21st Century PLNs for School Leaders cc licensed ( BY ) flickr photo shared by krossbow I have to admit that I was pretty excited to write my first post for the Edutopia group that has a great list of educators sharing some of their best practices. I wanted to share the piece in my own learning space, but you can see the original article posted on the Edutopia site. As many school administrators are enjoying their summer break, we all tend to think of ways that we can make our school better in the upcoming year. “Meaningful change ain’t gonna happen for our kids if we’re not willing to invest in it for ourselves first. With that being said, I have spent the last few years focusing a great deal on my work as an instructional leader within my role as school-based principal, and now as division principal. So for the administrator new to the world of social media and all of the possibilities that it holds for developing instructional leadership, here are three ways that I would suggest starting to learn this summer 2) Read Blogs
What should students learn in the 21st century? By Charles FadelFounder & chairman, Center for Curriculum Redesign Vice-chair of the Education committee of the Business and Industry Advisory Committee (BIAC) to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)Visiting scholar, Harvard GSE, MIT ESG/IAP and Wharton/Penn CLO It has become clear that teaching skills requires answering “What should students learn in the 21st century?” on a deep and broad basis. Teachers need to have the time and flexibility to develop knowledge, skills, and character, while also considering the meta-layer/fourth dimension that includes learning how to learn, interdisciplinarity, and personalisation. Adapting to 21st century needs means revisiting each dimension and how they interact: Knowledge - relevance required: Students’ lack of motivation, and often disengagement, reflects the inability of education systems to connect content to real-world experience.
The 20 Features Teachers Should Know about The 21st Century Classroom We have been talking a lot about the 21st century skills teacher need to have but what about the 21st century classroom ? Do we know how it looks like ? How much of technology is used there and why should there be any technology it after all ? These are questions that Open Colleges is trying to anwser in their awesome infographic below. Honestly I was thinking that the Flipped Classroom is the type of classroom we will have in the future but I don't think I am right so far. Edudemic has also helped in the realization of this infographic and it even summarized its key elements in the following bullets : 91% of teachers have computers in the classroomJust 20% think they have the right level of technology in the classroomMore than half of all colleges surveyed say their biggest priority is upgrading their wi-fi system43% of teachers surveyed have used online games in the classroom29% of teachers use social networks… 80% of college professors do too.
The Digital Education Revolution, Cont'd: Meet TED-Ed's New Online Learning Platform - Megan Garber - Technology TED's new tool lets teachers create customized lessons that revolve around web video. The iconic image of high school education, forged for most of us through personal experience and viewings of Dead Poets Society, is this: a teacher, standing in front of his or her class, lecturing. There are exceptions, definitely: the class discussion, the interactive lab experiment, the game, the field trip. For the most part, though, despite years of education reform, we tend of think of education as a highly vertical experience, one of active teachers and passive students, one in which knowledge radiates out from a single speaker to a roomful of silent listeners. That model is changing, though, and quickly. Increasingly, education -- in college, definitely, but in high school and elementary school, too -- is becoming more horizontally integrated, guided by conversation and interaction and the productive chaos of student curiosity. That's big.
Game-Based Learning to Teach and Assess 21st Century Skills Game-Based Learning, and particularly serious games that teach content, are fast becoming utilized in the classroom. Frequent success stories are appearing, from Minecraft in the elementary classroom to games that teach civics. There is curriculum that pairs World of Warcraft with language arts standards, and many other variations where the gaming focus is on content. What about 21st-century skills? Yes, games can be used to teach and assess 21st-century skills! Collaboration MMOs are hugely popular. Communication All of the games above, which require collaboration, also require communication. Critical Thinking/Problem-Solving Well-designed games require players to solve a variety of complex problems, some of which require standards-aligned learning and some that simply require general critical thinking and problem-solving. We must find time for students to play these games in and out of the class to teach content and 21st-century skills.
What Is PBL Really? Do you want to engage your students in Project Based Learning (PBL)? Maybe you are asking yourself what is PBL really? Am I doing it right? Well, first of all, the most important thing to understand is that PBL is a construct made up by human beings and so there are lots of variations! And you are entitled to construct your own version, too, within some parameters. My suggestion is to study many of the great resources that are available to you and then create your own working definition and effective PBL practice. Some Parameters to Consider I have created this diagram, enhanced by the critical eye of Brenda Sherry, which may be useful as you consider what is important to you and to your students. We like to think with the frame of continua rather than dichotomies simply because things are rarely on or off, black or white, ones or zeroes! You could likely add other dimensions to consider as you build your own understandings and beliefs! Trust Who is in control? Questioning Collaboration
Five Essential Skills for Leadership in the 21st Century The 21 st century presents many new challenges for both employees and business leaders. In an interconnected, fast moving world, we need to learn cognitive flexibility, stress tolerance, and divergent thinking. While technology can make us more effective, new theories of leadership emphasize the importance of trust and establishing long-term relationships. In a competitive world, we need leaders with novel ideas, who are willing to take risks, inspire and motivate, and build new strategic partnerships to address global challenges. In these endeavors, leaders need to incorporate skills that are more in the realm of psychology and cognitive science. "Absorb what is useful, reject what is useless, add what is specifically your own.“ – Bruce Lee There are so many people out there saying exactly the same thing. What are the short- and long-term challenges that your team/organization will address? “Fall seven times, Stand up eight.” – Japanese Proverb
www.inquiryhub.org A Principal’s Guide to Android Apps: 25 Apps to Get You Started I am probably one of the few principals in this country who purchased an Android Tablet rather than an iPad. I already had access to a first generation iPad, and I wanted a 7 inch device instead of the a 10 inch, so I purchased an Galaxy Tab 7.7. I have not regretted it at all. In fact, there are very good reasons for getting an Android tablet instead, among them is the cost considerations and access to a few apps not currently available for the iPad. If you are considering an Android tablet just remember one important principle regarding any electronic device: It is only as good at the apps or software you use. I have spent a great deal of time tinkering with apps, both free and paid, and I even posted an app list in May entitled “17 Must-Have Android Tablet Apps for the Administrator.” Keep in mind some of these are for personal use and not necessarily for carrying out the tasks of an administrator.
7th Graders Publish Their Own Textbook Mac Life wrote an article titled Super 7th Graders Publish Their Own eBook to the iBookstore. It explains the project in more detail. "Each student has to choose an organisms they wanted to study and were required to submit their topic for approval. Andrea collected work from 69 students and entered it into iBooks Author. iBooks Author is free but only works on Macs running 10.7 Lion or higher. iBooks Author is a fantastically powerful tool. There are some disadvantages to using iBooks author for crafting your own learning materials. Check out what Andrea and her students say about writing their book. I think the comment by CNEBBY in the Customer Reviews of Creatures, Plants and More sums up the project well: "This is an awesome example of what kids can do when they are properly motivated by a skilled teacher."
6 Reasons School Leaders Shouldn't Ignore Social Media as Communication Tool In their book Why Social Media Matters: School Communication in the Digital Age, Kitty Porterfield and Meg Carnes make a strong case for school leaders engaging in the use of social media as a means of communication. As they so clearly point out, "School leaders must be able to communicate with all their stakeholders, from the staff members in their buildings to the parents and other stakeholders in their communities." In times past, school leaders could do that through published newsletters and similar communication channels. In their book, Porterfield and Carnes, provide a list of 10 current realities of social media that no matter how hard district leaders try to block, filter, or policy our way through, these realities are ours and we can't change them. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. In the 20th century, school leaders could be satisfied with sending home newsletters celebrating the stories of their schools.
The Socratic Method The Socratic Method:Teaching by Asking Instead of by Tellingby Rick Garlikov The following is a transcript of a teaching experiment, using the Socratic method, with a regular third grade class in a suburban elementary school. I present my perspective and views on the session, and on the Socratic method as a teaching tool, following the transcript. The class was conducted on a Friday afternoon beginning at 1:30, late in May, with about two weeks left in the school year. The experiment was to see whether I could teach these students binary arithmetic (arithmetic using only two numbers, 0 and 1) only by asking them questions. I had one prior relationship with this class. When I got to the classroom for the binary math experiment, students were giving reports on famous people and were dressed up like the people they were describing. "But what I am really here for today is to try an experiment with you. 1) "How many is this?" 2) "Who can write that on the board?" 4) Another way? 7) One more?
4 Social Media Listening Strategies for 21st Century School Leaders In their book Why Social Media Matters: School Communication in the Digital Age authors Kitty Porterfield and Meg Carnes argue that for school leaders to use social media effectively, they not only use it to communicate out information, they must also engage in listening to what stakeholders are saying. "Listening online gives leaders insight into their communities in a way that face-to-face meetings and surveys do not." It is through social media that people sometimes reveal their true feelings. If they do not think you are listening, they may say things quite unlike those occasions when they think you are. Using social media to listen to what your stakeholders are saying is another way for you to get in touch with what they really want. To do that, Porterfield and Carnes suggest establishing a listening strategy for your school or district. Decide how much time will be spent listening.