MRVED Update - March 4, 2020

Upcoming Meetings

March 20, 2020 - Title III Paraprofessionals

March 25, 2020 - Superintendents' Council

March 27, 2020 - Principals' Council

April 3, 2020 - Title III Teachers

April 7, 2020 - Community Education Directors

April 9, 2020 - MRVED Common Inservice Day at Dawson-Boyd Schools

April 9, 2020 - MRVED Common Inservice Day

MRVED's spring Common Inservice Day is quickly approaching!  It will be held on Thursday, April 9, 2020, in Dawson at the Dawson-Boyd school.  The morning keynote speaker is Carla Tantillo Philibert.  Please watch for the registration link to be sent out on Thursday, March 12, 2020.  The registration link will come from your principals.  Registration will close on Thursday, March 26, 2020.  If you have a student teacher this spring, please make sure you register your student teacher.

April 9, 2020 Schedule:

8:00 a.m. - 8:35 a.m.:  Registration and Breakfast (Compliments of the administrators)
8:45 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.:  Carla Tantillo Philibert (Self-Care Strategies)
11:00 a.m. - 11:45 a.m.:  Lunch (Catered by Trish Kruger Katering)
11:55 a.m. - 12:55 p.m.: Carla Tantillo Philibert (Group 1) and Tanya Yerigan (Group 2)
1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.: Carla Tantillo Philibert (Group 2) and Tanya Yerigan (Group 1)

Staff will see both Carla Tantillo Philibert and Tanya Yerigan in the two afternoon breakout sessions on self-care strategies.

Registrants will receive an email one week prior to the inservice with detailed information for the day.  Everyone will also receive a personalized agenda/CEU at the registration table on the day of the inservice.

Professional Development

Public Comment on Draft #2 of the English Language Arts Standards

The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) is soliciting public opinion as part of the Minnesota K-12 Academic Standards in ELA Education Revision process. This is the second of three drafts. The results will be reviewed by the ELA Standards Review Committee and will be used for preparing the third draft, which will be presented to the Commissioner of Education in May, 2020.

Additional information regarding the standards process and the assumptions for the committee are posted on the MDE website under English Language Arts Standards. To complete this survey, refer to the Minnesota K-12 Academic Standards in ELA Education, Draft Two documents on the MDE ELA page at https://education.mn.gov/MDE/dse/stds/ela/. This survey closes on March 6, 2020 at 5:00 p.m. CST.

Survey Link

Twitter for Educators

Twitter can be an awesome professional development tool for any professional.  There is a whole world of ideas out there just for you on Twitter.  Matt Miller does a great job of explaining Twitter and providing lists of people and hashtags to follow.  A Beginners Guide to Twitter for Educators by Matt Miller.

I participate in #smsutlap.  It gives me the ability to grow as a professional as well as spark conversation for upcoming teachers to consider.  Just by clicking on the #smsutlap link, it will take you to an archive of the chats.  If you are available during their class, stop in and just say hi!

Tyson Fury on Mental Health

I came across this the other day and thought it was worth sharing.  Even if you don't know the story of Tyson Fury, it's worth the watch.  The importance to of asking for help and doing what we can to stop the stigma behind asking for help.  If Tyson Fury, the best boxer in the world, can ask for help, anyone can!

Book Study - Sanctuaries - Self-Care

We will start the section on self-care in Dan Tricarico's book, Sanctuaries.  My thoughts and reflection on these chapters are, in no way, a replacement for buying the book and reading it.  I will admit that a book on self-care is not high up on my list of things to read.  It's simply out of my comfort zone.  However, it has been a very beneficial read.

The first chapter in this section hit home to me.  It is titled, "The Busy Choice".  Think of a conversation you have had with someone recently.  Did either of you talk about how busy you are?  There is a good chance that schedules and obligations were talked about.  We compete with one another to become the most busy person.  Stop and think about how ridiculous that sounds!  If I am more busy than you, what do I get?  You get more stress!  But we wear our busyness as a badge of honor.  However, if you examine your schedule, everything you have to get done, or places you have to get to, is all a choice...your choice.  I know many of you are saying, "no I don't have a choice".  But yes you do!  The majority of things on your calendar are a choice.  Your job, running kids to basketball practice, volunteering at the church, shopping, etc...  Seeing your schedule as a choice doesn't make it any easier to schedule things, but it is a mindset and can drastically change how you schedule things.

Tricarico then goes on to talk about making tiny shifts in your life.  I liken the idea to a diet.  When we start a diet, it is usually a drastic change in how and what we eat.  But if we make a tiny shift in our diet - say take out 1 piece of bread per day, it is more likely we will create the habit.  The problem with making a massive shift is that we hit a roadblock and go back to the way we did things.  With tiny shifts, roadblocks are easier to move, get around, or go through.

The last chapter is titled, "Your Mental Mix Tape".  We all remember making the mix tapes of our favorite songs we played over and over again.  We need to create our own "mental mix tape" of positive thoughts to play in our minds over and over again.  We need to tell ourselves that we are smart enough, pretty enough, etc...  We need to play that "mental mix tape" in our minds over and over again all day long.

MRVED Update - May 1, 2019

MRVED Business

Upcoming Meetings

May 22nd - Superintendents' Advisory Council

June 12th - MRVED Board Meeting
June 26th - Superintendents' Advisory Council

August 14th - Paraprofessional Conference     *Registration information will be sent out soon.

April 18th MRVED Common Inservice Day

The MRVED staff would like to thank everyone who participated in our April 18, 2019, MRVED Common Inservice Day.  From the evaluations, it appears that the presenters were beneficial to our districts.  We appreciate your feedback in the evaluations as they are reviewed by our MRVED staff, administrators, and the Teacher Advisory Council.

Social Emotional Learning Handouts

A couple of people requested the handouts that were provided at the Social Emotional Learning training with Chad Harlander.  If you would like the handouts, please contact Karen or Brandon at the MRVED and they will be sure to get you what you need.

MRVED - Did You Know

The MRVED offers online learning to our 9 member school districts.  Each district offers at least one course to be taught online that anyone from our other schools can take.  All our courses are elective credits and have helped fill needs in some districts, while providing additional options for others.  Enrollment each semester runs between 60-80 students typically.  You can find additional information about our online learning program at the MRVED website.

Vision/Goals:

• Provide additional course offerings to students without a loss in revenue for member districts.
• Create opportunities for students to experience learning in an online learning environment.
• Provide professional development for educators in the areas of online learning, personalized learning, and integration of technology to increase student learning.
• Promote and support educators in using online tools to individualize, differentiate, and personalize student learning.

Chad Greenway's "Day to REACH" Football Camp

Please join All Pro Chad Greenway of the Minnesota Vikings and the Hutchinson REACH
Program for a team building experience. Campers will build their football knowledge along with key motivational elements needed to succeed in all aspects of life.

Ages: 2019-20 4th-6th and 7th-9th Graders

Date: June 20 & 21

Time: 9:00-1:45

Cost: $50 (Includes Lunch and T-shirt)

Flyer Link

Registration Link

End of the Year Activities

As the end of the year approaches and MCA tests have concluded, teachers seem to be looking for engaging activities for their classrooms.  Here are a couple places to find some great activities.

• Minds in Bloom - 37 Awesome End of the Year Activities
• Cult of Pedagogy - What to Do on Lame Duck School Days
• Edutopia - 8 Epic Ideas for Ending the School Year

Tech Tip of the Week - Khan Academy Kids

If you have kids ages 2-6 or you work with kids in that age range, check out Khan Academy Kids.  Khan Academy Kids is an app designed to help kids learn in a personalized and fun way.  It offers a robust curriculum with a holistic approach to learning.  Take a look today!

Ditch That Textbook - Conclusion

We have spent most of 2019 examining the book, Ditch That Textbook by Matt Miller.  If you are a teacher of any age kid, I highly suggest buying this book.

Ditch That Textbook really is not fully about ditching the textbook, but rather more about how you can create effective and engaging lessons for all students.  One could still utilize the textbook as a supplement and I would argue could still be a tool in the classroom, just like your devices or a ruler.  The great thing about this book is that is might question some of your own philosophies of teaching, but that's OK.  This world would be pretty boring if we all agreed with one another.  Learn from it...grow from it.

Ditch That Textbook is a well-written book that is PACKED with great ideas and practical advice.  It's written so people can understand it.  It's not packed with research and/or numbers, but Miller uses his space wisely to give you ideas.  The chapters are short and the reading is fast.  One could read this book easily in a couple sittings.  It would also make for a good book study.  If you ever get a chance to see Matt Miller, take the opportunity.

If you have any book suggestions for next year, please send them to Brandon (braymo@mrved.net).  He's currently looking for a book to highlight in the update next year.

MRVED Update - April 17, 2019

MRVED Business

Upcoming Meetings

Upcoming Meetings

April 18th - MRVED Common Inservice Day
April 24th - Superintendents' Advisory Council
April 24th - MRVED Board Meeting

April 18th Common Inservice Day

The spring MRVED Common Inservice Day will be held on April 18, 2019, at the Dawson-Boyd Schools. You will be welcomed with coffee, juice, and muffins to begin your day, compliments of your administration.  For those individuals who are participating, you should have received an email with detailed information regarding the day.  Once you arrive, please come to the registration table near the commons area to pick up your registration packet.  This packet includes room numbers, clock, hours, and lunch ticket, if applicable.  Please enter through Door #4. 

We look forward to seeing everyone tomorrow!

(Please Note: Districts not participating in the inservice due to a school make-up day: Minneota/Ivanhoe, Ortonville, YME)

MRVED - Did You Know - Strategic Plan

The MRVED went through the strategic planning process a couple years ago.  Below you will find the mission and goals of the MRVED.

MISSION:
The mission of the Minnesota River Valley Education District is to effectively and efficiently assist member districts in meeting the goals they have set for themselves, their students, and their staff.

Goal One: Educational Success
Implement a level of services that will lead to the educational success of MRVED’s various stakeholders.

Belief:
We are committed to the development and implementation of high quality programs that enhance the educational success of the students and staff members of the MRVED school districts.

Strategies:
1. Provide a broad spectrum of professional development activities that enable all staff members to grow in their professional craft.

2. Work with member districts in the development of mentorship programs to develop the professional and leadership capacity of staff members within the MRVED school districts.

3. Provide ongoing technology training to meet the varied needs of the member districts to keep staff and students engaged in learning.

4. Through partnerships, provide high quality broadband connectivity to the MRVED districts.

Goal Two: Collaboration
Provide leadership for our member districts to connect the educational needs of each diverse school by focusing on staff and student success.

Belief:
We believe that by working collectively as a MRVED district, we can efficiently increase opportunities and cultivate a culture of professional relationships.

Strategies:
1. Provide opportunities for each district to collaborate and share resources to meet the needs of our students and staff to promote their success.

2. Increase resources to benefit member districts.

3. Continuously gather information from stakeholders to provide direction in identifying a common vision and identifying unmet needs.

4. Recognize and facilitate collaboration between districts.

Goal Three: Engagement
Engage all member districts to increase awareness, connectedness, and enhance communication in an effort to foster a cohesive partnership for educators.

Belief: 

 We believe investment by member districts is essential to MRVED’s success.

Strategies:
1. Communicate in an effective and consistent manner with and amongst internal and external stakeholders.

2. Utilize multiple approaches to encourage connectedness across districts and facilitate collaboration.

3. Establish clear leadership roles and responsibilities to enhance participation and expectation of member districts.

4. Inform and advocate use of the multiple MRVED resources/services.

Student Mental Health

MREA did a nice write-up of the joint house hearing on student mental health and the shortage of mental health workers in our schools.  The statistics are staggering in this area and it is well worth the read to become educated about this huge issue facing our schools.

• 50 percent of student mental issues begin before age 14.
• 20 percent of students age 14-18 will live with a mental health issue.
• 1 in 5 students had a symptom of depression in the last two weeks.
• Suicide is now the second leading cause of death in people aged 10-34.

Check out the article and the corresponding files and slides that go with it.

MREA Article

Tech Tip of the Week - PDF Tools

If you are like me, you beg, borrow, and steal from the internet.  Sometime you come across files that are in PDF format and you want to do something else with them.  There are two great online tools to help you work with your PDF.  Check them out today!

PDF Candy
Clever PDF

Ditch That Textbook - Section 4 Ditch That Curriculum

Chapters 34 to the end of the book are interesting chapters to read.  They really give the reader the map to ditch your textbook.  Miller uses the analogy of being a pilot and taking your kids on a journey.

Chapter 34 is about establishing your philosophy.  Miller says, "The motivation to ditch that textbook isn't only - or even mostly - driven by a desire to go paperless...it's about purpose.  What do you want to do with the powerful platform you've been given? (Miller, 198)"  Having a clear understanding of who you are and what you want your students to be is the first step to ditching that textbook.  Miller says to use the following questions to help determine your purpose:

• What kind of teacher are you?
• What do you want to be known for?
• What do you want your students to be known for?
• What do you want your students to be able to do at the end of the year?
• What skills do they need to develop for success?
• What discussion do they need to have to cultivate new ideas?

The next chapter Miller writes about establishing your mission statement.  He talks about creating a one word mission statement that guides everything you do in your room.  Miller says, "What is your mission?  What one word encapsulates what you want to accomplish this year? (Miller, 203)"  For example, his word was "create" one year.  He wanted to create more and he wanted his students to create more.  Everything he did was centered around this one word.  Think about, for next year, what one word do you want for your mission statement?

He ends the book by talking about planning and learning from failures.  Utilize some form of curriculum map to guide your process of ditching your textbook.  Backwards plan with the end in mind.  When your plan blows up in your face, learn from it, grow from it.  It can be really easy to drop what you are doing and go back to your textbook.  Don't!  Fight through it and fail forward.  Failure is bound to happen, expect it and react accordingly.  Miller says your students will forgive and forget.

MRVED Update - March 20, 2019

MRVED Business

Upcoming Meetings

March 27th - Superintendents' Advisory Council
March 28th - Teachers' Advisory Council
April 12th - Title III Teachers


April 18th Common Inservice Day

The spring MRVED Common Inservice Day will be held on April 18, 2019, at the Dawson-Boyd Schools. You will be welcomed with coffee, juice, and muffins to begin your day. The day will consist of attending one session for the entire morning and the afternoon will be time with your district, determined by your administrator. The choices for the morning sessions are: Social Emotional Learning, Teach Like a Pirate, and Structured Unconference. Registration has been sent out and is also available on our website: www.mrved.com

New at this inservice day will be a catered lunch provided by Trish’s Catering. The menu will be pork roast, baby red potatoes, green beans, broccoli grape salad, bar and lemonade. The cost is $10.00 and is to be paid to your district. DO NOT SEND ANY MONEY TO THE MRVED. The last day to cancel your lunch is March 29th by 4:00 P.M. After that date, you will be held responsible for the lunch cost.

Closer to the inservice date, you will receive an email with detailed information including the school's address, which to door to enter, and other information. Please read this carefully. When you arrive, your meal ticket and agenda will be in the commons area at the registration table.

Registration is now open and closes on March 29th at 4:00 P.M.

We look forward to seeing everyone on April 18th!

(Please Note: Districts not participating in the inservice due to a school make-up day: Minneota/Ivanhoe, Ortonville, YME)

MRVED - Did You Know

The MRVED schools are all members of a Flexible Learning Year (FLY).  The FLY allows schools the ability to start pre-Labor Day.  It also aligns 4 common inservice days for the 9 districts.  The first common day is during inservice.  The staggered start dates for the districts allows Brandon and Karen the ability to get into more districts prior to school starting.  Prior to the FLY, it was a race to schedule Brandon or Karen as all our districts had the same inservice dates.  The first date that all our districts have in common is the Wednesday prior to MEA break.  This date has been designated as our "Best Practice" day.  Typically we have a keynote speaker that deals with classroom practices and is completely teacher focused.  January is the annual MELT conference with around 100 breakout sessions.  The spring date corresponds with Easter break and is used as a follow up from the fall or a look ahead to next fall.

Early Care and Education Grant

The Southwest Initiative Foundation is seeking request for proposals for a $5,000 Early Care and Education Grant.  More information can be found at the following link:

https://swifoundation.org/how-to-apply/grants/early-care-education/

PreK-3rd Grade Alignment 

Enhancing the continuity and consistency of learning for children birth to grade 3 through trainings and professional development, resource development, strategy implementation, quality staff planning time or building community-wide approaches.

Social and Emotional Development 

Building resilient communities through the enhancement of existing or development of new trainings, prevention, education and programs that continue to have a far-reaching impact.

Early Care and Education 

Increasing access to and availability of high quality early care and education environments through (including, but not limited to) staff development, curriculum and/or assessment implementation, Parent Aware rating attainment, expansion of number of children in care, provider appreciation, community conversations, etc. 

Funding requests of up to $5,000 will be considered. We expect the project will be completed within 12 months of the grant award date, at which time a final report will be due. 

This is a competitive grant program. It is our expectation these funds will help our region address early care and education. Grants will be awarded in May 2019. 

Questions can be directed to Jodi Maertens at (320) 583-4775 or jodim@swifoundation.org. Applications Due by 5 p.m. on April 26, 2019.

Article - Test Prep Doesn't Have to be Overwhelming

Everyone is probably in some form of test prep mode right now as Minnesota gears up for the MCA tests. Edutopia published a great article by Heather Wolpert-Gawron titled Test Prep Doesn't Have to be Overwhelming.  In the article Wolpert-Gawron provides tips and reminders for teachers as they enter test prep season.  This article is a nice reminder for all of us as we prep our students for any test.

Tech Tip of the Week - MCA Released Items

The Minnesota Department of Education has a database of released items from the MCA test. These items are different than the item sampler many teachers are familiar with. The released items are questions directly from the MCA tests that have been retired out of testing. Educators may choose to use them to better understand how the MCA is aligned to the Minnesota K–12 Academic Standards and how the items are written to reflect the rigor and complexity of these standards. The released content, data table, and rationales can be used by educators to explore examples of questions that evaluate the knowledge and skills expected in the standards.

These questions would make a nice addition to any test prep you do in your course.  There is currently math questions and reading passage sets available.

Released Item Database from MDE

Ditch That Textbook - Section 3, Part 2

We will examine Chapters 27-29 this week.  Again, what follows is my thoughts on the chapters.  This, by no means, takes the place of reading the book.  Ditch That Textbook by Matt Miller is a super-fast read and well worth the time!

Chapter 27 is about classroom management with devices.  This is a chapter that every teacher in a 1:1 environment should read.  One of my favorite lines in the whole book is in this chapter.  "We can't make students use their time wisely; that decision will always have to be their choice".  Miller compares it to a child sitting at a bus stop.  We can't make a kid get on the bus, we can only help them make a good decision.  Miller offers the following suggestions:

• Circulate frequently
• Ask questions
• Develop relationships
• Set mini-deadlines
• Keep it engaging

Chapter 28, Jump In and Try!  A teacher cannot be afraid to try new things in the classroom.  Think about how boring life and your classroom would be if you did the same thing every year!  Always have a purpose for what you are doing.  Miller says, "don't use technology for technology's sake".  I fully agree with this statement.  Don't just use the latest greatest website because it looks cool.  Think about how this technology enhances the activity or assignment.  Without a plan in place, we set ourselves us for failure from the start.  But, we cannot be afraid to use the tools.  My second favorite quote is in this chapter, "Inaction is crippling.  Action is empowering."

The last chapter is titled, Don't Use it All.  We all go to conferences or inservice trainings where we see tons of cool, new technology tools.  I present trainings titled 60 sites in 60 minutes or 30 tools in 60 minutes.  My hope when doing these trainings is not for you to walk away with 60 websites you can use in your classroom tomorrow.  My goal is for you to grab one, maybe two things you can bring back and implement into your classroom.  You can't do it all!  Don't try to use them all!  It goes back to the old saying, "It's better to be really good at one or two things, than mediocre at 10".  Take one or two things per year and become really good at it.  Don't get complacent and stagnant and not learn anything new.

MRVED Update - February 20, 2019

MRVED Business

Upcoming Meetings

February 21 - Teachers' Advisory Council
February 22 - Principals' Advisory Council
February 27 - Superintendents' Advisory Council

MRVED Did You Know

Did you know there are 9 school districts that are members of the Minnesota River Valley Education District?  The 9 school districts are Ortonville, Lac qui Parle Valley, Dawson-Boyd, Montevideo, Benson, Yellow Medicine East, Lakeview, Minneota, and Renville County West.  The MRVED serves over 600 teachers and and 5,800 students.

Science Standards - 2nd Draft & Comment Period

The second draft of the 2019 Minnesota K-12 Science Education Standards is now available. The public is invited to provide feedback on the standards during its Public Review and Comment Period, February 14-28, 2019.  The standards can be found on the MDE Science page (link below the article) and the online feedback form link can be found below as well.  Let your voice be heard.  The standards committee reads all feedback and makes adjustments to the standards accordingly.

MDE Science Page

Online Feedback Form

Tech Tip of the Week - All Sides

In the political climate of today, showing kids both sides of stories is important.  All Sides allows you to examine news headlines from all sides.  It will even tell you if the article is left or right leaning, or centered.  All Sides can be used as a great teaching tool to show bias in the media, and teaching kids to think critically while they read.  If you are not going to use it with your kids, take a look yourself and see how headlines and stories are spun based upon political bias.

Ditch That Textbook - Ditch That Mindset (Part 3)

This week we will look at chapters 19-22.  Again, this book is such a quick read and full of awesome ideas!  Below is simply my thoughts from these chapters, so please get Ditch That Textbook and read the chapters.  I can, by no means, do the book justice in my short couple paragraphs of a synopsis.

Matt Miller starts chapter 19 by talking about Daniel Pink's research on motivation.  You can see Pink's TED talk on Motivation on the TED website.  I have watched this TED talk numerous times and find something to take away from it every time.  Students need to feel as if they have a choice while learning.  This could be choice in the activities or even how they learn the new material.  Students must also see a purpose in why they need to learn something or do an activity.  If the purpose is simply to get the activity completed, that may not be enough motivation for many of your students.  Show them the purpose, talk about the purpose.  If you can't give them a good reason as to why you are doing something, then maybe you shouldn't be doing it.

Chapter 20 moves into embracing new technology.  Miller gives us a great quote in this chapter, he says, "Technology must be an inalienable right to students" (Miller, 112).  I love this quote and it really made me think.  Miller gives the example of a new technology that comes out in the medical field that can save lives or make surgery recovery quicker...we would INSIST our doctors learn the new technology.  I don't think we would give them a choice if they want to implement the latest device into their practice.  Yet, we do this as teachers.  Our students are INSISTING we use the latest technology to make their learning more relevant.

This idea of insisting we (teachers) learn new technology flows right into the premise of chapter 21.  YOU are your own best PD.  Miller talks about not waiting until the next staff PD day to learn or see how the new technology works.  Dig in and try to figure it out yourself.  YOU have the greatest minds at your fingertips with Twitter, the best tutorial videos imaginable on YouTube.  Not to mention, you probably have a classroom of 20+ "experts" in front of you every day!  YOU have full control over your own PD. YOU.  YOU.  YOU!

I get a little fired up over this topic.  Miller reaffirms many of the same thoughts I have about education, PD, and technology.  We are living in a day and age where we have access to SO much information, almost too much information.  There should be no reason in the world why we can't learn something new to be the best we can.  After all, our kids deserve your very best EVERY DAY!

MRVED Update - February 6, 2019

MRVED Business

Upcoming Meetings
February 13 - MRVED Board Meeting
February 21 - Teachers' Advisory Council
February 22 - Principals' Advisory Council
February 27 - Superintendents' Advisory Council

MRVED Did You Know: Why is the MELT Conference in January?

I was recently asked, "Why do you hold the MELT in January?"  The answer is simple, yet complicated.

There are 3 MRVED common days that fall within the school year.  One in the fall, winter, and spring.  The spring date is rather late to learn something new and implement it into your classroom, thus not a great time for an educational conference.  Plus, the SWWC Service Coop hosts their annual technology conference in the Spring and we would be competing for presenters.

The fall date, on paper, seems to be the best option.  Weather is better, it's early in the year, it coincides with MEA, etc...  However, taking a moment to think a little deeper about this date...it's so close to MEA (the day before), that many of the presenters from the cities are already presenting at MEA, on Thursday and Friday.  Also, the process of getting people to present takes about 3-4 months.  Presenters are sought after in September for the January conference.  If the conference was in October, it would mean June/July would be the time to solicit presenters...not really the best time to be contacting teachers :-)  With those two reasons alone, holding a conference in October, would present MANY obstacles to getting people to present.

In a nutshell, January seems to be the ideal time to hold the MELT.

8 Ways Teachers and Schools Can Communicate with Parents in 2019

I came across this great blog post by Kathleen Morris on 8 Ways Teachers and Schools Can Communicate with Parents in 2019.  Not only does the post provide ideas, but it gives actual examples as well.  So, if you are looking for different ways to communicate with your parents, this is the article for you.

Tech Tip - CollabraCam

CollabraCam is an iPad app that allows the user to see up to six other iOS cameras at one time.  It would be a great thing to incorporate into a class field trip or project.  You can then take the footage and edit it together for an awesome video montage.  The app costs $4.99 and is only available on Apple.  There are many uses for this from Kindergarten through 12th grade.

Ditch That Textbook - Ditch That Mindset (Part 2 - Chapter 14-18)

I've said it every week.  Ditch That Textbook is great playbook for your classroom.  Matt Miller provides so many GREAT ideas, not only for your students, but for you as a professional educator as well.  These next five chapters are about a variety of things, so once again, I will provide a short snippet of my learning from the book.

Chapter 14 talks about giving students control.  I love the analogy Miller provides about our students are just like tenants that rent a house.  Tenants simply live in the space and usually do nothing to improve that space, because there is no ownership.  Our students are the same way in the classroom.  They are tenants in our classrooms.  How do we get them to see ownership in the classroom and do something with their learning?  We have to make it real for them.  We have to get them invested into their learning.

Miller then goes on to talk about how we use our time.  He references Andy Stanley's sermon on "Choosing to Cheat".  If you have about 30 minutes, and don't mind a few religious pieces included, I highly recommend going to YouTube and finding the sermon.  In it he talks about how we choose to spend our 24 hours and often times find ourselves cheating the ones we love and care about out of time.  A teacher's' life is hard and busy.  Between teaching, correcting, lesson planning, coaching, supervising, meetings, etc... our hours can fill VERY quickly.  Pastor Stanley states in his sermon that "sometimes we need to give up on the good things we are doing to make way for great things".  Think about that quote for a minute.  It really hit home for me personally.

Miller also talks about being a connected educator and sharing the things that you do.  So often, especially in our small rural schools, we can become our own silos.  There are so many people that are willing to help and share, if you know where to look.  Find a platform for connectedness that works for you.  For many this might be Twitter or Facebook, but there are blogs, YouTube channels, Instagram, etc... for you to take advantage of as well.  If you don't think you have time for it, try it for 2 weeks and see if it works for you.  If you find value in it, you will make time for it.  Once you get comfortable becoming connected, learn how to share.  There is someone out there that can benefit from what you are doing or what you have to say.

MRVED Update - December 5, 2018

MRVED Business

MELT Registration

MELT registration opened on December 5.  The deadline to register is 4 pm on December 19th.  Reminder to register EARLY as sessions do fill up.

IF YOU WILL BE HOSTING A STUDENT TEACHER THIS SPRING PLEASE FORWARD REGISTRATION INFORMATION TO THEM PLEASE.

MELT 2019 Brochure

MELT 2019 REGISTRATION LINK 

Upcoming Meetings

December 13, 2018 TAC

December 14, 2018 Principals’ Council

December 19, 2018 Superintendents’ Council

January 11, 2019 Title III Paras
January 21, 2019 MELT
January 23, 2019 Superintendents
January 25, 2019 Principals

The Future of College Entrance Exams

U.S. News and World Report recently published a story on the future of college entrance exams.  The story talks about how some colleges are no longer requiring the ACT or SAT exam for entrance.  It's a trend we have been hearing about for the past couple years that seems to be taking hold.  There is concerns over whether the tests measure college readiness and are not equitable for all students.  This really is a great article for anyone in education to read, especially if you have children of your own going off to college in the next couple years.

#TIES18

Don't forget to follow the #TIES18 hashtag on Twitter to follow along with the great conversation at the annual TIES technology conference in the cities.  This hashtag is a great place to find session resources, ideas, interesting tidbits, etc...  I know I'll be following along!  Even though the event is over, you can still search the hashtag and see what people shared during the conference.

Tech Tip of the Week - GeoGuessr

This tech tool is for anyone with a love of Geography, or simply likes a good challenge.  GeoGuessr can be a single player or multiplayer game.  The point of the game is to be able to guess where you are on the Earth.  You get placed somewhere on the globe in Google Street View and have to utilize the images to make an educated guess as to where you are.  The closer you guess to the actual place, the more points you get.  This is a great addition to any geography class, or simply an activity to do with your class if you need to pass some time.

Ditch That Textbook

Earlier this year, I highlighted a book and blog titled, Ditch That Textbook by Matt Miller.  Starting after Christmas break, we will begin examining different sections of Ditch That Textbook, much like we did with Teach Like a Pirate.  I highly suggest purchasing this book and following along.  It's an awesome playbook to go back to time and time again for your classroom.  Ditch That Textbook is not a book you will read once and put away, you'll find yourself going back to it for ideas.

Order the book today.

MRVED Update - October 24

Teach Like a Pirate Recap

Dave Burgess presented Teach Like a Pirate to the MRVED on October 17, 2018 in Dawson-Boyd.  Burgess went through the PIRATE acronym and provided educators with practice ideas they can bring back to their classroom.  The afternoon was spent discussing the message from the morning and hearing more creative ideas from Burgess.  You can follow along with a little challenge the elementary schools have going.  Follow #mrvedtlap on Twitter to see what they are doing.  If you have not filled out the evaluation for the day, there is still time to do that.  Select the link below to access the evaluation

October 17, 2018 Evaluation Link

Upcoming Meetings

November 9, 2018  Joint mtg Principals’ Council & TAC

November 16, 2018  Principals’ Council

November 28, 2018  Superintendents’ Council

December 7, 2018 Title III Teachers

December 12, 2018  MRVED Board (6 p.m.)

December 13, 2018 TAC

December 14, 2018 Principals’ Council

December 19, 2018 Superintendents’ Council

MELT Call for Networking Facilitators

The MRVED is looking for facilitators of networking groups  As a facilitator you are not expected to be the expert in the room, but rather move the discussion along.  The goal of a networking group is to share resources and ideas with people who have the same interests.  They are meant to include a "give & take".  Bring something to share and take something away that someone else shared.  The only networking groups that will be offered are those that have a willing facilitator.  If a networking group does not have a facilitator, it will not be held!  If you would like to sign up, please click the link below and add your name to the list next to the group you would like to facilitate.  The networking sign up will close at 3:30 PM on November 15.  If you have any questions or cannot access the form, please contact Brandon (braymo@mrved.net)

MELT NETWORKING FACILITATOR SIGN UP LINK

Halloween Resources

It's always fun to incorporate holidays into your classroom.  With Halloween coming up, here are a few places to find some great Halloween resources to use in your classroom.

PBS Learning Media

TeacherVision

We Are Teachers

Pinterest Ideas

Ditch That Textbook

Matt Miller is on the rise as one of the most influential people in education.  He has written a book, which is on the same token as Teach Like a Pirate (and published by Dave Burgess), Ditch That Textbook.  Along with his book, Matt also writes a blog and speaks.  His blog is full of AWESOME ideas.  Ideas that you can easily pair with "hooks".  Check it out today!

Ditch that Textbook Blog

Teach Like a Pirate - Part II Creating Engaging Lessons

In Part II of teach like a pirate, Burgess introduces us to the concept of the "hooks".  He sets the stage as to why the hooks are one of the most important aspects to a lesson.

He talks about "The Third Circle" that nobody is talking about.  Much of our professional development is focused on gaining content knowledge and learning new classroom techniques, which is true!  Nobody is talking about how we present material.  Presentation, he argues, is just as important as the other two.  There is a small part in this chapter that talks about "everything is a choice".  After reading this section, it made me reflect.  Everything I do within that hour is a choice.  Are the lights on or off?  Is the door open or shut?  Are kids standing, sitting, or moving around?  Do they have paper and pencil?

It made me think about the old adage, for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.  Everything we do within the hour of our lesson has a reaction, whether intended or not.  We simply need to train ourselves to ask the reflective questions when planning a lesson.  I was taught the Madeline Hunter lesson planning format and this simply ramps up the lesson planning.  It really doesn't matter what lesson planning you do, asking yourself reflective questions as you plan will only strengthen what you do.

The other "aha" out of this chapter was the section on transitions.  As a former high school teacher, transitions is not something I have really ever thought that much about.  Burgess is correct, and I have observed it many times, and I have also been guilty of getting to peak engagement in my classroom and then have something kill that engagement.  Getting out a pencil and paper, announcement from the office, turn to page ___ in your book, projector warming up, etc...  Transitions have a HUGE impact on student engagement.