tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61972530695735472202024-02-20T00:24:53.186-08:00Karen Muska - Ed Tech JourneysKaren Muskahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00003201648450705838noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6197253069573547220.post-89742807426154891442012-12-09T00:48:00.001-08:002012-12-11T01:00:53.186-08:00LEC 8.1 Reflection: iNACOL Standards for Quality Online Teaching<h3>
<i><span style="color: #b45f06;">Reflection on the </span><a href="http://www.inacol.org/research/nationalstandards/iNACOL_TeachingStandardsv2.pdf"><span style="color: #999999;">(iNACOL) National Standards for Quality Online Teaching (PDF)</span></a><span style="color: #b45f06;">, and my readiness for quality online teaching. </span></i></h3>
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<li><i style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #b45f06;">How have you changed as a learner and an instructor through this process?</span></i></li>
<li><i style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #b45f06;">What is your action plan for implementing changes in your teaching practice as a result of new learning?</span></i></li>
<li><i style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #b45f06;">How do you plan to continue your learning about online teaching?</span></i></li>
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At the beginning of the Leading Edge Certification Online and Blended Teaching program, I had considerable experience as an online <u><i>student</i></u> having taken several individual courses and workshops and having completed a rigorous online Administration and Supervision certification program through Johns Hopkins University and ISTE. I believed that I knew what it took to be a successful online learner, I was familiar with using a variety of digital and Web 2.0 tools and resources, and I felt that I knew the difference between online courses that were engaging and those that were not (having experienced both). Although my experiences contributed a significant amount of knowledge and skills that were transferable and applicable to online/blended teaching, I found throughout the LEC course that there were areas in which I had gaps in knowledge or had over-estimated my previous level of proficiency. I believe I have experienced professional growth in all of the standards and that the LEC program has given me insight into what makes for quality online/blended teaching and quality online content. Looking through the dual lenses and perspectives of both an online learner and an online teacher/facilitator/coach has proved very valuable.<br />
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I plan to use a combination of the Personal Learning Plan developed for Module 7 and the assessment of my strengths and areas for growth (below) as an action plan for continuing my professional learning about online/blended teaching. Part of the implementation of that plan includes membership and participation in professional organizations, attendance at conferences and in virtual meetings and webinars, ongoing research into best practices, and evaluating and amassing professional and instructional resources. I will also need to continue to stay abreast of changes and updates in the online/blended learning knowledge base and technologies (LMS, data analysis, adaptive software, and Web 2.0 tools).<br />
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<b><i><span style="color: #b45f06;">Strengths and Areas for Growth relative to the iNACOL standards: </span></i></b></h3>
<b><span style="color: #7f6000;">Standard A- </span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #7f6000;">The online teacher knows the primary concepts and structures of effective online instruction and is able to create learning experiences to enable student success. </span></b></div>
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I have learned quite a bit about the continuum and categorization of online and blended learning as well as the selection or creation of resources and strategies for effective online instruction and can rate myself a 3 to 3.5 in most of the criteria. However, since this is an expanding field with continual changes and a growing body of research in best practices and what is and is not working, I expect to need to continually update my knowledge and skills.</div>
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<b><span style="color: #7f6000;">Standard B</span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: #7f6000;">The online teacher understands and is able to use a range of technologies, both existing and emerging, that effectively support student learning and engagement in the online environment.</span></b></div>
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Since I have been an instructional technologist for the past several years, being able to "use communication technologies in a variety of mediums and contexts for teaching and learning" is definitely one of my strengths, as is applying troubleshooting skills. Therefore, I can rate myself a 4 in most of the criteria in Standard B. Areas in which I want to increase my knowledge and skills are exploring new tools (especially the expanding number of Web 2.0 tools) and incorporating subject-specific and developmentally appropriate technologies.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #7f6000;">Standard C</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #7f6000;">The online teacher plans, designs, and incorporates strategies to encourage active learning, application, interaction, participation, and collaboration in the online environment.</span></b></div>
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For several years, I have been mentoring other teachers in incorporating interactive technologies and strategies for increasing student engagement in face-to-face teaching and learning environments. I have begun transferring or modifying tools, resources, and strategies into online and blended environments and need to continue to do so. </div>
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<b><span style="color: #7f6000;">Standard D</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #7f6000;">The online teacher promotes student success through clear expectations, prompt responses, and regular feedback.</span></b></div>
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These competencies are essential whether teaching in a traditional face-to-face environment or in online/blended learning. Over the course of my years of classroom teaching, I developed good systems and procedures for establishing clear expectations, organizing and delivering content, and conducting ongoing assessment and feedback. In transitioning to online/blended teaching, I will need to work on developing strategies for quickly and effectively identifying students' problems (since it may not be as apparent as in F2F interaction) and providing differentiated resources and intervention.</div>
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<b><span style="color: #7f6000;">Standard E</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #7f6000;">The online teacher models, guides, and encourages legal, ethical, and safe behavior related to technology use.</span></b></div>
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Although I strive to model ethical and safe behavior and have helped to develop curriculum and professional development resources on Cyber Safety and Cyber Citizenship, this is an area that is constantly evolving.<br />
I will need to stay up-do-date on changes in school law as it relates to the online environment, especially since this is a complex area and continually changing as cases move through the courts and new rulings are made and precedents are set. Technology has made copyright issues even more complex, and unfortunately educators have often been some of the biggest violators. I will have to increase my understanding of the finer points of both copyright and academic dishonesty so that I am able to institute appropriate policies and provide resources for my online/blended students.</div>
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<b><span style="color: #7f6000;">Standard F</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #7f6000;">The online teacher is cognizant of the diversity of student academic needs and incorporates accommodations into the online environment.</span></b></div>
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This is an area in which I had overestimated my prior level of knowledge and proficiency. Before working through the LEC module 5, I believed that I had done a pretty good job of differentiating materials, addressing learning styles, and providing accessible resources. What I learned is that I had been missing important concepts and had not implemented key strategies to make my instructional materials and learning resources accessible to all students. I feel that I learned a great deal in this area and will continue to work at revising my existing materials as well as building in accessibility into new resources.</div>
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<b><span style="color: #7f6000;">Standard G</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #7f6000;">The online teacher demonstrates competencies in creating and implementing assessments in online learning environments in ways that ensure validity and reliability of the instruments and procedures.</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #7f6000;">Standard H</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #7f6000;"><b>The online teacher develops and delivers assessments, projects, and assignments that meet standards-based learning goals and assesses learning progress by measuring student achievement of </b><b>the learning goals.</b></span></div>
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The transition to the Common Core State Standards makes it even more important to develop and implement more authentic and valid assessment instruments. Our students, whether in F2F, online, or blended learning environments, will be taking online assessments that require more than selecting a multiple choice option and filling in a bubble. Although I have a good understanding of both formative and summative assessment, I do need more practice developing <i>online</i> assessments that really get at higher order thinking and that use scoring criteria that are conducive to inter-rater reliability (can be easily calibrated and result in consistent scores from multiple raters). </div>
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<b><span style="color: #7f6000;">Standard I</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #7f6000;">The online teacher demonstrates competency in using data from assessments and other data sources to modify content and to guide student learning.</span></b></div>
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In most districts, teachers and administrators have been given training on analyzing assessment data and on cycle of inquiry and RTI- using assessment data to continually adjust instruction. I have two areas in which I would like to increase my capabilities. I would like to become more familiar with the various online assessment and content providers that use adaptive assessments and feedback of student learning to evaluate where students are and then provide instructional resources to meet them at their level. I would also like to increase my ability to find and implement alternative resources for differentiation (intervention and enrichment). </div>
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<b><span style="color: #7f6000;">Standard J</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #7f6000;">The online teacher interacts in a professional, effective manner with colleagues, parents, and other members of the community to support students’ success.</span></b></div>
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I rated myself as a 3.5 to a 4 in this area. I believe that communication and collaboration within the school community (between teachers and students, home to school, and between colleagues) and with other educators and experts in the larger community is essential. Technology can support and enhance communication, interaction, and engagement by allowing anytime/anywhere access and asynchronous connections.</div>
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<b><span style="color: #7f6000;">Instructional Design</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #7f6000;">The following section outlines standards for instructional design skills for the online teacher of </span></b><b style="color: #7f6000;">record, where applicable. These standards are considered optional, as instructional design does not </b><b style="color: #7f6000;">always fall under online teaching responsibilities.</b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #7f6000;">Standard K</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #7f6000;">The online teacher arranges media and content to help students and teachers transfer knowledge </span></b><b><span style="color: #7f6000;">most effectively in the online environment.</span></b></div>
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I have done some instructional design and curriculum development work, and in a previous position I evaluated instructional materials for posting on a state curriculum web site, so I believe I have a pretty good grasp of creating and arranging content and media. I would like to get some training on developing and managing content within commonly used LMS tools like Moodle and Haiku.<br />
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Karen Muskahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00003201648450705838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6197253069573547220.post-71049914938623788332012-11-19T15:18:00.006-08:002012-11-20T15:17:58.919-08:006.3 Reflection: Technology and Assessment<br />
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<i><span style="color: #b45f06;"><b>This module has explored the use of technology tools for both formative and summative assessment. As you think about how you will implement formative and summative assessments in the online and blended environments, what are some of the factors you need to consider?</b></span></i><br />
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<br />For an assessment to really be formative, the process has to go beyond being an interim checkpoint between summative tests. A formative assessment should be diagnostic and actually tell us something about what the student does and does not know. It needs to inform subsequent instruction and give feedback to students as to whether they are on track or need additional practice or alternative resources to further their learning. It’s important to keep in mind the “Student uses feedback to learn” in Tuttle’s Stages for Formative Assessment.<br /><br /><br />Technology provides both benefits and challenges for assessment, especially in online and blended learning environments. <br /><u><br />Benefits: </u><br /><ul>
<li>Technology can provide automatic scoring and immediate results, including diagnostics. </li>
<li>Several of the Web 2.0 assessment tools can be set to allow students to practice or do tutorials and then retake the assessment. </li>
<li>Students can take the assessment asynchronously and at times that are convenient to their schedules. </li>
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<br /><u>Challenges and factors to consider: </u><br /><ul>
<li>Ensuring that the online tools are fully accessible to all students. </li>
<li>Providing feedback that is respectful and sensitive to students’ needs. Online/blended learning teachers should take care in how and when students are given feedback. Responses should be timely and teachers should be careful in their wording and tone. </li>
<li>Checking that question items actually test what teachers want students to know and be able to do. This is especially important when using pre-prepared quizzes and tools and quizzes created by other teachers. Not all of the quizzes that come up in a search of a particular Web 2.0 tool are high quality and some may have questions that are not applicable. </li>
<li>Instituting policies, systems, and tools to help curb cheating or inappropriate collaboration. </li>
</ul>
<br /><br />Karen Muskahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00003201648450705838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6197253069573547220.post-11595396034514597752012-10-28T22:02:00.004-07:002012-10-28T22:21:55.575-07:00LEC 4.3 Reflection: Social & Professional Networks<span style="color: #b45f06;"><i><b>Think about how the Internet has impacted your own personal learning, communication, and sense of community.</b></i></span><br />
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<li><i><b>When does the Internet help your learning? When does it distract from good learning for you? </b></i></li>
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</b></i></span>The Internet has had a tremendous impact on my own personal learning. Over the past several years, I find that I frequently turn to the Internet for information and resources, not only from online searches, but also from colleagues, classmates, and friends. I have taken online courses, I participate in professional learning networks, I frequent informational forums, and I use social networks.<br />
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Just last year, I completed a graduate certificate in Administration and Supervision through a program that is a collaboration between Johns Hopkins University and the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). The program was conducted almost entirely online and members of my cohort were from all over the United States. The program required participants to communicate and collaborate frequently, and through the progression of courses we developed a PLN using the course LMS and other Web 2.0 tools. This experience pushed me to investigate more online communities and resources to expand my PLNs. <br />
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I also use social networks to connect (or re-connect) and communicate with friends and family. This has been important and helpful to me since I had moved 2000 miles away from most of my family and long-term friends. I do use Facebook regularly and I also use video-conferencing tools such as Skype and Facetime to communicate with family and friends.<br />
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I also found that with the proliferation of social and professional networks and online interfaces, I have had to become selective - there are so many online communities and tools that I cannot possibly have time to keep up with all of them, much less actively participate and contribute. It can take up too much time and can distract me from other responsibilities. Another issue is that although I do find gems of information posted in some communities and it is nice to see what is new with friends and family, there are also a lot of posts that are trivial or gratuitous, annoying, or irrelevant to my needs. I subscribe to the philosophy that "just because you can, does not mean that you should."<br />
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Here are screenshots of Facebook, the JHU Electronic Learning Community, Google +, and Blogger.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxb8WMjP2NYTdZkFpLtiYAWujwizChVuqaXg4n3jNax1r8HQWNhb966u7Vy9OTnzoDE7EDPVTX6t_u6uDnvL-HZtfO__vjcUO3C45CGSpBu3nzViA6BtWhfroA81TF5mqL5K3kRAQ8x86d/s1600/Facebook-Karen.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxb8WMjP2NYTdZkFpLtiYAWujwizChVuqaXg4n3jNax1r8HQWNhb966u7Vy9OTnzoDE7EDPVTX6t_u6uDnvL-HZtfO__vjcUO3C45CGSpBu3nzViA6BtWhfroA81TF5mqL5K3kRAQ8x86d/s320/Facebook-Karen.JPG" width="202" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Facebook</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz2_3mhr5xnGJnFp-ZBAcZ7WkV60NnZcIFqat2EJmyOZ-d16uFGqtHpjghn8y1Arx0Kf_cfV_VrKMhmLWx_T3caaPHlbWswb5e1RQtQoSUt6yNv9NHFYwrJ4m5HlObzjOOphR7Rq6fvfOF/s1600/JHU-ElectronicLearningCommunity.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz2_3mhr5xnGJnFp-ZBAcZ7WkV60NnZcIFqat2EJmyOZ-d16uFGqtHpjghn8y1Arx0Kf_cfV_VrKMhmLWx_T3caaPHlbWswb5e1RQtQoSUt6yNv9NHFYwrJ4m5HlObzjOOphR7Rq6fvfOF/s320/JHU-ElectronicLearningCommunity.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">JHU - Electronic Learning Community</td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqe-pxDvPyXGy1-Iz_ccMd_xJEeG58Byk-gKRa6e2VDg_woHCol5h3F3aCImenQTX8q_XOvXjYSZS-g5szEiTEKsCG8MGK0FZCv1Atkk0y6ILeT0Qw_hDP2VTf8aIO1297aSak6ITqZOYM/s1600/Google+Karen.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqe-pxDvPyXGy1-Iz_ccMd_xJEeG58Byk-gKRa6e2VDg_woHCol5h3F3aCImenQTX8q_XOvXjYSZS-g5szEiTEKsCG8MGK0FZCv1Atkk0y6ILeT0Qw_hDP2VTf8aIO1297aSak6ITqZOYM/s320/Google+Karen.JPG" width="288" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Google +</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJwHrDa_q7VCh0QVfEkQrBjP6F-pRS-KHgRUS_VnqUePlf71tOaLSwh7uIztodhzJQeRvFE2vCwdrz2PaAZ5-XatnNl9mVn61IBYvsFvzgHdPdVlnNKan-CSbjBQRRUISIx0NN05f8FUT3/s1600/Blogger.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJwHrDa_q7VCh0QVfEkQrBjP6F-pRS-KHgRUS_VnqUePlf71tOaLSwh7uIztodhzJQeRvFE2vCwdrz2PaAZ5-XatnNl9mVn61IBYvsFvzgHdPdVlnNKan-CSbjBQRRUISIx0NN05f8FUT3/s320/Blogger.JPG" width="288" /></a></td></tr>
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</i></b></i></b></li>
<li style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;"><b style="color: #b45f06;"><b><i><i><span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: inherit;"><b>How might your answers to these questions be similar to or different from the answers your students might give?</b></span></i></i></b></b></li>
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<li>How might you support your students in using the Internet as their own personal learning space?</li>
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<i><span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: inherit;"><b>
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For many of our students social media is an integral part of their lives and they use it on a daily basis. The downside to this and the challenge for teachers is that it is too easy for our students to get so caught up in and distracted by their virtual worlds and relationships that they neglect their other responsibilities. Students need guidance in managing their time and allocating time for both social networks and learning environments and tools. Teachers can help provide models and resources for students to build learning communities and can give students the structures and norms for effective online communication and collaboration. Karen Muskahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00003201648450705838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6197253069573547220.post-73880079625791122532012-10-24T00:55:00.004-07:002012-10-28T21:29:34.376-07:003.3 Reflection: Using Web 2.0 Tools<br />
<span style="color: #b45f06;">Reflect upon what an activity in your classroom might look like using one or more Web 2.0 tools. Think about:</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="color: #b45f06;">what the experience looks like for students. </span></li>
<li><span style="color: #b45f06;">types of outcomes students might have. </span></li>
<li><span style="color: #b45f06;">how the outcome is tied to curriculum objectives. </span></li>
<li><span style="color: #b45f06;">what Web 2.0 tools are aligned to the outcomes and lead to higher order thinking skills. </span></li>
<li><span style="color: #b45f06;">kinds of directions or guidelines you will provide in order to ensure success. </span></li>
</ul>
<span style="color: #b45f06;">Briefly describes the activity you would create and how you might minimize possible challenges students and the teacher might have to address. Make sure that your activity is aligned to a learning objective and uses verbs from the top three levels of Bloom's Taxonomy.</span><br />
<br />
<b>To Drill or Not to Drill-</b><br />
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Cross-curricular project: ELA, Social Studies (current events),
Science, and NETS</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Energy consumption, energy independence, and the
impact of fossil fuel production and use on the environment and on the economy are
important issues in the news. They have also been topics in the campaigns
of each candidate in the 2012 presidential election.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
The <i>CA Framework
for K-12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas</i> states</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
All forms of electricity generation and transportation fuels have associated economic, social, and environmental costs and benefits, both short and long term. Technological advances and regulatory decisions can change the balance of those costs and benefits.</blockquote>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Students will investigate the issue of expanding the drilling for oil in the United States and North America, specifically on the US east and west coasts and in the Arctic. They will collect and analyze information from multiple sources and then evaluate and weigh the pros and cons/costs and benefits of expanded drilling. They will also evaluate each presidential candidate’s stated position and proposed plan.</span><br />
<br />
<u>Overarching Goals:</u><br />
Students will conduct research on a topic, analyze the arguments of others, assess and evaluate the credibility and accuracy of sources and develop the ability to make oral and written arguments.<br />
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<br /></div>
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<u><span style="font-family: inherit;">Essential Questions:<o:p></o:p></span></u></div>
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</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">How might
expanded drilling for oil affect our economy? (gas prices and heating costs,
jobs in various industries) </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">How might
it affect the environment?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">How does drilling in a particular area (i.e., near-shore off of a coast, or deep-water) impact that local area? Think about and investigate the impact on local businesses, jobs, tourism, environment, health, and safety.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">How
might it affect other energy industries?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">What
are the short-term impacts and the long-term impacts?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">What
is the position of each presidential candidate? What is each candidate’s plan? Are
each candidate’s statements factual?</span></li>
</ul>
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<u><span style="font-family: inherit;">ELA Standards for 7<sup>th</sup> or 8<sup>th</sup> grade:</span></u></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">RL.7.1;
RI.7.1,8; W.7.1, 9; SL.7.1, 4; L.7.1-6<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">RL.8.1;
RI.8.1,8; W.8.1, 9; SL.8.1; L8.1-6</span><span style="font-family: Sabon-Roman, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
Students will collaborate in teams to conduct their research, analyze information and evaluate credibility and accuracy of sources<br />
Content and resources (links, documents, multimedia) for students can be housed in an online interface/tool such as Edmodo or other CMS or in Google Sites.<br />
Students will use Google Docs for written collaboration (synchronous and asynchronous) and Chat, Skype, or Facetime for real-time communication and interaction<br />
<br />
<u>Student teams will create two products:</u><br />
A voicethread presenting their evidence, analysis, and conclusions. Members of each team will review the Voicethreads and add their comments. Teams will take the comments into account and make revisions or additions as needed.<br />
<div>
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<span style="font-family: "Sabon-Roman","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Sabon-Roman;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">A
final presentation using a Web 2.0 tool – Students can select Animoto for video,
Prezi, Voicethread or another tool. These products can then be embedded in a Google Site or
wiki.</span><span style="font-family: Sabon-Roman, serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<u><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Facilitating Success and Mitigating</span> Challenges:</span></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">It
would be important to provide students with some organizational structures and time
management tools including graphic organizers/flow charts, checklists, and
reminders. </span><span style="font-family: Sabon-Roman, serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Sabon-Roman","serif";">Aside
from possible technical issues, the challenges would be to keep students engaged,
organized and on task, and working effectively within their teams and as
individuals. I would incorporate links and embed multimedia such as video
clips and I would do frequent progress monitoring.<span style="font-size: 10.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
</div>
Karen Muskahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00003201648450705838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6197253069573547220.post-6381207781606720862012-10-14T23:33:00.002-07:002012-10-14T23:35:24.614-07:00LEC- 2.2 Reflection: Methodologies of the Online Instructor<i><span style="color: #b45f06;">1. Reflecting on the information covered in this module so far, how might your instructional methodologies need to change in an online or blended learning environment?</span></i><br />
<i><span style="color: #b45f06;"><br /></span></i>
<i><span style="color: #b45f06;">2. What skills and strategies might you improve or expand upon in order to best support student learning in a blended or online environment?</span></i><br />
<br />
I believe the areas in which methodologies, resources, and strategies need to be modified the most when going from a face-to-face environment to an online environment are 1) planning, 2) resource selection and mode of delivery, 3) communication, and 4) monitoring student progress.<br />
<br />
In both f2f and online teaching, the planning and development of lesson objectives, content and materials are (or should be) planned and developed ahead of time. In a f2f class, experienced teachers often make daily adjustments to pacing, materials, modes of delivery, and grouping based upon how students are doing. It may be easier to note when students are struggling, disengaged, or conversely have already mastered the material and are ready to move on. Adjustments in content or delivery can be made on a continual or an on-the fly basis. Although adaptive software that continually assesses and monitors student progress and then delivers individualized content has become more prevalent in blended learning (especially in intervention or credit recovery programs), it is not as common in fully online classes. In a wholly online environment, content is generally a little more structured and is developed and posted ahead of time. It can be more difficult to know when a student is "not getting it" since most of the work may be done asynchronously and teachers can't see facial expressions or read body language (unless video conferencing). Teachers must use frequent checks for understanding and should incorporate self-checks for students to help them monitor their own learning. Online teachers should provide supplemental resources for differentiation and to address different modalities and they can make themselves accessible to help students through discussion boards, email, chat and conferencing tools like Skype and Adobe Connect.<br />
<br />
Making adjustments in the methods and modes of communication can be very important to support student learning, facilitate engagement, and monitor progress. Since synchronous verbal discourse is minimal or non-existent in fully online learning (except for the occasional video conference),students cannot get nuances of meaning through facial expressions, tone of voice, inflections, or gestures. Much of the communication will be in written format and can be supplemented with audio recordings and short videos. Teachers have to adjust to this and choose their written or recorded wording carefully to convey both meaning and tone. Students may also need to be taught how to communicate effectively and respectfully in an online format.<br />
<br />
Multimedia and Web 2.0 tools should be utilized to stimulate engagement and increase communication. I am fortunate to have used a variety of these tools when I was in the John Hopkins-ISTE online Admin program. The area that I will need to work on the most will be to effectively design learning activities and incorporate these tools into engaging coursework for students.<br />
<br />Karen Muskahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00003201648450705838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6197253069573547220.post-4927061272243158102012-10-07T16:25:00.002-07:002012-10-07T18:06:50.524-07:00Leading Edge Certification - Online and Blended Teaching Course - Module 1<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Leading Edge Certification- Online and Blended Teaching Course</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><b><span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1st Reflection- Prompt:</span></b><br />
<i><span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Considering the online learning self-assessment you took this week, and thinking about your reasons for taking this course, what is your highest priority learning goal for this course? What are some specific skills, strategies or tools you are hoping to learn more about?</span></i><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Online and Blended Learning models and offerings have proliferated exponentially over the past several years. The types of coursework (from mini tutorials to individualized learning plans, to virtual schools and entire degree programs) content, methods of delivery, audience, sheer number of offerings, and in fact, the very definitions of online and blended learning have been growing and evolving.<br /><br />That is not to say that all online or blended learning content and design is of the highest quality or that all instructors or facilitators are proficient or well-suited to teaching or guiding learners in this environment and interface. I personally have taken courses, workshops, and online programs that varied widely in quality of content and in the degree of interactivity both between the learner and the coursework materials or online tools and between learners and the teacher/facilitator.<br /><br />My highest priorities in taking this course are to<br /><br />1) more thoroughly understand what goes into developing online and blended learning opportunities (coursework and models) that are engaging, interactive, rigorous, and effective;<br /><br />2) recognize and hone strategies for effectively teaching in online and blended learning environments. What methodologies, media, and learning activities and are key to engaging students and increasing their acquisition of content and skills? How can UDL, differentiation, and assessment be incorporated and managed?</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3)
be able to implement and manage online and blended learning both as a
teacher/facilitator and as an instructional technology specialist at the
program/initiative level.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In
addition, I need to keep abreast of current research on the different models
for online and blended or hybrid learning and the efficacy of various tools and
programs such as assessment and data systems, adaptive software, and online
tools and resources.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Although
I have a background in educational technology and have used a variety of Web
2.0 tools, it is difficult to keep up with all of the changes and new products and
services. There are so many new online tools that pop up on almost a daily
basis and old ones that cease to exist or change into more expensive
subscription services. I would like to investigate more of the free
and inexpensive Web 2.0 tools and compile a list of ones that are stable
entities, particularly useful in K-12 online/blended learning, and work
well within an LMS or CMS like Haiku, Moodle, etc. </span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Karen Muskahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00003201648450705838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6197253069573547220.post-70321315820137420632011-02-21T17:54:00.000-08:002012-10-07T16:32:37.640-07:00JHU/ISTE Admin & Supervision - Reflections on Curriculum<em>How has your definition of curriculum been shaped by the course readings and discussions? How and why has your definition of curriculum changed?</em><br />
<br />
<strong>Voicethread:</strong><br />
<img border="0" height="0" src="http://c.gigcount.com/wildfire/IMP/CXNID=2000002.0NXC/bT*xJmx*PTEyOTgzMzg3Nzc4MDUmcHQ9MTI5ODMzODc5MjA2NSZwPTIwNjQyMSZkPWIxNzYzMzc5Jmc9MiZvPTJiZmY5NTQ2ODgz/NTRkODk4MGY1NzY2OWQ2OWM*ZjU*Jm9mPTA=.gif" style="height: 0px; visibility: hidden; width: 0px;" width="0" /><object height="360" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://voicethread.com/book.swf?b=1763379"></param>
<param name="wmode"
value="transparent"></param>
<embed src="http://voicethread.com/book.swf?b=1763379" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="480"
height="360"></embed></object><br />
<br />
Direct Link to this Voicethread:<br />
<a href="http://voicethread.com/share/1763379/">http://voicethread.com/share/1763379/</a><br />
<br />
References:<br />
<br />
Glatthorn, A. A. (2004). Developing a quality curriculum. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. <br />
<br />
Jacobs, H.H. (2010). Curriculum 21: Essential education for a changing world. Alexandria, VA.<br />
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.<br />
<br />
Oliva, P. (2003). Developing the Curriculum (6th ed.). New York, NY: Longman, pp. 28-41.<br />
<br />
Partnership for 21st century schools (2004). Framework for 21st century learning. Retrieved<br />
February 14, 2007 from, <a href="http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=254&It%20emid=120">http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=254&It emid=120</a> <br />
<br />
Posner, George. (1999). Analyzing the Curriculum 3rd Ed. <br />
<br />
Tomlinson, C. A. (1999). The differentiated classroom: Responding to the needs of all learners. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum DevelopmentKaren Muskahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00003201648450705838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6197253069573547220.post-34334863654267381222011-02-09T23:59:00.000-08:002012-10-07T02:12:14.082-07:00Instructional Technology in the Curriculum for 21st Century Learners<em>o As a school administrator and instructional leader, what instructional technology would you expect to see in the written, taught, and tested curriculum of a school or school district striving to meet the needs of 21st century learners?</em><em><br />
</em><br />
<em>o What instructional technology would you promote to differentiate instruction for all learners? </em><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: inherit; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The ideal digital age school and classrooms have technology that is ubiquitous and transparent; it’s simply a means for getting to the destination and a medium for accessing, synthesizing, evaluating, creating or exchanging information. In the written curriculum, technology is not an “extra” or a separate subject; rather it is embedded in all subjects and a part of the environment. Standards and objectives describing information and technology literacy skills are interwoven into all curricular areas and habits of mind.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: inherit; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In the taught curriculum, 21st Century teachers and 21<sup>st</sup> Century learners should be able to select and use wikis, forums, Google Docs, virtual manipulatives, Flip videos, productivity applications, research databases, interactive whiteboards and student response devices or an online survey as tools as seamlessly as prior generations selected and used chalk, crayons, a protractor, an encyclopedia and composition books. In the tested curriculum, students should be able to show what they know and are able to do through more than paper and pencil tests. Multiple measures for formative and summative assessment can include digital portfolios and a variety of media and formats. Encouraging and supporting a variety of forms of expression can provide the widest range of students access to the curriculum and allow them to demonstrate their learning.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm_VqfvVYxTguARLKRu34q2Az2G07TNWKBhf3ZJfuuu2KasTFX8xzKxUtEaFYQDlsBrCmGzG15oFHB9OZ7ZcN142VZxH7nZji92TaryW7g5FEAbiEjEqBlln7J9554evoSclh_bc5wZ5O9/s1600/Wordle1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm_VqfvVYxTguARLKRu34q2Az2G07TNWKBhf3ZJfuuu2KasTFX8xzKxUtEaFYQDlsBrCmGzG15oFHB9OZ7ZcN142VZxH7nZji92TaryW7g5FEAbiEjEqBlln7J9554evoSclh_bc5wZ5O9/s320/Wordle1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">Some examples teaching and learning that address multiple modalities, help meet the needs of diverse learners and promote the development of 21st Century skills:<br />
<br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div></div><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/G3ebroIP_gg?hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/G3ebroIP_gg?hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Karen Muskahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00003201648450705838noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6197253069573547220.post-48778781466120601562011-01-16T19:45:00.000-08:002012-10-07T02:12:14.098-07:00Curriculum - Philosophical Beliefs<em><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>What are your philosophical beliefs about the purpose of school, about what subjects should be taught, and about how students learn? How does your work demonstrate your belief?</strong></span></em><br />
<br />
<br />
I believe the children and young adults of a society are its most valuable resource. Our wealth is held not so much in land and goods as in creativity and innovation, hard work and inspiration, individual and collective knowledge and skill. If we fail to invest in providing a high quality education to our youth, we neglect our own future prosperity. <br />
<br />
<br />
Schools must be inclusive, serving all students and addressing the needs of learners throughout the entire continuum of needs and abilities. This means nurturing and lifting up our disadvantaged youth and also challenging our gifted and talented students so that all learners can reach their full potential. A high-quality education is a moral and ethical imperative; it should be the right of every child, not just the wealthy or elite. I believe very strongly in the value of the public education system and that we need to make that system work for all of our students.<br />
<br />
<br />
What is the purpose of schooling and what does it mean to be an educated person? Today, it means more than simply becoming proficient in reading, writing and arithmetic. The skill set necessary to survive and prosper in our current (and future) society is quite different than what was required fifty, thirty, or even fifteen years ago. Since our knowledge base is constantly growing and evolving, we cannot possibly teach our children everything they need to know. We must help students achieve fundamental skills and conceptual understanding – and also prepare them to access and critically evaluate vast amounts of information; effectively communicate using multiple formats and technologies; and collaborate to solve problems that have an impact on local and global levels. <br />
<br />
I am currently an instructional technolgist for Oakland Unified School District. I work with a small team to assist school sites with tech planning, integration and professional development. We try to help teachers incorporate information and technology literacy into all curricular areas and to use various technologies and multimedia as tools to enhance delivery of content, increase student engagement, support collaboration (among and between teachers, students and outside experts), and to allow students to access, evaluate and create information in ways they could not without the technology. Our instructional technology team is part of the larger district department of Leadership, Curriculum & Instruction, so I also collaborate with content area specialists and instructional coaches. <br />
<br />
<br />
I believe that one’s philosophy of educational leadership should reflect and support his/her overall philosophy of education. Although this seems to be a simple and obvious statement, our beliefs and ideals are often tempered by daily realities and constraints. Educational leaders must strive to create and maintain a school culture in which the focus is on student learning and effective teaching and all staff engages in professional reflection and growth.Karen Muskahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00003201648450705838noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6197253069573547220.post-35712584255943058782010-11-15T00:52:00.000-08:002012-10-07T02:12:14.094-07:00Reflection on Post-observation Conference<span style="font-family: "Calibri", "sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">A requirement of the Supervision and Professional Development course is to conduct a full clinical observation cycle with a teacher. This included a pre-observation conference, a classroom observation, data analysis and interpretation, and a post-observation conference. We video taped the post-observation conference and then reviewed the video to analyze and critique the process and identify our strengths and areas for improvement as supervisors. The following are my reflections on the full clinical observation process and my skills.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><em><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>What strengths and/or improvement areas did you notice about the environment and tone of the post-observation?</strong> </span></em></span><br />
Ms. C and I originally planned to have our post-observation conference in the teacher’s lounge/workroom; however, there were two other teachers there and the copier was running so it was not conducive to confidential discussion and reflection. We found another room that was not in use and sat together at one of the tables. I set up the video camera and brought out a folder with my observation notes (scripted narrative and selected verbatim), analysis and the district observation forms. I sat to the left of Ms. C, around the corner of the table rather than across the table as this made it easier to go through the observation notes together. I felt this was a more personal, collaborative seating arrangement compared to sitting across from each other. This was an important consideration since the feedback session we had after I observed Ms. C in Practice Observation #2 had not started smoothly. There had been significant deficiencies that my supervisor and I had observed in the first lesson and these issues had not initially been apparent to Ms. C. It took a lot of delicate maneuvering to build trust and get to the point that Ms. C was able to accept the observations and actively participate in planning improvement. This lesson was a tremendous improvement over that first lesson and I wanted to move forward to a less directive and more collaborative approach. <br />
<br />
<br />
In reviewing the videotape, I noticed that I made a concerted effort to put Ms. C at ease and be positive and encouraging. A strength was my preparation; I had made two copies of my scripted notes, analysis and evaluation forms and had reviewed everything ahead of time. I was animated and clear in presenting and explaining, but I also “talk with my hands” a lot and use “ummm” a little too frequently. <br />
<br />
<em><strong>What strengths and/or improvement areas did you notice in the conference about strategies to improve instruction? </strong></em><br />
<br />
In our pre-observation conference (the first half of which was also a feedback session from Practice Observation #2), we discussed student engagement and addressing the needs of all levels of readiness. In the prior lesson, both of these were areas of concern as was maintaining a tighter focus on the lesson objectives. I offered several suggestions for increasing student engagement and having students work with partners and groups. Ms. C stated that she did use some of those techniques in math but had not done them in ELA. We agreed that I would observe her teaching a math lesson and that she would implement strategies to increase student participation, do frequent checks for understanding and adjust content delivery accordingly. While observing the lesson, I did narrative scripting along with tallying both engagement strategies and off-task behaviors. <br />
<br />
During the conference, I showed the scripting & data first and explained my shorthand & use of asterisks. We both made comments & clarifications as we went through the scripting together.<br />
I commented that she put several items into place & gave praise for jumping in with trying new techniques (group work – new protocols to promote engagement, students collaborating & helping each other as a way to support students at all readiness levels.) Ms. C. commented, “You see me applying some of the things you suggested”<br />
We then looked at my analysis of the notes/scripting and tallies. This was where the evidence was really confirmed. She was able to make the connection between the first lesson and the much improved second one– the difference being the greater student engagement.<br />
<br />
I made specific comments on positives & improvements & changes in teacher activities and how they affected student engagement, ability to address different levels. Not only was the student engagement much higher and off-task behaviors reduced, Ms. C was also able to easily and quickly check for understanding. <br />
<br />
About halfway through – Ms. C was coming up with additional ideas and was displaying confidence that they would be practical and would improve learning.<br />
<br />
<strong><em>In the conference, which behavior did you seem to predominantly use? Do you think this was an appropriate approach given the developmental level of the teacher? Briefly explain. </em></strong><br />
<br />
I used a range of behaviors on the continuum but the overall conference was predominantly collaborative. During our previous feedback session, after practice observation # 2, I had taken a more directive informational approach, making several suggestions to Ms. C. I had been very pleased that she had incorporated a number of the engagement techniques we discussed, some which she had previously done and one completely new one. I knew before I left her room that she had realized how much of an improvement these strategies had made in the lesson. This created the right circumstances for moving to a collaborative approach. I was able to present my notes and data and let Ms. C do some clarifying and reflecting. During this post-observation conference, Ms. C was interested and involved in confirming the analysis and took an active role in planning next steps and coming up with further activities. Although I had an objective for further professional growth in mind and was ready to present it to Ms. C, we were actually able to arrive at the same objective together through the discussion and mutual planning. Together we reiterated bringing engagement & group protocols & techniques used in Math into ELA and other subject areas.<br />
<br />
One of the biggest positives is that Ms. C is looking forward to my coming back to observe her after winter break and in the early spring and she has a plan for moving forward and incorporating the strategies for student engagement and addressing the needs of all levels of her students. She will gradually incorporate the strategies she is using (and increasing) in math into ELA and other areas of the curriculum. <br />
<br />
The full clinical evaluation process was very useful to me as it not only helped me to hone my observation skills, but more importantly helped me to improve on my interpersonal skills I found that I was able to take a situation that started out a little rocky and contentious and turn it around and help to move a teacher forward in her practice. It also helped shed light on areas in which I will need to refine my skills and approach and walk that line between being personable and maintaining professionalism and being a leader.Karen Muskahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00003201648450705838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6197253069573547220.post-49011354423606813522010-10-03T00:46:00.000-07:002012-10-07T02:12:14.101-07:00Classroom ArrangementsAs a district Instructional Technologist, I am not assigned to a single school site but instead make visits to various schools throughout the district at the elementary, middle school and high school level. Over the past three weeks, I have been in three middle schools and four elementary schools. Room arrangements vary between schools and within individual school sites. In general there are higher percentages of traditional room arrangements in middle and high school classrooms than in elementary classrooms, but I have seen various types of arrangements at each level.<br />
<br />
Although room arrangements are often a clue to the teacher’s primary teaching style, his/her predominant instructional strategies and preferences for students working independently or collaboratively, it not always correct to assume a particular teaching style based upon one walkthrough. In many classrooms, room arrangements are not static and desks, tables, other furniture, and equipment can be rearranged regularly to facilitate whole class direct instruction, collaborative group work, centers, presentations, hands-on science, etc. In smaller or more crowded rooms, teachers and students may push desks together with a partner/buddy or with three or more students to do group work and then separate desks during assessment. In larger rooms, the space may be sufficient to allow a section for whole class instruction, tables for small groups, a reading center, computer center, etc. at the same time. <br />
<br />
Some room arrangements are subject specific (especially science) or are designed for specific programs or instructional models. Our district uses Scholastic’s Read 180, a reading intervention program, in quite a few of our secondary schools. The instructional model for this program is a 90 minute time block in which the first 20 minutes are whole class instruction followed by students split into three groups and rotating between small group instruction with the teacher, independent reading on couches or bean bags in the reading/listening center and one third of the students on computers using the interactive, adaptive software. This program requires a large room with the three areas for rotations, plus an area for whole class instruction.<br />
<br />
<strong>Observations of connections between room arrangement and teaching style:</strong><br />
<br />
I did make several visits last week to Parker Elementary school, assisting teachers with their Interactive Whiteboard and software setup in preparation for a training I will be doing at the site next week. Six out of twelve classrooms are now equipped with IWBs. Three of the rooms have had boards for almost two years and the other three were installed around the middle of the last school year. Two of the teachers are returning teachers and have experience with the IWBs. The other teachers are either new to the school and/or have an IWB in their room for the first time. One teacher is a first year teacher. In most of the rooms I looked into, the arrangement of desks were in tables or clusters or were in a horseshoe or semi-horseshoe with one or more openings in the horseshoe to facilitate traffic. All rooms had at least one separate table for small group instruction. The teacher's desk was usually off to the side or in the back. Some rooms had an open center area with a rug.<br />
<br />
One of the teachers who had used her IWB extensively last year and had started this year using the board, had the projector bulb burn out and unfortunately, there were no extra bulbs on hand. I assisted the principal in ordering new bulbs and then went to observe the teacher and let her know that bulbs were ordered. I was dismayed to see that the double-desks were rearranged in traditional neat rows, turned to face the regular low-tech whiteboard. Each desk-table consists of two connected desks with one tabletop. The lesson I observed was an Open Court reading lesson with choral reading. It was almost entirely teacher-directed. Students participated but were not deeply engaged in the reading selection. Ms. S moved around the room assisting students, but it was apparent that she was somewhat frustrated and not at ease. She had become reliant on the technology and without it she fell back on a very traditional arrangement and methodology. I am hoping to observe this teacher again to 1) see if the instructional strategy was more a function of the Open Court routine for that day of the week, 2) to see if the room arrangement and the strategies are different when the IWB is back up and running, and 3) to ask if she would like any assistance or suggestions.<br />
<br />
In the second IWB classroom I visited on the same day, the teacher had arranged the double desks (two connected desks with one top) in a semi-horseshoe configuration. This teacher had minimal training on the IWB, but she had a flipchart lesson displayed. She used a variety of tools and techniques to engage the students (shoulder buddies, think-pair-share, individual wipe-off whiteboards, questioning techniques, echo and choral answering) in addition to the IWB and she utilized the desk configuration to be in the center of the students, moving freely around them. Students were not particularly still in their seats, but they were engaged and there was a lot of energy in the room. Ms. M enhanced the lesson through technology and she used the room set up to increase her ability to interact with all of the students. More than the room arrangement or the technology, the greatest effect was through the teacher’s strong and solid pedagogy.Karen Muskahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00003201648450705838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6197253069573547220.post-35191217638140222012010-08-20T00:18:00.000-07:002012-10-07T02:12:14.089-07:00Second-Order Change<em><strong><u>Change:</u></strong> Based on your understanding of the Marzano reading, which of the 21 responsibilities and day-to-day management of a school are most necessary for second-order change? </em><br />
<br />
Administrators must emphasize seven of the 21 responsibilities to lead and manage a second-order change initiative. Applying them to second-order change also differs slightly from first-order change and day-to-day management of a school in that they include how the larger change/innovation will affect these responsibilities. These are, in rank order of their relationship with second-order change: <br />
<ol><li>Knowledge of curriculum, instruction, and assessment- not just having knowledge of research and best practices, but also being knowledgeable about how the innovation will affect curricular, instructional and assessment practices</li>
<li>Optimizer</li>
<li>Intellectual Stimulation</li>
<li>Change Agent</li>
<li>Monitoring/Evaluating</li>
<li>Flexibility</li>
<li>Ideals/Beliefs </li>
</ol>Marzano’s analysis also shows that some of the above responsibilities are negatively affected by second-order change. These are culture, communication, order, and input. A principal (or district level leader) may find that the while leading and managing deep change and dramatic paradigm shifts, they have to endure the perceptions that team spirit and cooperation (culture), communication, order and routine, and the level of input from all members of the staff have deteriorated as a result of the innovation. Marzano quotes Fullan as stating…”creative breakthroughs are always preceded by periods of cloudy thinking, confusion, exploration, trial and stress; followed by periods of excitement, and growing confidence as one pursues purposeful change…” <br />
<br />
<div></div><em>How does the complexity of second order change demand a very thoughtful and flexible administrator?</em><br />
<br />
Marzano (2005) states, “One of the difficult aspects of identifying the magnitude of change for a given initiative is that one person’s first-order change might be another’s second order change.” (p. 112). He gives an example of a school moving from a traditional report card to one that is standards-based. For a teacher that has already been moving towards recording grades on a more detailed standards-based model, changing the school report card is “an extension of her experiences – the next logical step.” For another teacher who has not been experimenting with new reporting systems, it is a bigger change and a dramatic departure from her existing paradigm. While first-order change is incremental, a series of small steps that fine-tunes the system, second-order change is deep change that “alters the system in fundamental ways, offering a dramatic shift in direction and requiring new ways of thinking and acting.’ (p. 66).<br />
Administrators need to understand that the staff will vary on both the reality and their perceptions of the degree to which a change or innovation is different from their existing practices. Generally, the bigger/more significant the change, the more difficult it will be perceived to be and the more effort it will take.<br />
<br />
When leading and managing second-order change, administrators may want to make use of the Concerns-Based Adoption Model (CBAM)<br />
<blockquote>“…acknowledging these concerns and addressing them are critical to progress in a reform effort …. The strength of the concerns model is in its reminder to pay attention to individuals and their various needs for information, assistance, and moral support.”</blockquote>References<br />
Marzano, R. Waters, T., McNulty, B. (2005) School Leadership That Works. From Research to Results. Denver, CO: Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning. <br />
<br />
The National Academies (2005). <em>The Concerns-Based Adoption Model (CBAM): A Model for Change in Individuals</em>. Retrieved from: <a href="http://www.nas.edu/rise/backg4a.htm">http://www.nas.edu/rise/backg4a.htm</a>Karen Muskahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00003201648450705838noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6197253069573547220.post-66424304962160960792010-08-20T00:17:00.000-07:002012-10-07T02:12:14.112-07:00The Impact of a Positive School Culture on School Reform<em><strong>Culture:</strong> What impact does the creation of a positive school culture have on school reform?</em><br />
<br />
School reform takes time, hard work and commitment. It is not something that can be done overnight and not something that will show positive results if only implemented by a small percentage of the teachers, staff, students and other stakeholders. If a school reform effort is to be successful, there must be buy-in by a critical mass and it must be implemented with fidelity to the core components, values and beliefs. This takes strong leadership, but it also takes all members of the team pulling together. If the school culture is negative – if there is no shared vision, little to no collaboration and communication, if disorder and unruliness are the norm, if there is a lack of respect between colleagues and between teachers, students and parents, and if there is an overall atmosphere of despair, apathy or hopelessness, the reform effort will fail. The most highly rated reform model will not make a significant difference if a pervasive negative school culture stands in the way of implementation.<br />
Conversely, when the school community has developed a positive culture, they have the foundation upon which to build reform efforts, pull together, and get the hard work accomplished. If you want people to put in 110%, they have to believe in the cause, feel their contributions are acknowledged and that their collaborative efforts make a difference - this gives them ownership. The entire staff should feel that they are a part of the reform not that the reform is just something that has been externally imposed upon them.Karen Muskahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00003201648450705838noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6197253069573547220.post-62677815946841088712010-07-31T01:24:00.000-07:002012-10-07T02:12:14.109-07:00Effective Leadership<span style="font-family: inherit;">• </span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><em>How has what you have learned so far in this course shaped your concept of an effective leader? </em></span><br />
<em><span style="font-family: inherit;">• Based on what you have learned so far, what are the top 3-5 characteristics you believe a successful principal must possess?</span></em><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<div></div><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Most of us have experienced both effective and ineffective leaders over the course of our lives, beginning with our own years of schooling thorough our entry into the workforce and now within the context of our current careers. We “feel” when someone is a good leader; they inspire us, garner our commitment to shared purpose and goals and motivate us to perform at higher levels than we would without their influence. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Marzano (2005), in <em>“</em>School Leadership that Works”<em> </em>states<em>,</em> “…our meta-analysis of 35 years of research indicates that school leadership has a substantial effect on student achievement and provides guidance for experienced and aspiring administrators alike.” In a more recent report just released in July 2010 from the Center for Applied Research and Educational Improvement (CAREI), “Learning from Leadership: Investigating the Links to Improved Student Learning”, the authors state:</span><br />
<br />
<div></div></em><br />
<blockquote><span style="font-family: inherit;">In developing a starting point for this six-year study, we claimed, based on a </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">preliminary review of research, that leadership is second only to classroom instruction as an influence on student learning, After six additional years of research, we are even more confident about this claim. To date we have not found a single case of a school improving student achievement in the absence of talented leadership.(p.11)</span></blockquote><span style="font-family: inherit;">So what does it take to be an effective leader? What qualities, skills, and practices differentiate effective leaders from ineffective or average leaders?</span><em> </em><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><br />
<br />
<div></div></em><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Throughout the readings, discussion with classmates and colleagues and personal reflection, what struck me the most is the number and variety of leadership models and styles and the complexity of the role of school leaders. In sifting through the information, opinions and research, a number of common themes, practices and characteristics emerge. The practices identified by the CAREI report referenced above align with and confirm most Marzano’s 21 responsibilities (2005).</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<div></div><span style="font-family: inherit;">I believe the top characteristics of effective leaders are:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<div></div><ul><li><span id="goog_2134871212"></span><span id="goog_2134871214"></span><span id="goog_2134871216"></span><span id="goog_2134871218"></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Ability to develop a shared vision with the school community and a strategic plan for implementation. A vision without an implementation plan is just a string of pretty buzzwords hanging on a plaque or banner.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Ability to foster collaboration and communication and build teams. Within this broader category are several crucial talents and practices: a strong belief in others, the ability to bring diverse groups and perspectives together, shared or distributed leadership and building leadership in others.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Authenticity and integrity</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Situational Awareness and Flexibility - Ability to carefully assess situations and adjust style, response and follow<span id="goog_2134871203"></span><span id="goog_2134871201"></span><span id="goog_2134871199"></span>-up based on context and needs.<span id="goog_2134871219"></span><span id="goog_2134871217"></span><span id="goog_2134871215"></span><span id="goog_2134871213"></span></span></li>
</ul><br />
<div></div></em><span style="font-family: inherit;">Louis, K.; Leithwood ,K.; Wahlstrom, K.; Anderson, Stephen. (July, 2010). Learning from Leadership: Investigating the Links to Improved Student Learning. Final Report of Research to the Wallace Foundation. <em>Center for Applied Research and Educational Improvement (CAREI)</em> University of Minnesota<em>.</em></span><br />
<br />
<div></div></em>Karen Muskahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00003201648450705838noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6197253069573547220.post-78551531575525441422010-07-31T01:19:00.000-07:002012-10-07T02:12:14.118-07:00Balanced Leadership Profile Inventory - Results and Comments<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>How do the results of the balanced leadership profile inventory compare with your own self-assessment of the 21 Responsibilities of a School Leader?</em> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Although I agree with the importance of studying the different theories of leadership, including leadership styles and organizational models, and the research on the characteristics and practices of effective leaders, I did not find this activity to be very authentic or useful for me. I have gained a lot of valuable information from the readings, the discussions with classmates and my conversations with my mentor (also my manager), who is a former principal and is currently the Coordinator of Instructional Technology for our large, urban school district. However, since I am working in a district level rather than a school level position, I was not able to give authentic answers to many of the online assessment questions. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Our assignment instructions were to sign up for a subscription as a currently practicing school principal. Doing so resulted in a survey that asked us to list one of our primary school improvement initiatives and then rate ourselves on how well we were performing in the 21 areas as they related to the initiative. I felt a bit fraudulent since I am neither a principal or even in a role directly in an individual school. I found that I had to “fake it” by selecting a school within my district and projecting how I might have done in each category or what the faculty’s responses and actions might be. The school I selected was one that I had assisted with their IWB implementation over the past year. I had conferred and collaborated with the principal and had delivered several professional development sessions and small group assistance to the teachers. Although I worked with and got to know several of the teachers, this is quite different from serving as the leader of the school. Although I tried to put myself into the principal’s role, I believe that I probably projected my perceptions of how successful the actual principal was in a number of the 21 responsibilities rather than assessing my own capabilities.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The scores in the 21 categories were fairly close between the online self-assessment and the Word document self-assessment. Most of the ratings I gave myself were between 3 and 4 as I understand the responsibilities quite well on a conceptual basis, but have not actually experienced the daily work and challenges of being a school principal. Because this was really a fictitious scenario, I can’t place a lot of validity in the results. I do believe this tool would be useful for a practicing principal to use several times over the course of a year, especially if she were trying to implement a new initiative or move toward a more transformative leadership model and wanted to make sure she was reflecting on her progress and making continuous improvement.</span>Karen Muskahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00003201648450705838noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6197253069573547220.post-83805627694573631032010-07-25T00:38:00.000-07:002012-10-07T02:12:14.121-07:00Transformational Leadership<span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong>Transactional leaders</strong> use conventional reward and punishment to gain compliance from their followers. The organizational structure is the typical top-down leadership pyramid and the targeted “motivational needs” are those that are on the lower levels of Maslow’s hierarchy.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong>Transformational Leadership</strong>, by contrast targets the upper levels of Maslow’s hierarchy and is built upon collaboration, communication, shared vision, distributed leadership and building of leadership within others, and the concepts of servant leadership and stewardship.</span><br />
<blockquote><span style="font-family: inherit;">The transformational approach to leadership takes us from a constricting model of competition between individuals, teams or nations, to a connection with the whole of a situation, and leadership for the good of all. We move from making a sale at any cost, towards creating lasting relationships and seeking socially responsible outcomes; it takes us from a narrow focus primarily on the bottom line, to realizing a sustainable vision that contributes to the welfare of all involved, not just the ones with the power and control. (The Transformational Leadership Report, 2007)</span></blockquote><span style="font-family: inherit;">Transformational school leaders develop a collaborative and participatory school culture that embraces a shared vision with common goals and priorities. This means that instead of solely issuing top-down directives, they foster discussion and shared decision-making; this also means transformational leaders must have the ability to work through divisiveness and among competing factions to build consensus. They value and believe in their team and they work to build relationships and nurture leadership in others. Transformational leaders hold high expectations for themselves, their teachers and their students and they model values and professional practices. (They “walk the walk”.) They believe in and promote continual growth though their own self-reflection and by providing ongoing evaluation, support, and resources for their teachers. Transformational leaders embrace the use of various technologies as tools for learning, and as a means to increase collaboration and communication between teachers, students, outside experts, home and school. They model appropriate and ethical use of technology and they continually investigate and evaluate new technologies. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">It is certainly interesting and informative to learn about and discuss the merits of the transformational leadership model and identify its key characteristics, behaviors and strategies. However, it is also somewhat sobering to compare the theories and ideals to actual practice and level of implementation. Complex contextual differences, including the size of schools and districts, grade level or population served, type of organization (public, private, charter), the geographic and socio-economic demographics, and the political climate and policies are all factors. The later, political climate and policies, have had significant impact and influence on educational policies, organizational structures and administration/leadership, especially over the past decade.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Leithwood (2007) writes, “The dilemma is that both theory and evidence have begun to coalesce around “transformational” approaches to their leadership as best suited to the challenges they face, while the policy environment in which they work largely endorses the continuation of “transactional” practices.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">There are often significant differences between what a growing body of research is showing to be effective and what is promoted and mandated through policy from the federal down though the state, district and local school level. Some of these are unintended consequences of well-intentioned initiatives and policies. We can say that we want to move more toward a transformational leadership model, but some of the policies, mandates, and laws actually promote more of a transactional and even punitive system. Examples are NCLB accountability with the focus on high-stakes testing and meeting AYP and the increasingly punitive consequences of not meeting targets. “School reform” and school improvement grants are based upon selecting one of four intervention models: the “turn-around”, “restart”, “school closure” or “transformation” model. Each of these intervention models require firing staff –from a minimum of the principal to over 50% of the staff to complete school closure. Even the current “Race to the Top” program has significant “carrot and stick” elements.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">So how can administrators work within these disparate and often conflicting elements and become transformational leaders in spite of the myriad obstacles? How can administrators at all levels (school, district, state) go from theory to practical implementation – and in a way that doesn’t lose sight of the vision but also takes a deep look at realities and works within organizational and resource constraints? I believe that it is important to remember that one size does not fit all and that context does matter. Complex situations may call for different approaches or a continuum of strategies. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Following are excerpts from a March 2010 article in NEA Priority Schools Campaign. </span><br />
<blockquote><span style="font-family: inherit;">Collaboration Results in Transformation at Maryland School</span></blockquote><blockquote><span style="font-family: inherit;">…A formal memorandum of understanding called for a three-year commitment from staff for school stability, staff-wide training…. </span></blockquote><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></font><br />
<blockquote><span style="font-family: inherit;">In the fall of 2000, then-Superintendent of Montgomery County (MD) Public Schools (MCPS) Jerry Weast identified Broad Acres Elementary School for “reconstitution,” which meant removing its new principal and bringing in a new teaching staff. But Montgomery County Education Association opposed that idea. The union maintained that the existing staff needed support, not replacement.</span></blockquote><blockquote><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></blockquote><blockquote><span style="font-family: inherit;">Principal Jody Leleck was key. … She believed in and supported her teachers’ ability to figure out what needed to be done. She was their constant instructional guide and mentor, and did not compromise her expectations for improved student achievement. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">MCEA Vice President Bonnie Cullison and Community Superintendent Kimberly Statham met with each teacher to describe to them the new, joint expectations in terms of teaming, planning, and the requirement for teacher leadership. …After three years, Broad Acres Elementary School was a community of teachers and administrators making instructional decisions together. …By the end of 2003…math score improvement was better than any other school in Montgomery County. …After three years, Broad Acres had achieved AYP. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">According to Principal Leleck, “The reason Broad Acres succeeded was teacher leadership; and everyone holding themselves accountable for every student.”</span></blockquote><span style="font-family: inherit;">I have to refer again to a Solution Tree (DuFour, DuFour, Eaker) PLC conference that I attended a little over a year ago. One of Robert Eaker’s sessions was titled, “The Role of the Central Office: Assisting Schools to Become Professional Learning Communities” (2009). He discussed the concept of a district-wide culture that is simultaneously "loose" and "tight." </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<em><span style="font-family: inherit;">Central Office Leaders Must Be Tight</span></em><br />
<em><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></em><br />
<em><span style="font-family: inherit;">We must be “tight” on the fundamental purpose of the organization (learning) and a few big ideas – insisting that those within the organization act in ways consistent with those concepts and demanding that the district align all of its practices and programs with them.” – Rick DuFour</span></em><br />
<em><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></em><br />
<em><span style="font-family: inherit;">Central Office Leaders Must Be Loose</span></em><br />
<em><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></em><br />
<em><span style="font-family: inherit;">We must encourage individual and organizational autonomy in the day-to-day operations… This autonomy is not characterized by random acts of innovation, but rather is guided by the carefully defined parameters that give focus and direction…</span></em><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I think we can apply this to school leaders as well as central office leaders – tight on the big ideas, essential conditions and objectives, and loose where individual autonomy and innovation (and collaborative efforts) can support and stay within the parameters of the larger construct. It may not completely reflect a transformational leadership model, but combined with continual reflection and refinement to strike the right balance, I think it may be a step in the right direction.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">References:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Eaker, R. (2009, July). The Role of the Central Office: Assisting Schools to Become Professional Learning Communities. Presented at Professional Learning Communities at Work 2009 Institute, Palm Springs, CA.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Robertson, S. (March 11, 2010). Collaboration results in transformation at Maryland School. <em>NEA Priority Schools Campaign</em>. Retrieved from </span><a href="http://neapriorityschools.org/2010/03/11/collaboration-results-in-school-transformation-at-maryland-school/"><span style="font-family: inherit;">http://neapriorityschools.org/2010/03/11/collaboration-results-in-school-transformation-at-maryland-school/</span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">TransformationalLeadership.net (2007). The Transformational Leadership Report. Retrieved from: </span><a href="http://olms.cte.jhu.edu/olms/data/resource/7794/TransformationalLeadershipReport.pdf"><span style="font-family: inherit;">http://olms.cte.jhu.edu/olms/data/resource/7794/TransformationalLeadershipReport.pdf</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><br />
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Karen Muskahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00003201648450705838noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6197253069573547220.post-61510190978999886692010-06-14T00:30:00.000-07:002012-10-07T02:12:14.105-07:00Reflecting on the Online Orientation<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>What are your expectations for this program? What do you hope to accomplish?</em><br />
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I chose the JHU-ISTE program because of the dual emphasis on the traditional Administration and Supervision proficiencies and coursework and the ISTE's National Educational Technology Standards for Administrators (NETS-A). I expect that the program will be intensive, fast-paced and will require a significant commitment of my time and effort over the next thirteen to fourteen months.<br />
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I hope to gain the knowledge and proficiencies to be an effective leader in education and instructional technology. I want to be aware of the developments, current research and best practices in pedagogy, school reform, and building and leading teams and I hope to increase my ability to lead and facilitate the implementation of existing and emerging technologies to enhance and support effective instruction. <br />
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<em>Now that you have a good sense of the types of online activities and the rhythms of an active participant, what steps will you take to be successful in this program?</em> <br />
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I will need to effectively manage my time, stay organized and prioritize tasks and commitments. I know that I will also need to carefully monitor the amount of time I take to complete assignments. I have a work ethic and character trait that can be either a benefit or a liability. I tend to be meticulous and pay attention to details, wanting a finished product or task to be as perfect as possible. This admirable trait often results in high-quality work; however, it becomes a liability when I labor too long over details or get too immersed in getting everything "just so" that I either lose sight of keeping the focus on the big ideas or I run too close to deadlines.</span><br />
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Starting each week's readings and assignments early in the week, keeping an up-to-date calendar and task list and self-monitoring both progress and maintaining focus will help with this. I will also take the advice of another cohort member and over estimate by 50% the length of time needed to complete an assignment. When I took scuba certification courses years ago, a important phrase I learned was "planning the dive and then diving the plan." Although this strategy was designed for safety purposes (ensuring sufficient air supply, maintaining navigation and avoiding no-decompression limits) an adaptation to "planning the work and then working the plan" will serve as a good strategy for this program.<br />
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<em>Where do you still need additional support to be successful?</em> <br />
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I may need support around keeping up with the newer Web 2.0 and now 3.0 technologies and their applications. Although I have been using some of these tools, such as wikis and Google Docs, there seem to be a greater number and diversity in use each week. Keeping up with what is out there and more importantly evaluating which have real value beyond the novelty is challenging and time consuming.</span>Karen Muskahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00003201648450705838noreply@blogger.com1