I am lucky this week, as I have been invited by my district to attend the Professional Learning Communities at Work Conference here in Moncton. Led by Richard and Rebecca Dufour, the development and maintenance of PLC’s is gaining momentum as the most effective practice to increase student learning. The ideas here are great, and tie in strongly to the ideas I have been promoting surrounding teachers as learners.

The main premise is that schools / teaching teams need to focus on learning and be thirsty for data upon which to drive decisions. The use of common, teacher authored formative assessments is central to the learning process.

Out of this came this list of five strategies for improving test scores. Please enjoy with a grain of salt.

• Increase the drop out rate. Encourage low performers to quit.
• Eliminate electives…to heck with art, music and PE. Focus only on Math, Languages and science.
• Redraw school boundaries to include more students from higher socio-economic area within your school catchment.
• Have magnet school – sacrifice one of them to low performers to help the rest.
• Focus only on the kids on the bubble. Leave the highest (they’ll pass anyway) and the lowest (no chance anyway).

Just wondering to what extent any of these strategies are happening now.

Authored by Jeff Whipple. Hosted by Edublogs.]]> http://edutrails.edublogs.org/2008/08/26/five-steps-to-improving-test-scores/feed/ http://edutrails.edublogs.org/2008/08/21/cool-tools/ http://edutrails.edublogs.org/2008/08/21/cool-tools/#comments Fri, 22 Aug 2008 01:54:30 +0000 Jeff Whipple http://edutrails.edublogs.org/?p=240 Sometimes the array of powerful web tools available for schools is overwhelming, with more being added every day.  Part of my job is to track new tools and act as a filter, introducing them to teachers and students as learning needs dictate, but even I find it difficult to keep up.

Now, from the twitterverse (one of those tools), comes Cool Tools for Schools, a wiki (another of those tools), where the vast array is cataloged into a relatively easy-to-use reference for educators.  It seems to have all the biggies, and has introduced me to a few of the more obscure options out there.

What’s you favorite cool tool for school?

tags: technology, education, whipple, learning

The Royal Bank here in Canada is offering new and existing clients who have certain types of accounts and direct deposit their paychecks into that account a free ASUS Eee PC computer. What is the message here?

One of the messages I am giving to educators today is that the cost of computing is heading towards $0, while the power of computing is going through the roof. With cellular providers giving phones away, ISP’s giving away desktops and now banks jumping on the bandwagon, just how long can our school systems continue to cry poor.

The world is flatter and access is becoming less and less costly. As phone, television and computing services continue to converge, just how long can we continue to support industrial age schooling.

Back to my new Eee PC, it’s kind of cool. The keyboard is small and takes a bit of getting use to, but it is small and lightweight (great for travelling), the opensource OS is easy to navigate and the applications (Firefox, Openoffice, etc.) provide me with a great basic basic interface to the world. In fact, this post is typed on my new - and free - laptop.

If banks can give these away, what excuse do our schools have?

tags: technology, education, whipple, learning, ASUS, EeePC

This is NOT a technology-oriented conference, kind of a change for me.  I wasn’t sure what to expect coming in, knowing that I was invited to speak on “Creating Flat Classrooms for the 21st Century”.  Would delegates be interested in the shift?  Would they resist? Where would the conversations flow?

Right off the bat, I was impressed with the quality of the ideas.  Quite a few teachers engaged in the conversations about the future of learning at a higher level.  They got it.  Others were interested and eager to learn more. Other pushed back, an important role to make those of us who tend to charge ahead challenge our ideas.

I think the biggest takeaway from this event for me, however, is that teachers seem ready for change.  They are beginning to see that change is needed and seem ready to start the shift - at least as a collective.  The conversations I have had here with classroom teachers have been valuable.  It was an eye-opener to see what our next door neighbors in Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland faced each day.  Despite the opportunities to attend international conferences and connect with teachers globally through blogging and twitter, I was not all that connected to the people right next door.

I feel for them.  Ten-year old computers, slow connections and filters that block blogs.  Change will happen, but it will be slow.  Too many bureaucrats make too many decisions about learning that they don’t understand and those decisions do nothing to prepare our students for their future.  In fact, many of the decisions create barriers.  I can’t tell you how many times last night I was told by teachers from the other provinces that their departmental decision-makes needed to hear the message of 21st century learning.

As this conference wraps up, we see it as the end. What I am hoping is that it is only the beginning - the beginning of conversations in our region of the country to continue the shift in learning.

tags: technology, education, whipple, learning, contact2008

I am pleasantly suprised by the quality of the conversations here.  It’s a very different feel than other events I have attended that were not tech-specific and the story emerging is one of teachers seeing the need and demanding opportunities and change within their school.  In fact, the quality of the conversation here is at a level approaching that of some of the major “ed-tech” conferences I have attended.

Tomorrow I am presenting a workshop on School 2.0; Creating Flat Classrooms for the 21st Century.  I now am reviewing my session on the fly, adapting stuff she covered and building upon conversations she started.

For a small, “non-tech” conference, Brenda and a few others have a chance to start real conversations about changing the narrative of learning and how we can use technology to connect to students and have them connect with each other.  This is turning into a pretty “shifty” event.

tags: technology, education, whipple, learning, contact2008

“From Hopscotch to Hypermedia: A Vision of K-12 Students Today: Growing up Digital” - Brenda MacIsaac, NSTU

———–

This is not a workshop on technology, this is a workshop on students and learning.

Technology transformed my practice, I couldn’t teach like I did before.

Have our students changed?  How are they different?

Starting with the new version of Karl Fisch’s original “Did You Know” …icebreaker first…teachers fill in the blanks of some of the facts in the presentation.

Is there a disconnect between schools and clients they serve?  What our kids do outside of school is embraced by the millenials.  Digital Natives have changed radically.  Computers are the oxygen for todays’ kids.  There is a huge digital discinnect between schools and students.

Are these digital natives different because of digital media?   Research shows characteristics of today’s students…assertive, determined, curious, close bonds, independent…emotional and intellectual openness, hopeful/optimistic, accepting, extremely social

Breaktime…

Do they learn or approach things differently? Do they think differently? Reserach shows student are innovative, achievement oriented, immediate, like structure, discovery, self-reliant, prefer intercatives, hugely collaborative, can multi-task and multi-preocess and they want relevancy!! They are primarily visual-kinesthetic learners. Need to use graphic organizers, pictures to reinforce learning.

Kids want to learn things.  Ref: “A Private Universe” (search Youtube video)…once kids get ideas in their minds it is hard to unlearn things…difficult.

Brain Plasticity: What is It?  Brain responds and develops according to stimulus.  Physical changes will result when different ideas are introduced.

Group discussion of Marc Prensky article “Turning on the Light”.  Interesting discussions…some get it!

It’s their after-school education that is preparing them for their future more than their in-school education.

Classrooms must be interactive and experiential, creative learning, higher order, collaborative spaces.  Students should not be doing the same assignments and activities as everyone else.  Break down classroom walls…

It’s not about whether we are DN’s…but can we adapt for our students.  We need to erase our own “memories” about learning.

Change is inevitable.  Growth is optional.

tags: technology, education, whipple, learning, contact2008

Taking in a winery tour at the Jost Vineyards and fish n’ chips at the world famous Murphy’s in historic Pictou, we truly enjoyed our day.

Last night was opening keynote for CONTACT - an education conference hosted by the teacher’s federations of the four Atlantic Provinces (Newfoundland, Prince Edwards Island, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick).  As always, the conversations are the best part, but last night’s keynote was simply amazing!  Charles MacDonald was hilarious, poignant and challenging, brining with him a message highlighting the increasingly important role of educators to the lives of our young people.

“I’m gonna talk, and you’re gonna listen.  If you happen to finish ahead of me just raise your hand.”

Charlie drew on his background as an educator of over 35 years to spin a powerful narrative on the value of relationship.  The basis for connecting in all relationships - including with your students - is forming a relationship.  Kids form an impression in minutes.  It’s different than in the past where teachers had respect by virtue of their position, now educators have to work hard to earn everything from kids - including respect.

Definition of expert: x = unknow quantity in Math; “spurt” = drip under pressure

Add to the 3 R’s one more…presentation skills.  Life is a bunch of presentations.  When you get up in the morning you begin presenting yourself; to your wife, kids, colleagues, etc.  We need to give young people these skills.

We have eliminated a whole bunch of caring adults from the lives of kids (storekeepers, community, neighbors, etc.)  Teachers are what is left in many cases - so this makes our role increasingly challenging.

**********

This was one of the most dynamic presentations I have seen in quite some time.  Just one man, sharing stories w/o props or pictures in the grand tradition of learning through stories.  Quite a moving experience.

Day 2 starts now!

tags: technology, education, whipple, learning, contact2008

One item that caught my eye, mainly because it is something that I have been pondering about for the past week or so, is a post by Jeff Utecht about a conversation he had with his wife.  She postulated that that change in education - real change - will only happen with another Sputnik.  Her analogy was that until the US (and by extension us here in Canada as well) are shocked, scared or otherwise threatened by a perceived threat from outside, there won’t be any real change in the way we teach.

For the past week I have been thinking a lot about Scott Klososky’s keynote at the Laptop Institute conference in Memphis last week.  Scott drew a parallel between Apple’s moving into the void created by the disinterest in change by the traditional music industry to become the major music distributor in the world.  It took a computer company, not a music company, to see the possibilities.

Scott mused that maybe it’ll take the same kind of model to shift the education system.  Maybe as the tradional schools with their industrial model of teaching continue to miss the boat on the shifting nature of the world and, more importantly, our kids, some other entity will move to create a new learning model that will serve these 21st century learners.  It might be someone like Apple or maybe a model like Curriki where the community takes ownership of the learning enterprise.

I am not sure where the change will come from…or when it will come.  One thing is for certain, the tradional model of school, particularly in North America, will become less and less relevant to our youth and their lives as connected global citizens.  While I tend to think the change will come from an entity from within and not a Sputnik from abroad, it will happen.

Are we ready?

tags: technology, education, whipple, learning, scott klososky

Every teacher who cares about understanding the world we are preparing our kids for should try and understand the little we do know about the future.  After all, how do we begin to prepare students to be active and productive 21st century global citizens if we don’t care to know about the new global community ourselves?

There are two books (neither of them specifically about education) that I encourage teachers to read. The first is A Whole New Mind by Daniel Pink, the second is Thomas Friedman’s landmark The World is Flat.

In his work, Friedman documents the shifting nature of the global economic, cultural and political communities, pointing to ten “flatteners” that have helped create a flat world where geography is becoming less and less a factor in participation in a global, connected community.

Now comes word that consumers can have access to TWIF for free…in audio form.  According to his website, readers (listeners?) can begin to receive audio downloads from the book beginning July 25th.  In addition, we can also receive excerpts from hiss new book Hot, Flat and Crowded.

With such a reluctance by teachers to read for learning - sound familiar? - maybe they would be more open to listening instead?  Let’s hope.  I’ve signed up!

tags: technology, education, whipple, learning, theworldisflat, thomas friedman

This was my first experience in New Orleans and didn’t really know what to expect. After three years of Beale Street in Memphis, I figured much of the same except with a jazz feel. To say that New Orleans didn’t match that expectation is an understatement.

Despite being ravaged by Katrina just a few years ago, my experience in New Orleans was amazing. In fact, expect for a couple of derelict buildings that were pointed out by tour guides (which could have been the result of any variety of reasons) there was no evidence of the destruction visible in the downtown area. I will admit that we deliberately avoided the Katrina Tours available (we wanted to return home with good memories), but Katrina certainly was not on prominent display.

New Orleans was nothing short of amazing. From the dinner cruise on the Natchez and the Swamp Tour put on by the wonderful folks at Westwego Adventures to the romance of the French Quarter and the freak show of Bourbon Street, this is a city like no other.

The other part of New Orleans that was refreshing was to be disconnected for five days. In his keynote at LI, Scott Klososky spoke of the need to get “off the grid” to refresh. Well, I took his advice and for five days there was no blogging, twittering, emailing or even checking the weather online. I was completely disconnected from the web, and it was good (I think my wife enjoyed it too!!).

More on my thoughts on another great Laptop Institute later.

tags: technology, education, whipple, learning, laptopinstitute, scott klososky, new orleans