Fwd: Happy Halloween!

-- Gary Ackerman, Ph.D.

Begin forwarded message:

From: nelms@nelms.org
Date: October 31, 2013 at 9:45:11 AM EDT
To: "Dr. Gary L. Ackerman" <gary@hackscience.net>
Subject: Happy Halloween!
Reply-To: NELMS <nelms@nelms.org>

Keys to Literacy - The Key Writing Routine

November 6 & 7, 2013
Holiday Inn Enfield/Springfield–Enfield, CT

For more information and/or to register click here.

Keys to Literacy - Keys to Argument Writing

January 9, 2014
Holiday Inn Enfield/Springfield–Enfield, CT

For more information and/or to register click here.

Keys to Literacy - The ANSWER KEY Routine for Extended Response

February 5, 2014
Holiday Inn Enfield/Springfield–Enfield, CT

For more information and/or to register click here.

Have you remembered to renew your NELMS Membership?

Whether you would like to renew your NELMS membership or join NELMS for the first time you can get the information you need by clicking here!

Member Benefit - Autumn MidLines is now online.

For NELMS members the latest edition of MidLines is now online. Go to www.nelms.org/midlines and enter the user name and password you were given for MidLines. Hope you enjoy it!

Call for Presenters 2014

Deadline extended until November 7th

Looking for educators interested in presenting at the
NELMS Annual Conference, March 31-April 1, 2014
If you are interested or would like to know more click here.

 

Congratulations Red Sox! Great series.

 

From our sponsors:

Renaissance Learning: A leading provider of cloud-based assessment, teaching and learning solutions that improve school performance and accelerate learning.
www.renlearn.com

 

 

Join us on Facebook and Twitter

©2012 New England League of Middle Schools.. All Rights Reserved

 

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Tweet from Chris Sousa (@csousanh)

	Chris Sousa (@csousanh)
10/30/13, 5:52 AM Great post: Abolishing Awards Ceremonies and Honour Rolls by @joe_bower joebower.org/2013/10/abolis… #edchat #ptchat

Download the official Twitter app here

-- Gary Ackerman, Ph.D.

Quizbean

Last week, I had the chance to see a new product: QuizBean (http://www.quizbean.com)

The concept is simple:

• Create a multiple choice quiz
• Add questions that can include images and explanations (visible after the question is answered)
• Share the quiz by emailing it, tweeting, or posting a link
• See simple statistics about the questions and quizzes (i.e. how many answered questions correctly, average scores, etc.)

In the time since I first saw the site, the publishers have added a "class" and "students" feature. With these tools, an educator can create and manage student accounts, and distribute quizzes to students in their classes. Currently, teachers must create student accounts by typing students' names and email addresses. 

Simplicity is a good thing when it comes to creating technology solutions for educators, and the group of programmers associated with this project seem to understand that very well. QuizBean seems an excellent choice for formative assessment-- I can see teachers starting classes with a QuizBean projected on a screen. I can see teachers using QuizBeans in flipped classrooms; I can see QuizBeans being used as reading guides for fiction and non-fiction.

This is a relatively new project and the publishers appear to be actively developing features and refining the product. My wish list for this site:

• Make your terms of service clear, so that educators know who you are;
• Allow teachers to upload student accounts via .csv;
• Add a school level organization, so teachers can enroll from a common list;
• Allow teachers to copy a quiz (so I can tweek it without rewriting it);
• Allow me to share quizzes in an editable format (so I can share a quiz and let others edit it).

Do yourself a favor, and create an account on QuizBean and follow them on Twitter (@quizbean) 

Tweet from AMLE (@AMLE)

	AMLE (@AMLE)
10/25/13, 10:59 AM We're counting down the days until the largest conference in the world for the middle grades! #AMLE2013, amle.org/annual

Download the official Twitter app here

-- Gary Ackerman, Ph.D.

Ease of Use & Technology

The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) came to my attention about five years ago. At that time, I was in the middle of my dissertation research and I identified it as one of the important ideas that had contributed to the expanded and extended use of technology in fields other than K-12 education. The idea is simple: technology that is perceived to be easy to use, useful, and used by others is more likely to be used. I found some evidence that some K-12 educators I interviewed had (apparently independently) identified those factors, and I have found evidence that the instruments used to measure TAM in non-education settings can be modified for use in schools.

As I have returned to K-12 as a manager of technology and advisor to administrators making decisions, I have been reminded of the importance of perceived ease of use in two ways:

 1) Teachers who ask my advice of technology solutions have said they appreciate the fact that I identify ease of use as an essential character of the systems I design. If a teacher tells me "that's a lot of steps," then I know my job as a technology coordinator is unfinished.

 2) I purchased a new Macintosh. Without being an advertisement for the product, I have a computer that is far more elegant in design (hardware, software, and even packaging!) that any computer I have used and that is designed for me to create on all of my devices.

While it is not reasonable to purchase Macintosh laptops for all of our students, it is reasonable for school and technology leaders to keep the three factors of TAM in mind when they make technology decisions and to use those when assessing technology solutions.

If teachers find IT difficult to use, change the system until they find it easy.

If they find it not useful, work with them to find (easy to use) tools that meet their curriculum and instruction goals.

If there is not an expectation that teachers use technology, then set the expectation and support multiple points of entry for educators to begin to meet expectation and then move towards internalizing the value of technology in today's schools. 

Tweet from NHAMLE (@nhmidleveled)

	NHAMLE (@nhmidleveled)
10/24/13, 6:33 AM NHAMLE CCSS Collaborative Summit. Come and build your CC PLC! November 15. nhamle.org/nhamle-summit/… #midleved #ed_nelms

Download the official Twitter app here

-- Gary Ackerman, Ph.D.

Annual Conference chatter

Today, my inbox has several conversations regarding the NELMS Annual Conference! March 31-April 1... Rumors of the return of the "tech playroom!"

-- Gary Ackerman, Ph.D.

Tweet from AMLE (@AMLE)

	AMLE (@AMLE)
10/24/13, 1:06 PM AMLE seeks applicants for an off-site consultant for teacher preparation and licensure/certification ow.ly/pSBbP @AACTE

Download the official Twitter app here

-- Gary Ackerman, Ph.D.

Fwd: Literacy Summit Coming Up!

-- Gary Ackerman, Ph.D.

Begin forwarded message:

From: nelms@nelms.org
Date: October 24, 2013 at 10:34:34 AM EDT
To: "Dr. Gary L. Ackerman" <gary@hackscience.net>
Subject: Literacy Summit Coming Up!
Reply-To: NELMS <nelms@nelms.org>

Keys to Literacy - The Key Writing Routine

November 6 & 7, 2013
Holiday Inn Enfield/Springfield–Enfield, CT

For more information and/or to register click here.

Keys to Literacy - Keys to Argument Writing

January 9, 2014
Holiday Inn Enfield/Springfield–Enfield, CT

For more information and/or to register click here.

Keys to Literacy - The ANSWER KEY Routine for Extended Response

February 5, 2014
Holiday Inn Enfield/Springfield–Enfield, CT

For more information and/or to register click here.

Have you remembered to renew your NELMS Membership?

Whether you would like to renew your NELMS membership or join NELMS for the first time you can get the information you need by clicking here!

Member Benefit - Autumn MidLines is now online.

For NELMS members the latest edition of MidLines is now online. Go to www.nelms.org/midlines and enter the user name and password you were given for MidLines. Hope you enjoy it!

Call for Presenters 2014

Deadline extended

Looking for educators interested in presenting at the
NELMS Annual Conference, March 31-April 1, 2014
If you are interested or would like to know more click here.

 

Go Red Sox!

 

From our sponsors:

Renaissance Learning: A leading provider of cloud-based assessment, teaching and learning solutions that improve school performance and accelerate learning.
www.renlearn.com

 

 

Join us on Facebook and Twitter

©2012 New England League of Middle Schools.. All Rights Reserved

 

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Is education a commodity?

The trend towards standardized testing has bothered many, including me. Our displeasure with reducing learning to easily-bubbled answers has seemed somewhat disingenuous, however. Deeply embedded in formal education is the hoop through which on jumps to indicate completion: tests, comprehensive exams, thesis and dissertation defenses all included. For educators to abandon that part of education seems to abandon much of our history.

In reading a student's analysis of a product and her choice to use education as a product, I had an epiphany. Our extreme focus on testing represents the commodification of education. Education is no longer what we gain by years of study, but it is what we package up and deliver to students. It is selected and packaged and weighed by others, and educators merely the venue for delivery. (To be more accurate, some perceive education in that way- I reject that paradigm.)

When we look at the future, no one can say for sure that one who scores well on today's test will do well tomorrow. When we loom at the future, we can be much more sure that one who can communicate and problem-solve and understand and learn will do well tomorrow.

We develop those skills through study. Reading, writing, analyzing, constructing, deconstructing, questioning, challenging, and proving. Those skills take to time to refine, one is never done honing any, any they can be applied in any field that does exist or that will exist.

Educators today should feel like cogs in a job-training system that is training for non-existent and soon to become extinct jobs. I am hoping mine was not the last generation to become educated in the liberal arts tradition. I do not think history will judge well those who dismantled that system.




-- Gary Ackerman, Ph.D.

Twitter in the classroom

	Shary Lyssy Marshall (@slyssymarshall)
10/23/13, 4:51 PM Establishing A Twitter Routine In Your Classroom teachthought.com/social-media/e… … via @TeachThought ~ Cool resource @ldimitrov

Download the official Twitter app here

-- Gary Ackerman, Ph.D.

Tweet from NELMS (@NELMS_info)

	NELMS (@NELMS_info)
10/22/13, 9:15 AM It's not too early to plan on attending the NELMS Annual Conference - March 31-April 1, 2014. nelms.org/pages/conferen… #ed_NELMS

Download the official Twitter app here

-- Gary Ackerman, Ph.D.

Upside-down classrooms

Next month, I will be presenting a session entitled "Flipping with Purpose" at the 2013 AMLE conference in Minneapolis, MN. The focus will be how we can use flipped classrooms to refresh technology in our classrooms.

My premise is the the "watch video instruction for homework" and "do homework in class" approach to flipping classrooms accomplish a small fraction of the refreshing that is necessary. In my presentation, I will focus on:

• Six models of planning that are more sophisticated than the typical flipped classroom
• Tips and habits, including virtual classrooms and school-wide planning strategies 

I will use the term upside-down classrooms to contrast my vision with flipped classrooms. In preparation for that session, I have prepared a 120-page PDF (and print) book available from Lulu. This will be an excellent companion to the presentation as the rationale for turning classrooms upside-down is presented.


http://www.lulu.com/shop/gary-ackerman/flipped-with-purpose-ebook/ebook/product-21261835.html?showPreview=true

Fwd: Rick Wormeli is coming back to New England-Register Now!

-- Gary Ackerman, Ph.D.

Begin forwarded message:

From: nelms@nelms.org
Date: October 17, 2013 at 8:37:51 AM EDT
To: "Dr. Gary L. Ackerman" <gary@hackscience.net>
Subject: Rick Wormeli is coming back to New England-Register Now!
Reply-To: NELMS <nelms@nelms.org>

Rick Wormeli is coming back to New England
Don't miss these exciting events

Register now as time is running out.**

October 22 & 23, 2013

How to Assess and Grade in an Optimum Learning Environment

Radisson Hotel Manchester Downtown, Manchester, NH

Teaching is not a "gotcha" enterprise, yet many assessment and grading practices fall into that category. In addition, the Common Core State Standards are pushing teachers to re-examine what they consider as best evidence of mastery, and the public is calling for grades to report that evidence with integrity. Join us for a provocative seminar in which we identify fundamental elements of standards-based assessment and grading and how those elements lead to learning over that which otherwise could be achieved. Specifically, we'll look at: being sensitive to students' readiness levels, interests, and learning challenges while holding them accountable for the same high standards, grading ethics, determining evidence of mastery, grade definitions, grading scales, pre-/formative/summative/common assessments, averaging or not, zeroes on the 100-point scale, homework, late work, descriptive feedback, re-do's and re-takes, rubric design, setting up the gradebook, handling extra credit, group projects, effort/behavior marks, grading exceptional students, report card design, and much more. While offering dozens of practical techniques, we'll emphasize the principles behind their use so that learning and assessing are strategic, not haphazard. This myth-busting seminar confronts/validates core teaching values – It has an unusually high incidence of invigorating and transforming pedagogy. Don't miss it!

To register for this conference please click here.

 

October 24 & 25, 2013

Tiering Strategies for Classroom Instruction & Homework: A Plan for Student Success

Holiday Inn Enfield-Springfield, Enfield, CT

Co-sponsored by NELMS and Connecticut Association of Schools

Some students are ready for the first steps of a topic and others are ready for advanced projects in that topic, so how do we tier assignments in order to maximize students' learning at any given point? Join us for a practical and thought-provoking look at what constitutes mastery, and how we can increase and decrease complexity in student assignments while meeting the needs of standards and their benchmarks, all within one class period or school week. We'll include sample lesson designs, "Anchor" and "Football," as well as great attention moves, specific complexity raising tips, student "orbitals," personal agendas, and suggestions on how to get students to work autonomously, a portion of which will emphasize how to build Executive Function capacity in students as they become independent learners.

We'll also include a close examination of 21st century homework practices that help students learn and mature, and we'll confront several homework practices that no longer serve the modern student. Woven with the tiering elements, the homework portions explore when to, and when not to, give homework, how to assess homework and provide helpful feedback, how to motivate students to do homework, how to design developmentally appropriate assignments for diverse students, how much homework to assign, and specific, classroom-tested homework assignments students will enjoy doing. For anyone revising homework policies and procedures, this is a timely opportunity.

Together, these two days are a, "how-to," and, "why-we-do-it," seminar on tiering and homework for those just getting their feet wet and those already swimming in both who want more ideas. Tonight's assignment? Take the first step to invigorate your classroom practice by reserving a spot in this seminar!

To register for this conference please click here.

 

**If you cannot register now onsite registration will be available.

 

From our sponsors:

Renaissance Learning: A leading provider of cloud-based assessment, teaching and learning solutions that improve school performance and accelerate learning.
www.renlearn.com

 

 

Join us on Facebook and Twitter

©2012 New England League of Middle Schools.. All Rights Reserved

 

You are currently subscribed to nelms as: gary@hackscience.net Add nelms@nelms.org to your email address book to ensure delivery Forward to a Friend  |  Manage Subscription  |   Subscribe  |   Unsubscribe

Tweet from AMLE (@AMLE)

	AMLE (@AMLE)
10/15/13, 11:58 AM #AMLE2013 starts in just a few weeks. Have you registered? Deadline for discounted reg: Oct 18 #midleved #mschat

Download the official Twitter app here

-- Gary Ackerman, Ph.D.

Tweet from Alfie Kohn (@alfiekohn)

	Alfie Kohn (@alfiekohn)
10/14/13, 9:27 AM How'd I miss this? Bill Gates in '09 explained why he funds Common Core: "a large uniform base of customers": ow.ly/pxALx

This disturbing video has come to my attention from several sources this morning. 

-- Gary Ackerman, Ph.D.

Fwd: Connected Librarians Day Today + More Awesome Heroes at the Nightly Connected Cafe All Week

Share these webinars with your librarians or with administrators who are unfamiliar with the vital role if the library in today's school. 

-- Gary Ackerman, Ph.D.

Begin forwarded message:

From: "Classroom 2.0" <mail@classroom20.com>
Date: October 14, 2013 at 9:19:21 AM EDT
To: "gary@hackscience.net" <gary@hackscience.net>
Subject: Connected Librarians Day Today + More Awesome Heroes at the Nightly Connected Cafe All Week
Reply-To: do-not-reply@classroom20.com

Today we have a great line-up of Library 2.013 pre-conference sessions, all free (of course!), all dedicated to "connected librarians," and all part of the spectacular Connected Educator Month. The schedule overview is below, with more information and how to join the sessions at http://www.connectedlibrarians.com. 11:00am US-Eastern Daylight Time "Leading the Charge to Connect the Library, Classroom, and Curriculum: A View from Library Leadership" - Panel Discussion 12:00pm US-Eastern Daylight Time "The Library as Makerspace"- Kristin Fontichiaro 1:00pm US-Eastern Daylight Time "Virtual Library Instruction:Tools & Tips" - Stacy Creel "Teaching the Teachers: Integrating Technology into Library Instruction" - Amanda Nichols Hess 2:00pm US-Eastern Daylight Time "[Re]Envisioning the Role of Librarian as Educator in the Digital Information Age" - John Shank Continuing this week are the nightly "cafe" conversations with online "heroes." If you haven't joined us for one of these yet, they are turning out to be some of the most enjoyable online sessions I've ever held, as we get a chance to spend some more personal time with these folks and you get a chance to connect with them. Join me from 7:30 - 8:30pm US-Eastern Daylight Time each weeknight by going to http://bit.ly/connected_cafe. Here is our schedule for this week: Monday, October 14 Connection to Collaboration: Howard Rheingold and Shelly Terrell Tuesday, October 15 Innovating STEM and Literacy: Sylvia Martinez and Jackie Gerstein Wednesday, October 16 Making Informal PD Count: Peggy George Thursday, October 17 Personalized Learning: Gwyneth Jones and Joyce Valenza Friday, October 18 21st Century Classroom Management: Audrey Watters Here's the schedule for the rest of the month:   October 21 Connected Leadership: Milton Chen, Sam Chaltain   October 22 Connection to Collaboration: Julie Lindsay, Kathy Schrock, Shannon Miller, Esther Wojcicki   October 23 Innovating STEM and Literacy: Yovel Badash and Jim Vanides   October 24 Making Informal PD Count: Lucy Gray,  Steven Anderson   October 25 Personalized Learning: TBD (hopefully, connected students!)   October 28 21st Century Classroom Management: Suzie Boss, Jane Nelsen   October 29 Connected Leadership: Keith Krueger, Scott McLeod   October 30 Connection to Collaboration: Richard Byrne, Adam Bellow   October 31 Innovating STEM and Literacy: TBD Recordings of the previous cafe sessions are all at here. October 3 Connected Leadership Dean Shareski, Vicki Davis October 4 Connection to Collaboration Larry Ferlazzo, Angela Maiers October 7 Innovating STEM and Literacy Michelle Cordy October 8 Making Informal PD Count: Ira Socol, Kathleen Cushman October 9 Personalized Learning: Karl Fisch, Lee Kolbert, Will Richardson October 10 21st Century Classroom Management: Alice Keeler, Anne Mirtschin October 11 Connected Leadership: David Loertscher, Bill Brennan   Visit Classroom 2.0 at: http://www.classroom20.com/?xg_source=msg_mes_network   To control which emails you receive on Classroom 2.0, click here

Tweet from NELMS (@NELMS_info)

	NELMS (@NELMS_info)
9/4/13, 10:19 AM Review of The Collected Writings (So Far) of Rick Wormeli. Crazy Good Stuff! middleweb.com/6850/crazy-goo… #ed_NELMS

Download the official Twitter app here

-- Gary Ackerman, Ph.D.

Fwd: Rick Wormeli will be here soon and other events coming up

-- Gary Ackerman, Ph.D.

Begin forwarded message:

From: nelms@nelms.org
Date: October 10, 2013 at 9:53:29 AM EDT
To: "Dr. Gary L. Ackerman" <gary@hackscience.net>
Subject: Rick Wormeli will be here soon and other events coming up
Reply-To: NELMS <nelms@nelms.org>

Rick Wormeli is returning very soon

Register now as time grows short for these conferences.

How to Assess & Grade in an Optimum Learning Rich Environment

October 22 & 23, 2013
Radisson Hotel Manchester Downtown–Manchester, NH

For more information and/or to register click here.

Tiering Strategies for Classroom Instruction & Homework:
A Plan for Student Success

October 24 & 25, 2013
Holiday Inn Enfield/Springfield–Enfield, CT

For more information and/or to register click here.
 

Keys to Literacy - The Key Writing Routine

November 6 & 7, 2013
Holiday Inn Enfield/Springfield–Enfield, CT

For more information and/or to register click here.

Keys to Literacy - Keys to Argument Writing

January 9, 2014
Holiday Inn Enfield/Springfield–Enfield, CT

For more information and/or to register click here.

Keys to Literacy - The ANSWER KEY Routine for Extended Response

February 5, 2014
Holiday Inn Enfield/Springfield–Enfield, CT

For more information and/or to register click here.

Have you remembered to renew your NELMS Membership?

Whether you would like to renew your NELMS membership or join NELMS for the first time you can get the information you need by clicking here!

Member Benefit - Autumn MidLines is now online.

For NELMS members the latest edition of MidLines is now online. Go to www.nelms.org/midlines and enter the user name and password you were given for MidLines. Hope you enjoy it!

Call for Presenters 2014

Deadline coming up (10/11/13)

Looking for educators interested in presenting at the
NELMS Annual Conference, March 31-April 1, 2014
If you are interested or would like to know more click here.

 

From our sponsors:

Renaissance Learning: A leading provider of cloud-based assessment, teaching and learning solutions that improve school performance and accelerate learning.
www.renlearn.com

 

 

Join us on Facebook and Twitter

©2012 New England League of Middle Schools.. All Rights Reserved

 

You are currently subscribed to nelms as: gary@hackscience.net Add nelms@nelms.org to your email address book to ensure delivery Forward to a Friend  |  Manage Subscription  |   Subscribe  |   Unsubscribe

Watch this! (@fredbartels)

	Fred Bartels (@fredbartels)
10/10/13, 8:43 AM Please go viral. video.msnbc.msn.com/mhp/53203790#5… Brilliant 1.5 min statement on the insanity of high stakes tests by @JessedHagopian

Every educator and person interested in education much watch and share thus video. A well-reasoned and articulate statement on the need to get back to teaching and learning. 

-- Gary Ackerman, Ph.D.

Share this list (@edutopia)

	edutopia (@edutopia)
10/9/13, 2:43 PM What Engages Students? 10 Things Students Say: edut.to/186r44v

Sure looks to me like this list could be replaced with "fully implement middle school theory and practice."

-- Gary Ackerman, Ph.D.

Make someone smile

I am not sure where this came from,but it is worth sharing.

Evaluating web sites (@whitmorejon)

	Jon Whitmore (@whitmorejon)
10/9/13, 9:46 AM Great thoughts on why we need to teach students to use the web to enhance learning and to filter content responsibly ow.ly/pE2OV

Download the official Twitter app here

-- Gary Ackerman, Ph.D.

Tweet from edutopia (@edutopia)

	edutopia (@edutopia)
10/9/13, 10:01 AM [Tip] Help students enter a class discussion with helpful phrases to agree/disagree: edut.to/1e6RFAL #criticalthinking #edchat

The advice in this piece is not new, and most are likely to see themselves in the tips. It is good to hear reminders if good practice and to read what others are doing from time to time. 

-- Gary Ackerman, Ph.D.

For those in and near Vermont (@VTEducation)

	Vermont Agency of Ed (@VTEducation)
10/8/13, 9:10 AM 8pm tonight on @VermontPublicTV - Damage Control: #Concussions in #VT Sports, a live studio discussion. ht.ly/pzyDX #VTed

Download the official Twitter app here

-- Gary Ackerman, Ph.D.

Adults don't score well...

The news came across several feeds today... as I think about it more, I am getting more distressed by the implications.

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/us-adults-score-average-worldwide-test-20502036

In a nutshell, a "standardized test" was given to adults (similar to the ones students take), and adults in the US did not score well according to the results. My first reaction is the typical "you can't tell much from tests," and I do still believe we need to move away from seeing a test as the measure of all things learning. Then, I reread the ABC News account of the  story, and I noticed the nature of the tasks respondents were asked to perform:

These are skills that can be tested; these are skills that one who is literate and numerate should be able to complete with little difficulty.

As we read the article further, we find that our country also has a growing gap between the highly-skilled adults and the least -skilled adults, and that there are significant impediments to gaining the necessary skills. To me, that is the most distressing part of this story. In the US, access to education is a right, but unfortunately, we have been allowing politicians and other non-experts define education policy and procedure in recent generations. This has failed, and it is time to stop.

Humans are learners. Learning is a natural process that happens when one is motivated and in an enriched and social environment. Motivated learners investigating relevant problems in an enriched and interactive environment is characteristic of our schooling.

This article seems to lead to the conclusion that the schooling experienced by today's adults did not work. It is time to jettison the dysfunctional system with standardized and sterilized curriculum, instruction based on delivering information, and professionalized educators.

Much of the current rhetoric about education seems to be focusing attention on red herrings as well. Learning is the result of:

• Interesting and engaging curriculum

• Learners actively engaged with the curriculum

• Learners actively engaged with skilled and knowledgeable teachers

Any schooling that isn't directly leading to one of those three is part of the problem.