A Confession

I am functioning slightly beyond my learning edge, as Sonja would have put it. I have found myself making excuses for my mistakes, which is behavior I have always associated with people being over their heads (actually, I have associated it with people who shouldn't be where they are, but being in a position of actually doing it, I find myself being a little more kind). It hurts to think that the reality of this situation is that I'm not ready for doctoral work in this field, and likely never will be.

I guess it's good to know your limits.

What would Dweck say?

English Language Arts Meeting Minutes

We had a really brief meeting, I think there might be a bit of an exhaustion problem going on with some of us (at least there is for me).

The definition of a writing workshop is somewhat up in the air. Smagorinski suggests that running a writing workshop where students do extensive solitary work, and mentions that Nancy Atwell (I think, my notes are elsewhere) has done a great deal of work on the process (this work was done in the nineties).

There are a couple of books that have wound their way into my thought process. The other language arts book from our ELA class (Within the writing process, I believe) and Steering the Craft, by LeGuin.

We discussed that we've done all of the thought for the contract as well as what we think the feedback should look like.

Vida has typed up the notes on the feedback form and sent it to Jon. Reprinted here for those who may want one stop shopping:

Feedback form for how co-learners organize time, teach, and structure writing workshop
Relevance:
Pacing, time adjustment to student needs
Comfort for all levels of writer – differentiation based on student readiness
Clear and concise instructions/delivery of instructions:
Adherence to standards:
Clarity of lesson goals:
What did you learn from this lesson:


We are not meeting today (clearly), and I am working on rewriting the contract as I write this. Let's start a dialogue about meeting times either here or via email.

I suggested a prompt for our first piece of writing, to be due next week:

1) How do you write?

2) What has your experience been in writing classes, throughout your education? What worked, what didn't?

Differentation Workshop notes 1/13/10

We started with group work, where we created a table (see attached, perhaps).

Fun tip: When we write down what kind of evidence we are looking for, we know what the evidence could be. It makes the evidence collection/q&a moments easier.

While I know that crazy good things happened in K-5 and 5-9, I ended up with the 9-12 kids. As you would imagine.

Our group was Liz, Luke, Cindel, Ryan, Alex, and Leslie

Leslie brought up the question of what is a "learning profile"?

We worked with the idea of "theme"

How would we pre-assess:
Show them a paragraph
Show them a cartoon
Show them a Twilight Zone
etc.

Ask them to identify a theme from a short in an exit theme
Use the what they said to build readiness groups (know how to do theme, identify an idea, create a plot summary)

Start with like-readiness groups

Use product based on interests, have students bring in their own texts to demonstrate "theme" (or other concept) and able to discuss their understanding. Rachel H talked about how this would increase engagement. Amy brought up how community needs to be built. Sherry added that there needs to be clear expectations.

Progress based on learning profiles (individual progress as opposed to group)

Enables using skills that they already have, removing barriers from the process.

Sharing with the students what their learning profile is, so that they can see what their progress is so they aren't overwhelmed.

What were some questions we were left with...
assessment, how much of the assessment is done by the teachers as opposed to by the students.

How are students being assessed appropriately, equity vs fairness, how to grade for growth.

How do we provide multiple paths to the standard?

Keep a list of ways that we can show what we know. There is no reason not to let them know that there are external demands. Let them know that there is home, school, and job language. Be transparent.

How do we work with group work and accountability?

RTI notes:

Defining RTI:

RTI is a general education approach that aligns resources from general, remedial and special education through a multi-tiered service delivery model in order to provide scientific, research-based interventions to struggling students.

Textbook companies put out particular lessons that were considered "approved"

RTI includes making data-based decisions based on curriculum based measurements (....
The idea of using CBMs to identify student needs is not new

Stan Deno's data-based decision program modification model

Bergan's behavioral consultation model

Problems in the traditional system (wait to fail)
integration between general and special education
Undocumented benefits of special education
Variability and accuracy of elegibilty determination
Integration of elige determination with instructuion

Core Principles of RTI
Use all available resources to teach all students
Use scientific reserch based interventions
monitor classroom performance
conduct universal screening/benchmarking
use multi-tier model of service delivery
make data based decisions using a problem solving/standard protocol
monitor progress frequently
fidelity/ teacher proofing

Use all available resources to teach all students
RTI practices are built on the belief that all students can learn and everyone supports all students
RTI focuses on student intervention need and not "What is wrong with the student?"
Systems Change: Integrated approach
No one building/district will look the same

Ideas are based on what the students can't do. This is a deficit approach. Doesn't provide for a bridge. Doesn't look at progress.

The tier concept is that there is escalating instruction until reference to a special education teacher.

Whats good?
You get more help
It's a process
It's proactive
It's fluid (back and forward)
Focused on student
It's a type of differentiation

What's bad?
A snapshot of their progress
No MCP
De-contextualized
Untrained people implementing interventions
Assessments are not culturally relevant
Learning is a process
Using these interventions does not work
If I don't have time to share data, I can't follow the rules
What happens when the students are gone from the class?

Use all available resources to teach all students
Use scientific, research-based interventions

Curriculum and instruction approaches must have a high probability of success for the majority of students
offer as soon as it is clear the student is lagging behind
]Increase intensity of instruction and practice
Opportunity for explicit and systematic instruction/practice and cumulative review
Provide skillful instruction with good error correction, immediate feedback
Guided by and in response to progress monitoring data
Must provide a supportive atmosphere for learning

Response to video

Positives:
Kids like graphing progress-What else can you graph? Books they've read, writings, things they've learned through reading (looks at memory), time you spend reading, Finding vocabulary words, How many times did you come to something that you don't know, how many times did you read ahead, decoding, stop and think, phonics, etc
Teaching to differences
Collaboration
Inclusion
Unified vision
Flexible

Difficulties
Focused on a problem
Pretty "blitz-y"
What about when the graph goes down
Learning is not just an arrow up?
No research on middle and high school on Dibbles. Middle school research does not include Dibbles
A lot of moving around
Doesn't support community
Doesn't provide context


How would you use the RTI model?
Alex: Saw it, but no one quite knew what they were doing. No specialists.
Cindel: Study hall class, would be helpful
RP: Attitude is tricky, I lose an elective and I get to take my least favorite class twice
Liz: Independent studies with the kids

For next week:
Read instructions carefully, bring lesson plans

Response to "No Effect on Comprehension Seen From 'Reading First'"

So, here I was reading the required article, nodding to myself in the way I do when I'm reading something that is saying something that I agree with but am not surprised by, and one of the quotes leaps out at me.

"The schools were not doing the same thing," he said. "There were differences in their use of reading coaches, ... and there were significant differences in classroom practices"

One of the questions that lurked in the back of my mind is "why are we reading this". I mean, this article could fit in just about anywhere in our program, up to and including those emails that Loren sends us every now and then with links to articles on education.

So why is this here in differentiation? I think this quote goes straight to the heart of the question. It's not what you do, it's how you do it. Both groups are having the same basic curriculum, but the one with the gains is taught differently.

Response to Units in Differentiation in Practice, 9-12

I selected the historical fiction unit (1) and the Macbeth unit (2).

I connected with these two units because they both address things that I attempted to do in my student teaching. I used a personal interview of a family member to connect with a compare and contrast essay and I taught Macbeth.

Macbeth

The first thing that I noticed is that both of these units, when there are two learning goals or lessons within a day have this section clearly broken off. This was a challenge I faced when working with Macbeth because I wasn’t sure how to help the students appreciate all that goes into Shakespeare. By having them perform the second half of the play as a class, I actually limited their creativity by not scaffolding performance skills enough. In short, my one size fits all approach did support student growth.

I was also deeply interested in the way that this unit primed the pump, by addressing some of the themes of the play within the students own lives. How I attempted the same thing was by introducing the material first, then having the students seek connections to their own lives. I see now that this limits their exploration of the topic, as they are now looking for a “right” answer, where there isn’t one. The model unit allows them to have the setup without having to immediately connect it to Macbeth.

The other area with a lot of self-selected (the best kind) differentiation was the writing assignments which spoke writing of a specific type (like the personals ads) to a specific audience. This allowed the students to explore writing in an entertaining way and have something to share.

I would integrate this with a blogging exercise, in my version (I did something like this, translating Shakespeare to a new setting and rewriting a scene) I did this and found it to really support the “publishing” section of the writing process.

Another aspect that really spoke to me was how much the teacher shared their own writing, visions and experiences. This interests me. On one hand, it provides a model, on the other, it provides a model. Which is an upside/downside kind of thing. It also builds trust, which is important to this lesson, especially considering how obvious the differentiation is in this set up.

Speaking to that, I liked the plot development being placed in the hands of the struggling readers. This gives them a very important role to play that is very accessible. This makes me ask the question, how many “simple” concepts can I farm out to students? This is an easy, helpful form of differentiation that can work with all ability levels.

Historical Fiction:

When I attempted to use interviews as a portion of a writing assignment, it flopped horribly. The assignment was to compare a relative’s view/experiences with war to the depiction of war in The Things They Carried. I shouldn’t say that it flopped, exactly, I just think that there was a lot more stress about the assignment then there needed to be.

The big difference between these lessons was having the interview stand on its own as a step, to be shared with the class. Then, the interview is summarized or otherwise used to inform another piece of writing. I like how this decreases the tension associated with trying a new kind of writing.

On the differentiation front, this is another place where student choice helps differentiate in the classroom.

What I see with both of these examples is how often there are different products that can be produced, a number of ways of meeting the goal. The assignments aren’t especially different, but it makes it so that everything is more interesting to everyone. I would rather read five compare/contrast as opposed to thirty, which means I’ll be giving better feedback.

Writing Center Talking Points

So I come into to my first day of work, and surprise! I've got to run a workshop on my first day back in six months. I panicked a bit but it wasn't really a big deal. Basically, I have to give an introduction to the Writing Center.

It's a great resource (not to mention it works with my plan B if I have to leave the program).

Here are the talking points for the "workshop"
Arrive at 6, welcome, introduce self:
We are all students at TESC, as we believe that working with peers best facilitates writing growth.
This is the Center, Writing Center QuaSAR, hours (M –Th 11-8, Friday and Sunday 12-5, closed 3-5 on Monday)
A way to support and grow your academic and creative work
What happens in a session (five minutes)
• 25-50 minutes
• Bring anything, but bring something, if nothing else, an open mind
Now that you know why you should set up an appointment, here is the how
• Call
• Drop in
• Cancel if you can’t make it, it’s only polite
Weekly is better, establish relationship, don’t have to do getting to know you all the time. Most gratifying working relationship I’ve had.
We look forward to seeing you here!

7:13pm
Well, I gave the "workshop" (twenty minute ad) and it went well. What a charming class it was. Fortunately, the faculty had heard the spiel often enough that she was able to fill in the blanks that I missed. I forgot to say that we do any kind of writing, silly me!

All in all, for my first day back in six months, I think I did alright.

Community Time Minutes

Jon facilitating

Terry ordered in an RTI (Response to Intervention) book. It's not required, but it's a good one. We are going to have a section on RTI, so it won't hurt us to know.

Vicki had us do a shout out to ourselves. We rock.

Catey brought up Heartsparkle Players at 7:30 at Traditions.

Alaina, speaking on behalf of the GSA thanked us for being good people and going to the potluck.

Ryan brought up soccer and wanted to invite the first years. Day and time is TBA, depending on everyone (except the first years availability).

Every Friday at 5pm the 1st year cohort meets at the BroHo. We're invited.

Katey B is going to go sing Karaoke at Jake's. Details TBA.

Eastside next Thursday a band is playing. Six bucks.

Terry: a teacher at Bush Middle School would like us to score and assess science fair projects. For details, check ELM.

Something else that I missed, that is apparently costly, sciencey, and in April.

Schedules were passed out for the new teacher candidate meetings.

Terry recruited people for working for the MiT. Jen, Alex volunteered to help with the ceremony. Emily and Alex volunteered to help with the formatting of stuff for the ceremony.

Guess what! We actually are going to get to be in the Library. But the drop deadline is due 2/23/10. The paper must be virgin. If you are looking to print this stuff at a lower price, get together with people and bat your eyes at Minuteman Press.

Here is what is due, just to be clear: 1 virgin due (required), PDFs to Lenora, any extra that you want, you'll have to bring. Like if I want one at my home library, I'll bring two copies.

This must be done at a printers. Tell them "virgin paper, fresh drum".

The link will be (re)posted by Monday on our handouts and assignments page.

We learned about Terry.

My personal favorite part was the biography her sister wrote about her.

Examination of what we want to do with Fridays:

• Theatre and dance across the curriculum.
• Three different seminar groups, should we, and if so how should we hear about what is going on in different seminars.
• Community meeting time with announcements and such.
• Group building activities

Theatre Across the Curriculum

• Break into content area groups and perform a concept from our content areas
• There are many roles you can play, you don't really need to perform
• Looking for feedback on who would like to be in what groups
• See calendar for dates and details.
• We would be revisiting our art/theatre EALRs from fall '08
• They struggled with whether or not to include a TOT or a performance

People seemed to be vastly in favor of doing Theatre Across the Curriculum. Or at least not opposed.

People would love to get Tracy's boyfriend Dan in to have a puppet workshop.

There was also interest expressed in mask making.

Catey agreed to post the list to ELM.

Moving right along... Ryan asked what "performance" would mean. There will be a performance, there is room for interpretation, but there will be getting up and doing something.

Emily raised the question about the workload of a performance, and considered what she would get out of it in a classroom. The reply was that this can be helpful, and that there is a lot of potential.

Liz brought up that this has a lot of potential for student engagement.

Joanna brought up that this could help fill our lesson bank.

Differentiation Seminar Book List

Week 2 "Differentiating Instruction in the Regular Classroom: How to Reach and Teach All Learners, Grades 3-12", By Diane Heacox, 2001, ISBN-13: 978-1575423289

Week 3 "Integrating Differentiated Instruction and Understanding by Design", By Carol Ann Tomlinson and Jay McTighe, 2006, ISBN-13: 978-1416602842

Week 4 "The Democratic Differentiated Classroom", By Sheryn Waterman, 2006, ISBN-13: 978-1596670327

Week 5 "Fair isn't always equal", By Rick Wormelli, 2006 ISBN-13: 978-1571104243

Week 6 Special populations week, to include the choice of:

a. “Differentiating Instruction for Students with Learning Disabilities: Best Practices for General and Special Educators", By William Bender, 2007, ISBN-13: 978-1412954464

b. “Teaching Gifted Kids in the Regular Classroom: Strategies and Techniques Every Teacher Can Use to Meet the Academic Needs of the Gifted and Talented”, By Susan Winebrenner and Pamela Espeland, 2001, ISBN -13: 978-1575423296

Week 7 “Brain-Compatible Differentiated Instruction for English Language Learners” by Marjorie Hall Haley, 2009, ISBN-13: 978-0205582396

Week 8 Content Area Book (where we pair up and pick a book that applies to our chosen endorsement area) Choices include:

a. Joanna & Jen C. “Differentiating Instruction in a Whole-Group Setting, Grades 3-8”, By Betty Hollas

b. Jessica “Math for All: Differentiating Instruction, grades 3-5” By Linda Dacey and Jayne Bamford Lynch, 2007, ISBN: 978-0-9441355780

c. Jackie “Math for All: Differentiating Instruction, grades K-3” By Linda Dacey and Rebeka Easton Salemi , 2007,ISBN: 978-0941355773

d. Rand & Alaina “Math for All: Differentiating Instruction, grades 6-8” By Linda Dacey and Karen Gartland , 2009, ISBN: 978-1935099000

e. Jacob & Jen T. “Differentiated Instruction for Science: Instruction and Activities for the Diverse Classroom” By Dawn Hudson, 2006, ISBN: 0825158966

f. Richard-Patrick & Vida “Adolescent Literacy and Differentiated Instruction” By King-Shaver and Hunter, 2009, ISBN-10: 0325026610

Notes for Differentiation Seminar

We opened with everyone sharing about their breaks. It was sweet.

Jacob got married. No kidding. That one blew me away.

I was a mad ego-maniac.

Alaina had the grossest winter job eva.

After that we shared where we are doing our community service.

Some ideas:

• Jackie is working at the food bank/thrift store in Yelm
• Alaina is learning bits of Spanish, as well as doing a Spanish podcast, and she is volunteering at Lacey Community Church and is helping with tech, as well as working with Lacey Senior Center.
  
• Jacob is volunteering with The Nature Conservatory in Thurston County removing invasive plants (Scotch Broom) and planting native ones.
• Vida is volunteering at YWCA
• Rand is running a boy scout troop
• Jen TI is teaching for the Autobahn Society.
• JoAnna is working with Mason County Literacy Network, as well as supporting the Spanish individual.
• Jen C is working at Tacoma Community House
• Jessica
  
• I'm trying to get on a Tacoma Art Museum, failing that Pantagia Theatre, and failing that I am volunteering with Thurston County 4-H and Cub Scouts.

Terry emphasized the value of connecting with the community and asking what we can do to help bridge the gap between needs and schools. How can we be a part of the community and provide needs subtly.

Seminar Book Talk

Each person will facilitate a book. There will be a lesson plan made for that week. You have three hours.
The lesson plan will include:

• Focal points for discussion, showing that we've identified the main points from the texts. Show Terry that we know.
• Show where you are going to have assessment
• Leave time for check in.
• You must leave fifteen to twenty minutes for feedback.

Terry's role is to be an observer. She will sit in back and take notes, but she will jump in if she feels that we need it.

Academic Expectations

• Document, formative: your comprehension of the texts (weekly)
• Document, summative: your synthesis of the texts (at the end of the quarter)

Brainstorm: (s) applies to summative, (f) applies to formative

• A master list that shows how differentiation can work in the classroom overview (s)
  
• Lesson plan modified (s)
• Visual map (f)
• Write a page/notes (f)
• bullet points/chart (f)
• Outline (f)
  
• Quotes (f)
• Suggested ground rule: must be comprehensible to the group (f)
  
• KWL chart (f)
• Have to bring in a page, how you fill it out is up to you (f)
• Lesson plan can be used as homework (f)
• Lesson plan created for homework (vetoed by Terry, it is application)
• Venn diagram (s)
• 10 issues for your class, how you would use these things to help (s)

Terry's rules for visual maps:

• You need a color key, colors must have meanings
  
• Lines must have meanings, you must state the relationship
• There must be a logical order

Formative Decision

• You must have one page of preparation
• If you need specific preparation, ask the week before
• Three points of application
• Three point-agree/don't understand/disagree (these two can be combined)
• Page numbers
• Questions
• A pre/post comment
• Categories of student needs
• Categories of teacher strategies

Summative Brainstorm/Criteria

• Synthesized resource tool to share
• Must cite and use all texts (APA)
  
• Central question/answer
• Has specific applicable audience
• Uses specific assessment strategies
• A definition of differentiation
• Grouping strategies
  
• Student needs/strategies to meet those needs
• Getting to know a student on personal, cognitive, motivational, and behavioral levels

What are things that you need as individuals:

• Food and drink
• Consistent time for breaks/Break after a set number of tasks have been completed
  
• Agendas (facilitator's job)
• Remember that Jessica will show up between 8:45 and 9
• Self check-ins on class participation/making space for silence
• If you cite the book, cite the page number, make it easy for us to read along
• When we are quoting something, be aware that people actually have to open their books
• Keep "me too"s to the magic hand symbol
• No side talk
• No laptops
• Signal for time to reflect
• Respect the break, if it's 10 minutes, it's 10 minutes. If it's 15 minutes, it's actually 15 minutes. In both directions. It is the facilitator's duty to specifically state a time to get back
  
• Hand raising discussion now.
• We should paraphrase so that our statement has a context
• Raise your hand if you need to be heard, but is not a norm
• The facilitator needs to do their job
• Assume the best of people
• Tell Jen what's going on in your head after she speaks
• Respect that we all have biases and that we're trying to develop our skills
• Understand that we're trying to learn our Teflon skills
• RP needs reading wait-time
• Don't finish Alaina's sentences for her

Working on it...

Hello world. Or, mainly just myself.

Anywho, I'm still working on getting the calendar up and running, if anyone has some ideas, just let me know. But, ideally, this will actually keep me on track for once, and is certainly good practice for when I use this (or similar cloudware) for keeping a class blog. Wish me luck!

And an update, got it running, now I just need to keep it rolling!

Meeting Minutes- ELA Project Proposal

Things that we want to include:

• Authentic, standards based, assessment
• Lesson planning
• Giving feedback
• Helping students to write essays
• Creative writing

Suggested Texts

• Smagorinski
• Online Unit Plans
• Articles on feedback and intrinsic motivation

Evidence Produced

• Meeting minutes
• Unit plans, lesson plans
  
• Feedback on each others writing
• Personal writing
  

Wants and needs

• Realistic work load
• Fun
• Writing

Suggested title

• Examining the writing process from planning to feedback to assessment

Ideas

• Working with the Writer's Workshop, creating and running a writing workshop
• Each person creates a Writer's Workshop and runs the others through it and collects feedback
• Field trip
• Eggers' workshop, investigating

Tentative Schedule
Week 2: Investigate Smagorinski, bring what makes good feedback
Week 3: Look at Unit plans, Ideas about feedback/assessment/state standards
Week 4: Person 1
Week 5: Person 2
Week 6: Person 3
Week 7: Person 4
Week 8: Person 5
Week 9: Field Trip
Week 10: Group reflection

Learning Goals:

Formative Assessments:
Creating lesson plans
Try out teaching
Summative Assessments:
Revision of the writing workshop with EALRs and GLEs, and where it would fit in a unit

The flow of the day, Wednesday 12-2
First half hour the presenter runs their

Pro-Cert Notes

Presenter: Maggie Foran

Education Acronyms:

TAP: Teacher Assistant Program
PESB: Professional Educator Standards Board
NBCT: National Board of Certified Teachers
PGT: Professional Growth Team
HQ: Highly Qualified
NBCT: National Boards Certified Teacher

Graduation Application Date:
Due Friday of the second week of Spring Quarter (April 9th)

For the form and checklist, go online!

Fees: Go to student accounts to pay these!

• Placement File Fee: $50 (8 requests, then $10 per three)-Send a letter of interest to find out what the principal wants
• Graduation Fee: $25
• Certification Fee: $35

Come see Maggie to sign more forms during the first week of June.

Ask Maggie for more sub information if you would like to sub this quarter.

For additional notes, check out the professional certification cheat sheet link here.

On this chart, we're on the "Pre-Service Preparation" and "Induction Support and Assessment" phase. Principals will be asked to provide some feedback to the state, which then summarizes the information for TESC MiT.

There is no expiration date on your certificate until your third year teaching for the same district, once you sign your contract for your third year the clock starts on the expiration. It's five years (best case is 8 years). This clock only runs in Washington state. When you move, you need to check the new state's requirements. Maternity leave counts as time spent. Extensions are availible.

At this time, you can also apply for your National Boards certification, which will also earn you your teaching certificate.

When you select a professional growth area, you need to tie it to standards. Remember, you must always be able to connect your goals to OSPI's standards. Be prepared to defend your choice.

When considering certification, please look at the OSPI site.

Professional Growth Team (PGT):

These are people who are supporting you in your professional certification process. You don't need to

1 colleague, someone in your building. This is your best buddy in this process.
and typically 1 Principal (you need a representative from the district)

The second person does not need to be in your district or building, but realistically they likely should be, after all, you want to talk to them and have them support you. They earn clock hours (pro-dev hours/cert renewal).

For us, 1 quarter credit=10 hours. So, your Washington State History class that's five credits is fifty seat hours. Neat, huh?

Subbing counts as days of service, so be sure to get them in.

More later, the battery is dying.

'K, back, but still short of time.

For homework, take the sheets we did where we have assessed ourselves on the various categories and type it up. Select three areas for growth and type it up on the plan link off of our handouts page. We will be submitting this to Terry on Wednesday at 9am via email. Out.

Reaction to "Moral Spaces in MySpace"

My knee-jerk reaction as I begun this article was faint horror. From day one, we're told that we're always on an interview, and I know that's true. I have a friend who had to leave a teaching program because of some of the personal choices she made, in a space that was certainly not school-related. So, from the get go, I try to be wary.

At the same time, I know that there are pictures of me drinking beer and having a good time on Rachel C's facebook page. Will anyone see those? I've got no idea, but I often think that I should ask her to take them down.

At the same time, I know a number of teachers with facebook accounts. I know that facebook is "safer" than MySpace, for example, people can only see more than your profile picture if you select them, but at the same time...

Things change, and the internet has a very long memory.

To move it away from myself, what is my role as a teacher?

A short story:

In my second period Reading Essentials class we used a class blog (we actually used a blog in all of our classes). We were a small class, all boys (four or five, depending on the day). Most of the way through the quarter, we get a new student who had been kicked out of her old school.

When we have students join the class, we have them do an "about me" blog post. This student was quite skilled with teh internets and linked a picture of herself from her MySpace account.

It was rather revealing and suggestive (I hear, I never saw it myself), and it included a link, so that everyone could be her MySpace friend.

Jim pulled the picture and erased the link, which was good, because this was at school, and under the school conduct code. Actually, if he was feeling peckish, he could have sent her to her discipline person and no one would have batted an eyelash.

His decision was not to talk to her about it unless it showed up again. His reasoning was that she was likely an abuse victim (there were more signs than just the picture) and that cracking down wasn't going to help anything.

Pretty complex thoughts there. He was considering his role as a teacher, understanding that MySpace is a public space, and still repsecting her privacy, while using the information to support other information that he was getting about the student, building a mental file, if you will.

Fun stuff.

Secondary Tech Notes, 01/05/10

Here are some links to stuff that Frank mentioned in class:

7 Habits of Highly Effective People
Alan Kay
Don Norman
River Nardoo
Bar Code Art

Some tutorials:

Information design project:
How to organize and present information pro is...
Richard Saul Wurman (TED talks guy)

Project 1:

Present information from/about your content area:
In three ways:
1) Illustration
2) Animation
3) Interaction- Could be menu based, but doesn't need to. How can we make it more meaningful? For example, imagine peeling back the body to see underneath. Another way would be to think about a simulation, like SimCity.

Remember the butterfly project! It added a way to seek more information, it also illustrates how to separate "parts" of a project as if a viewer hasn't noticed everything the first time.

Project 2:

Tell three stories about an educator, supporting it with multimedia

Project 3:

Create an educational solution for your students, for example, create a tutorial.

For next week, create a story board...

Starting with a concept, use paper to mock up what you will do. Write it down, ask yourself what you want to teach....

You can describe a structure this way. Or it could be sequential!

It should be presented on a poster board.

For Friday, write a paragraph and email it to Jon, Leslie or Frank. If you don't know their email addys, check the staff/faculty email directory here.