the common tasks and develop ways to differentiate based on the data.)

You will have the opportunity to either stay with a group for the three sessions or to switch if you are interested in one or more of the other sessions. 

If none of the above choices are appealing to you, please make a recommendation. You will be able to select based on how you would like to grow professionally.

Please sign up on the Google Spreadsheet to sign up for only one of the sessions in January. You will have the opportunity to sign up for additional sessions in February and March as well. 

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AnbU-Lg-UoWSdFFySVdaNG94ckxKd3hSOHBCTjh0dEE&usp=sharing#gid=0 

4. 20 things we should say more often. 

Have a great Winter Break and continue to be awesome. Our January meeting is on the 15th with all 6-12 teachers.