The Monday morning memo ~ 22

The knowing vs. doing gap...

We all know we should probably eat healthier and exercise more often, but what we know and what we do are sometimes two different things...

The same thing goes for our students. 

Our students know a lot, however can they do something to demonstrate & validate their "knowing...?"

Think about the types of activities your students are completing. Are they simply regurgitating information in isolated chunks, or are they applying information on a larger scale as part of a more complex process with essential skills embedded?

The value of content is descending... while the value of filtering, finding & sharing content is ascending. It's not what kids "know" that's important, it's how they can apply, demonstrate, explain and transfer the "known" that's important...

Watch this 6 minute video about the value of information:

Tip of the week: Poll Everywhere (http://www.polleverywhere.com/)

Looking for a quick way to get formative feedback from your students? Looking for a great way to start class with a warm up question/activity? Looking for a way to engage the students who don't always feel comfortable talking in front of their peers? Looking for a way to integrate technology into your classroom? 
Poll Everywhere is for you!

Create a poll for free, and then have your students "text" their answers. The responses the kids text in can be just on your computer, or they can be displayed on your SmartBoard for the entire class to see. All answers are anonymous, and kids who don't have their own device can pair up with a partner to ensure all are involved.

Just an FYI... because we know how snow days can disrupt the learning process for students, and more importantly, teachers miss seeing their students so much during those snow days, the district is taking a few steps to ensure we don't miss any more days due to snow.

(a poor attempt at making a joke...)

The Monday morning memo ~ 21

What if you could bounce ideas off educators not just in your hallway... school... district... state... or even your country...? What if you could open up learning for your students... what if the great many opportunities of the world were at your and your students' fingertips? The truth is, you can, and it's happening all the time!

Welcome to the Networked Teacher:

Have up to 10 educators or students in a "Google Hangout" discussing and working collaboratively via Google Plus:

Amplify your voice and broaden your pool of knowledge by asking questions and sharing ideas while getting instant feedback via Twitter. At the secondary level, create a hashtag (#mathMrSmith) for your classroom so kids can communicate and share information about the class.

Bonus, check out Hootsuite to set up a schedule of your tweets which will allow you to write your tweets in advance and have them sent out later automatically!

Start a blog to share your educational learning experiences; create a platform for discussion via the comment section on your blog. Have your students start a blog so they can share their work with an audience of more than just you, their teacher:

Skype with another classroom on the other side of the United States; Skype with other educators to discuss best instructional practices:



Start pinning with Pinterest:


























Have your students use their iPods, iPads, or iPhones to create their own videos via iMovie. Bonus, as a teacher, create your own short videos to archive important concepts or lessons and share with kids who were absent... explore flipped teaching!


Being a networked educator is all about not working alone. It's all about tapping into the vast world that is quickly becoming smaller and smaller.


Leave a comment below to share how you are or could become a "networked educator."

The Monday morning memo ~ 20

Assessments... formative... summative... increasing rigor... homework... grades... extra credit... student mastery... 

                   

~ a few things to ponder on this Monday morning!

An assessment is only formative when you actually take action and modify your instruction based on what you've learned from the results of the task... 

 

~ just a few things to consider...

**View the entire presentation from the Powerful Learning Conference below:

Points Earned PLC 2013