Teaching Learning Critical Pathway - Live Blog

10:30 to 10:45 -- BREAK



10:30 a.m.

Current Sample: Gr. 2 "Cool Schools" Sample 10

Animated discussion about this sample. Sample was "scribed" by teacher. Initially had to look for the message. Message kind of hidden. People outside - - what are they doing? Title of school "really stands out".

Next steps: Poster features, specific modeling of what implicit and explicit message is. Stated that "teachers are awesome" but does the message match what is being illustrated.





10:23 a.m.

Current sample: Gr. 2 "Cool Schools" Poster Sample 9

Discussion:

Effective title. Good spacing. "Different Yards for all the grades" is a focus for the message. Can infer from the illustrations. Pictures in non-fiction text are important for students. Use speech bubbles to capture what the people in the poster are saying. Comic Life? Clearer word choice and more ideas needed.

Level: 2+




10:20 a.m.

Grade 2 "Cool Schools" - Sample 8

Question: "Is this a boys writing sample?" Word choice limited. Great graphics. Well organized. Neat. Bump up the word choice.

Next steps: Better word choice. Title is across the bottom. Somewhere else for the title. Not the bottom? Perhaps the use of "sections" in the text. Level 2 or 2-



10:12 a.m.

Current Sample being discussed: Grade 2 Cool School Poster

Discussion: Layout good. Sample is not advertising the school. Illustration has balance and is a strength. The message and purpose is not what was required. Level 1+


10:06 a.m.

Current sample: Gr. 1 - Cool Schools Poster

Contact phone number on poster. [Grade 1!!!]. Graphics match text. Next steps: Add border all the way around. Bold the title -- different font? Change font. Change the colour. Red vs. Black.

Publish it on the computer then you could change font. Sample uses the word "cool" more than once for emphasis. Level 3+ to 4- is the consensus for this sample.


10:02 a.m.

What are the components that we need to discuss to be able to get students to "get there" in the 4 week pathway? Conversation continues about leveling writing sample.

There is some discussion about what level the current sample is. The component parts of the piece are being discussed. Colour and contrast were used in the sample. Gender skew in student sample being shown. There are 5 girls and the remainder boys in this class.



9:54 a.m.

Current Sample being discussed:

Grade 3 - Writing Sample. Using rubric to evaluate. Group is taking about the rubric construction. Do you show the students the rubric ahead of time? Students may not be able to understand teacher created so create a student version.

Talking about how rubrics are developed at one school. Gradual release model, anchor charts, amount of support.

Looking at writing sample as a "baseline" so it is a "diagnostic".



9:45 a.m.

Current Sample: Grade 1

Comments: "Look at the perspective". "Strong voice". Clear that the student is writing for an audience. Talks about what is happening in and outside of classroom. Balance of message. Illustrations include a "birdseye" view of the classroom.

Level 4: [3+ 4-] Group consensus for this writing sample

It has it all: ideas, drawings, descriptions, labels, title




9:40 a.m.

Discussion about 6 + 1 writing traits for this written form. Word choice and main ideas are part of the discussion. In the task it says use "pictures and words". Talk now about parts of the writing piece. Components of the writing. What was the purpose in choosing the symbols in the writing sample. There is a patterned border around the sample. Is this deliberate?

Group Comments:

"I just love the word choice". Current sample is from a writer that did not want to write when she first joined the class. "It is good to be a risk taker"


9:35 a.m.

16 participants are right now discussing their evaluation of Non-Fiction writing samples. The three samples being discussed are a grade 1, 2 and 3 writing samples. Next steps for all the writing samples are being talked about.

Task: Create a poster advertising your "cool school". Use pictures and words to show why your school is cool.

Mentor Text: Cool schools power point [link to follow]



9:23 a.m. T.L.C.P - Moderated Marking Session V.P Carswell P.S. - Trenton, Ontario

Coming to you live from a Teaching, Learning Critical Pathway Session taking place at V.P. Carswell P.S. in Trenton, Ontario. 19 stakeholders, Teachers, Consultants, Principals, Literacy Partners.

Our focus at this minute is Moderated Marking as a group - - Topic - - "Cool Schools" Non-Fiction writing. Discussion is happening about what level the writing is. Media Rubric is being used. Grade 3 Non-Fiction writing.

Non-Fiction Writing - T.L.C.P.

I've been looking forward to next week's learning adventure since before March break when I was invited to be a part of a Teaching Learning Critical Pathway. In our school district one of our goals is improving Boys Non-Fiction Writing.

So next week, a group of teachers, resource teachers and administrators from 4 schools will have a "first meeting" to begin the dialogue about non-fiction writing in the junior division.

We'll be using the LNS series on Non-Fiction writing as one of our guides. In particular the "big idea" will involve media literacy, so we'll be viewing the amazing Royan Lee in action [video above]. Mr. Lee teaches his students how to deconstruct, construct, co-construct and reconstruct media texts in this 16 minute video. You'll notice a number of technology integrations in Mr. Lee's class: an interactive whiteboard, laptops, and software Smart Ideas, Photoshop Elements and MS Publisher. Mr. Lee uses technology to engage his students and to provide a scaffold.

My part in the TLCP will be to advise the group on technology integrations for writing which could include the use of visual media and ICT. I'll be updating this post after next week's first session to let you know our progress.

If you would like more information on the TLCP learning team model we use here at the Hastings Prince Edward District School Board, please contact me: kmanning at hpedsb.on.ca

Screencast.ca - Two Years Old

"I'm really a visual learner."

I hear this a lot. In fact, it is the most often heard comment by teachers when we're sitting together learning a new web 2.0 environment or navigating through a newly discovered O.E.S.S. software title. I guess that's why I created Screencast.ca a couple of years back.

I kept getting [and I still receive] the same questions. Like, "How do you create an internet link and place it on the shared drive so students won't need to type in the URL" or "Geesh, my photos are huge, is there a way to resize all 200 photos from our class trip in one process?"

Previously I would create elaborate step-by-step, screen-grab enhanced, multi-page documents. Oh, I still create the odd one these days, but there is an excitement I have when it is time to create a new screencast. Mostly because I create them right after I've been in the classroom with the students and the teacher working on a project - - that's the hook. It is fresh in my mind and it only takes about 30 minutes or so to create and post the cast from start to finish.

So, in two years there have been almost 1,300 downloads. It sounds like a huge number but it really only works out to 1.77 downloads per day. Not many really, but it provides encouragement to me that a particular teacher, who is a visual learner, can benefit from a particular cast.

At last count I'm up to 30 original casts and when I looked last, Screencast.ca ranks number 6 on the Educational Technology - Video Podcast segment of iTunes. It has been as high as 3 and as low as 56.

The real wonder of how technology can assist educators is the "repeat" factor. Now when someone says, "I'm a visual learner and how do you..." - - I smile and send them a web link.

Electronic Portfolios

@danikabarker and I had a brief few tweets the other day about Electronic Portfolios.

I remember when E.P.s were a passion of mine. Just recently I had a staff member request to investigate the possibilities for her students. I've noticed my PLN mates discussiong this topic lately and remember teaching students and teachers how to create "electronic file cabinets" using Dreamweaver MX a few years back, having given absolutely no thought to what the research might be saying about this important topic. Let me explain.

If we just post our materials to an electronic holding tank, we had better be thinking about what our purpose for doing so is.

Do we spend time teaching our students about goal setting, and the uploading of materials within those goals? Can we write reflections about our uploaded artifacts? Can students comment and receive feedback in a secure environment? These are all questions I had not considered back then.

It wasn't until I started to read Anne Wade's research and others that I realized, I had it all wrong. I had focused on the technology and not the pedagogy. Electronic portfolios should be web-based, bilingual, learning process and self directed thinking tools. Thinking, motivation and behavior should be keys in establishing the portfolio.

ePearl is one solution that will allow me to rest easy, knowing that it is based on research and has been tested with students and teachers in real classrooms.

Blogger Profile - Number 1

If you don't know this man that's O.K.

He looks a lot different now. Why?, because this is a photo of Evan Williams back in his Pyra days and way before Google took an interest in Evan's blog tool.

I got thinking today, as I was watching Evan talk about one of his other inventions, just how long have I been blogging? I couldn't remember so I took a look at my Blogger profile. November 2002 - - geesh, could it be 7 years in November? No way.

I remember discovering Evan's tool way back when. He had one of those silicon valley start-ups back in the beginning and I think I found it by accident. At first, I basically just posted for an audience of one - me. Back in 2002, blogging wasn't even a verb yet. Then I followed some of the trends on the web. Photoblogging was popular in 2004, so I photoblogged.

Then I got the bright idea to connect my domain name to blogger. That was an interesting process. I've since been able to load the php and mysql databases on my domain in Word Press but I've never left Blogger. Oh, there are a ton more features on Word Press, EduBlog and Typepad, etc. but Blogger just seems like an old friend and it is very easy to use and keeps it simple. Yes, the templates are from 2004 thanks to Doug Bowman, but I still like it because the real appeal of having a blog is the social networking aspect. But if you are reading this, you already know that.

See you in the comments sections! And thanks for reading. It's better than talking to myself....

Retro Link: You can check out the very first Blogger Profile here - Circa 1999: 1

Follow You Follow Me

I had the great pleasure this past weekend of speaking at the Expanding Our Boundaries conference in Toronto.

While I didn't quite get to what I was supposed to talk about very quickly, I did get a chance to tell a story about how my son's middle school coordinator takes a personal interest in helping her students find their passions.

You see, 6 short months ago, my son didn't know he was a thespian. In fact, he had no idea that theatre would be one of his passions. That's all changed now.

What Ken Robinson does in his book "The Element" is explain all this by telling stories. Simple stories, really. Ones about how Mick Fleetwood started drumming or how Aaron Sorkin really didn't start out as a writer. That's what makes it a good read. Stories about people and their incredible potential.

So I'm following Ken on Twitter. Quite simple really. In his book Ken uses simple illustrations and sentences to tell stories about how people found their passions. Perhaps by following Ken and others on Twitter I can interact with my learning community and we can enrich each others lives, 140 characters at a time.

So, Follow You, Follow Me.

My PLN - Just Grew

More than anything, this past weekend's Expanding our Boundaries conference in Toronto was about the people.

I mean, really, the crowd I was hanging out with for two days already knew how to do at least 95% of the things Will talked about. We've known all those things for quite some time. [although it was great to finally meet Will - - he's so real, eh?]

I have not been to a conference in years where the interaction was so "personalized". Let me explain by writing about the many folks I had either personal f2f conversations with on the weekend, or spoke with electronically.

First and foremost - - Tim Hawes, Shannon Smith , Barbara McLaughlin and Bruce Summers who I met via Twitter before the conference started and with whom I had my first Twitter meet-up. Now that was cool. Check out their blogs and tweets lots of good learning there.

Brenda Sherry who spoke about all the wonderful things she is doing for teachers. We had chats about project based learning, iPod Touch applications and our professional websites. Ann Shilolo from the Near North who spoke about her blogging and then stopped me in the hallway on Saturday afternoon to tell me that she had a tear in her eye after my story about how my son found one of his passions. Do you see what I mean? This conference was personal!

Nathan Toft and Jane Smith - - such amazing Canadian talent -- they demoed their podcast and after the talk Jane came over and gave me a fridge magnet - - it doesn't get any better than that. Jane then showed me their latest book and Nathan and I talked about a tech glitch which didn't allow their latest episode (6) to download properly.

Then there were the newbies Cathy and Mabel both of whom are brand new to the word of Web 2.0 -- and they are why I have a job. Delightful ladies. Cathy was at our table and kept plugging away until she got it. At one point I heard her say as Will will was explaining how to set up a Blogger account, "I didn't know how easy this was" - - followed by, on Saturday - - "This is amazing". I met Mabel before the Saturday session and helped her to open a G-mail account and create a Spec. Ed. blog. Mabel, if you are reading this, your smile and warm nature are amazing.

Geoff Day and Peter Skillen were on Tim's tech team. I talked with Geoff about how he was coordinating the AQ courses at OISE back in 1998 when I first started on this road. He reminded me how folks at the time were scared to death of taking the requirements course. Back then you had to pass a "technology quiz" to get in. Can you imagine doing that now-a-days? I had seen Peter at various events over the years but couldn't quite place him. When we talked he said that he is retired but saw a nifty job in the paper to work at an alternative YMCA school on Charles St. in Toronto. He's the Manager of Computer Applications and Teacher there. Now how cool is that? Good on ya' Pete!

There were many people sitting at nearby tables that I had brief but terrifiic conversations with about meaningful things. Doug Peterson, who sat beside me on Saturday lent me two sets of batteries, what a guy. I owe him a beverage of choice or two at NECC 2009. Doug, if you are reading this, I love your wacky sense of humour. David Weightman popped over to talk about screencasting. Rick Budd had Mac difficulties but was able to get it going again. Danika Barker, who is doing amazing things with Boys Writing and Amy Coupal who just took over as Executive Director at Curriculum.org had some terrific tweets and resources during the conference.

And I couldn't end this post without a shout out to Derek Potts, my SETS teammate who put up with my snoring on Thursday night.