NCLB And now Race to the top!

NCLB And now Race to the top!

NCLB And now Race to the top!

NCLB And now Race to the top!

Let’s not forget RTI, formerly know as differentiation

This is just the list of federal initiatives. I won’t even delve into what your individual state and district have added. And this is all since 2000!

So let’s go back to our poor bedraggled classroom teacher - Married to content because that’s why he or she became a teacher in the first place, worried about evaluation, budget cuts, classroom management, grading papers, all aforementioned federal/global initiatives, and then sit him or her down for two or three days per year of sit & git PD. Are you wondering why faculty may seem reticent on PD days about participating in what you worked so hard to plan?

The first paragraph, of the U.S. Dept of Ed’s 2010 National Ed Tech Plan executive summary, states that education fosters cross-border, cross-cultural collaboration. I have taught in districts that serve populations the lowest, middle and highest ends of the socioeconomic spectrum but I have yet to work in a school district that encourages communication and collaboration beyond the district perimeter.

I have taught in districts that serve populations the lowest, middle and highest ends of the socioeconomic spectrum but I have yet to work in a school district that encourages communication and collaboration beyond the district perimeter

This is not just a random observation. I co-chair the Consortium of School Networking’s (CoSN) Awards Committee. Building communities and partnerships with external organizations is one of the five criteria for both the TEAM and the Withrow CTO award, but it is consistently the weakest link among the submissions for both awards.

Why, a decade into the in the 21st century, given all the free resources that are available to help us engage in participatory learning, is K-12 teaching and learning bound by geography and real time?

I have given this a lot of thought over the past year because I firmly believe that connected teachers grow connected learners. If you don’t believe me, talk to my friend Shannon Miller form Iowa. She’ll convince you.

Unfortunately growing connected learners is exactly what many K12 schools are not doing.

Lisa Schmucki launched edWeb.net/emergingtech in June of 2010. At that time, we had a couple hundred members.

Since then, the community has grown to over 2,500 members. This enthusiasm is not limited to librarians. edWeb itself grew exponentially in the past year. Lisa - can you add numbers here. Clearly, there is a motivated contingent of educators who proactively seek opportunities for professional growth and learning beyond their district’s offerings.

I sit on my district’s Teacher Evaluation and Professional Learning (TEPL) committee, and while edWeb.net flourished in 2011, we examined some of the nations most progressive teacher evaluation and growth plans. Almost universally, they relied on building level interaction for evaluation and professional development. Not one explicitly identified online professional learning networks as a viable vehicle for professional growth and/or evaluation. And all the while… the pool of online PD options is exploding.

Motivated, self-directed educators are reaching out to other colleagues and organizations for professional learning.

Even less connected educators have a plethora of options to communicate and collaborate with colleagues across time and geographic boundaries.

What about the less proactive, less tech savvy teachers? What about new teachers?

Until districts formally recognize external and online learning as a valued part of the evaluation and growth system, only a handful of educators will pursue this kind of learning. This creates a growing divide between self-directed educators and all the others, which profoundly impacts students in the classroom.

I’ve participated in a few events with Eric Sheninger. When he tells his story, the first thing he talks about is how he used to block everything and confiscate mobile phones – until he, himself got involved in social media. That’s when everything changed. And change it did! I spoke with Eric at an edWeb.net-sponsored symposium for Online Communities of Practice in Washignitn last August. He is implementing innovative practices that promoted outreach and connectedness on a systemic level for evaluation and professional development.

Patrick Larkin is borrowing Google’s 20% policy to give teachers a chance to find PD that works best for them.

Let’s go back to that 4th sentence in the National Ed Tech Plan’s exec summary; the one that states that education fosters cross-border, cross-cultural collaboration. This is true in an environment where teachers expose learners to cross-border, cross-cultural collaborative experiences.

. I have taught in districts that serve populations the lowest, middle and highest ends of the socioeconomic spectrum but I have yet to work in a school district that encourages communication and collaboration beyond the district perimeter

But if that is not a part of the teacher’s culture, students will have very few such experiences. So it is incumbent upon school districts to promote the value of online teaching and learning for professional growth and evaluation. That is the only way that students will benefit from the same kind of learning and develop the kind of empathy and understanding that emerges form working with diverse communities. I am guessing that trend will remain until districts explicitly encourage teachers and students to reach out for those collaborations and partnerships.

Please apply!

Insight and Innovation for Technology Leaders October 21, 2011, Tarrytown, NY Keys to Effective Online Learning Michelle Luhtala Library Department Chair New Canaan High School New Canaan, CT me@bibliotech.me @mluhtala http://gplus.to/loots

http://gplus.to/loots @mluhtala on twitter edweb.net/emerging tech contact information

P21 SKILLS 1. Accountability 2. Adaptability 3. Collaboration 4. Communication 5. Creativity 6. Critical thinking 7. Cross-cultural skills 8. Flexibility Information literacy Initiative 11. Innovation 12. Leadership 13. Media literacy 14. Problem solving 15. Productivity 16. Responsibility 17. Self-direction 18. Social 19. Technology literacy

Common Core Less standards, higher standards, clearer standards Aligned with college and work expectations Higher order thinking Prepares students for 21st C International comparisons Research and evidence-based

ISTE NETS Demonstrate creativity and innovation Communicate and collaborate Conduct research and use information Think critically, solve problems, and make decisions Use technology effectively and productively

Inquire, think critically, and gain knowledge  Draw conclusions, make informed decisions, apply knowledge to new situations, and create new knowledge Share knowledge and participate ethically and productively as members of our democratic society Pursue personal and ethical growth Learners use skills and resources to: AASL Standards

Partnership for 21st Century Learning Common Core State Standards AASL Standards ISTE NETS

But wait! There’s more!

But wait! There’s more!

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But wait! There’s more!

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19 “education fosters cross-border, cross-cultural collaboration.”

CTOs & Collaboration Awards Deadline: 11/11/11

Now 2,700+ members in Emerging Tech

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Webinars

22 invitations this month!

But wait! There’s more!

38

45 Requests for CEU certificates

20%

49 “education fosters cross-border, cross-cultural collaboration.”

http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/images/largeevaluation.gif

CTOs & Collaboration Awards Deadline: 11/11/11

Insight and Innovation for Technology Leaders October 21, 2011, Tarrytown, NY Keys to Effective Online Learning Michelle Luhtala Library Department Chair New Canaan High School New Canaan, CT me@bibliotech.me @mluhtala http://gplus.to/loots