MRVED Business

Upcoming Meetings

September 24, 2014  Superintendents' Council
September 25, 2014  Teachers' Advisory Council (TAC)
September 26, 2014  Community Ed (Sanford Education Center)
September 26, 2014  Principals' Council (9 a.m. start)
September 30, 2014  Agriculture

October 2, 2014         Music
October 7, 2014         Science
October 9, 2014         Art

Communication Briefings - Can or may?

Many people use them interchangeably; others favor "can" over "may" in an effort to sound less stilted or formal.  But do "can" and "may" really mean the same thing?  No.

"Can" means physically able to.  Example:  "Can you lift 20 pounds?"  In contrast, "may" means permitted to.  Example:  "May I stop by your office?"

Repair Kit for Grading - Fix 2

Fix 2 is a subset of fix 1.  Fix 1 was to not include student behaviors in grades.  Fix 2 is; "Don't reduce marks on "work" submitted late; provide support for the learner".

Fix 2 might be a tough one to swallow for some.  This fix requires a change in thinking for the teacher.  Many times grades are used as extrinsic motivation.  Some recent research on extrinsic motivation by Daniel Pink shows that extrinsic motivation may not necessarily lead to better results.  It may, in fact, have the opposite affect on the desired behavior.  Again, by adding or subtracting points on assignments for being late or on-time the teacher distorts the grade on achievement.

The flip-side of this argument is that when an adult is late on a bill, they are normally penalized.  This is true, but are we replicating the real world, or trying to prepare our students for the real world?  There are some things in life that you can turn in late without penalty, and there are some things you will get penalized for being late on.  If we are preparing our students for the real world, we should teach them how responsible adults deal with being late.  If I am going to be late on a bill, the responsible thing to do would be to call the person you owe and negotiate a new reasonable date.

A teacher could also include timeliness as part of the behavior grade mentioned in fix 1.  As teachers, we should also be helping our students develop the skills needed for life after school.  By continually punishing for being late, we are doing nothing but punishing the student.  We should be setting up supports for the student.  Just like if a person cannot continually pay a bill on time, there usually are supports there to assist the person in paying the bill.  The old adage, "if I don't pay my electricity bill, the power company flips the switch".  This is true, but they don't flip the switch after one day of being late.  If asked, they will work with the person who is struggling to pay.  Treat students the same way, support them, don't punish them!

Overall, punishing distorts the achievement grade.  Always ask yourself, "Does this grade accurately show what the student knows and is able to do?" 

A Repair Kit for Grading. Ken O'Connor

MCIS Workshop Offered at the MRVED

MCIS Workshop



When: October 15, 2014

Time: 8:00-3:30

Location: Minnesota Valley Area Learning Center

Cost: Free

Lunch: On Your Own

What: Minnesota Career Information System website training.
The Minnesota Career Information System (MCIS) is an Internet-based system that combines a wealth of career, educational and labor market information into one comprehensive, easy-to-use exploration tool. With MCIS, students and clients can:

• Learn about over 520 occupations
• Develop a personal portfolio
• Research colleges, universities, and career schools
• Find scholarships and financial aid
• Improve job search skills and create a resume

Registration Link

Questions can be directed to:

Deb Parkos
Phone: 651/582-8321 or 800/599-6247
debbie.parkos@state.mn.us

Tech Tip - ThingLink

thinglink has become one of my favorite tech tools.  It has so many applications in and out of the classroom!  thinglink is a website and an app.  thinglink allows users to create interactive images.  There are so many different ways you can use this in the classroom.



Check out the 73+ Interesting Ways to Use ThingLink in the Classroom from Web 2.0 Teaching Tools

Check out my example!