Classroom 2.02024-03-29T12:44:29ZJennifer Luffhttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/JenniferLuffhttps://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1950131244?profile=RESIZE_48X48&width=48&height=48&crop=1%3A1https://www.classroom20.com/group/somerspointteachers/forum/topic/listForContributor?user=2yiorm3hhgbmx&feed=yes&xn_auth=noVirtual Technology Meetingtag:www.classroom20.com,2011-01-19:649749:Topic:5842202011-01-19T18:29:57.598ZJennifer Luffhttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/JenniferLuff
<p><strong>Technology Committee Meeting 1/19/11</strong></p>
<p>After our last meeting I brought back to the administrative team your concerns about opening the parent portal. As a result, we decided to wait and launch the parent portal next year. We will use this year to gather information. As a Northfield parent, I just got a letter saying they are opening up their parent portal - I signed up (my daughter is in kindergarten). I will be interested to see what it looks like. They have…</p>
<p><strong>Technology Committee Meeting 1/19/11</strong></p>
<p>After our last meeting I brought back to the administrative team your concerns about opening the parent portal. As a result, we decided to wait and launch the parent portal next year. We will use this year to gather information. As a Northfield parent, I just got a letter saying they are opening up their parent portal - I signed up (my daughter is in kindergarten). I will be interested to see what it looks like. They have School Fusion too. I would like a team of us from the committee to meet with some other schools to hear about the process they used. If you are interested please let me know. </p>
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<p>Use this forum to pose questions that you would like us to ask the other schools. </p>
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<p>In addition are there any other questions concerns.... </p>
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<p> </p> In School Turnaroundstag:www.classroom20.com,2010-10-28:649749:Topic:5229632010-10-28T21:43:05.036ZJennifer Luffhttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/JenniferLuff
Interesting Education Week article about the importance of relationships in students' lives. But this article's thesis is somewhat misleading, because there is also corporate sponsorship and involvement with students. <br></br><br></br>Most interesting to me as a veteran teacher is that the school in question didn't replace any teachers, and still completely changed the culture and the academic progress of the school (paying attention, Governor?). Everyone bought into what the principal was trying…
Interesting Education Week article about the importance of relationships in students' lives. But this article's thesis is somewhat misleading, because there is also corporate sponsorship and involvement with students. <br/><br/>Most interesting to me as a veteran teacher is that the school in question didn't replace any teachers, and still completely changed the culture and the academic progress of the school (paying attention, Governor?). Everyone bought into what the principal was trying to do, without worrying about punitive measures. <br/><br/>What do you think?<br/> 212 degreestag:www.classroom20.com,2010-10-20:649749:Topic:5201342010-10-20T21:00:18.310ZJennifer Luffhttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/JenniferLuff
<p> <a href="http://www.simpletruths.com/movies.asp" rel="nofollow">http://www.simpletruths.com/movies.asp</a><br/></p>
<p>Go to the simple truths web page and click 212. Let me know your thoughts...</p>
<p> <a href="http://www.simpletruths.com/movies.asp" rel="nofollow">http://www.simpletruths.com/movies.asp</a><br/></p>
<p>Go to the simple truths web page and click 212. Let me know your thoughts...</p> The Leader in Metag:www.classroom20.com,2010-10-20:649749:Topic:5201322010-10-20T20:58:51.253ZJennifer Luffhttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/JenniferLuff
<p>Thoughts, conversation, and questions about 'The Leader in Me' by Stephen Covey</p>
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<p>Thoughts, conversation, and questions about 'The Leader in Me' by Stephen Covey</p>
<p> </p> Cell Phones the future of the Internettag:www.classroom20.com,2010-09-29:649749:Topic:5137012010-09-29T18:25:56.876ZJennifer Luffhttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/JenniferLuff
<div>I see little discussion on the 2.0. I figure to jump start the discussions with a little observation.</div>
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<div>Cell phones and particularly smart phones continue to change the landscape of technology. Soon smart phone technology might change education. The potential solution for one on one computing, smart phones remain a force for schools to start reckoning with now. Embrace this technology in creative ways in the classroom and we solidify our district as one on…</div>
<div>I see little discussion on the 2.0. I figure to jump start the discussions with a little observation.</div>
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<div>Cell phones and particularly smart phones continue to change the landscape of technology. Soon smart phone technology might change education. The potential solution for one on one computing, smart phones remain a force for schools to start reckoning with now. Embrace this technology in creative ways in the classroom and we solidify our district as one on the cutting edge of technology.</div>
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<div>Bring the noise!</div>
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<a href="http://thinkingmachine.pbworks.com/Think-Mobile-Phones-for-Learning">http://thinkingmachine.pbworks.com/Think-Mobile-Phones-for-Learning</a> Developmental Word Study Activity Trialstag:www.classroom20.com,2010-06-15:649749:Topic:4792232010-06-15T16:33:47.219ZJennifer Luffhttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/JenniferLuff
<p align="center">Pilot Teachers, please name the activity/activities you have tried with your class, discuss how the children responded to the activities and whether or not the activities led to greater understanding of the spelling strategies taught. </p>
<p align="center">Pilot Teachers, please name the activity/activities you have tried with your class, discuss how the children responded to the activities and whether or not the activities led to greater understanding of the spelling strategies taught. </p> Critical Issue: Providing More Time for Professional Developmenttag:www.classroom20.com,2010-05-01:649749:Topic:4683732010-05-01T04:43:42.722ZJennifer Luffhttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/JenniferLuff
<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt"><font color="#000000" face="Calibri" size="3"><span style="LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Teachers need to be prepared for new practices and roles and to continually utilize professional development to test and assess new learned strategies. This article discusses how teachers are required to learn study and assess student learning according to local, state, and national standards for student achievement using creative approaches to…</span></font></p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Calibri"><span style="LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Teachers need to be prepared for new practices and roles and to continually utilize professional development to test and assess new learned strategies. This article discusses how teachers are required to learn study and assess student learning according to local, state, and national standards for student achievement using creative approaches to professional development opportunities. The article asks how much time is necessary to devote to professional development with no definite answer. With professional development, teachers learn new ways of teaching but do not have always have enough time in their schedules to do so. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Is a few hours needed or five to ten days of workshops?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span> Some traditional strategies used are early dismissals or extended days. Other options being used are summer training, on- site cohorts, creative scheduling, and electronically through the use of videos or the internet.</span></font></p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><span style="LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><font color="#000000"><font face="Calibri">I believe that professional development is necessary for improvement in student learning outcomes and to update teaching practices. Being more creative and utilizing various strategies will be helpful for professional development to be effective and not take too much time away from teachers and students learning. </font></font></span></span></p>
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<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><font color="#000000"><font face="Calibri">This article can be read at </font></font></span></p> Providing Professional Development for Effective Technology Usetag:www.classroom20.com,2010-04-30:649749:Topic:4683122010-04-30T21:12:17.510ZJennifer Luffhttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/JenniferLuff
<p>This article discusses how important it is to incorporate techonology use in the classroom as part of the curriculum. The article was written by Ginger Rodriguez with support from The North Central Regional Educational Labratory in 2000. Lack of professional development for technology use is one of the most serious obstacles to fully integrating technology into the curriculum (Fatemi, 1999; Office of Technology Assessment, 1995; Panel on Educational Technology, 1997). Most teachers want…</p>
<p>This article discusses how important it is to incorporate techonology use in the classroom as part of the curriculum. The article was written by Ginger Rodriguez with support from The North Central Regional Educational Labratory in 2000. Lack of professional development for technology use is one of the most serious obstacles to fully integrating technology into the curriculum (Fatemi, 1999; Office of Technology Assessment, 1995; Panel on Educational Technology, 1997). Most teachers want to learn to use educational technology effectively, but they lack the time, access, and support necessary to do so (Guhlin, 1996). I agree with this statement and would also add knowledge. There are so many amazing ways to incorporate technology into the classroom which some teachers have never heard of. For example, Smartboards and Skype. The classroom that I student taught in had a Smartboard which I did not like using at first. It seemed more time consuming then helpful. After I received the addiquate training for the program I loved using the Smartboard for instruction, expecially with the Everyday Math journals.</p>
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<p>Two requirements help ensure the success of professional development for effective technology use. First, the professional development should be an integral part of the school technology plan or overall school-improvement plan. Second, the professional development should contain all the necessary components that research has found to be important (2000). There were many suggestions in this article to get educators more interested in these specific professional development plans. One suggestion I liked was to assess teachers current skill levels and then provide professional development according to needs. I think these are all great suggestions that Somers Point will be incorporating in the near future with the Talent 21 grant.</p>
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<p>The full article can be read at: <a href="http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/methods/technlgy/te1000.htm">http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/methods/technlgy/te1000.htm</a></p> The Context and Culture of Learningtag:www.classroom20.com,2010-04-19:649749:Topic:4639822010-04-19T14:05:44.713ZJennifer Luffhttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/JenniferLuff
<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'"><font color="#000000">Brown, J. S., Collins, A. & Duguid, P. (1989, Jan/Feb). Situated cognition and the culture of learning. <i>Educational Researcher</i>, 32-42. LINK:…</font> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'"><font color="#000000">Brown, J. S., Collins, A. & Duguid, P. (1989, Jan/Feb). Situated cognition and the culture of learning. <i>Educational Researcher</i>, 32-42. LINK: </font><span style="COLOR: #3333ff"><a href="http://www.exploratorium.edu/ifi/resources/museumeducation/situated.html">http://www.exploratorium.edu/ifi/resources/museumeducation/situated.html</a></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: #3333ff; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'"> </span><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'"><font color="#000000">The first section of this article, Situated Knowledge and Learning, discusses Miller and Gildea's (1987) research on inquiry-based learning and direct instruction and how learning things out of their natural contexts affects how that knowledge is retained and reused properly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span> I found Brown, Collins, & Duguid’s article to be fascinating in how they compared how children naturally expand their vocabularies and how they are taught new vocabulary in a classroom setting. I have seen students misuse vocabulary words and look back on my own education and remember when I have misused words that were new to me. I like how the authors note that “words and sentences are not islands, entire unto themselves” because that is how so many children view unfamiliar terms because that is how they are taught to view them (p. 2). Many teachers introduce vocabulary words from a textbook, perhaps ten words per week. The students are assigned the vocab list on Monday and by Friday are quizzed on how well they can use those words in sentences (fill in the blanks) and regurgitate definitions. According to Bloom’s taxonomy, this is one of the lowest levels of learning, recalling information. This research proved that learning is context-independent, whereas, the students can still apply what is learned in situations outside of the familiar if shown how and practice in various situations. </font></span></p> Differentiating Instruction in the Regular Classroomtag:www.classroom20.com,2010-04-19:649749:Topic:4639602010-04-19T12:42:11.841ZJennifer Luffhttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/JenniferLuff
<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt"><font color="#000000" face="Calibri" size="3">Differentiating Instruction in the Regular Classroom by Diane Heacox is an excellent guide for all teachers. DI is a method of teaching all teachers should try to adapt in the classroom since every student learns differently. This book gives you templates and step by step instructions how to implement some of the practices into the room. DI at first seems unorganized and frustrating because many…</font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt"><font face="Calibri" color="#000000" size="3">Differentiating Instruction in the Regular Classroom by Diane Heacox is an excellent guide for all teachers. DI is a method of teaching all teachers should try to adapt in the classroom since every student learns differently. This book gives you templates and step by step instructions how to implement some of the practices into the room. DI at first seems unorganized and frustrating because many students are doing various activities based on their learning style and academic ability but once you are comfortable with it then it gets easier. This technique allows all children to succeed because the teacher is modifying activities based on the students learning ability. The teacher can give the lower students basic activities that he/she knows the students can succeed yet it all be a challenge; however for the advanced children the teacher can give activities based on the same topic just more complex. Using DI is so essential because it allows all students to be challenged and motivated to learn more. Whether the students are in centers, small groups or individuals taking the various learning styles from Gardner and adding them into the activities will make your classroom a positive and exciting learning environment. Implementing DI into your classroom is a lot of work, especially, in the beginning but the teacher can save their work for the following years. All you would have to do is make small changes each year to adapt to the students. I suggest everyone read this book. The resources and advice they give you is amazing.</font></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt"><font face="Calibri" color="#000000" size="3">Here is a website where you can buy the book if you are interested: <a href="http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Differentiating-Instruction-in-the-Regular-Classroom/Diane-Heacox/e/9781575421056">http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Differentiating-Instruction-in-the-Regular-Classroom/Diane-Heacox/e/9781575421056</a></font></p>
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