MRVED Update - February 14, 2018

MRVED Business

Reminder that March 29th is the next MRVED common day, which will be held in Dawson at the Dawson-Boyd Schools. George Couros will be presenting this year. The Principals will be getting an email this week with more details as well as what information we will need from them on Friday, February 23rd(Principal Meeting at MRVED).The registration link will be sent out to Principals on February 26th with the last day to register being March 9th at 4 p.m. Principals will be responsible for sending that email/registration link to all staff that will be required to attend.   The schedule for the day will look like this:

• 9-9:45- District Time-Staff Prep for George Couros
• 10-11:45- George Couros Keynote Speaker
• 11:45-12:30- Lunch
• 12:30-1:30- Elementary meet w/ George Couros
                      Secondary in District Time
• 1:30-2:30- Secondary meet w/ George Couros
                    Elementary in District Time

Upcoming Meetings

February 22- TAC
February 23- Principals
February 28- Superintendents

March 16- Title III Paras
March 23- Principals
March 28- Superintendents
March 29- George Couros- Common Day

Tech Tip of the Week - Seeing AI

Seeing AI is a free app that narrates the world around you. Designed for the blind and low vision community, this ongoing research project harnesses the power of AI to open up the visual world and describe nearby people, text and objects.

Optimized for use with VoiceOver, the app enables you to recognize:
• Short Text - Speaks text as soon as it appears in front of the camera.
• Documents - Provides audio guidance to capture a printed page, and recognizes the text, along with its original formatting.
• Products - Scans barcodes, using audio beeps to guide you; hear the name, and package information when available. (works with iPhone 6 and later)
• People - Saves people’s faces so you can recognize them, and get an estimate of their age, gender, and emotions.
• Scenes (early preview) - Hear an overall description of the scene captured.
• Currency - Recognizes currency notes. (Requires iOS 11)
• Color - Identifies color.
• Handwriting - Reads handwritten text like in greeting cards
• Light - Generates an audible tone corresponding to the brightness in the surroundings.
• Images in other apps - Just tap “Share” and “Recognize with Seeing AI” to describe images from Mail, Photos, Twitter, and more.

You HAVE to try this app!  It is AMAZING!

 

What Are Your Teaching Fundamentals?

If you are searching for a good PLC activity and discussion, ask each member of your group to list their own fundamentals of teaching.  What do you need to be successful as a teacher?  I think it would lead to some interesting conversations about what each of you believe to be your core values when it comes to educating students.  This idea comes from Suzanne Farrell Smith who wrote an excellent article for Edutopia.  You can read it HERE.  If you do this activity in your PLC, Brandon would love to see your notes from the discussion.

New Health and Physical Education Standards

Minnesota has adopted new Health and Physical Education Standards and were released on January 30 of this year.  The standards and supporting documents can be found on the Minnesota Department of Education Website.

The standards are to be fully implemented in all school districts by the 2021-22 school year. Full implementation of the 2018 Minnesota Academic Standards in Physical Education is defined as:

• By the 2021-22 school year, instruction in physical education in grades K-8 must include all the 2018 Minnesota physical education standards and grade-level benchmarks.
• Instruction at the high school level must include all the 2018 Minnesota physical education standards and grade-level benchmarks for grades 9-12 beginning with the 2021-22 freshman (9th grade) class.
• All school districts are required to develop assessments to ensure students are meeting the benchmarks.

The recommended transition timeline for the physical education standards/grade-level benchmarks is identified in the following phases:

• Development Stage; February 1, 2018 - December 31, 2018
• Transition Phase 1, District Planning; January 1, 2019 - June 30, 2019
• Transition Phase 2, District Alignment/Optional Phase-in 1; July 1, 2019 - June 30, 2020
• Transition Phase 3, District Alignment/Optional Phase-in 2; July 1, 2020 - June 30, 2021
• Full Implementation; 2021-22 school year

More details regarding the transition timeline can be found on the Recommended Transition Timeline.

The Minnesota Department of Education will be developing sample assessments during the Developmental Phase of the Transition (February 1 - December 31, 2018) and will be releasing them during the transition phase 1 (January 1 - July 30, 2019). Districts may either utilize these model assessments, or develop their own, to measure student progress on meeting each benchmark.

Time allocations and credit requirements for physical education are determined at the local school district level. During the transition phases, school districts are encouraged to ensure enough time is allotted for student learning to meet all the grade-level benchmarks.

Innovator's Mindset - Less is More

Less is more.  We have all heard this phrase, but have we ever thought about it in the context of schools?  Couros spends a large portion of this chapter discussing this concept as it pertains to staff development.  Although less is more in staff development is important, this chapter really made me think about what we are teaching our kids.

Couros says, "educational organizations need to focus more on depth than breadth.  Quality should always override quantity." (Couros 154)  This quote made me think about how much content we throw at our kids on a daily basis.  Are they (students) really ever able to grasp onto anything and dig deep?  Think about it...6 or 7 hours of a constant barrage of new information!  Have you ever been to a full day workshop and been blasted with new information for that amount of time?  Think about how you feel when you are done with the day, or let alone by lunch!  Do this five days a week!  Couros also uses the phrase, when referring to staff development, "...knowledgeable in all but masters of none" (Couros 155).  This phrase can apply to our kids as well.

A phrase I hear often from teachers is, "If I had time to explore, I could be/do ______".  I think we could throw a lot of words into that blank, but one to focus on would be "more creative".  Couros talks about the link between allowing more time on a task to creativity.  The more time you have to work on a task, the more creative you can be.  This is difficult to do in our structure of school today, so we need to think differently about this issue.  We need to become innovative in how we schedule and use our time.  If time has a positive correlation to creativity, and we are striving to make a "creative generation", then our schedules are counter intuitive to our cause.  Sure we can do things like Genius Hour, Hour of Code, etc..., but what do all those "initiatives" have in common...they are a one-shot deal, not to mention they use the term "hour".  Creativity knows no time frame, but yet we try to put a time frame around it...why?

One might argue, and Couros touches on this in the chapter, that if we focus on creativity, we will lose the basics - reading, writing, math.  Couros argues just the opposite.  Creativity should boost these skills.  Couros quotes Yong Zhao from the ISTE 2012 conference, Zhao states, "Reading and writing should be the floor, not the ceiling".  This is so true when thinking about creativity and innovation.  Just because we add in "Genius Hour" or a makerspace, does not mean we need to lose our reading, writing, and math or physical education for that matter.  How can WE think creatively to incorporate the basics into our lessons that will allow our kids to be creative?  WE need to innovate how we do things not only in our classrooms, but also education as a whole.

MRVED Update - January 31, 2018

MRVED Business

MELT Recap

MELT evaluations came back in and the reviews were quiet positive.  About 85% of people that participated in MELT gave it an overall rating of a 4 or 5.  This is awesome!  Many thanks to the people that presented and made the day what it was.

Senators and Representatives Meet with MRVED Superintendents

The MRVED Superintendents met with local Senators and Representatives on Wednesday, January 24.  The legislators that were in attendance were Senators Dahms & Lang and Representative Miller.  The group spent the time discussing future legislative issues.  It was a great opportunity for both the legislators and superintendents to discuss issues pertaining to education in a smaller, intimate environment.

MRVED Meetings:
February 2, 2018  Title III Teachers
February 7, 2018  MRVED Board (7 p.m.)
February 22, 2018  TAC
February 23, 2018  Principals' Council
February 28, 2018  Superintendents' Council

Teacher Licensure Rulemaking Comment Period

The rulemaking for the new teacher licensure legislation is currently under review.  You can comment on the rulemaking until March 9, 2018.  It is strongly suggested you spend a couple minutes looking through the rulemaking document as it will have an impact on renewing your license.  Information on the hearings and comment period instructions can be found on the Minnesota Office of Administrative Hearings website.  If you have any questions on Teacher Licensure, feel free to contact any member of the Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board (PELSB).

Tech Tip of the Week - Google Story Speaker

Make interactive, talking stories without coding. Play your story instantly on Google Home.

Story Speaker lets anyone create talking, interactive stories with no coding required. Just write your story in a Google Doc, push a button, and every Google Home device linked to your account can play it. You don't need to know how to code. 

Basic and advanced templates get you writing quickly. There's a lot Story Speaker can do, including respond to what players say, give random responses, and remember what the player said. You can even export your story and so anyone with a Google Home can hear it. (Experimental!) This is not an official Google project. It's just a fun little experiment.

Will Letter Grades Survive?

A great article came across my Twitter feed this past week.  It really makes you think and question your own grading habits.  It is a very quick read and well worth your time.

Article Link

Innovator's Mindset - Powerful Learning First, Technology Second

Chapter 9 in Innovator's Mindset by George Couros is on the use/role of technology in our schools.  As the previous chapters, this one does not disappoint.  Couros writes some remarkable things that really make you think and question what you are currently doing.

Couros paints a picture at the beginning of the chapter that kids today have endless opportunities to learn, even before they enter school.  This statement is so true!  I think about my 5 year old, her favorite app is YouTube and she loves watching tutorial videos.  We have this information at our fingertips and yet, have not fully embraced the idea.

However, it takes more than just throwing devices into the classrooms.  There needs to be a shift in the mindset of teaching and learning.  We can't continue to do what we did prior to the devices being in the room.  Couros says that technology is not only a tool, but a "transformational" tool.  On top of it being a transformational tool, it should be a "personalized" transformation tool.  Think about the power of the device in the hands of our students.  With the tools we have we should be personalizing learning for our students in a way in which transforms the teaching and learning process.

Couros also talks about the importance of balance.  The balance between the learner and the technology.  Although we have all this power, we need to remember that the learner has something to learn in the process.  Sometimes we get fully wrapped up in learning the device and wanting to know the full potential of the device and we forget the learning process for the kids.

To end the chapter, Couros gives us four questions to guide our technology:

• What is best for kids?
• How does this improve learning?
• If we were to do ____________, what is the balance of risk vs. reward?
• Is this serving the few or the majority?

MRVED Update - January 17, 2018

MELT

Another year, another MELT!  We hope you enjoyed the day and learned lots.  A big THANK YOU to Lac qui Parle Valley High School for allowing the use of their building.  The whole LQPV staff does an excellent job at hosting and making sure the building is ready for 600+ adults and 100+ sessions.

Be sure to fill out the 2018 MELT Evaluation.  The evaluations are critical to planning future events.  All comments and ratings are compiled and reviewed by the Superintendents, Principals, and Teacher Advisory Council.  Please take a moment to provide your honest feedback about the day.

A special thank you goes to Mary Brown.  Mary has helped plan umpteen MELT's over her career and does a flawless job at it.  Mary puts more time and effort into this day than anyone knows and realizes.  She makes the day go!  With that being said, this was Mary's last MELT!  Mary will be retiring in April of this year.  If you see her, please tell her "Thank You" for all the hard work she has put into making this day a success for so many years.  Thank you Mary - From the MELT Committee :-)

4th Annual New Teacher Support Summit - Minnesota ASCD

Date: Thursday, February 15, 2018
Time: 8:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Location: TIES Conference Center
Who: Principals, Superintendents, Mentors, Instructional Coaches

What:
Join Dr. Tina Boogren, Marzano Research Associate and author of Support Beginning Teachers, for the 4th Annual New Teacher Support Summit.

Give new teachers the time and professional guidance they need to become expert teachers.  Investigate key research and examine the four types of support - physical, emotional, instructional and institutional - that are crucial during a teacher's first year in the classroom.  Explore the unique needs of new teachers of color.  Discover essential strategies for K-12 mentors, coaches and school leaders to develop an effective mentoring program school wide.

Learning Outcomes:

• Gain an understanding of how to establish a solid foundation for mentoring relationships.
• Acquire specific strategies to provide essential physical, emotional, instructional, and institutional support for beginning teachers.
• Frame essential instructional support strategies within a common language of instruction, including how to engage in goal-setting, focused practice, focused feedback, observations, and discussions of teaching in order to immediately and continually improve instructional practice for the beginning teacher.

Register Here

Innovator's Mindset - Strengths-Based Leadership

Chapter 8 in Innovator's Mindset by George Couros is on strength-based leadership.  Although much of the chapter focuses on leadership at the administrative level, there are still many takeaways for teachers.

He starts the chapter off with the example of how we currently deal with a student who struggles in school, in this example math.  The typical response to a student that struggles in math is to give them more math work or recommend an extra math class.  Which often times does not lead to improvements in math, but rather a hatred of math.  Couros uses the "what if's" from the previous chapter.  What if we did school from a strength-based model?  What if we allowed kids to explore their passions and strengths instead of focus on weaknesses?  Couros does not advocate ignoring the weaknesses, but rather claims it can actually encourage students to improve at their weaknesses.

What if we did the same thing with teachers?  What if teachers were allowed to teach in the grade level and content areas they were most passionate and strong at?  Many teachers would say they are teaching in the grade level and content area they are passionate about, but there is probably that one grade level or content area the teacher doesn't particularly like.  Couros asks the question of his staff, "What is your dream job?"  He uses the example of having a 4th grade teacher say they would really love to teach kindergarten, and he had a kindergarten teacher say they would love to teach older kids.  He made the swap and both excelled and loved what they were doing.  Imagine doing that in your school?  Think of the opportunities we could create for kids?

Couros ends the chapter with this quote, "By focusing on strengths first and building from there, as opposed to working from a deficit model that focuses only on where we need improvements, we create an environment where people feel they have a purpose in their classrooms and for the entire school."

Winter Olympics Teaching Resources

The 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea start on February 9th.  The Olympics provide many teachable moments from history of the games, counting medals, geography of the host city, geography of countries, history as to why certain countries do better than others, art projects, etc...  The list could go on and on!  The Teachers Corner has provided a great list of resources to help teach the Winter Olympics in your classroom.  Check it out today!

Tech Tip of the Week - Insert Learning

Insert Learning is a newer tool on the edtech block that has the potential to make some big waves in the near future.  Insert Learning allows you to "insert" sticky notes, questions, discussions, highlighting, etc... on any website.  You, the teacher, can then assign that website to your students.  So if you have an online article you want your students to read, but have a few questions to go with it.  Use Insert Learning to add those aspects to the website and assign it to your students.  It really is pretty intuitive.  Give it a try today, you won't be disappointed.

MRVED MEETING SCHEDULE

January 24, 2018         Superintendent's Council
January 26, 2018         Principal's Council
January 29, 2018         Technology Coordinator Networking Meeting

February 2, 2018         Title III Teachers
February 7, 2018         MRVED Board (7 pm)
February 22, 2018       TAC

MRVED Update - January 3, 2018

MELT Update

MELT registration closed before Christmas break.  This year we will have 600 teachers attending.  You will be receiving an email a couple days prior to MELT from Gloria Stotesbery with important information regarding everything you need to know about the day.  Please look for and READ that email.  Presenters will be receiving an email from Brandon in the next day or two regarding rooms, number of participants, etc...

The Biggest Education Stories of 2017 and 2018

NPR ran a story over Christmas break highlighting some of the biggest education stories of 2017 and what that means for 2018.  It's a quick read and will get you in the "know" on education issues at the national level.

Biggest Education Stories of 2017 and 2018 from NPR

In Minnesota one of the biggest changes will be teacher licensure.  You can read about what changes were made effective January 1 on the MDE website.

Resource for Cyber Bullying

In our world today it is important to talk to kids about the effects of cyber bullying.  Many of the lessons on this topic are cute, funny, childish, etc...  Many do not tug at your heartstrings.  This Was Louise's Phone will definitely show the harshness of cyber bullying today.  In full disclosure, there is bad language throughout the website.  What the site does is take you through the phone of a teenager that was cyber bullied and eventually killed herself.  This is a very powerful website to show how nasty cyber bullying can be.

Tech Tip - PDFCandy

Have you ever ran into an issue with a PDF file and wished it was in a different format?  Perhaps you wanted to take a file and turn it into a PDF, but didn't know how.  PDFCandy solves all your problems!  It is a super easy way to work with PDF's.  Give it a try today, it's pretty intuitive.

The Innovator's Mindset - Creating a Shared Vision

The next chapter in The Innovator's Mindset by George Couros is all about creating a vision statement for your organization.  The vision statement shouldn't just be a flashy catch phrase that looks good on your letterhead.  It needs to be something that all people in the organization believe and strive for.  Couros starts the chapter off with this quote from Wilferd Peterson, "Big thinking precedes great achievement".  That thinking needs to be laid out prior to any execution for people to have success.

Depending on a variety of different things, your current vision statement might need to be changed or tweaked.  If your vision statement was created in the 1990's, think how much the world has changed in 25 years!  The vision for your students today should be a little different than it was 25 years ago.  It's a good idea to revisit your vision statement every so often to ensure it still encompasses what today's students need.

Couros also talks about 8 characteristics of learning environments that inspire innovative thinking.

Students should have voice.  With technology today, we can help students amplify their voice through social media, YouTube, local newspapers, etc...

Students should choice.  Choice in what and how a student learns.  "Providing choice allows students to build on strength and interests to make learning relevant and fulfilling (Couros, 112)."

There should be time for reflection.  Much like a teacher goes from one class to the next without reflection, students do the same thing.  They jump from math to reading to science without ever having time to reflect on their own learning.

There should be opportunities for innovation.  This could be anything from "Genius Hour" to "Innovation Week" to embed daily into your classroom.  Bottom line, students need time to explore their passions.

Students are critical thinkers.  This one is probably easier said than done.  We should be teaching kids to respectfully ask questions and challenge ideas.  This helps everyone have a deeper understanding of the material and ideas and fosters innovation.

Students are problem solvers/finders.  Students should have the opportunity to not only solve problems, but also find problems that exist.  This goes hand-in-hand with being a critical thinker.

There should be self-assessment.  "Teaching students how to assess themselves rather than just do it for them, provides them another opportunity for reflection (Couros, 114)."  Teaching kids to self assess does not happen over night.

The learning should be connected.  How do we connect our content areas?  How do we connect with people/experts from around the world.  We, as teachers, need to reach outside of the box to make connections and show kids real world learning.

MRVED MEETING SCHEDULE

January 9, 2018           Title III ParaProfessionals
January 15, 2018        MELT
January 24, 2018         Superintendent's Council
January 26, 2018         Principal's Council
January 29, 2018         Technology Coordinator Networking Meeting

MRVED Update - December 13, 2017

MELT Update

MELT registration was fast and furious on day 1 with almost 500 people registered by the end of the day!  The deadline to register is 4 PM on December 20th.  If you have not registered yet, please do so today.

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

MELT 2018 Registration Link

Tech Tip of the Week - Osmo

Osmo is an awesome tool for classrooms in the lower elementary.  Osmo works with an iPad as an attachment.  It allows kids to use manipulatives on the table or floor and and manipulate things on the screen.  There are a variety of games and activities that come with it.  Check it out today!

Teaching Current Events

Over the past few weeks there have been no shortage of current events.  Many of the topics within our current events have been touchy subjects, but important ones nonetheless.  So...how do we teach current events to our students?  At what age is it appropriate?  How much time should we spend?  Is it worth it?

Each person has their own opinion on each of these questions.  Below you will find a series of articles on teaching current events to your students and possibly provide some clarity to the questions above.

Teaching Current Events in the Age of Social Media

8 Smart Ways to Teach Current Events

25 Great Ideas for Teaching Current Events

50 Ways to Teach Current Events

Innovator's Mindset - Engage vs Empower

This is the 3rd time I have read this book, and I love this chapter every time I read it!  There are some very powerful statements from Couros in this chapter that makes me question what education can and should look like.  Couros is definitely not saying what we are currently doing is wrong or bad, simply, can we do it better?

I love the image to the right.  Engaging students means getting kids excited about what we want, empowering students means getting kids excited about what they want!  Are we empowering our kids with learning or simply engaging them?  Do we ever give them the ability to learn what they want within your content area?  Couros gives the example of YouTube being the largest learning platform in the world but yet we still block kids from using it in our schools.  It's not shocking that kids misuse YouTube because teachers are engaging them and not empowering them to learn.  If we are empowering kids, it gives them a reason to use YouTube with a purpose.

Our schools are now investing time into innovation days or genius hours, which is great.  But Couros warns that these should not be stand alone single events that happen.  Innovation day and genius hour should be happening in all our classrooms as part of our pedagogy.  Think about the kid that learns to play guitar on his own by watching YouTube videos.  He didn't learn that skill by doing "genius hour" once a month!

Couros also talks about the difference between school and learning.  See the chart below for a summarization.

MRVED MEETING SCHEDULE

December 14, 2017    TAC
December 15, 2017     Principals' Council
December 20, 2017     Superintendents' Council
December 20, 2017     MRVED Board (7 p.m.)

January 9, 2018           Title III ParaProfessionals
January 15, 2018        MELT

MRVED Update

MELT Update

Melt 2018 is fast approaching and preparations are well underway.  This year there are over 30 sessions to choose from per hour.  There are many new sessions offered this year as well as some popular sessions from years past.  Some groups will also have the opportunity to network.

Registration
Last year we experimented with sending out the MELT brochure a couple days prior to sending the registration link.  This allowed people to set their schedule and read through the descriptions prior to registering.  This seemed to work really well.  The process will be the same this year.  The brochure will come to you on Monday December 4 from your Principal.  The link to register will come to you on Wednesday morning from your Principal.  Principals, look for this information from Mary please.

We cannot stress enough the importance of registering as early as possible.  Some sessions fill really fast, therefore the later you are in registering, the greater the risk of not being able to get into those sessions.

TIES Conference

The biggest educational technology conference in the midwest is happening December 9-12 in Minneapolis.  The TIES 2017 Education Technology conference takes place at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Minneapolis.  This conference is jam-packed with tons of breakout sessions and excellent keynote speakers.  You can preview the breakout sessions by looking at the schedule.  You can also follow along on Twitter with the hashtag #TIES17.  If you are going, feel free to send Brandon an email or a Tweet as he will be attending as well.  If educational technology interests you at all, this is the place to be in Minnesota in December!

Simple Ways to Help Young Kids Develop Self Control

I stumbled across this article on Edutopia the other day.  It is about ways in which to help kids develop self control.  As a parent of a nine, four, and one year old, the tips provided here were very helpful and easy to do.  This is a great article for any teacher to read and could also be something to provide parents in your newsletters home.

Simple Ways to Help Young Kids Develop Self Control by Dr. Donna Wilson and Dr. Marcus Conyers

Tech Tip of the Week - Peergrade

Have you ever had students provide feedback on their peers work?  Peergrade allows you to do just that, but digitally!  Students can turn in their assignment, and the program will randomly distribute the work to students to provide feedback on.  The basic plan is free!  Check it out today!

Innovator's Mindset - Learn, Lead, Innovate

We are on Chapter 5 of the Innovator's Mindset by George Couros.  This chapter is full of great information, so we'll cover only a snippet of the chapter.  If you haven't already obtained the book, you still have plenty of time to get it and get caught up through chapter 5.

Chapter 5 is titled Learn, Lead, Innovate and the main purpose of this chapter is to show the characteristics of someone who can lead people through innovation.  It rings loud and clear throughout the chapter that you first must be a learner in order to lead.

One of my all-time favorite quotes is in this chapter, "Would I want to be a learner in my own classroom?" (Couros 83).  This is so true!  You need to put yourselves in the shoes of your students to feel empathy toward their school experience.  If you know what they are feeling, you can create real and authentic learning experiences for them.

Couros identifies 8 characteristics of the innovative leader:
1. Visionary - You need to see beyond the obvious
2. Empathetic - Feel for the learner
3. Models Learning - Be a learner yourself
4. Open Risk-Taker - Model risk taking
5. Networked - Open your mind to new ideas and people
6. Observant - Really look at the world around us
7. Team Builder - Need to be collaborative
8. Always Focused on Relationships - Foster the relationships

If you are going to lead innovation, you need to model learning & risk taking.  If people see you doing it, they are more likely to follow along.  Open your mind to new ideas and people and be willing to venture into the uncomfortable to make innovation happen.  It wouldn't be innovation if it wasn't uncomfortable.

MRVED Meetings:
December 1, 2017    Title III Teachers
December 14, 2017  TAC
December 15, 2017  Principals' Council
December 20, 2017  Superintendents' Council
December 20, 2017  MRVED Board (7:00 p.m.)