MRVED Business

Upcoming Meetings

May 8, 2015  Community Ed
May 11, 2015  TAC/Principals (11:30 a.m. start)
May 27, 2015  Superintendents' Council

June 10, 2015  MRVED Board (7 p.m.)
June 24, 2015   Superintendent's Council

MRVED Summer Professional Development

MRVED 2015 SUMMER PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

The summer class brochure is out and ready for you to peruse.  Here is the link to the MRVED website where you will find the brochure describing the classes and a link to register.  We urge you to register early as only classes with 10 participants will be held.  All of the classes this summer are FREE for MRVED districts.  Registration closes May 15, 2015.

MRVED 2015 Summer Classes

Happy May Day

Today is May Day!  Here are some resources from Larry Ferlazzo.

Horizon's Report Challenge - Personalized Learning

Integrating Personalized Learning

Excerpt from the Horizon's Report preview.

The demand for personalized learning is not adequately supported by current technology or practices. The increasing demand for education that is customized to each student's unique needs is driving the development of new technologies that provide more learner choice and control and allow for differentiated instruction. It has become clear that one-size-fits-all teaching methods are neither effective nor acceptable for today's diverse students. Technology can and should support individual choices about access to materials and expertise, amount and type of educational content, and methods of teaching. The biggest barrier to personalized learning, however, is that scientific, datadriven approaches to effectively facilitate personalization have only recently begun to emerge; learning analytics, for example, is still evolving and gaining traction within higher education.

This will be one challenge to keep an eye on.  Not only is the technology not adequate yet, the current systems that are in place today are not sufficient.  It would take a reworking of what the educational system looks like as a whole to make this change.  Thus this challenge is a little harder to solve than the previous challenges explored.

Tech Tip - Minnesota Field Trip Library

Minnesota Field Trip Library
Here is an exerpt from the "About" page on the Minnesota Field Trip Library website.

The Minnesota Field Trip Library & EXPO... A FREE & Unique Resource to help you discover Minnesota’s BEST educational and recreational Field Trip Destinations and in-school & Youth Programs

GOOD NEWS! WE REQUIRE NO PASSWORDS, DUES OR SECRET HANDSHAKES!!! Today there is more interest than ever in providing our students and youth with hands-on learning experiences via field trips and education programs in the diverse areas of arts & culture, history & heritage, STEM (science, technology, engineering. and mathematics), environment, agriculture, physical education & sports, lifestyle, business, faith & religion, and many more.

Activity Planning Support for Schools and Youth Groups

Since its beginning only 3 years ago, the MN Field Trip Library has become a comprehensive, free resource for helping you discover unique and new educational and/or recreational ideas, stay informed about new/improved programs, and simply to have a place to turn when you need support resources (i.e.,, field trips, presenters & programs, fundraising, transportation and travel services).

Who is all this for?

- Professional educators and staff from public, private, charter & specialty schools
- Activity Directors and staff, Advisors, Boosters
- Curriculum developers, Counselors
- Library Professionals
- Community education directors, staff, including activity coordinators
- After-school and summer activity coordinators
- Childcare activity coordinators
- Homeschool co-op education leaders and homeschool parents
- Youth group leaders and activity planners (scouts, church, 4-H, etc)
- Youth organization & club planners (YMCA, Big Brothers Big Sisters, etc)
- Youth agency planning staffmembers & coordinators
- Park & Recreation Department staff & activity coordinators
- Tour operators & Tour Planners serving the youth market

FOUR Convenient FREE Tools to help you plan your field trips and activities... Available right now!

1.The MN Field Trip GUIDE - A printed 64 page (in 2014) guide to give a planner ideas and direction. See the digital version on our website homepage.

2.The Library Online - our 24/7 website (you’re on it right now) - which includes the NEW “COMMUNITIES WITH FIELD TRIPS!” Area!
- http://www.mnfieldtriplibrary.org/MN_Field_Trip_Library/Partner_Directory.html

3.The Field Trip ALERTS - our monthly e-newsletter

4.The MN Field Trip EXPO - our annual “in-person” planning event... Minnesota’s BEST providers in one place and at one time... FOR YOU!
- http://www.mnfieldtriplibrary.org/MN_Field_Trip_Library/EXPO.html

1. The MN Field Trip GUIDE

2014 was the first year for this handy, annually printed publication. We printed 10,000 and in the first 3 months (Feb - Mar - April, 2014) we have hand-distributed more than 6,500. They went like hotcakes! Look us up at a conference near you for your copy! Next printing? January 2015

2. The MN Field Trip Library’s “Library Online”

After you’ve seen The MN Field Trip Library at your conference or event, you can use the LIBRARY ONLINE 24/7, too! At no charge! Here you can access two directories and other helpful resources (see the bottom of every webpage):

-THE PARTNER DIRECTORY: This directory is filled with all the Field Trip Library “Partners”, as we call them, who participate in the MN Field Trip Library. Here you’ll find each Partner’s own webpage with lots of hotlinked information - from digital flip-page brochures, study guides, video tours, social media, to location maps.

-THE GENERAL DIRECTORY: Here you can get lots of ideas about destinations and programs that are not yet participating in the MN Field Trip Library. Divided by region, you may not have known there are so many opportunities for youth groups!

-PERFORMANCE VENUES: If you lead a band, choir or orchestra and are looking for places they can play, check out this webpage. It contains Library Partners who are also performance venues.

-YOUTH DAYS: A number of Library Partners offer special rates and packages on pre-determined days and/or times for special youth groups (i.e., scouts, church, homeschoolers, 4-H and others). As a “planner” you need to bookmark this webpage.

3. The MN Field Trip Library’s “FIELD TRIP ALERTS”

Get these free monthly email newsletters and Alerts sent right into your mailbox. They’re filled with news, upcoming special pricing offers, and lots more!

4. The Annual MN Field Trip EXPO

Imagine getting all the providers in one place and then having the opportunity to talk to them in-person! That’s the EXPO!

On August 6th the 2013 EXPO was held at Target Field’s LEGENDS CLUB, and 400 educators and youth leaders attended our free event! There were not only 108 providers in their own exhibit booths, there were performances, an inflatable planetarium, an authentic Ojibwe tipi, an earth balloon, a roaring, animated dinosaur, a honeybee exhibit, and many more recreational and educational hands-on opportunities.

EXTRA!!! EXTRA!!! Grants & Fundraising - Because it takes money to “turn the wheels”

You should check out the Grant Resources webpage as you search for grants and ways to fund field trips and in-school programs. We are always collecting information - and putting it the GRANT RESOURCES webpage on this website - to help you discover a variety of ways to help you pay for field trips and program activities when budgets come up short. (Note: If you know of a grant resource that you believe should be on the GRANT RESOURCES webpage, please let us know at mark@MnFieldTripLibrary.org.

We invite you to use our resource tools to plan your activities. If you like what you are finding, please share this with a friend, co-leader, or professional peer.