Ways to use social media on your next field trip

I always love to find new ways to use technology and especially love creative ways such as taking technology on field trips.  I found an interesting article that described 5 easy ways to integrate technology on the go.  1. Get social to create enthusiasm.  Before the trip, check out the place with twitter, facebook, instagram and blog about it.  2. Use hashtags.  Pick a hashtag for your trip and use it for capturing the cool things you'll find to share.  3. Thinglink.  Before going, print out a map and as you go through the trip, take pictures and videos.  These can become touchpoints that can be posted.  4. Yelp review.  Rather than writing a traditional report, write a Yelp review of your trip.  5. Sketching for connecting with a community.  use a sketching app like Paper to capture moments and share them on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, or other social media.  There are many more ways to integrate technology on your field trips, but most of all have fun and get the message out there!!!

Designing the classroom with the brain in mind.

At the beginning of the school year there comes a myriad of considerations including questions and possibilities in designing the classroom.  I found an article that I found particularly interesting with research that shows that learning can be improved significantly by adding brain-compatible elements to the design of the classroom.
When the body is taken care of the brain can turn its attention to other things.  More comfortable classrooms provide more opportunity.  The brain thrives on meaning.  Information that is not meaningful will be lost which translates to having high interest reading materials on hands for students.  For students who read at lower levels, have stories recorded at a slower pace for them to listen to.  The most powerful memory is the emotional memory so having a classroom that is warm and inviting helps the brain relay pleasure emotions with learning emotions.  Just the right amount of challenge encourages learning.  Struggling readers need materials that are high interest, yet challenging, and provided an area where reading will be modeled.  Choice changes the chemistry of the brain, and the higher students move through he grades even more so.   Choice in design of where materials are accessible is key.   When multiple senses are engaged such as hands-on powerful learning can occur.  The brain is social and students collaborating facilitates learning.  Areas in a room where this setup is encouraged will benefit students.  Positive emotions motive and create excitement. High-interest reading materials, games, and modeling make students feel special.
So, I encourage all teachers to setup your classrooms with brain research in mind.  And good luck to all of you!

Are PLC's important?

I just received my latest TEPSA news and found an article about Professional Learning Communities (PLC).  The fact remains that PLCs are the most effective strategy for achieving long-term and sustained school improvement.  Like so many others, our district and campus are striving to implement the PLC successfully.  I feel that this year, we will be closer than ever.  I eagerly look forward to learning this year.
So, as a leader of a large school, I have questions and answers to contemplate when considering the importance of the PLC:  Why are PLCs relevant?  Primarily because we want to prepare our students for the 21st century.    In addition, along with all students can learn and NCLB, the PLC promotes high expectations for all students of all learning abilities and styles.  Every child deserves a quality education and the PLC promotes a commitment to such.  What we do as teachers matters, we are professionals and are committed to figuring out what will work for each of our students.  Our students will compete in a global economy and the PLC supports schools that enhances our nations economic competitiveness.  Last, because as good as we are, we need to be even better.  All schools and professionals need to be committed to doing what we know is effective.  The PLC helps schools recognize the past represents history, not prophecy and rely on critical questions to guide their improvement.  In conclusion, the PLC will continue to be a method that our campus will embrace to lead our students and ourselves to success!
I wish you the best school year ever and success in growing professionally with your PLC!

Strategies for Close Reading

Reading is a subject that is near and dear to my heart, mostly likely because I have always loved reading.  I have a difficult time understanding why most of the students at our campus have trouble with comprehension skills and do not love reading as I do.  Is it because technology has turned us away from the desire to read?  I utilize technology and welcome its advances, but I still love to read.  So, my thoughts are that technology is not the culprit.
One of my primary goals for this year will be to raise the reading scores of my campus.  Our math scores have continued to rise for the past few years, but our reading scores are flat lining.  When taking into consideration the cause and effect of the current trend of flat reading scores, I have looked for resources to address the issue.  One of the most recommended resources is Notice & Note, Strategies for Close Reading by Kylene Beers & Robert E. Probst.  I fell in love with the very first page, "The text awakens associations in the reader's mind, and out of the mix, meaning is created.  It resides neither in the text nor in the reader's mind, but in the meeting of the two."  That is exactly the way I process what I read.  I want my students to have a love and joy of reading just as I do.  (And higher reading scores.)  I am looking forward to finding out from this resource how to get us there and sharing this with my staff.  Happy reading!