MRVED Business

Upcoming Meetings
February 19, 2015  Teachers' Advisory Council (TAC)
February 20, 2015  Principals' Council (11:30 a.m. start time)
February 25, 2015  Superintendents' Council

March 2, 2015 Agriculture
March 3, 2015  Industrial Technology
March 5, 2015  Business
March 13, 2015  Community Ed
March 17, 2015  Guidance Counselors
March 19, 2015  Social Workers

MDE Science Update

Science Update From MDE
Click the link below to access the Science update from John Olson at the Minnesota Department of Education.

In the update this month:

News

• MCA Item Samplers are now available

Events and Workshops

• MnSTA Conference on Science Education
• Mn STEM Network Conference
• NSTA STEM Expo in Minneapolis

Teacher and School Awards

• Presidential Awards
• Gardening and School program grants

Student Awards and Competitions

• National Youth Science Camp

Science Update Link

A Dictionary for 21st Century Teachers: Learning Models and Technology

A Dictionary for 21st Century Teachers

As I was looking for another piece for the update this week, someone forwarded this article on to me.  It came at the perfect time, so I thought I would share it.

This is a great list of words and phrases that are used in the educational world today.  I think we all have our own definitions or ideas of what some of these terms mean.  Many of the definitions on this list are straight-to-the-point.  Take a look at the list today and you may learn a new word or definition.

A Dictionary for 21st Century Teachers: Learning Models and Technology by Terry Heick from TeachThought

Tech Tip - What Was There

What Was There
If you are doing a lesson about a certain place, you can show students what that place looked like at a certain time, and what it looks like today.  whatwasthere.com is a website that does exactly what it says.  There are a variety of places around Minnesota and lots of places throughout the USA that have photos uploaded.  Check it out today!

U of M Research to Practices Brief

The University of Minnesota has done research on the achievement gap and college readiness.  They have started to put out short briefs on the research.  Below is some information from the brief on working with EL students.

The Research to Practice Brief will provide school leaders with information and resources on current Minnesota issues related to closing achievement gaps and preparing students for postsecondary success. Each brief will provide short guidance on a topic and include resources available at the University of Minnesota and beyond. School leaders can use the Research to Practice Brief as a framework for applying current research to best meet their school’s needs.

Decades of research tells us that the most effective instructional approaches for ELs follow three principles. Effective instruction:

1. supports the development of the students’ native language;
2. provides high quality, rigorous English as a Second Language (ESL) education that differentiates instruction based on students’ prior experience with formal schooling; and
3. provides access to the full academic curriculum through demanding content courses that support learning content and language skills, including development of academic language (beyond conversational language).

Reaching across all three principles is an emphasis on literacy, reading, and academic language. Both oral and written academic language skills need attention.

Click here to see the full brief.

Tech Tip - BrainRush

I stumbled on this gem the other day!  BrainRush is a website with a variety of adaptive games.  The games are customizable to fit your needs.  The game has a "flipcard" feel to it.  The awesome part of this site is that the games are geared toward mastery.  The students really have to know their material to move on.  Try it today!  I was blown away when browsing the website.