6 shifts in literacy thinking

6 shifts in thinking regarding reading--
1. eleementary schools - 80% of the time is literacy block
-informational text 8% of the time
k-5 - general knowledge plays crucuial role in ability to read at higher levels
-50% should be informational text k-5 grade - build foundation of knoweldge
2. extneds same interest to 6-12 grade - building of knowledge SS and SCience
-reading complex text
3. text complexity matters - stair level of higher complexity of text
-what they are required to read in HS is far below what need for college/career readiness
4. toward focus on questions that require to dependent on the text
5. writing - personal writing or of a personal matter - favorite forms, but people don't care about you
-can you make an argument with evidence and can convey complex information
6. academic vocabulary is language of power - underlying the content of the text

-read like a detective, write like a conscientious investigative reporter

-ready or not - essays from HS 97% not ready for college

5/22/12 meeting - goal setting for 2012-13

mission statement: empowering all students with knowledge, sills, and attitudes necessary for responsible, productive, fulfilling lives

WHAT is your BUCKET LIST?!

three goals: learning, teaching, and climate/culture  --

How can we provide consistency within the high school?

Effective Grading - homework is practice, formative is feedback of I can statements, summative is culminating assessment of I can statements
-zeros are killers for late work/etc but how can i give him something for nothing?

???so no participation grades  //  grade behavior with employability skills survey  -- RIGHT?

Teacher Grading Plan --- need to come with a plan ---- how to handle hw, formative, summative, participation, and weighting. LATE work - ??give a 4 -
**place for student / parent name -- this is how you can earn your grade -
1. how will you handle Late work
2. how/when will you contact parents
3. retaking quizzes? tests?  reteaching and retaking?
-stipulations to retaking - sit with me for __minutes to reteach material - make an appointment, have a reflective piece to survey and take responsibility and review / take retake different, 75% is max grade
**you get what you expect**  you get what you accept, too -- expectations need to be high and consistant

Goal of homework??? -- learn material - so, what if they can
common homework policy -- we need it.
***what did we decide.

my access accounts

Here are the fundamentals to a successful life --
='- employability skills
1. be here
2. be on time
3. be prepared
4. be a doer
5. be a risk taker
6. be a person of integrity
7. be a success

RTI meeting with AEA -

1. precursor - grading system; extra credit;
--using I can statements / success criteria
    -list of essentials for success and creating learning goals
**learning goals - need to be specific

PLC - grouping in interest?  has to incorporate characteristics of effective instruction - submit approval of group of interest
Invest time to how to take back to staff -


Critical attributes
1. learning progressions
2. clear learning goals and success criteria and formative assessments and teaching for learner differences
-initiate PBIS, learning differences, learning goals
**year one**

3. instructional modifications based on evidence
4. descriptive feedback
5. self and peer assessment
6. collaborative classroom climate
7 planning - assessment for learning
8. instructing
9. assessement and evaluation

Goals for the upcoming years --

okay, so - i don't feel we have fully developed PLC - steps of planning PLC done? how do PLC development look like as compared to RTI


11/12/12 meeting with AEA - end goal - walk out with a plan
NORMS set and discussed
What is it that we want to accomplish?
-whose responsibility - parents teachers students, community
-need to educated with statistics from surveys to the community
*needs to be structured plan --
team purpose - define core --- RTI through the venue of RTI
-work char of eff instruction and such into the teaching strategiy to being better teacher
-RTI system - years ofwork

Clear, systemic plan of RTI

is first step - look at the core - look at consistency/curriculum/collaboration among teachers
-skill set: what do we want all students to have by the end of freshman year, sophomore year, junior / senior.
  -what does the core look like outside the content area -- what does writing look like in the ag room/spanish room, etc
-should expectations for literacy look different in various classes - or literacy statements that cover across all areas -
? are we going to have 1 poster for all 9th grade or all different between classes? -
NEED -- commonality of the literacy statements

lack of motivation v lack of skill -- true rti fluidity
-RTI time / focused on content and realize what the problem is - skill issues or motivation --
-study hall vs prep time
Develop schedule M is work on

SCHEDULE -- 3:15 - 4:00 time for structured time -- sarah L's postville site --

Google site -- with all plc notes on it......... so RTI can see how well the groups are doing

I can statements -- Literacy / Social Studies /  --  Freshman will know ....

NEED for PD day
**10 anchor standards --

- 10 anchor standards / content standards / supporting / assess  - if assess ---  / need i can statement for that topic (alignment document)

-show examples / this is what you should know as a freshman -- sophomore -- junior -- senior

11/26/12

taking Iowa core and breaking it up and creating I Can statements

College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Reading
The K–5 standards on the following pages define what students should understand and be able to do by the end of each grade. They correspond to the College and Career Readiness (CCR) anchor standards below by number. The CCR and grade-specific standards are necessary complements—the former providing broad standards, the latter providing additional specificity—that together define the skills and understandings that all students must demonstrate.
Key Ideas and Details
1. Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.
2. Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas.
3. Analyze how and why individuals, events, and ideas develop and interact over the course of a text.
Craft and Structure
4. Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including determining technical, connotative, and figurative meanings, and analyze how specific word choices shape meaning or tone.
5. Analyze the structure of texts, including how specific sentences, paragraphs, and larger portions of the text (e.g., a section, chapter, scene, or stanza) relate to each other and the whole.
6. Assess how point of view or purpose shapes the content and style of a text.
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
7. Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse media and formats, including visually and quantitatively, as well as in words.*
8. Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, including the validity of the reasoning as well as the relevance and sufficiency of the evidence.
9. Analyze how two or more texts address similar themes or topics in order to build knowledge or to compare the
approaches the authors take.
Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity
10. Read and comprehend complex literary and informational texts independently and proficiently.

IF support and ASSESS -- should create an I Can Statement
**How to create
I Can statements done and posted in classroom - by end of school year would be 32 I can statements --

-Need to realize connection between PLC / RTI - teacher quality improvement --

Start with the WHY before the WHAT...  What is the WHY???
-4 questions of the PLC.....

Focus for inservice?
I Can for literacy
1/5 START - characteristics of effective instruction

PD Meetings
1. Norms for PD....
2. ice breaker - team building activity
3. why we are doing this -- factual data / grade level - ITEDs score / review of connection between PLC/RTI- discuss
-why is literacy work needed?
4. I can statement work - worktime - pen holding idea - all voices have to be heard.
5. ticket out the door - follow up - next steps - specific work they have done.

RTI - p 41 curriculum and instruction
NEED to find PLC checklist of what we need to do -- align with RTI.
focus on content and monitoring of effective instruction is at the heart of effective instruction
DI with this whole I Can statement thing -- teaching to the middle??
What about the 4 questions - with the first Big Idea - what want to learn -- 1st step.

? if i assess it i have to have an I Can statement - not to overthink -
--

Concept-based curriculum - Conceptual teaching

Common Core - literacy -- check it out / link on weebly exists
Create timeline to go around the school

website - britanica on AEA websites
the connected classroom - wiki
new zealand golf cross

Lynn Erickson

Use conceptual topics to determine what you are going to teach in PBL
PBL -

Thinking classrooms - 3 dimensional classroom; involving concepts with facts and skills
How is knowledge structured?
How do we scaffold thinking from lower to higher levels?
-conceptual lens - big idea type words
Essential Questions - more effective than traditional objectives
-deeper understanding of content and ability to transfer between classes and outside world

conceptual thinking - creiticla, creative,r efelctice
reflective - metacognitive
critical thinking - analytical, strategic
creative - curious, playful

2D - inch deep, mile wide / don't transfer / don't meet 21st Century demands
3D - facts provide foundation to understanding / concepts-generalizations (enduring understanding)

facts - topics - concepts - principal generalization

concept v topic - concept is organizing idea, mental construct
-is it timelines, universal, abstract, represented by 1/2 words, examples share common attributes
concepts - braod/abstract, universal in application / across discipline, timeless, different examples that share common attributes
-examples: system, culture, interaction, justice

facts - information - knowledge - wisdom
**do not need to start at bottom to work their way up

no no verbs - affects, impacts, influence, is/are/have -- because do not tell why or how

scaffolding thinking to complex levels
-start with how/why and then ask 'so what' to move to top level

conceptual lenses - creates deeper level, retains factual information, and shows greater level of learning

to develop the intellect and increase motivation for learning, curriculum and instruction must create synergy between factual and conceptual levels of thinking

Non negotiable unit components
1. have generalizations
2. know factual knowledge and realize it is tied to generalization, and transfer over time, place, or situation,
3. what going to do

Curriculum 21 - Essential Education for a Changing World, Heidi Hayes Jacob

So far as I read this book, I feel validated; I do not know how many times I have thought about our school as museums. As soon as they enter the classroom, they must put their technological pieces away not to be seen until after the final school bell rings. As stated in this book, "...are we preparing our students for 1973, 1995... 2015 or  2020...?" (Jacobs, 2010, p. 1). It is obvious that each teacher needs to become an active researcher and develop of innovations and new directions. Several problems with this idea; the questions of WHEN can this happen? HOW can we convince teachers to accept change? WHAT to respond with when someone complains about it not being their job to 'entertain' students? Based on the Committee of Ten; 1893, all students should be taught the same curriculum, over 12 year time period, schools reflected factory model or organization -- TIME FOR REFORM??

Rather than thinking of 'changing;' think of it as a growth model (Jacobs, 2010, p. 13). Starmont does have a solid base of what a PLC is and how it should unfold; this demonstrates our commitment to growth. However, it needs a second look; what is it that we are actually trying to accomplish?As stated by Jacobs, we need a useful set of practices to develop a 21st century curriculum. In order for this to happen, Jacobs describes all of the steps of reconsiderations...
1. the schedule
2. the way we group our learners
3. personnel configurations
4. use of virtual and physical space

Jacob states we educators need to have "bold new ideas and new directions to consider; bold advocates for creative ideas that are actionable, rational, and constructive" (2010, p. 17). Replacing existing practices; does this mean to use technology for technologies sake? Is there such a thing as "overkill" when using technology? Should the students be asked to use computers and online collaboration pieces when it is certainly just as easy to use paper and pencils? Rather than taking this focus immediately, Jacobs offers a suggestion in that we should start first in examining our curriculum instead of focusing on integrating technology; this is done in an attempt for educators to realize the connection instead of forcing it upon them. Perhaps the first step is using web based Curriculum Mapping. Instead of using the term 'integrate,' Jacobs suggests we use the word replace and focus on our content, skills, and assessment (2010). Interestingly, Jacobs (2010) suggests we start with assessment. The main purpose of of starting with assessments is based on the idea that it forces educators to look at the work assignments that are required of our learners.

Jacobs continues to describe what is meant by assessment types; "the actual form of the product or performance selected to demonstrate student learning" (2010, p. 21). The author provides an interesting 21st Century Pledge form for discussion; she also continues to discuss the various steps in which an educator may choose to start with in becoming a 21st Century teacher.
#1 - create a pool of replacement assessments - brainstorm  a list in which various professional adults would use -- refer to page 24. Of these lists, I again, feel affirmed as I have chosen to ask my students to think out of the box and create WWII projects such as these to demosntrate their understanding.
#2 - identify the existing tech tools - become comfortable with at least 1 tech tool / semester. Again, I laugh a bit inside as I think, "YES! Respected authors agree with what it is that I am saying!" Using pieces such as moodle, twitter, blogs, online courses, web design, web 2.0 sites, digital cameras, etc in which are listed in this text are also those that I use in my classes.
#3 replace a dated assessment with a modern one - upgrade at least one assignment per semester -- AT MINIMUM.
#4 share assessment upgrades formally with colleagues.

These steps are nearly exactly what it is that I have been pushing for in our upcoming PD days as well as planning for 2012-13; spend PLC time to learn and grow and then have time to share with our colleagues.

Finally #5 states that ongoing sessions for skill and assessment upgrades are needed.

Chapter 2 rounds up with a discussion of 21st Century skills; "creativity, innovation, critical thinking, and problem solving, communication and collaboration" (Jacobs, 2010, p. 27).  -- www.21stcenturyskills.org. These basics haven't changed since Plato and Aristotle, however, the knowledge base has grown as well as the tools in which to communicate this knowledge (p. 27). Unfortunately, if educators do not rise to the challenge of revising and focusing on these general skills, students will not be able to apply them to authentic situations. And talking about motivation - those "lazy students" -- have we stopped to think that these students see our assignments and so called projects engaging and  interesting? We all know that students who are engaged in products and performances; the students are more motivated to create them.

Catching Up or Leading the Way --Yong Zhao

Questions prior to reading the book...
(documentary - 2 million minutes--check it out)

1. Teachers within the schools are challenging themselves to be better teachers, create PBL, allow students to discover information and use higher level thinking, differentiate instruction, ask students to complete authentic assessments only to be judged by a standardized test that measures low level knowledge questions.  --- just not right.

---Zhou regarding students-- what do we want? a diversity of talents, of individuals who are passionate, curious, self-confident, and risk taking; or a nation of excellent test takers, outstanding performers on math and reading tests

            soooo ---- Asian countries are reforming away from standardized tests in favor of: local autonomy, flexibility, more choice, less testing, less content, less standardization

2. What was our educational system like when the US was at the top of the world economically/militarily/etc? Has national control over the educational system along with the cutting of programs such as music/arts/shop as well as content courses such as social studies in the elementary and middle school ages aide in the decline in the US? Now that we have unlimited technology at our finger tips; what is it that is important for our students to know?  --- Is the US upsetting the idea of federalism by becoming so involved with local education?

3. ---is education related to a country's success? or is it the overall approach to education  and the activities associated with / way teachers/students interact - academic knowledge or big idea approach??  creating innovative students cannot be taught from a text book

4. -are students with a free spirit more apt to be innovative?

    - after school activities  - much less time spent in Asia / what is connection between participation and student performance
BUT - high scores but low ability - education geared to achieving high scores can harm individual and the purpose it is supposed to serve
(Collateral Damage - How high stakes testing corrupts america's public schools - Nichols and Berliner

suicide - #1 killer of chinese between 15 and 34
It is okay to hold educators accountable, but how can they be held accountable for student achievement on tests in which the teachers are told not to give in their classrooms; as quality teachers use rigorous and relevant lessons with authentic assessments and then give standardized tests with pinpoint questions.

Book review/reflections

Is America throwing away an educational system that respects individual talents, supports divergent thinking, tolerates deviation, and encourages creativity? Is the government dictating what students learn or how teachers teach?  The United States is trying to get rid of the educational system that China wants and is implementing the system in which China wants to get rid of...

Innovative people cannot come from schools that force students to memorize correct answers and regurgitate dictated spoon fed knowledge

-test oriented education vs talented oriented education.....
-2 paths - destroy strengths to catch up with others in test scores and the other is building  our strengths so that we can keep the lead in innovation and creativity

Bill Gates - America's high schools are obsolete; schools are broken, flawed, and underfunded, but even when they're working exactly as designed they cannot teach our kids what they need to know today because it's the wrong tool for the times
     -25% do not graduate on time (___% at starmont); 70% 8th graders cannot read at grade level (___%)


NCLB - standardization and centralization; what is happening?

schools must work to cultivate a diversity of talents, global competence, and digital competencies to cope with a world that has been chagned by globalization and technology

Missle gap during 1960s presidential campaign - Kennedy over Nixon to the learning gap....

ed consultant, Paul Hurd,  - We are raising a new generation of Americans that is scientifically and technologically illiterate
   -Need: new basics: 4 yrs/English, 3/math, science, social studies, semester of computer; longer days/longer school year; better teachers and teaching; higher expectations for academic performance - rigourous and measurable standards; gov't should hold educators accountable

quality of education is an extremely complex phenomenon that cannot be easily demonstrated or understood

schools should prepare students to use their minds well so they may be prepared for responsible citizenship, further learning, and productive employment in our modern economy

    - the lack of standards and evaluation of (events) may be one of the greatest values of American education - value of individuality, inclusiveness, initiative and responsibility, message to community

students are given many second chances because educators believe every child can learn - multiple intelligences
  - given ample opportunity to experiment with different activities and programs before graduating from HS

Imperfect System
-inequalities between rich and power; outdated irrelevant and America-centric curriculum, lack of qualified teachers, and disengagement of teachers, and increasing faith in testing

China is fueled by cheap labor ; making things invented somewhere else

Incorporating technology

Using technology to close the achievement gap -- What do we want our students to be able to know and do?
The coolest thing just happened -- i posted on edmodo a request to collaborate with a school from the South on a CW project based lesson and just got a tweet from a guy in sioux city that would like to join me on the project!  how flippin cool is that?! :)

1. Create PBL with revised Bloom's - http://www.scoop.it/t/social-media-use-in-education/p/1187657512/researching-social-media-in-education-what-can-we-learn
2. Rethink the educational purpose of twitter and facebook and blogging
"grandmother - school to get knowledge with mobile learning tool - brain. .... vide0
http://www.scoop.it/t/social-media-use-in-education/p/1187657512/researching-social-media-in-education-what-can-we-learn

http://blog.empowerlms.com/index.php/21st-century-skills/My 21st Century Skills List

I think there are 6 fundamental skills we need to develop for success in this or any other century. I would also argue that we are not nearly as good at these skills as we think we are.

In no particular order, my 6 21st Century skills are:

1. Self-Awareness
2. Asking Questions
3. Empathic Listening
4. Authentic Conversation
5. Reflection
6. Seeking and working with multiple perspectives

   My three simple C's to social media success are Connect,Contribute, and Curate.

1. Connect - This is pretty self-explanatory. You need to get connected to the right social media tool that works for you. There are many out there so do the research, sign-up, or "lurk" a bit by spending some time "playing" with them. Starting a free blog and inviting people to join is an easy place to start. Of course, Twitter, Facebook, Ning, Google + and Posterous are all great places to start too. This is an important first step because you want to pick a tool that will address your needs.
   
   When choosing, think about how easy it will be to use in order to connect with the right people to address your needs.  If you are a math teacher, and not that many math teachers are connected to the social network that you are looking to join, then you will only be frustrated. Keep looking and lurking.
   
   You have to get started so get connected!
2. Collaborate - This may seem obvious but many people forget how important it is to success.  So many people connect to social media but do not leverage the "social" aspect it offers.  Yes, we have all heard the horror stories of the dangers of social media. But, if you are smart about your privacy you will be fine; and by all means keep professional and personal use separate!
   
   Let's say you join Twitter and just consume the information that is being shared. If you fail to contribute back to the community of people you are connected to you will be missing out on some really valuable connections. By contributing you will also gain more followers that will in turn allow you to increase your connections and collect valuable resources. If you have a blog see if your host allows you to connect to Twitter or Facebook. If so, whenever you create a new post it will automatically generate a tweet and/or wall post to all of your followers and friends with a short message and link back to your blog.
3. Curate - OK, so you have all of this information, now what do you do with it?  Well, I am a big fan of using tools that make your job efficient while allowing you to integrate resources together in one neat package.  It is easy to become a "digital hoarder," when you see all of this great information coming your way. By selecting tools that allow you to sort things out and remain organized you will then be able to receive, and share what you have learned, more effectively.  You will be able to extend your reach in the realm of social media by becoming an efficient collaborator.
   
   By using a free social media "dashboard" like Tweetdeck or HootSuite you will be able to include multiple social media sites in one location that will allow you to both consume, contribute, and curate information. They will also allow you to curate who you follow. This is good because you need to make some decision as to whether someone is still a valuable resource.  You will need to curate your personal learning network (PLN) as well as your digital library of information.
   
   One of my favorite tools for digital curation is the social bookmarking siteDiigo. Since many of the resources you receive point back to blogs or web sites, it's a great tool that will allow you to save, share, and organize your resources. You can connect with others that share their bookmarks as well as share your own to a group with like interests. Diigo has some very nice web services as well.  One that I use allows you to link your account to your Twitter favorites, so whenever you create a favorite in Twitter, it is automatically saved in your Diigo account. You just have to go in and organize them into lists, etc. afterwards.  The Diigo toolbar is also great for quick bookmarking as well as highlighting and note taking.
   
   That being said, don't be sucked into the practice of digital hoarding.  Go back occasionally and do some tidying up to make sure you stay current and you don't share out-of-date information. If you are a digital hoarder check out this blog post by Leo Babauta for a 3-step cure.

http://www.techlearning.com/article/52186 - good article regarding the banning of social networking

 By blocking social media schools are also blocking the opportunity:

1)    to teach students about the inventive and powerful ways communities around the world are using social media

2)    for students and teachers to experience the educational potential of social media together

3)    for students to distribute their work with the larger world

4)    for students to reimagine their creative and civic identities in the age of networked media

In the not so distant future the notion that schools should block social media will become difficult to defend.  Before that happens schools will have to reimagine their mission in the lives of young learners, the communities they serve, and the extraordinary possibilities of networked media and networked literacy.

Think First-There are a few questions you and your team (and it should be a team) will want to ask and answer before you jump in:

• What do you want to do with this account? What do you hope to accomplish? What do you want to communicate? So, you are going to have a Twitter account. Great! Why? What do you want to tell people? The possibilities here are really endless. But think beyond the basic stuff like picture day and what's for lunch. Consider taking pictures of kids doing collaborative projects or highlighting staff of the month. It can really go beyond all the regular communication and show the community what your school (or district) is all about.
• Who will be in charge of the account? Will there be just one person who will post or will you have multiple people who post? This is all situation dependent. I would say more than one person is great but too many and things can get out of hand and duplicate information could easily be posted. Keep it simple and experiment to find what works for your group.
• Will you follow anyone? Again, this is situation dependent. You may want to follow other schools and the teachers in your school but will you follow parents? Students? Community members? If you are just going to be broadcasting following becomes less of an issue. If you want to facilitate interaction then following is important and your group will need to decide some guidelines on who to follow.
• If someone sends you an @ message, will you respond? Often times your account will get mentioned or someone will send you a question. Your group will need to decide how to handle these questions. My district has a Twitter account but it is a one way conversation. It rarely will respond to questions from the general public. I believe it should be interactive. So take time to get back to folks who need information from you. 

RTI - http://www.khanacademy.org/


Learning, Teaching, and
Scholarship in a Digital Age
Web 2.0 and Classroom Research: What Path
Should We Take Now?
Christine Greenhow, Beth Robelia, and Joan E. Hughes

Sunday, January 22, 2012

Twimpact: Twitter's impact on my week

By Noah Geisel 

I still hear people asking, often in a disgusted tone of voice, “Why would you use Twitter?” They say it’s just for people to see what celebrities are saying. They say it’s just a way for people attracted to the Me Generation ethos to transmit their self-centered Facebook musings to a wider audience. They say what they believe and I respect that, for them, it is the truth about Twitter. For me, Twitter is another story altogether.

The last 7 days have served as a shining example of how Twitter significantly impacts my teaching, learning and professional development. A sampling my week’s Twimpact:

• I attended an inspiring TED Talks salon event that I found out about via Twitter. Had I managed to learn about it through other means, it would have been after the tickets were sold out.


• I read dozens of articles and blog posts that were shared by the people I follow, 22 of which were helpful enough that I bookmarked them for future use. I copied the links and shared via email 3 of these articles with certain teachers and administrators in my building.


• I read 12 tweets that I thought could be valuable to others and were worth Re-tweeting (sharing) to my followers.


• I learned about 2 apps that I downloaded to my iPad and believe will be very helpful.


• I learned a new trick for the Promethean Board that I never would have known was possible.


• I reconnected with a teacher friend and brilliant education mindwith whom I had not spoken in 18 months. It led to a phone call and awesome conversation that I already know will impact a lesson for my students later this week.


• I had conversations with 16 other educators, many of whom I’ve never met in person.


• I had two former students reach out to share with me what is going on in their lives.


• I found out about a webcast hosted by an MTV VJ in Mexico, from which I discovered two new bands whose music I could share with my students.


• I connected with the lead singer of one of said bands who has agreed to Skype with one of my classes about life in Lima, Peru.


• I connected with a Venezulean baseball reporter who has also committed to a Skype conversation in which he will provide a season preview of the Colorado Rockies and take my students’ questions about the team in Spanish.


• And, so as not to leave out the celebrities, I favorited 8 tweets by Spanish-speaking artists that used the same vocabulary that my students were studying so as to provide them with examples of Real World, in-context use of our target learning.

I get it that Twitter is not for everybody. In my teaching and learning however, it makes a huge difference. What is the #Twimpact for you?

Going Green --- school going paperless