What is Reggio Emilia?

While I was hopping on one of my favorite YouTube channels, I came across a teacher giving a Ted Talk on Reggio Emilia. I had never heard of the term before and thought, "What was this style of teaching that helps children as young as preschool become active citizens?"

The Reggio Emilia approch to learning is focused on preschool and primary age students.  The pedagogy is described as student directed, experiential learning in relationship driven environments. Students learn through exploration and discover rather than having content drilled into them. It was stated that the approach was based on children at the early age are endowed with a hundred languages and have their own personalities and ways to express their ideas. I also found it quite interesting that allowing students to play in a hole dug in the ground would cover so many of the learning standards as presented in her graphics towards the end of the video.  This teacher is passionate about teaching young ones to be active citizens. I think sometimes we forget that the best way to learn is through experimentation.

I also found this video that easily explains the whole process of the Reggio Emilia philosophy that I though you may find interesting to check out. I believe every child learns differently and they need to be given the chance to explore and find their own voice. 

Tea for Teaching - Metaliteracy

Metaliteracy is teaching framework that promotes critical thinking snd collaboration in a digital world. I am planning to write a blog post that more clearly defines the concept, but for now I wanted to share a podcast that one of my professors did.

Professor Mackey has developed and written books on Metaliteracy and was a guest on the podcast Tea for Teaching lot too long ago. This concept is very interesting to me and while I research it more please enjoy this summary on the podcast at the link below.

Tea for Teaching - Metaliteracy

Tech in school, what's the parent's role?

So much technology is thrown at your kids in school. They have electronic devices issued by the school, their phone, tablet, laptop. Homework on the computer...games, research and more. It is all so overwhelming and you have no idea what to do. You did not grow up with all of this technology, you always lugged around textbooks and researched in the library. If you were lucky, your family invested in a set of encyclopedias so you would always have access to information to write your paper.

Gone are the days of flipping through pages of a textbook. Many schools have integrated technology into the classroom and students do research and homework directy online. How are you supposed to understand what they are doing when you weren't exposed to that type of technology?

As a parent, you are responsible for teaching your child to be safe online and to find a happy medium for screen time. Kristen Galloway of the Morning Consult website shared four tips for parents to focus on when teaching their children to gain control with technology in their life.

1. Serve as a role model. Be mindful of your time spent on your mobile devices and computers. If you unplug, it will set the example for your child to.

2. Everything is best in moderation. Technology use needs limits too, just like any other rule you set for your child. Talk with your child about the rules for technology use that will fit your family values.

3. Provide alternatives. Remind your child that it is still important to not be tied to a screen all the time. Read, spend time with family or just reading a good book.

4. Edcation. You may not be familiar with the latest apps being used by your child. Take the time to ask and have them show you. The surprise will be that your child will think it is great they are teaching you something!

The article closes talking about how in the past, the big concern was watching too much TV.  Now it is too much technology.

Read the full article here.

Source:
“Parents Can Play Important Role in Teaching Children About Technology.” Morning Consult, 6 Mar. 2018, morningconsult.com/opinions/parents-play-important-role-teaching-children-technology/.

What toys are educational but fun?

Now that Black Friday and Cyber Monday have passed, I wondered what techy educational toys are the hot pick this year. My daughter has aged out of buying toys so I wasn't sure what the latest recommendations were since I do not pay attention anymore. I stumbled across this article posted by Teach Thought that listed 50 of the best educational toys for 2018. Keep in mind I noticed a disclaimer on the page stating they receive a small portion of the proceeds if you purchase by clicking their link, so is the item chosen for that reason or because it is of real educational value? (I do not receive any financial gain from sharing the page!

Check out the article, Editor's Choice: 50 of the Best Educational Toys and Gifts for 2018. I was very pleased to see that the list did not contain a list of digital techy toys only. Toys that help children problem solve, think for themselves and bring out their creative side are listed. These are all skills children need to be successful when tg hey gro we up. You can imagine my excitement when I saw a few classic favorites from when I was a kid can still make the list! Spirogragh, bug catchers, books, art kits and a good old fashioned chalk board easel caught my attention. No child should be without educational toys that teach without them even realizing. They think they are just having fun!  What's your favorite classic educational toy or gift?

Personalized Learning at Central Valley

I talked about Personalized Learning in a previous post. We implemented this teaching style in the school district I work for, Central Valley Central School District in Ilion, New York. I wanted to share some videos that were created when the new teaching style was introduced at the school district. The videos explain what the concept is and how it has been implemented in the classroom. You will hear from elementary and middle school teachers' perspectives on how it is working as they have seen student improvement in a short time. The best part is hearing from the students in the second video!

Learning has become fun for students and they are learning important social skills working together and collaborating when necessary. They learn responsibility and prioritizing since they can work at their own pace and know what needs to get done each week. These are important life skills needed to be ready for college and future careers. Often I have heard my daughter say, "Why didn't we do that when I was in school?" She feels personalized learning would have definitely been an asset to her education in middle and high school.

It's parent-teacher conference time, what do I ask?

Parent-teacher conference season is here! You are excited to meet your child's teacher, yet disappointed once you arrive when you find out you only have a 15 minute time-slot to talk about everything. There is so much you want to know and so little time. You ask yourself, "How do I get all the information I need in so little time to help my child succeed?" That is a great question, not to mention the teacher has their own agenda of information to share.

The most important thing to know is how to reach your child's teacher. Find out if email is best or a phone call and get their contact information. Today there are many ways to stay on top of your child's studies with technology. Many schools have "parent portals" you can sign up for to watch over their grades and assignments. Be sure to find out if this is available and get the information to sign up. Find out what changes you can expect throughout the year, is there anything specific to prepare your child for? Of course, you want to know what areas your child is doing well and where they are struggling. Ask what you can do at home to help with studies, can the teacher send home extra practice sheets or is there a website to work from.

In addition to these topics I listed, I found a list of questions to ask at a parent-teacher conference compiled by VeryWellFamily.com. They have the questions broken down into categories making it easy to prioritize which ones pertain to your child and what you want to know. With such a short time to talk to the teacher, you will want to make the most out of it.

Bring a list of questions you want to ask so you don't forget. If you don't have enough time, ask the teacher if you can schedule a meeting at another time to go over specifics in more detail. Communication with the teacher and school is imperative to your child's education and will help them be successful in school.

Links:
https://www.verywellfamily.com/

https://www.verywellfamily.com/questions-ask-parent-teacher-conferences-2601462

Tips on organizing your brain

I posted earlier this week that I like to watch TED videos. If you have not gotten a chance to check them out yet, here is your first chance. 

The one I am sharing today is from their Ted-Ed Student Talks series. Students share information and experiences they have had so it is easy for students to relate to them. Trishna Bindu explains how she learned a memory technique called Method of Loci to help organize her scatterbrain. Hope it helps you and your children re-organize those scatterbrain moments! 

TED videos are a great resource-check them out

I want to share one of my favorite websites and YouTube channels with you. TED is a nonprofit organization that is devoted to sharing ideas. They have short videos from presenters that are usually very short, less than 20 minutes long. From technology to handling stress, I have found them to be very informative and enjoy watching them. Face it, they do not take up much of your time to watch, however many have a great impact. Once I attended a workshop on living with people with mental disabilities. I found the speaker had spoken at a TED Talk so I looked for her video. It was great to hear her back story and how she lived with Autism and has learned to manage it. Even though this was not part of the discussion for the workshop I attended, hearing her story put an entirely different perspective on meeting her and listening to her ideas.

When I first came to know TED Talks, they were geared mainly towards technology. Over time they have evolved into a wealth of information across a variety of topics. They have Ted-X conferences, Ted-Ed lessons, Ted-Student Talks just to name a few. I will share them with you from time to time but you may want to check out their website and YouTube channel. There are so many interesting videos of real life experiences and educational tips you are bound to find something that you can't wait to watch. You may even find some to share with your children to overcome something they are struggling with in school. Their slogan is true, "Ideas worth spreading." Hope you enjoy checking them out!

Links:
https://www.youtube.com/user/TEDtalksDirector

https://www.ted.com/

EngageNY Helps Parents Define Curriculum

Suzie comes home from school and wants help with her homework. She needs to prepare for a test and just doesn't understand the content or where to start. Mom's head is spinning trying to help Suzie, she just is not sure what to do. What can she do to help Suzie with her work? She can check out EngageNY!

According to the EngageNY website, "EngageNY.org is developed and maintained by the New York State Education Department (NYSED) to support the implementation of key aspects of the New York State Board of Regents Reform Agenda. This is the official web site for current materials and resources related to the Regents Reform Agenda." This is meant to be a resource for parents to be able to keep in touch with grades PreK-12 curriculum. There are resources to explain what information is being taught for core subjects in each grade level. Parents can read information about the Common Core Curriculum and the Next Generation Learning Standards. You will find a library of resources for parents and families including documents, educational activities and videos to help their child succeed in school.

I have seen this website grow over the past few years since it's implementation. The New York State Education Department is doing a great job communicating information on changes and what is expected in school. These guidelines being implemented will help students succeed as they approach New York State Regents Exams in high school. As you browse through the website, don't become overwhelmed as there is a lot to it. Take your time and look at small sections had a time. It is quite easy to maneuver, but there is a wealth of information to take in.

You can also check out the EngageNY YouTube channel. There are videos listed in several categories that may be of interest such as Guide to New York Assessments, Math Studio Talk, Common Core and more. Don't forget, you can also reach out to your child's teacher or principal for more information on what is expected in school. Reaching out only takes a few minutes and can contribute to your child's success.

What's a School Report Card?

It's that time if year those colorful reports arrive in the mail letting you know how your child did on New York State Math and English Language Arts (ELA) Assessments last spring. The bar charts let you know where your child stands in a range scale from one to four. Actually, the state does a pretty good job explaining what the numbers mean in terms parents can understand. More than likely your child's school included a cover letter breaking it down a little more and indicating what their criteria is for academic intervention services (AIS) for students that fall below the grade level threshold.

Sounds pretty simple, right? Where does all of the data come from and how do schools stack up against each other?  The state provides this information for the assessment results on data.nysed.gov known as School Report Cards. The site is fairly easy to understand but there is a lot of data to find if you just poke around a bit. You can take a look at specific groups by filtering the data by male/female, ethnicity,  grade, etc. when you click on the links to 3-8 ELA or math assessment data. There are archives to previous year's data as well.

State-wide information is great but you want to know about data closer to home. Navigating through the website pages you can find information broken down by county, BOCES,  districts and schools.  Once you are viewing data for math or ELA statewide or broken down to one of these groups, you can easily download the information as a PDF or compare the data with other specific groups by using their My Comparisons tool. This is also a great way to get a background on school districts out of your area if you are relocating to make informed decisions on where to make your new home.

There continues to be a lot of controversy on whether parents should refuse to have their child take state assessments.  (Also known as Opt-out.) Parents will campaign to get other parents to keep their kids from being tested, and even some teachers have been known to encourage test refusal. It's not the only criteria schools normally use to see if your child needs extra help. It does help gather data so districts can see trends and thresholds by comparing to state-wide data and within their own buildings and grade levels. What do they do with this data? They make informed decisions on curriculum to improve your child's education. While state assessments are just a piece of the puzzle, without the information school districts would not have guidelines to know where to target instruction.  You can see your child taking an assessment is more than just to see where your child stands in a range, the information provides a report card for your school district as compared to the state as a whole. This also helps the state decide what schools need improvement to intervene with resources to improve education.

What are your kids doing in the Digital World? Common Sense Media can help you out.

It is Saturday night and I thought I would share something outside the classroom. Common Sense Media is a "nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of kids and families by providing the trustworthy information, education, and independent voice they need to thrive in the 21st century." Their goal is to provide information to families to help them make decisions, stay safe and how to talk about difficult situations.

On this website you will find book, video game and movie reviews with age appropriate targets. The reviews list what to expect so parents can make an educated decision on letting their children see a movie or play a video game. There are articles on keeping children safe online and dealing with real-life situations. Articles provide scenarios and provide suggestions how to handle the situation. As found in this article on cyberbullying, you may even learn what some jargon kids are saying today. For example, ghosting is when you cut off online contact with a friend. I only recently heard of this term. Griefing is a term I have never heard but it refers to online gaming when a co-player intentionally kills you off or steals your loot. As a parent it is good to know the new jargon kids talk about. This site will definitely help.

Common Sense Media also has several videos that you may find interesting. I found the review on the newly released Halloween movie to be very informative. It lets you know what to expect and offers a violence scale. On the more pleasant side, There was also a video showing recommendations for the five best Halloween books for kids. You will also find videos on digital citizenship, different apps kids use, what they are watching and more. Visit their YouTube Channel to check them out.

I think you will find what they share very informative. Perhaps in future posts I will share more of their articles and videos to start a discussion.

Blended Learning and the Flipped Classroom

If you have heard the term blended learning you may have wondered why things were getting mixed up in the classroom. What does that mean to student learning? As with personalized learning students can learn at their own pace. Blended learning combines traditional classroom methods with digital media to enhance learning. Teachers will provide a lesson, but the student can work on the tasks required on their own, with the teacher available to provide assistance when needed.

You may have heard the term flipped classroom and thought that meant the students take over the teaching. They don't take over teaching, but do take learning into their own hands. Teachers will assign a lesson to watch online, outside of the classroom. Students then can do work assigned on that topic during the class when the teacher is present to assist.  I have heard some parents concerned about this format since their child does not have "homework" to work on daily. But in a sense they still are, it is just being done in the classroom.

Since I seem to like providing videos to explain these terms, here is one about blended learning and the flipped classroom.

Four Core of Personalized Learning

Personalized Learing is an approach to learning that is not "one size fits all." Instruction is personalized to the student's needs and interests. We all have been in school and have probably felt a different approach or teacher would have helped us learn better. Personalized Learning is the term used that teachers are approaching instruction that way to reach every student based on their academics at their pace.

Education Elements is an organization that works with school districts to build personalized learning into their curriculum. They have provided information to parents that explains the different approaches. Read through the Core Four of Personalized Learning: Overview for Parents to gain a better understanding of how your child may be learning in school. I will touch base on each of the areas for you.

Flexible Content and Tools

This core states instructional materials allow for differentiated path, pace and performance tasks. This means the student may use different platforms for collaboration with other students and to demonstrate knowledge. Materials used consist of online content, textbooks or worksheets and are flexible which allows each student to learn at their own pace.

Targeted Instruction

This core states that instruction is aligned to specific student needs and learning goals. Teachers will identify needs and provide instuction based on those needs. The students may work in small groups, one on one or on their own at their pace. This type of instruction ensures the student will get the instruction as they need it rather than moving ahead on a skillset they have not mastered.

Student Reflection and Ownership

This core states Ongoing student reflection promotes ownership of learning. The student will think about what they have learned and what they still need to. They will set their own goals and take ownership of their learning. This core helps prepare them for future growth both personally and professionally.

Data Driven Instruction

This core states frequent data collection informs instructional decisions and groupings. Data is collected from various sources such as assessments, performance on computer based instruction, exit tickets, surveys, individualized tracking and more. This data is used to help the teacher decide what, how and in what manner the student will learn next.

I hope this article helps parents understand personalized learning a little bit more. It is not a traditional way of learning we knew when we went to school and might wonder how come the student gets to make so many decisions or how come a friend is working on different homework. It all has to do with starting to take ownership of thier learning and finding the best way they can reach their goals. In the long run it is hoped they become better decision makers and collaborators, skillsets they need in their personal and professional life because it is not "one size fits all."

Source:

Elements, E. (n.d.). Core Four of Personalized Learning: Overview for Parents. Retrieved October 18, 2018, from https://www.edelements.com/core-four-overview-for-parents-html?hsCtaTracking=cf3a2ff0-49fc-4a2b-8394-f37abbbd4e8a|7e2c6737-221a-4397-819b-c61bfd3b5411

What is Personalized Learning?

Personalized learning is a form of instruction where teacher's curriculum is flexible and designed for each student. Opportunities are given to students to learn in a variety of ways and at their own pace. When curriculum is designed to move forward whether the student learned the skill or not, students can fall behind. I found this to be the case with my own daughter in elementary school. She struggled in math as she had a learning disability. Since the curriculum was based on benchmarks, the teacher moved on to the next skillset even though she did not fully understand the content. Understand she needed to know how to do that skill in order to be successful on the next skill. This frustrated her and me as you can imagine. Through the years I felt like she kept falling farther and farther behind. I think back wishing they offered personalized learning when she was in school.

I wanted to share this video from EDUCAUSE that explains what personalized learning is.  The visuals help to explain it and how it can benefit student learning. (Rather than write a long post you will get tired of reading!)

I also found this video that explains the difference between individualized learning and differentiated instruction and how they work together with personalized learning. You may have heard these terms and thought they all were the same, yet each is unique in its own way. Working these instruction models into the classroom will help the student will succeed.

Verizon Innovative Learning Initiative

Verizon is currently running public service announcements (PSA) about their Innovative Learning Initiative. The goal is to bring technology into schools that cannot afford it so students have the same learning opportunities as students in richer districts. It seems they have put tablets or other technology into the hands of over a million students and they are not stopping. According to their website, they plan to reach millions more.

Students talk on the PSA about not having technology available to them like other schools and teachers feel their students would be left behind without having the technology resources available to them.

Every time I hear the PSA, I think back to when our school district moved toward technology by implementing a one-to-one device program. Chromebooks were available to students in the classroom for elementary and middle school students. High school students were assigned Chromebooks that they would keep each year until graduation they could take home to do school work. No student would be without the resources available that parents could not afford. This is a great thing, however teachers need to adapt their curriculm to work this new technology into the classroom. What good is just handing a computer or tablet to a student if they are just going to write a paper that can be typed on any device? That is another struggle in itself, will teachers jump into the idea of technology in the classroom? Will they work on individulizing the curriculum to reach every student or continue with their current teaching strategies? The idea is, once the student and teacher has these new technology resources available, the curriculum needs to be adjusted as it changes the way students learn. Teaching technology becomes the solution.

Welcome to my Blog!

Hello and welcome to Ed Tech Power Up! The purpose of this blog is to explore education and technology in the classroom and beyond. I am not a teacher but have worked in a school district for over 15 years and have seen technology come and go while parents struggle to understand what their children are doing in school. My hope is to provide information that will help parents, students and teachers gain new insight into technology and maybe understand some of the jargon!

What is Educational Technology? Wikipedia defines it per The Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) as "the study and ethical practice of facilitating learning and improving performance by creating, using and managing appropriate technological processes and resources.” If you go to the Wikipedia page there are several other terms used as examples to define it that may not be clear to the average person such as learning theories, learning management systems (LMS), m-learning, technological tools and media, Learning Record Store (LRS), and information and communications technology (ICT). My head spins just thinking about what any of this means. Through my research finding information in print, online and from teachers or administrators, I will share information that makes a little more sense or at least try to explain it!

This blog is a work in progress and I am open to any suggestions, just let me know. I am not restricting posts to just ed tech in the classroom, that is just where I decided to start. Watch for other tech tips and stories too. The possibilities are endless!

Thanks for stopping by!
Tammy