Professional Learning

Leadership

Whistle While You Work

The reality for education today is to teach students towards their college and career goals. What have I learned along the way through my professional story? 1) Reflections are the proxy to a happily ever after. 2) Mentors are timely, caring, and a comforting irritant that may come in the form of a fairy godmother or 7 miners. 3) Goals keep you focused on what matters.

Leadership

TRECA: Supporting Schools, Developing Leaders

Most education conferences continue to use theater seating, microphones on draped tables, and panels that go bla, bla, bla--no evidence that anyone planning the session considered anything about adult learners. It’s refreshing to work with someone like TRECA team who works hard to create powerful learning experiences for education leaders.

Personalized Learning

New Study Reveals Trends in Professional Learning

By: Jason Lange. A 2013 Australian study conducted by the government-funded Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership and the nonprofit Innovation Unit examined 50 high-performing corporations, educational institutions, and nonprofit organizations from around the globe to identify common features of professional learning experiences.

Personalized Learning

Don’t Leave Your Learning Behind: What To Do Now That #ISTE2014 Is Over

With hundreds of opportunities to learn at ISTE2014, whether in formal sessions or tangential conversations, attendees have quite possibly reached the upper limit of their cognitive loads. And as the thousands of educators head home from Atlanta, the same question will be on all of our minds; how do I use what I learned at ISTE in my school or classroom?

EdTech

Google Apps Summer Camp: Chromebooks

Hosting a blog series about Google Apps for Education without featuring Google’s portable web-based computing device would be like teaching you how to build a house without introducing you to a hammer or nails.

Leadership

Why Teachers Need, Deserve Instructional Leaders

By: Preston Smith. Most importantly, what that means is that our school leaders spend 70%-80% of their time. Our school leaders collaborate on coaching and spend anywhere between 20 minutes and an hour in each teacher’s classroom every week.

EdTech

Google Apps Summer Camp: Sites

With Sites, you can create what you want to create, customize it to your liking, and share it with whomever you please. Fortunately, you have the entire summer ahead of you. So, how will you be using Sites with your students next fall?

EdTech

Google Apps Summer Camp: Drive

Google Drive is, hands down, my favorite Google App for Education and the one which I believe could be your favorite too. Why? Because it does everything.

Personalized Learning

Preparing Teachers for Deeper Learning

One of the most exciting ideas presented in the paper is what we truly believe to be the future of teacher preparation and ongoing development--micro-credentials, likely displayed as digital badges--that would signify accomplishment and measure and reward competency-based outcomes for educators.