Reading about Assessment and Using Technology

I found some good articles worth reading, especially as we are preparing to align curriculum, look at common assessments, and discuss the changing use of technology in our classrooms.

1) Article about how PLC teams use assessments:

http://www.allthingsplc.info/wordpress/?p=1006

2) This article was tweeted by Jason Glass, the Director of the IA Dept. of Ed. (Twitter ID @jasonglassIA). Some good points about using technology in the classroom: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/04/technology/technology-in-schools-faces-questions-on-value.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all

Share comments and feedback!

Professional Development: Growth through Reflection

Professional development is an opportunity for us to grow in our profession. This year, a majority of the time spent during early dismissal days will be collaboration between teachers. We will begin most sessions with a short introductory activity (technology, team-building, instructional strategies) and then spend the rest of the time working with student data in PLCs.

All teachers (regardless of LRC status) will compile a notebook (hard copy or digital) of collaborative experiences. These can be simple summaries of the day's discussions written individually or as a group. You may want to include artifacts used as well. The more complete the entry, the more useful it will be in the future. Check out this document about the purpose and process of reflective writing. Plan to dedicate the last 15-20 minutes of the day to reflection and writing. By the end of the year, you will have a tangible and (more importantly) meaningful record of your progress, interactions, data, and growth.

Notebooks should be submitted no later than check out with your building principal.

Two Insightful Videos

This is a short film by Scott McLeod called "Did You Know?" It premiered at this year's SAI (School Administrators of Iowa) conference. It explains the current state of education in Iowa as well as some startling facts about everything from online presence to economic factors.

"A Vision of K-12 Students Today" was created with the same intent as McLeod's film above. It puts the reality of school-aged learners into perspective.

Take the time to watch these short films, and then share your thoughts, questions, or other feedback with others!

Teachnology Web Site

I'm not sure if any of you receive this monthly e-newsletter or not, but I thought this looked like a promising site:

Teachnology Graphic Organizers

It is full of free printable worksheets for all content areas (which are found on the left side of the page). It seems to be geared more toward elementary grades, but they could be used for remediation in upper grades as well. Take a look through the site and post any feedback.

Technology Integration Survey

To help guide the technology integration component of our PD this year, please complete this survey. This should be completed before the first day of school. It should only take a few minutes and your honest feedback is appreciated. Be sure to answer all questions. Please contact me if you experience any problems with the survey. Thanks in advance for your input!

Digital Resource Page

This is a link to a very user-friendly page of digital resources - some of which we have already been exposed to in PD over the last few years. Take some time to explore these pages and applications for use in your instruction. Enjoy!

Peer Observation Schedules

Now that we have completed our initial study of professional learning communities, it's time to get back into the classrooms and see each other in action. You are to work with your PLC team to devise a schedule and a form for use in your observations. The reason why a form isn't being provided for you is so you and your team members can tailor the document to your needs. Engage in discussion about specific elements of your curriculum, instruction, and/or assessment for which you are most interested in receiving feedback. After devising a means of recording your data, decide on a schedule for your team's observations. As stated in the agenda for today's in-service, plan to have your observations done by Friday, April 29th. Use the comment function to post the schedule on this blog. Enjoy your time in the classrooms!