creative commons

at a recent workshop presentation, one of my colleagues shamed me into admitting that I wasn't on top of the whole issue of Internet image copyright. As often happens, I then encountered a great post by Bill Ferriter on the concept of  "Creative Commons". I was reminded how this fits into our need to teach our students about the ethical use of Internet resources. I have prepared this resource page on our school website.

bced plan

Alvaro Gongalez-Alorda identified these elements in his challenge for university reform entitled "The End of Teaching":

6 Key Drivers of Educational Technology to Watch

1. People expect to be able to work, learn and study whenever and wherever they want to.
2. Cloud Computing – we will want our information to be accessible in any device
3. The world is increasingly collaborative, driving changes in the way student projects are structured.
4. Since information is everywhere, the quality of mentoring will make the difference
5. Embracing hybrid learning models [face to face & online], can leverage the online skills students have already developed independent of academia
6. Shifting from teacher-centered to student-centered education & engaging them by connecting the curriculum with real life issues

bit.ly/agalorda
Link to the plan

march 9 non-instructional day

I will host two workshop sessions on Friday March 9 2012.
The workshop will feature activities for using graphic novels in  upper elementary or junior secondary English or Language Arts classrooms. These workshops are part of the larger Spring Fling - North Central Zone Conference.
The workshop files are posted here.

a colleague's challenge around professional growth

Stephen Chase, one of the teachers in my district posted these Professional Standards for teachers:

• Educators value and care for all students and act in their best interests. 
• Educators are role models who act ethically and honestly. 
• Educators understand and apply knowledge of student growth and development. 
• Educators value the involvement and support of parents, guardians, families and communities in schools. 
• Educators implement effective practices in areas of planning, instruction, assessment, evaluation and reporting. 
• Educators have a broad knowledge base and understand the subject areas they teach. 
• Educators engage in career-long learning. 
• Educators contribute to the profession. 

Stephen challenges us to consider a model developed by the nurses as a way for teachers  to maintain our autonomy while increasing accountability. He references these questions from the  Registered Nurses annual Personal Practice Review:

1. In the past year, did you complete a self-assessment of your practice using the Standards of Practice?

2. In the past year, did you obtain peer feedback about your practice?
 Bill Ferriter posted this peer feedback tool on his blog

3. In the past year, did you develop and implement a learning plan based on your self-assessment and peer feedback?

4. In the past year, did you evaluate the impact of the previous year’s learning on your practice? 

Lots to think about - thanks Stephen Twitter: @MrChaseKRSS