This Monday the CollabLab will help facilitate a portion of our school's In-Service Day focusing on instructional technology.
First, we will be offering a 45-minute session of "Spark" Presentations. A
Spark Presentation is a 3-5 minute presentation of an educational
technology strategy that teachers employ with their students. These are
not formal presentations; think of a "spark presentation" as a kind of
"show and tell." For example, Gary Alperin will share how he uses the
student-response
app Kahoot and Dean Burrier Sanchis will share how he uses his Weebly
Website. We are planning to have Spark Presentations by 8-10 staff
members. We already have several teachers who have volunteered, but we
want to open this opportunity up to everyone.
After this we will move into a mini-EdCamp. EdCamps are "un-camps," free professional development for teachers and by teachers. There are EdCamps hosted in many areas around the world. Our local one is EdCamp Chicago, and the next meeting will May 9, at Bednarcik Junior High School. Elk Grove will host its first "mini-camp."
At the start of the event, teachers come up and suggest a session they are interested in. This does not mean that you are running it or presenting it; it just means that you are heading there to start talking about it. The idea is you vote with your feet. If you go to one session, and it is not what you need, or if there is more than one session you want to see, you simply get up in the middle of the session, and go to another one! Another aspect of EdCamps is the sharing of information. There will be an open Google document available for each session to share out ideas with those in and out of the workshop time.
Check out this site next week for reflections from the day!
Tuesday, March 31, 2015
Monday, March 30, 2015
New Realities in Education: The Internet of Things
Posted by Linda Ashida
Think about what school was like five years ago . . . And think how things have changed! Who could have predicted back then the future of Elk Grove High School? A school where every student would have a mobile device that would transform they way they learn. Five years ago, few people had even seen or used an iPad, and here we are preparing to be a full 1:1 iPad school for the 2015-16 school year!
So what will the future bring?
I think it is exciting to imagine future realities in education. There will certainly be new and innovative developments that we cannot currently imagine.
I am intrigued to see what will develop with a new trend in technology that is beginning to spark interest with educators: The Internet of Things (IoT).
If you haven't heard of IoT, you might want to read "A Beginners Guide to the Internet of Things." In this article, Bonnie Cha explains:
To see more examples of innovative student projects with IoT, check out the University of Wisconsin Internet of Things Website
Another article, "Can the Internet of Things make education more student-focused?" explores the impact of IoT on traditional school institutions. According to author Max Meyers, "connected devices have the potential to drive new ways of teaching and transform the experience both for students and educators."
If you want to be even more fascintated by the possiblities of the Internet of Things, check out #IoT on Twitter!
It will be interesting to read this post five years from now to see just what unimagined things in education, including applications of IoT, have become realities.
Think about what school was like five years ago . . . And think how things have changed! Who could have predicted back then the future of Elk Grove High School? A school where every student would have a mobile device that would transform they way they learn. Five years ago, few people had even seen or used an iPad, and here we are preparing to be a full 1:1 iPad school for the 2015-16 school year!
So what will the future bring?
I think it is exciting to imagine future realities in education. There will certainly be new and innovative developments that we cannot currently imagine.
I am intrigued to see what will develop with a new trend in technology that is beginning to spark interest with educators: The Internet of Things (IoT).If you haven't heard of IoT, you might want to read "A Beginners Guide to the Internet of Things." In this article, Bonnie Cha explains:
Smart locks, smart thermostats, smart cars — you’ve probably heard some of these terms lately, and you’re going to hear them even more as the year goes on. But what are these things exactly — and what makes them so smart?
These devices are all part of an emerging category called the Internet of Things, or IoT for short. At its very basic level, IoT refers to the connection of everyday objects to the Internet and to one another, with the goal being to provide users with smarter, more efficient experiences.So what does this have to do with education? How will IoT transform the way we learn and problem solve? Some answers are already coming out of the The University of Wisconsin's Internet of Things Laboratory. They refer to it as an interdisciplinary "technology sandbox" where students and professors collaborate and design innovative projects to demonstrate the possbilities of IoT. According to their website, "IoT will "transform the way we live, work, and play." You can see some examples in the following video: Internet of Things 101: Inside the Latest Trend in Education.
To see more examples of innovative student projects with IoT, check out the University of Wisconsin Internet of Things Website
If you want to be even more fascintated by the possiblities of the Internet of Things, check out #IoT on Twitter!
It will be interesting to read this post five years from now to see just what unimagined things in education, including applications of IoT, have become realities.
Friday, March 20, 2015
Student Interviews as Assessment
By Kim Miklusak
This week I performed interviews as part of an ELL grad project in assessment to discover how students brainstorm for an AP English Language prompt. I selected two students who are second language learners and who have struggled in different ways during the year. I cannot overstate how useful I found these interviews! Many teachers instruct and model brainstorming. Some require that students to demonstrate planning for X minutes before they can write. What I think these interviews made clear to me, however, was where specifically in the planning process students struggle. This information will provide teachers and students with clear steps to possible solutions.
For example, my first student is a native Urdu speaker and speaks Urdu as her home language. She exited ELL during 3rd grade. Listening to her speak through her planning, we could pinpoint two main concerns: defining terms in the quotation and how to move from brainstorming evidence to outlining a main idea based on the prompt. I am going to provide her with some graphic organizers to help scaffold the process better for her.
My second student is a native Spanish speaker and speaks Spanish as her home language. She was in bilingual education through 3rd grade. When planning, this student skipped the unknown vocabulary in the quotation and jumped right into prompt. Once we talked through how to use context clues to define terms, the prompt became much easier. Because she has not internalized steps to understand unknown words, she relies on "what it sounds like" and then moves on to working through the prompt. I was able to provide her with other ways to figure out unknown words such as using her Spanish cognates.
I realize that interviews are incredibly time consuming: each of these took 10-15 minutes and could easily have run longer. It would be impossible to do with every struggling student. However, I highly recommend using this form of assessment for a few of your students in any subject area and grade or possibly using the iPad to require students to verbally explain their whole planning or problem solving before they write an essay or complete a math or science task in order to go back and review with them after they if need be. The information gained was invaluable!
This week I performed interviews as part of an ELL grad project in assessment to discover how students brainstorm for an AP English Language prompt. I selected two students who are second language learners and who have struggled in different ways during the year. I cannot overstate how useful I found these interviews! Many teachers instruct and model brainstorming. Some require that students to demonstrate planning for X minutes before they can write. What I think these interviews made clear to me, however, was where specifically in the planning process students struggle. This information will provide teachers and students with clear steps to possible solutions.
For example, my first student is a native Urdu speaker and speaks Urdu as her home language. She exited ELL during 3rd grade. Listening to her speak through her planning, we could pinpoint two main concerns: defining terms in the quotation and how to move from brainstorming evidence to outlining a main idea based on the prompt. I am going to provide her with some graphic organizers to help scaffold the process better for her.
My second student is a native Spanish speaker and speaks Spanish as her home language. She was in bilingual education through 3rd grade. When planning, this student skipped the unknown vocabulary in the quotation and jumped right into prompt. Once we talked through how to use context clues to define terms, the prompt became much easier. Because she has not internalized steps to understand unknown words, she relies on "what it sounds like" and then moves on to working through the prompt. I was able to provide her with other ways to figure out unknown words such as using her Spanish cognates.
I realize that interviews are incredibly time consuming: each of these took 10-15 minutes and could easily have run longer. It would be impossible to do with every struggling student. However, I highly recommend using this form of assessment for a few of your students in any subject area and grade or possibly using the iPad to require students to verbally explain their whole planning or problem solving before they write an essay or complete a math or science task in order to go back and review with them after they if need be. The information gained was invaluable!
Thursday, March 19, 2015
Let's All Take A Day...to Remediate!
By: Rachel Barry
Is it already almost Spring Break? Wasn't it just New Year's Day? This year has been moving fast! It has been full of wonderful learning experiences (Schoology Checklists, Kahoot! games, Last Man Standing activities, Scavenger Hunts, etc.) as well as some time restraints (cold & snow days, state testing, field trips, illness, etc.). With the end of third quarter upon us, my PLTs decided it would be a great opportunity to spend some time focusing on remediation.
Following PARCC testing on Monday and Tuesday, our regular junior math team has decided to spend the rest of the week allowing students to catch up on missing work and reassess on topics they didn't master. Students have been absent for various reasons, and many are very involved before school, during free periods, and after school in extra-curricular activities or are restricted to bus times. Giving students time during the school day to take any missing quizzes or tests provides students with an opportunity to make up work when I am able to help them and may alleviate stress.
This remediation process shows our students that the focus of their education is student learning -- we want our students to master skills and ensure that the course "grade" truly reflects this mastery. A poor grade with a strict deadline sends the message to students that they are not accountable to learn that material. Students accept their poor grade and may never return to the material to learn it. A structured remediation process reinforces the importance of learning ALL course material.
For the two different classes that I teach, there are two different documents used for remediation prior to the reassessment. In my regular freshmen class, we use this Post-Quiz Reflection document. The students who want or need to retake the quiz complete the front rubric and work on the aligned homework problem. I check over their work and then give them a ticket to bring to our Reassessment Room to take the retake. In my regular junior course, I use this Additional Practice document. Students must complete the Additional Practice, get it checked, and then are given the retake ticket.
If you ever want to talk about remediation and reassessment processes, feel free to drop by the Collab Lab. I'm always interested in talking through best practices and finding new methods for students to show mastery of their learning!
Is it already almost Spring Break? Wasn't it just New Year's Day? This year has been moving fast! It has been full of wonderful learning experiences (Schoology Checklists, Kahoot! games, Last Man Standing activities, Scavenger Hunts, etc.) as well as some time restraints (cold & snow days, state testing, field trips, illness, etc.). With the end of third quarter upon us, my PLTs decided it would be a great opportunity to spend some time focusing on remediation.
Following PARCC testing on Monday and Tuesday, our regular junior math team has decided to spend the rest of the week allowing students to catch up on missing work and reassess on topics they didn't master. Students have been absent for various reasons, and many are very involved before school, during free periods, and after school in extra-curricular activities or are restricted to bus times. Giving students time during the school day to take any missing quizzes or tests provides students with an opportunity to make up work when I am able to help them and may alleviate stress.
This remediation process shows our students that the focus of their education is student learning -- we want our students to master skills and ensure that the course "grade" truly reflects this mastery. A poor grade with a strict deadline sends the message to students that they are not accountable to learn that material. Students accept their poor grade and may never return to the material to learn it. A structured remediation process reinforces the importance of learning ALL course material.
For the two different classes that I teach, there are two different documents used for remediation prior to the reassessment. In my regular freshmen class, we use this Post-Quiz Reflection document. The students who want or need to retake the quiz complete the front rubric and work on the aligned homework problem. I check over their work and then give them a ticket to bring to our Reassessment Room to take the retake. In my regular junior course, I use this Additional Practice document. Students must complete the Additional Practice, get it checked, and then are given the retake ticket.
If you ever want to talk about remediation and reassessment processes, feel free to drop by the Collab Lab. I'm always interested in talking through best practices and finding new methods for students to show mastery of their learning!
Wednesday, March 18, 2015
My First Video!
By Mark Heintz
Last week, Christina Barnum taught a few teachers how to create videos for her Biology classes using the app Educreations. It was another great example of how easy it is to make videos and the different ways to implement them in the classroom. I have wanted for a few years now to create videos to help students learn the material. I keep seeing examples from my own students that reading at home or on their own is not the easiest way to learn history.
The book our district adopted is a challenge. To be fair, I was on the textbook adoption committee and approved the book. But, I digress. First, the books is at a college reading level. Second, the book assumes the students have a great deal of back ground knowledge. The book is great for students who know a lot of history, but almost all of my students are taking their first world history course. The students spend a lot of time outside of class trying to decode the text book. No matter what pre-reading strategies are done in the classroom, it is still very hard for my students to comprehend the material.
To help the students at home understand the reading, I made my first video! It was on methods used by Europeans to imperialize between the years 1750-1900. I used the software Screenflow. It records your screen and can record you at the same time. Using this software, I record myself while filming what is on screen. I remember reading Paul Anderson's guide to video making who gave the advice of putting yourself in the video to make it more approachable. I took his advice.
Last week, Christina Barnum taught a few teachers how to create videos for her Biology classes using the app Educreations. It was another great example of how easy it is to make videos and the different ways to implement them in the classroom. I have wanted for a few years now to create videos to help students learn the material. I keep seeing examples from my own students that reading at home or on their own is not the easiest way to learn history.
The book our district adopted is a challenge. To be fair, I was on the textbook adoption committee and approved the book. But, I digress. First, the books is at a college reading level. Second, the book assumes the students have a great deal of back ground knowledge. The book is great for students who know a lot of history, but almost all of my students are taking their first world history course. The students spend a lot of time outside of class trying to decode the text book. No matter what pre-reading strategies are done in the classroom, it is still very hard for my students to comprehend the material.
To help the students at home understand the reading, I made my first video! It was on methods used by Europeans to imperialize between the years 1750-1900. I used the software Screenflow. It records your screen and can record you at the same time. Using this software, I record myself while filming what is on screen. I remember reading Paul Anderson's guide to video making who gave the advice of putting yourself in the video to make it more approachable. I took his advice.
Overall, I learned a lot from my first video. I spoke too fast and stumbled over words. But, I love the idea. The video is short and gets to the point. I made a few multiple choice questions to go with the video to have students self-assess their comprehension of their learning. Now, I have the video forever. If a student is absent or is having difficulty understanding the material, they will be able to go back and re-watch it. I have since made five videos in the past two days and am jonesing to make more.
One last note. Making the videos really was a self reflective process on what students need to know. I summarized the facts and story of history. I feel like a true historian by pulling sources together to tell a story. It is interesting to see what I leave out, include, and how I put the story together.
Tuesday, March 17, 2015
Reflections on PARCC
Written by Paul Kelly
Elk Grove High School Principal
How do you get a
student to learn? How do you get a
student to trust you? How do you get 450 students in a gymnasium
to sit for an exam when they don’t see any benefit to taking it seriously?
The clear answer
to each of these questions is relationships.
It seems obvious
to most of us…form a better relationship, get better results. However, it’s more than common
sense. According to John Hattie’s
“Visible Learning” research, “teacher-student relationships” influence student
achievement to an extremely large degree, with an effect size of .72 (just
below my favorite teaching technique, “feedback”). As a classroom teacher, I always felt that strong
relationships with students were absolutely critical. As a principal, I feel they are completely necessary. When administrators and teachers are
able to come together and harness the power of their relationships with
students, amazing things happen.
As Elk Grove High
School students filled our main gymnasium for the PARCC examinations over the
past two days, there was rampant speculation that students would refuse to
test. What if they disrupt the environment? What if they disrespect the test proctors? What
if they all walk out???
Trust me…in my
weaker moments, I had my own fears.
However, I always have faith in our students, and I ultimately believed
they would come through. That
faith was more than justified as 100% of our students participated in
the mandated testing. In a culture
of sensationalized social media stories of student refusals and walkouts, not one EG student refused to test.
Why did our
students not follow the lead of those who walked out in other schools? Why did they stick it out to complete
an exam whose value they questioned immediately? To me, the answer is clear. It is because of relationships. As I watched incredible teachers like
Dawn Ferencz, Steve Lesniak, Chris Rugg, Stephanie Kezios, Tim Phillips, Wendy
Relich, Colleen Mullaney, Kim Molberger, Midge Snow, Ami Heng, and many others
work their personal magic in a deeply impersonal space, I knew that we were
going to make it. Our students
completed the PARCC exams with 100% participation not because they saw value to themselves, not because they were interested in the test’s content. They
completed the PARCC exams because they
trust the individuals who asked them to do so.
Now take the
effects of those relationships and picture them coupled with one of John
Hattie’s most important teacher factors, collaboration. If Elk Grove High School staff can get
225 tables of students to take nine hours of PARCC exams, imagine what we can
accomplish by working together during the course of a student’s entire high
school career.
It’s pretty
exciting to think about.
1:1 Pathways to Success for All Students
Posted by Linda Ashida
Today we learned that our iPad pilot proposal, "1:1 Pathways to Success for All Students," was approved. After 4 years of implementing iPad pilots at EGHS and reaching 85% 1:1 implementation, we presented this all-school 1:1 iPad proposal for the 2015-16 school year.
Building on the foundation of the existing 19 interdisciplinary pilots, our new all-school 1:1 proposal was written by an interdisciplinary team of staff from our entire counseling department, five different course teams (PE Advanced Strength and Conditioning, AP Biology, AP Environmental Science, Leadership Through Service, and Personal Finance), with support from English and Chemistry teachers. Special thanks go out to the staff members who committed countless hours to prepare and present an outstanding proposal to the District 214 Planning Team: Joe Bush, Scott Deutsch, Cindy D'Alessandro, Dawn Ferencz, Anthony Furman, Paul Genovese, Krista Glosson, Andrea Izenstark, Keith Kura, Maria Mroz, Deb Ohler, Ashley Phillips, Mike Radakovitz, Colin Rice, Alex Sanchez and Alex Stavropolous.
To get an idea of our strong interdisciplinary collaboration and capacity to implement a school-wide 1:1 program at Elk Grove High School, check out this link to their presentation.
Our excitement and anticipation to continue our collaborative efforts to improve learning for our students was well-expressed by our Principal, Paul Kelly. After the district informed us that our proposal had been approved, he sent the following message to our staff:
Building on the foundation of the existing 19 interdisciplinary pilots, our new all-school 1:1 proposal was written by an interdisciplinary team of staff from our entire counseling department, five different course teams (PE Advanced Strength and Conditioning, AP Biology, AP Environmental Science, Leadership Through Service, and Personal Finance), with support from English and Chemistry teachers. Special thanks go out to the staff members who committed countless hours to prepare and present an outstanding proposal to the District 214 Planning Team: Joe Bush, Scott Deutsch, Cindy D'Alessandro, Dawn Ferencz, Anthony Furman, Paul Genovese, Krista Glosson, Andrea Izenstark, Keith Kura, Maria Mroz, Deb Ohler, Ashley Phillips, Mike Radakovitz, Colin Rice, Alex Sanchez and Alex Stavropolous.
To get an idea of our strong interdisciplinary collaboration and capacity to implement a school-wide 1:1 program at Elk Grove High School, check out this link to their presentation.
Our excitement and anticipation to continue our collaborative efforts to improve learning for our students was well-expressed by our Principal, Paul Kelly. After the district informed us that our proposal had been approved, he sent the following message to our staff:
Dear Staff,
I
am extremely excited that Elk Grove High School will be a fully
1:1 iPad school next year! All the work and energy you have put in to
your technology efforts has been extremely impressive to anyone who sees
it. In addition, the iPad pilot proposals at EG have been outstanding
time after time. The amazing collaboration you engage in every day with
your colleagues has made us an exemplary environment for learning, and
our students are all stronger because of our shared emphasis on
challenge, support, and patience.
Most
importantly, I am so proud of how you keep your eyes on the real
LEARNING goals of our school. Your integration of technology in the
interest of student mastery (not technology for technology's sake) is a
model for any school to follow. We are all at different levels of
comfort and proficiency with iPads,
but
that is FINE!!
T
here
is not a more supportive and collaborative environment than you will
find among the staff of EGHS. No matter where you fall on the spectrum
of iPad proficiency, you are
each
truly talented at facilitating student learning,
which is
always our primary goal.
When
the time comes for you to give it a go, you have colleagues of every
iPad readiness level to help with the transitions. In addition, we have
a tremendous Instructional Technology Team whose goal is to support
your efforts.
You'll be able to move at your own pace, knowing that there are pros all around to help you!
I feel
completely
calm and confident moving forward
, which is a testament to our incredible staff.
We are absolutely ready for this.
Have a wonderful day,
Paul
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