Administrators and Technology

21st Century learning is not just for our teachers and kids. We, as administrators, must stay abreast of what is out there-the good and the bad. Our newer teachers will be coming to us asking if they can do this or that. If we don't know what they are talking about, we are at a major disadvantage. We must lead by example. We must try out new 2.0 tools. We must also inspect what we expect from our teachers. I now have plans for Livebinders and our teacher/student handbook as well as other items in an easy to find location--the answers to the questions that are asked yet answered in these documents and new read. We are in a fast paced time--the quicker to get the info. the better.
How are you using digital as an administrator? What one tool can you begin with?

Formative Assessment

Just read an interesting blog from Heather Mullins-NWRESA-on formative assessment. She talks about two teachers who share their major assessments with the kids in advance to gauge how they will do and what concepts have been taught well. What a novel idea! She says that we are no longer the keeper of knowledge, but we are to share. How would your lessons look differently if you knew what your kids know before you give them THE TEST? What would their knowledge look like? Can you give up this power?

Who Am I?

As I sit here at the state fair with our farm, I wonder who I really am. Can a person really separate their personal and professional life? Don't all parts of your life make you who you are or can you really choose and switch on and off different ways of looking at situations based on what role you are playing?

Ethics in Education

Looking at ethics in education. How often do you make decisions based on your heart and not your head? What are some examples of those decisions?

Summertime

Teachers---what are you doing to relax this summer!!! Please share!

Fires in the Middle School Bathroom-April

Chapters 5,6 How do you engage your students in the classroom?

February Book Study

In this chapter we discuss how to help our middle schoolers grow into confident learners. Knowing that standardized tests raise students' anxiety, what do you do as a teacher to calm their fears and make them more confident?

Fires in the Middle School Bathroom-Jan

From the reading we know that students want their comments/opinions heard in your classroom. How do you make sure that you are not like those teachers discussed on page 76?