Upcoming Meetings
March 2, 2015 - Agriculture - CANCELLED
March 3, 2015 - Industrial Technology - CANCELLED
March 5, 2015 - Business
March 13, 2015 - Community Ed
March 17, 2015 - Guidance Counselors
March 19, 2015 - Social Workers
March 20, 2015 - Title III Paraprofessionals
March 24, 2015 - FACS
March 25, 2015 - Superintendents' Council
Communication Briefings
There is some confusion over which article a or an to use with nouns and adjectives beginning with the letter H. The rule of thumb is to use the word "a" when the "h" sound is hard like in history or hippopotamus. Use the word "an" before H words that begin with a vowel sound like honor.
Friday, February 27, 2015
Tech Tip - YouTube Kids
YouTube Kids
On Monday, YouTube launched YouTube Kids. You can read all about it on the official YouTube Blog.
On Monday, YouTube launched YouTube Kids. You can read all about it on the official YouTube Blog.
Horizons Report - Rethinking Learning Spaces
Rethinking Learning Spaces
Last week we introduced the Horizons Report (see original post). Our first post in this series will deal with rethinking learning spaces.
Learning spaces is a "hot topic" in the educational world today. To get a full understanding of what a learning space is and should look like, peek into almost any early elementary classroom. There are spaces for reading, art, small group, large group, collaboration, etc... As students progress through school, these learning spaces gradually move into spaces of desks in rows or clusters. Once in college, the space becomes a large lecture hall. Why is this? Is this best for kids?
Why can't all learning spaces look like the kindergarten classroom? There are multiple places to learn and multiple ways for students to show what they know. As teachers we choose what our learning spaces look like. If all desks were taken out of a classroom, and a teacher could design their learning spaces without the desks, what would the space look like? How would it change instruction? Would learning look different? The very first line about learning spaces in the Horizons Report says, "New ways of teaching and learning require new spaces for teaching and learning".
Looking at some of the most successful companies in the world (Google and Apple), their workers are not sitting in rows creating an assembly line product. Their learning spaces are large open areas where people are encouraged to collaborate and learn. Google even has napping pods!
Why are we confined by rows? Does this replicate a real world work environment? To me, rows represent assembly line learning. If we want to get to a more personalized learning environment, we must first look at our learning spaces. If our spaces aren't conducive to personalized learning, then we will never get to the point of personalized learning.
Think about all the different things you have in your classroom and different activities kids are doing. Now think about your learning space. Has it changed in the past 10 years? Has it changed in the last 5 years? What if you took all your desks and tables out, what could your space look like? Can all classrooms replicate the kindergarten classroom? I don't think you have to be as bold and totally redefine your learning space, but what can you do tomorrow to make your space more conducive to learning?
Last week we introduced the Horizons Report (see original post). Our first post in this series will deal with rethinking learning spaces.
Learning spaces is a "hot topic" in the educational world today. To get a full understanding of what a learning space is and should look like, peek into almost any early elementary classroom. There are spaces for reading, art, small group, large group, collaboration, etc... As students progress through school, these learning spaces gradually move into spaces of desks in rows or clusters. Once in college, the space becomes a large lecture hall. Why is this? Is this best for kids?
Why can't all learning spaces look like the kindergarten classroom? There are multiple places to learn and multiple ways for students to show what they know. As teachers we choose what our learning spaces look like. If all desks were taken out of a classroom, and a teacher could design their learning spaces without the desks, what would the space look like? How would it change instruction? Would learning look different? The very first line about learning spaces in the Horizons Report says, "New ways of teaching and learning require new spaces for teaching and learning".
Looking at some of the most successful companies in the world (Google and Apple), their workers are not sitting in rows creating an assembly line product. Their learning spaces are large open areas where people are encouraged to collaborate and learn. Google even has napping pods!
Why are we confined by rows? Does this replicate a real world work environment? To me, rows represent assembly line learning. If we want to get to a more personalized learning environment, we must first look at our learning spaces. If our spaces aren't conducive to personalized learning, then we will never get to the point of personalized learning.
Think about all the different things you have in your classroom and different activities kids are doing. Now think about your learning space. Has it changed in the past 10 years? Has it changed in the last 5 years? What if you took all your desks and tables out, what could your space look like? Can all classrooms replicate the kindergarten classroom? I don't think you have to be as bold and totally redefine your learning space, but what can you do tomorrow to make your space more conducive to learning?
Professional Development FAQ
Professional Development FAQ
The Minnesota Department of Education has updated their FAQ on the professional development statute in Minnesota. The Document lists a variety of different questions from "What is professional development" to "How can staff development funds be spent". It is a worthwhile document to look over and become familiar with as it will give you a better grasp of what state statute says about professional development.
MDE Professional Development Link
The Minnesota Department of Education has updated their FAQ on the professional development statute in Minnesota. The Document lists a variety of different questions from "What is professional development" to "How can staff development funds be spent". It is a worthwhile document to look over and become familiar with as it will give you a better grasp of what state statute says about professional development.
MDE Professional Development Link