NCMSA10: IMPACT and Tech in 20

Below you will find some notes from our session on IMPACT and Tech in 20 at BCMS.  My apologies for not having the video archive that I expected to have from the Live Stream of our session.  Something was wonky with the audio, so unless you want to listen to robotic sounding voices for an hour, I think it’s best kept deep in the archives.

Two Pronged Approach

• Monthly 90 minute grade level media and technology meetings…
• Weekly Tech in 20 Sessions on Tuesday afternoons

Monthly Meetings

• Allow grade level conversations about tools and strategies to be used in the classroom
• Focus on the use of media and technology within our building
• Occasionally include guest speakers for additional professional development

Sample Topics

• Verifying Information on the Web
• Google Desktop
• Creating a Voicethread
• Big 6 Research Method
• Blogs as a Classroom Webpage

Tech in 20

• 20 minute sessions held weekly on Tuesday afternoons
• Sessions are livestreamed and recorded for staff to view at a later date and time
• Focus on introducing topics that can be discussed deeper during monthly meetings
• Sessions are archived at http://sites.google.com/site/bcmstechin20

Tools Needed

• Google Site
• Livestreaming service like: Justin.tv, uStream.tv, or Livestream.com
• Webcam (We use a Logitech Quickcam which can be purchased for ~$50)
• Staff Interest Survey – used to determine the direction of the first sessions of Tech in 20

Below you will find a slidecast of the Tech in 20 portion of our session.  This is the best I could do as a replacement for our botched livestream. Hopefully you will find the information useful in setting up your 20 minute staff development program.

Thanks to all those who attended our session. If you have further questions, please feel free to share them in the comments or email me!

NCMSA10: Efficient Communication within the Educational Environment

Thanks to @techtipsPRMS for these notes!!
Here’s my notes on Communication with Chip Buckwell

Efficient Communication within the Educational Environment
KMS Communicates, collaborates, and Learns
Dr. Chip Buckwell- Principal
Kannapolis Middle School- 7-8 Middle School

Efficient Communication within the Educational Environment
KMS Communicates, collaborates, and Learns
Dr. Chip Buckwell- Principal
Kannapolis Middle School- 7-8 Middle School
Let’s go paperless! 100% Paperless for the first staff meeting.  WOW!
Google Tools- Main tool to be paperless
Skype
Twitter-
Diigo- bookmarking management tool- saving websites for staff
Facebook
Schools’ internal website  is housed on Google- school schedule- confidential information, so you must log in to see information.
Morning Announcements, Interesting Articles and Websites, Meeting Notes, ASD assignments, Curr. Resources, planning resources (collaborative). Department Wikis, Examview Resources, Writing Prompts.   (Much like a staff handbook)—ASD rotations, bus schedule, assembly seating assignments, phone lists,
Google forms to schedule academic coaches (Literacy Coach Model)
COW’s= COMPUTERS ON WHEELS  LOVE IT!!
Schedule is on Google docs.  Created by form that staff completes question are and doc is generated.
Google docs allow for teachers to see real time forms.  No more emailing revisions and several copies saved.
Agendas, Goal Sheets, and Notes from Collaborative Planning Meetings on the site.  – These collaborative meetings are much like a business meeting.  Staff talks about academics, pedagogy, and strategies.  Fueled by the Agenda, and notes are recorded and shared to staff.
Academic coaches use Google tools to ‘keep things run smooth’.
WKMS- news program
-Used to be live:  Now it is a loop.  Totally kid produced show.
Google Calendar- meshes several calendars together, KMS calendar, Coaches calendars, Elm. School calendars, etc.  You must be invited to join a calendar.   USE OF NOT THIS SYSTEM AVOIDS TOO MUCH USE OF INTERCOM SYSTEMS!!! Huraay!
Skype:
Skyping with “Kelly”- she just finished lunch with David Warick.  Chatting via skype.
Invite several people into the conversation.
“Do you use this more than email?” Yes- it is live and real time.  If I leave her a message, it stays up until she responds.  This tool is very useful and time saving.  The message stays with them until they have time to add to the conversation.  It archives the conversations for later review.
You can video, call or text with Skype.  Just had a conversation with another admin in his district via Skype ‘phone’.
Substitute teacher mounted webcam backwards- and teacher could monitor students while substitute was in the room.
Investigating using it for homebound students.  Set student up with district computer to access internet, and participate in class while sick.
Teacher websites/Team websites:
Home to class wikis- and are able to save projects to the wiki so students are not using up server space! UCPS take note!!
Teachers share plans and resources on wikis.
Gaggle.net accounts for students
Ourspace accounts- email, chat, blog, other software to communicate and collaborate.
Very effective in keeping students where they need to be, but not fool proof.  Any middle-schooler if given enough time- will find a way to get where they shouldn’t be.
“Its not about the “Stuff” … it’’s about the people.” If you don’t have good people behind the stuff, it’s still a mess.
Take it slow.

Question: How much have you saved?  “We have saved about 40% of our copies—not enough- push past 50%.  40 is a good chunk, and want to do better.  Next year’s copy budget may be less.”
GroupWise: Original email system used before Google revolution!
 In order to have googlewebpage.—requires Gmail account.  All staff needs Gmail account.
Still using GroupWise, just meshing it with google-webpages.
Their best resource was allowing Google be the agent to “house” our stuff.  It no longer slows down their VPN.
Google focused on teachers/staff at first.  Now staff is sending students to it.
Twitter:
Resistant at first.
“Has transformed how I do PD for myself.  Transformed how I read, and what I read.”
People quote edleadership before it gets to your desk.
Retweet- send out to everyone who follows you
and then add address to your diggo account.
DIIGO:  Saves bookmarks online- so if you aren’t on your computer- you can still pull up your pages on any computer.  Email Chip for access to his Diigo account
Twitter Blogs  Google Reader
-allows you to (in one place) capture all the blogs you want to read in ONE PLACE.  MikeFisher- digigogy (digital+pedagogy)
When someone posts to their blog, it is forwarded right to your Google reader.  You can catch up at a separate time.
“Get a good idea about communication in your school, and I promise you- I am not the fastest learner on the planet- when I find something that is this good, and it can transform what we do, and save time- we try it” Dr.Chip Buckwell

NCMSA10: Math Literacy Strategies

10:00am – 11:00 am
3/16/10
Math Literacy Strategies
presented by Meghan Sharp and Melaine Rickard

for entire presentation go to         http://camelmath.tum.abss.k12.nc.us
Notes by @jjbsyman

As you walked into the session the presenters had a cartoon on the screen captioned “Math Majors Exchanging High Pi’s”(THEY HAD THE SYMBOL).
Around the room where 6 poster papers with questions derived from Bloom’s Taxonomy and we would answer them.

The math EOG is just another reading EOG!

1) Anticipation Guide
– helps students predict and understand text
– activates prior knowledge
– personal connection to text
How to create?
– write questions that relate to “big ideas”
– explain task
– before and after reading answers
– give kids time to talk about answers, explaining reasoning

ex. Dilation have “real world” applications
a Dilation is only an enlargement
If the scale factor of a dilation is between 0 and 1 it is a reduction
A negative scale factor would reflect or rotate a figure as well as a change
Similarities to LA
– activate prior knowledge
– practice thinking and writing
– big ideas
Difference to LA
– may have right or wrong answer
– typically not used with a reading, just terminology
2)SWBS – somebody – who
wanted – what did who want
but – what happen
so – what did who do

– math is WBS
what – list all facts from word problem
but – write what the question is asking in your own words
so – solve the problem and show your work
summary – write how you solved the problem and its answer using WBS

3)World wall activities
Fortune Tellers – folding paper into handheld vocab and answers
– purpose – intro, review, practice
– show, play, make
Word puzzles- squares- using terms, definitions and examples to match up all four sides to complete puzzle
word scramble – have students cut up a predetermined list of letters, then ask questions distributing the letters in and out to make vocabulary words. Helps to post a vocab list with spelling

4)Comprehension pyramid        – summarizing, comprehension, example
In LA – start with one fact – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6 – 7 – etc so there words look like pyramid

In MATH – each math concept has different format
– define what levels should be addressed

8
+ /
2x = 16
inverse operations to solve
2x        –        4        =        12

other examples – describing a number
– graphs (histogram)

some good math reading resources
Numberland         by George Weinberg
Mathcurse         by John Scieszka & Lane Smith
The King’s Chessboard         by David Birch
Anno’s Mysterious Multiplying Jar         by Masaichiro and Mitsumasa Anno
Twizzlers Percentages Book         by Jerry Pallotta
Count to a Million         by Jerry Pallotta
Hershey’s Milk Chocolate         by Jerry Pallotta
The Best of Times         by Greg Tang
Math for all Seasons         by Greg Tang
G is for Google         by David Schwartz
Sideways Arithmetic from Wayside school         by Louis Sachar
A Gebra Named Al         by Wendy Isdell
Kiss my Math         by Danica McKellar
Math Doesnt Suck         by Danica McKellar
Secrets, Lies, and Algebra         by Wendy Lichtman

NCMSA10: Debbie Silver Keynote

MY THOUGHTS IN ALL CAPS

Loves NC because we can understand the way she talks 🙂

We’re going to celebrate about who we are and why we do what we do!

Ready for teachers to step it up and TAKE OUR POWER BACK!

Everyone is an expert on schools because “they went”

Debbie told her college students if they said “I’m just a teacher” she’d hunt them down…

“Why do you teach?”

• For the money of course…haha
• Debbie didn’t know she was going to be a teacher
• Some teachers DIDN’T enjoy school…but they still do alright

Not against standards…but against standardization…it’s not about regurgitating facts

It’s not about the art of teaching, it’s about the HEART of teaching

Teaching is not what you do, it’s who you are!

Can’t give someone the Heart for teaching…it’s those people telling kids to spit out their gum at Walmart, or chasing them down the aisles screaming “We don’t run in here”…they have the heart

Students wrote Debbie about what the State Teacher of the Year should be like

• Not one mentioned ability to test, anticipatory sets, etc
• Every one of them mentioned caring

Be a Teacher, Be a Hero!

• Because You Teach by Monte Selby

There is a distinct difference between elementary, middle, and high school teachers…Get down on your knees and thank the elementary teachers in the world…because as a middle school teacher you don’t want their job 🙂

Many times if someone is a “good teacher” but not successful they may be in the wrong grade level

Now standardization is causing the expectation for everyone to be the same

Every teacher has their own way to connect with kids…but we’re losing our autonomy in education today

I’ve got 30 years of experience…no you don’t, you’ve got 1 year you repeated 30 times!

Debbie wrote every student a letter during the year: things I value about you, dreams I have for you, etc…

Stay away from the Lounge Lizards…those that hang out in the lounge and complain

Teachers are the worst PR people on the planet…we need to stick up for ourselves and take a stand

That technology is nothing but a fad…I went and bought a laptop (etch-a-sketch)…erase? Shake it? reboot? Shake it. Save? Don’t shake it” – Debbie as Rhodina Cullsmucker (the lounge lizard)

When’s the last time you heard a teacher say “I think I changed a life today”?

Teachers are NOT talking…not letting folks know they’re spending their own money, spending time they don’t get paid for, staying late after school to help kids…

Pay It Forward

“I want you to look around your world, and find a way that you can improve your small part of the world.”

Teachers go after every single kid because it’s the right thing to do…

The children who most need your love are going to be your most unlovable kids…

The seeds we plant as teachers aren’t going to show up on the scores of the EOG…We send messages to a future we’ll never see.

Why Do You Teach?

I teach to pay it forward…what do you mean?  I work with kids who go more in the morning than you go through in your lifetime…It’s not about the end of grade test…

TELLING A STORY ABOUT HER STUDENT JEFF…AMAZINGLY POWERFUL STORY…CAN’T EVEN BEGIN TO TELL IT HERE…

“The letter that you made the time to write me when I was in your room…literally, saved my life.”

Every year those kids better be your favorites!

End of conversation with Jeff:

It doesn’t matter how rich you get, how famous you get…I owe this all to Debbie Pace P-A-C-E…Ms. Pace I’m not very rich, and I don’t think I’m gonna be famous…but I do owe it all to you.

I don’t think we cry enough, don’t think we tell people our stories enough, and don’t think we laugh enough…

How many teachers talk about “their kids” and people don’t know if they mean biological or school kids?

We must view young people not as empty bottles to be filled, but as candles to be lit.

www.debbiesilver.com

password: iamateacher

NCMSA10: Formative Assessments in the Classroom

Denise Vargas and Jeri Jefferies

Lufkin Road Middle, Raleigh, NC

MY NOTES IN ALL CAPS

Using eInstructions Clickers as part of the presentation

Know from classroom results that they are going in the right direction…still a work in progress…noticed significant decrease in Ds and Fs in their classes WONDER HOW THIS FITS IN WITH SCHOOLS THAT HAVE REWORK POLICIES, NO ZERO POLICIES, ETC…SHOULD ALREADY SEE A DECREASE IN # OF Ds AND Fs

NOW DISCUSSING GRADING PRACTICES…

There was so much arguing in county that they didn’t feel they were getting anywhere. Wormeli and O’Conner books stirred the pot within the county, presenters had an A-HA moment about including formative assessment as part of the assessment process.

Process

• Main Goal: Students to achieve mastery of SCOS
• Secondary Goals: students develop responsibility, progress, fairness, and research based strategies
• Curriculum Guide:
• Formative Assessment Toolkit
• Planned Units

Formative Assessment IQ with clickers INCLUDING A PITCH FOR EINSTRUCTION CPS…*SIGH*…NOTE TO SELF: IT’S ABOUT ASSESSMENT…NOT THE TOOL…ADDITIONALLY, SHE CAN’T GET THE SOFTWARE TO WORK FOR US TO TAKE THE QUIZ…NOW DOING A SHOW OF HANDS

• What is your current understanding of Formative Assessment…

GIVEN A HANDOUT THAT LOOKS REALLY GOOD…WONDERING IF IT’S AVAILABLE DIGITALLY TO PASS ON TO YOU ALL…

RESOURCES:

• Power Standards: Ainsworth and Reeves
• 25 Quick Formative Assessments for a Differentiated Classroom: Dodge
• Formative Assessment and Standards-Based Grading: Marzano
• Classroom Assessment and Grading that Work: Marzano
• Making Standards Useful in the Classroom: Marzano
• Classroom Instruction that Works: Marzano
• Understanding By Design: McTighe and Wiggins
• A Repair Kit for Grading: O’Connor
• The Differentiated Classroom: Tomlinson
• Curriculum Matters: Wake Co. Quarterly Progress Audit
• Fair Isn’t Always Equal: Wormeli
• Summarization in Every Subject: Wormeli

ONCE THINGS FINALLY GOT ROLLING THE INFORMATION WASN’T TERRIBLE…BUT THE RESTARTS AND HANGUPS REALLY DISRUPTED THE FLOW OF THE SESSION.  THE LIST OF RESOURCES ABOVE ARE DEFINITELY WORTHWHILE.

NCMSA10: Middle School Management Magic

Middle School Management Magic
3/16/10
8:00am – 9:00am

Time to teach is classroom management strategies from the Center for Teacher Effectiveness

Presenter is going to try to condense an 8 hour course into this one hour sessions.  She will try to give us the ‘toolbox’.

Program beliefs:

1. Caring is key -“Kids don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care”
2. Nurturer path – Authoritarian – my way or the highway; Authoritative – you are authority, but children have a voice; Permissive – Chaos, kids run class
3. Good behavior must be systematically taught
4. Behavior can be changed – must be practiced
5. Good discipline is a matter of good timing
6. Conflict is inevitable, but…
7. Combat is optional – never climb the power struggle stairs

Self-Control – The SMARTR response – Student Mood Assessment, Rapid Teacher Response

• remaining calm and responding right
• calm is contagious and silence is powerful
• push asides and walk-aways(must be minor)
• personal space
• avoid power struggles

4 Conversation Diffusers

1) I understand
2) probably so
3) nevertheless
4) im sorry

Classroom Management (Proactive)

• physical component – classroom design, seating arrangement, lighting, fragrance, music, voice(volume & tone)
• social component – unconditional positive regard (unconditional love), contingent and non-contingent, verbal & non verbal communication
• mental component – engaging appropriate lessons, all students appropriately challenged
• behavioral component – Teaching classroom expectations

– identifying classroom expectations(student voice)
– show examples of classroom expectations
– Look for performance
– Consequences

Program’s Actions – for low-level behaviors only

• Teach-to’s – direct teaching model – i do , we do, you do
• plan a lesson for each expectation – positive behavoir – negative behavior – almost behavior – students only practice positive
• Reactive Strategies – what happens when they dont do correct behavior
• address emergent low-level behaviors
• ask classroom integrity questions: -if can answer yes to all three, keep going

Integrity Questions

Can I still teach?
Can the student still learn?
Can other students still learn?

• if no…..

1) Prompt for desired behavior (only once)
– walk away (back to lesson)
– give some wait time
– Eliminate multiple warnings
2) Refocus – for low-level behaviors only
– graceful exit from room – doesnt always have to be out of room, can be in back of room
– graceful entrance to buddy room
– refocus form – What was my behavior? What did i want? How did this teacher feel? How did it make my classmates feel?
What problem(s) did your behavior cause for you, your classmates, and/or your teacher?
How do you plan to change your behavoir in the future?
I am ready to return to class, yes, no
– welcome back
dont do Time outs – learning stops, often reinforcing, lack of supervision
program recommends Time in – behavior momentum broken, learning continues, no pay off for child
– critical behavor not tolerated.

THE PRESENTER DID NOT GET TO FINISH HER PRESENTATION AND HER PHOTOCOPIES WERE MISSING THE BACK PAGES,SO WE DID NOT GET TO HEAR THE ENTIRE PROGRAM.
THE NOTES END WITH THE PRESENTATION.

NCMSA10: A School’s Journey Towards Globalization

Casey Stringham (@techtipsPRMS) and Shannen Brettz

Porter Ridge Middle School – Indian Trail, NC

MY  NOTES IN ALL CAPS…MOSTLY TEACHERS IN THIS SESSION, 2 ADMINS…REALLY WOULD LOVE TO SEE MORE LEADERSHIP PUSH IN THIS DIRECTION

Porter Ridge is a huge middle school…1300+ kids MORE THAN TWICE THE SIZE OF MY SCHOOL

Used an All About Me strategy to get teachers to know more about each other…this year transferred it to a Global Me to discuss globalization strategies

Expectation is that teacher’s use technology and limit paper…5 year process for getting things into classrooms…6 laptop carts, SmartBoards/Mimios in Sci/SS…Doc Cams in LA…Airliners in Math

WOULD LOVE TO PICK HIS BRAIN ON SELECTION OF TECH HARDWARE…

Discussing how our kids view Globalization and how our schools have begun trying to tackle it…Environment, Technology, Jobs, Communication…all issues we can tackle as we discuss Globalization

Shannen can hand his iPhone to his 5 year old and she can operate it on her own…what are we doing to prepare for when she gets to middle school?

Are students and staff culturally sensitive?

Developed a Globalization Plan…Superintendent GIG – Globalization, Innovation, Graduation

Partner w/ Community

• Night of Latin Voices
• Cultural Performances
• Sister Schools…25 different schools in 5 countries and 2 states

Global Panel at staff meeting

Book Studies for Staff Development…completed in Moodle

• Three Cups of Tea…parent book study coming up this summer
• Involving Latino Families in Schools

Report Card comments in English, Russian, and Spanish

Globalization = Going Global…how can this better our students?

• Interact, inform, examine viewpoints, experience, expose, and empathize

Grade Level Charities…students vote to promote buy-in…rather than 1 big one for the school, or 37 tiny little ones throughout the building

Heifer International http://heifer.org

• Helps purchase cows/water buffalo/goats for families that are in need…this helps them become self sustaining and provides milk, plowing, fertilizer, etc
• Free curriculum that can be aligned to NC SCOS
• Thought the curriculum was a little less than stellar…

VERY INTERESTING PROGRAM…WILL HAVE TO LOOK INTO THIS MORE FOR OUR SERVICE PROJECTS FOR NEXT YEAR…

Related curriculum to Bananas, Coffee, and cut Flowers

Created Organic Banana Commercials using Flip Video

Child Labor conversation in Moodle Forums…EXCELLENT THINKING SKILL DEVELOPMENT

Created Public Service Announcements in Audacity

Timerime.com – Interactive timeline builder to compare Guatemalan coffee trade through history

Bubbl.us – to make a flow chart

Old School Blog – Four boxes on paper…Question, Response, Comment by adult in their life, Student Response to comment AWESOME AWESOME AWESOME ACTIVITY!!! GREAT WAY TO INTRODUCE BLOGGING AND COMMENTING…STEALING THIS ONE FOR MY NOTEBOOK NEXT YEAR 🙂

Used Photo Story to create a Digital Story of the reading they were doing in class…students viewed the reading rather than reading it…

Used Google Earth to follow the path of cut flowers from Bogota Columbia to US and North Carolina

Resources: http://stringhampiratesglobalization.pbworks.com

FANTASTIC SESSION…REALLY DOING THINGS THAT ARE POWERFUL FOR KIDS LEARNING!! LOOKING FORWARD TO COLLABORATING WITH FOLKS FROM THIS SCHOOL IN THE FUTURE.

NCMSA10: Rigorous Schools and Classrooms

Ron Williamson – Eastern Michigan University

http://www.rigorineducation.com

Handout

MY THOUGHTS IN ALL CAPS…BY THE WAY RON AND I ARE NOT RELATED 🙂

Ron works with folks who are in School Leadership

People hold very different perspectives on what the word Rigor means…talking about rigor makes people feel like you are really challenging what they are currently doing IS THIS A BAD THING? I KNOW I ALWAYS WANT TO CHALLENGE AND PUSH MY THINKING

Midwest struggling with change from manufacturing economy to “something else” and schools aren’t sure how to make the shift

Agricultural industry in Oregon is having the same shift: no longer graduate high school and go work on a farm, farms are looking for folks with college degrees in business, agriculture, and chemistry.

“Rigor is creating an environment in which each student is expected to learn at high levels; each student is supported so he or she can learn t high levels, and each student demonstrates learning at high levels” –Barbara Blackburn, Rigor is NOT a Four Letter Word

COMPASS Model for Leading Change

• Culture
• Ownership and Shared Vision
• Managing Data
• Professional Development
• Advocacy
• Shared Accountability
• Structures

Culture

• Shapes norms and behaviors…unspoken rules about “the way we do things around here”
• Visible through daily activities
• Power of culture…new teachers develop “traditional practice” in less than 5 years in the classroom
• Rituals/Ceremonies…one school had students walk across stage for grad. in order of GPA…many graduates refused to walk
• Cultural Audit – List 5 adjectives that describe school’s culture, organize into common themes and discuss meaning
• Walk the halls, what do you see? What is visible about student success? About the value of rigorous work?
• Principal’s Lunch – Principal got cross section of students monthly during lunch asked them to “Tell me about your school.”

Ownership and Shared Vision

• Involve stakeholders
• Reduce isolation through collaborative work
• Vision Letter – Ask teachers to write a letter describing how they will improve rigor in their classroom by end of school year…check back frequently
• Hot Air Balloon – What would you see, hear, feel floating above school about rigor…what would it look like 5 years from now?
• Challenge is getting people to agree on school’s vision
• Fist to Five – tool for measuring consensus…fist=0, no support, 5=full support…many groups continue until everyone can hold up 3 fingers = broad level of support

Managing Data

• Use multiple data collection tools
• Don’t drown in data
• 4 steps: Determine what you know, decide how to collect data, analyze data/results, set priorities and goals based on analysis
• Student Shadow Study for data collection
• Clear Expectations
• Data Analysis

Professional Development

• Job embedded
• All day staff development is least effective
• Develop shared language
• Practical, hands-on activities
• PRESS Forward Model: Purpose, Relationships/Connections, Expected Outcomes, Steps to Take, Support Needed, Forward
• Follow-up on how to use the professional development in classroom…teacher to teacher works best

Advocacy

• Build shared accountability
• Planned public relations
• Identify “movers and shakers” in building and in school community…How do you tap into them to support your schools?
• Elevator talk…what would you say if you had 30 seconds to try and advocate for your school? READ THIS ONE IN PRESENTATION ZEN THE OTHER DAY
• 1 Page Fact Sheet – single page advocacy document

Shared Accountability

• Support teachers with change
• Focus on results, not compliance with directives
• Accountability through…everyday routines, supervisory practices, professional development, work with families and communities, students

Structures

• Identify or create collaborative time
• Schedules promote collaboration
• Policy issues…grading, seat time, etc
• Why do we put our bests kids with our best teachers and our kids who need more support with the newest teachers?
• Schedule can be a very powerful tool…common planning time, shared classes, etc
• Build in practices that promote ALL students to demonstrate their learning

GOOD INFORMATION FROM RON WILLIAMSON ABOUT HOW TO GET A SCHOOL CULTURE FOCUSED ON STUDENT SUCCESS AND RIGOROUS TASKS.  EXCELLENT INFORMATION IN THE HANDOUT. CHECK IT OUT AND LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK!

NCMSA10: Videoconferencing Easy and Cheap to Use

Videoconferencing

Most familiar with Skype…fewer at conferences…fewer still have it in schools…

Tandberg systems are very expensive…

Regular video camera can be used for a webcam if already available

OrangeWare software…$20

Document Cameras

Logitech Pro 9000 roughly $100…webcam…fantastic picture for the price

$129 for H.323 software license…tack it in w/ a laptop and you’re set to go…Polycom PVX software running on laptop
16 ft. USB extenstion cable

Using 4 year old laptops…1G memory…1Ghz processor…

LOSING SOME OF THIS DUE TO TECHNICAL DISCUSSIONS ABOUT IP ADDRESSES AND FIREWALLS AND VLAN…WOAH…

EVERY ONE OF THEIR CLASSROOMS HAS 52” FLAT SCREEN HDTV…WHAAAA?…HOLY COW…PTSA FUNDED…

Showing a video of a VC session done between two classes…
Students using # cards to identify themselves…Student teacher on other end calls on #22, #12, etc

Bandwidth intensive…NC has a state network…real cost is how much bandwidth can be separated off for a VLAN…386mb minimum…State network may begin charging due to decreased budget…

Videoconferences available from NC Museum of Natural Science…NC Museum of History…and NC School of Science and Math…

NC Museum of Nat. Science only cost is to send artifacts back to Museum

Finding Other Partners
NCSSM has a catalog of programs…
Some have set schedule…some have custom schedules…
http://projects.twice.cc
http://cilc.org
Global Nomads http://gng.org

Jeff Nichols – jnichols AT wsfcs.k12.nc.us
Don Fought – dfought AT wsfcs.k12.nc.us
Carole Stern – stern AT ncssm.edu

Jerry.Taylor AT ncdcr.gov (Museum of History)
Mary.Tyler.fore AT ncdemr.gov (Museum of Natural Science)

GREAT SESSION…GOOD CONTACTS TO HAVE…THIS JUST MIGHT BE WHAT I NEED TO KICK START MY TAIL INTO DOING MORE OF THIS…

NCMSA10: This We Believe – Foundation for Success in the Middle

Linda Hopping
Georgia Lighthouse Schools to Watch

“To change the world, teach a young adolescent.”

The characteristics that we KNOW are too be good in successful middle schools are not evident in the majority of middle schools in this country. Half measures lead only to partial implementation and result in limited success.” –Ken McEwin, tom Dickinson, Doris Jenkins

What do YOU think are essential elements in order to have successful middle schools?
Deserve unique educational program
Teaming
Advisory…or a culture of advocacy
STUDENT FOCUS
Exploratory Programs
Focus on academics

Embrace Learning…not teaching…as the fundamental purpose of your school. –Rick DuFour

Culture of learning…not teaching to, learning with…

This We Believe began in 1982…was updated in 1995…2003 added Research and Resources…2010 is the 4th edition of this we believe and represents a near total rewrite…everything included is important

https://webportal.nmsa.org/Purchase/ProductDetail.aspx?Product_code=b8e51055-988b-4910-a3ac-97f70bde4973

TWB should be a roadmap for where we are going with middle schools

4 Essential Attributes of all Middle Schools
Developmentally Responsive
Challenging
Empowering
Equitable

3 Broad Areas
Curriculum, Instruction, Assessment (CIA)
Leadership and Organization        (L&O)
Culture and Community        (C&C)

16 Characteristics that are RIGHT for kids at this age…these are interdependent…can’t pick and choose
http://www.nmsa.org/portals/0/pdf/about/twb/TWB_Color_Chart.pdf
Value Young Adolescents and are prepared to teach them
Engaged in Active Learning
Challenging Curriculum
Multiple Learning Approaches
Varied Assessments
Shared Vision
Committed Leaders
Courageous and Collaborative Leaders
Professional Development
Organizational Structures
School Environment
Adult Advocate
Guidance Services
Health and Wellness
Family Involvement
Community and Business

THIS SESSION IS PRETTY MUCH A RUN THROUGH OF THE PRINCIPLES OF THIS WE BELIEVE…LOTS OF FOLKS IN HERE…WORRIES ME IF THEY’RE HEARING THIS FOR THE FIRST TIME…HOPING IT’S A REFRESHER FOR THEM AS WELL AND JUST SEEKING INFORMATION ON THE 2010 UPDATE.

Jigsaw reading of This We Believe among all staff members…”Walk the Talk” about educating young adolescents

Assess the current implementation of TWB within our school…NMSA Perception Survey to analyze staff feelings on implementation of TWB

DISCUSSING HOW SCHOOLS TO WATCH CRITERIA ALIGN WITH THIS WE BELIEVE

NMSA Assessment causes $479 plus cost of copies of TWB for NMSA members

family and student edition are being piloted currently

ALL MIDDLE SCHOOLS SHOULD HAVE A FOCUS ON TWB…IF YOUR SCHOOL ISN’T ALIGNED TO IT’S RECOMMENDATIONS, THERE ARE DEFINITELY THINGS YOU CAN DO…CHECK IT OUT!