FACS Meeting
The Family and Consumer Science teachers gathered for their annual best practice meeting on Tuesday, March 24. The group had the opportunity to tour CashWise Foods in Willmar and learn about the grocery business. After the grocery store tour the group ate and shared ideas. In the afternoon the group toured Mr. B's Chocolates in Willmar. Overall it was a great day and much was learned.
Upcoming Meetings
April 8, 2015 MRVED Board (7:00 p.m.)
April 10, 2015 Community Ed
April 17, 2015 Title III Teachers
April 22, 2015 Superintendents' Council
May 8, 2015 Community Ed
May 11, 2015 Principals' Council/TAC Combined Meeting (NEW DATE)
May 27, 2015 Superintendents' Council
6 Ways to Be a Stronger Communicator (from Practical Business Training)
1.
You don't always need to be "right." It's unrealistic to think you will never make a mistake. How you handle it says a great deal about who you are as a professional. Don't try and shift the blame or go radio silent, hoping no one will notice. Own your error, come up with a solution and apologize for the inconvenience it may have caused. This shows maturity and tells your boss you can be trusted to handle a difficult situation under pressure.
2.
It's not necessary to one up your coworker. Friendly competition is healthy and challenges others to step up their pace. Make every effort to congratulate peers on a job well done and keep the conversation focused on their success. Steer away from bringing conversations back to you and your own achievements.
3.
You learn more by listening. If someone is taking the time to offer you constructive criticism, mentor you, or give you a piece of sound business advice, take advantage of the opportunity to listen and learn. Jot down notes to review later.
4.
Know-it-alls are annoying. If you are good at your job, there is no need to brag about your expert status. Your reputation will speak for itself loud and clear.
5.
No one respects a gossip. Being part of the "in the know" crowd may seem exciting and fun, until you are the subject of conversation. Rest assured, if they are trash talking someone else with you, they are surely talking about you when you are gone. Avoid water cooler chit chat and aspire to be the person who can be counted on to keep their mouth shut. At the end of the day your associates will view you as a trustworthy friend and coworker.
6.
Keep your language clean. Cursing in the workplace is a habit worth breaking. Even if your boss regularly uses curse words at the office, you can't go wrong by keeping a civil tongue. If tough situations bring out the profanity, find other ways to cope.
In the past couple years learning analytics has grown by leaps and bounds. What is meant by learning analytics is any data that is produced after a learning activity. For instance, a student could finish a lesson in Khan Academy and complete an assessment. After completing the assessment, the teacher can get data that includes what the student knows and does not know about the process, standard, strand, etc... The data produced from some of the assessments today is incredible. It has gotten so advanced that after the assessment, a program can move the students along on a learning path. If a student needs to redo certain parts of the process, it knows to do that. If the student can move on to the next process, the program knows where to go.
The reality of testing season is upon us. Whether we like it or not, our students will be tested and tested and tested some more in the upcoming weeks. Besides pounding more facts in their head, what can teachers and parents do? Below you will find a great article on what research says about what students need during the testing season. Hopefully you will find a couple tidbits you can send home in your newsletter or incorporate into your classroom.
The past two weeks we have looked at the fast trends that are driving technology adoption. The next two weeks we will look at the mid-range trends. These are trends that will drive technology adoption in 3-5 years.
Do you need another day to celebrate in your classroom? Why not celebrate Pi Day? Pi Day will be coming up on March 14 (3/14/15 at 9:26.53) and Edutopia has put together a nice list of resources and ways in which you can celebrate.
Last week we highlighted learning spaces. According to the Horizon's Report, both learning spaces and online learning are "fast trends". Meaning these will likely take hold in the education world in the very near future.