Welcome. Here are the dates for the Summer Curriculum 21 book study, the chapter questions, and instructions for posting your responses and thoughts.
Week 1: June 7 - Chapters 1 and 2
Week 2: June 14 - Chapter 3
Week 3: June 21 - Chapter 4
Week 4: June 28 - Chapter 5
Week 5: July 5 - Chapters 6 and 7
Week 6: July 12 - Chapter 8
Week 7: July 19 - Chapters 9 and 10
Week 8: July 26 - Chapter 11
Week 9: August 2 - Chapters 12 and 13
Scroll down to the bottom of this page to find Week 1 questions. Click the "Comments" link when you are ready to respond to the questions for the week. You will see comments from the Spring Curriculum Book Study group and a box at the bottom of the page to post your responses. After you finish your post, click the "select a profile" arrow, choose one that you would like to use, and then "Post Comment." You will see a Preview of your post and then click "Post Comment."
Kelli
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
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4 comments:
I would like to see my campus spend time studying the 21st century pledge. It would be a way to discover our own myths about using 21st century tools. I especially like the administrators section. If we as administrators commit to implementing this section, we would be walking the walk.
I feel like there are many "myths" at play that hold us back from a course of action that would require more time spent on utilizing 21st centrury tools. I think is pervasive in a generation that was not taught to respect technology as a tool, but as a toy. My favorite aspect of chapters 1 and 2 focuses on the premis that a new curricular approach should begin with examination of choices based on past practices and new challenges for the future. I am not advocating abandonment of practices, but rather analysis of practices and then adopting an approach to curriclum, lesson planning, lesson design, and lesson implementation that addresses the needs of our society. The most preveleant myth that I have encountered is that utilizing technology won't really teach our students, but it will only entertain them. It is the adults that are paralyzed by fear. I over heard a 5 yr. old talking to her mother while shopping....and I quote her here: "No mommy, that cord won't fit the i-touch you have. You need this one so you have an extra plug for when you go to work and then your i-touch can stay charged." I laughed out loud and promptly went over for a most enjoyable converstation with mother and daughter. The myths HHJ outlines reflect that we are not analyzing our current societal needs, but operating from what has worked in the past and never considering our future. In preparing the IPAD pilot in Advanced Academics, I want to make sure I address those myths so that our outcomes are not shaped by outdated ideas.
Sometimes I feel like I should be called the "Multiple Choice Test Coordinator" instead of Assessment Coordinator. We seem to value those multiple choice assessments way too much, but it happens because the state requires them. But I also realize that we are headed in new directions. TEA also produces the TAKS-Alt observations and the TELPAS Holistic Ratings. And our district should not be limited to mimicking the state's example.
As I read chapters 1 and 2, I did not come across anything that I don’t already believe. There are many challenges that we face, not the least of which is just getting a hold of all the wonderful toys it takes to implement 21st century skills. I can only imagine how our technology department and instructional technology specialists feel trying to keep up with it all. I think that we are definitely on the right path just by having this conversation. Our plan at DES is to have focused staff development by 6 weeks with every grade level to introduce 21st Century Skills. Randy Rodgers and I will design these staff developments. Our plan is for teachers to leave each session with just one new tool they can immediately implement in the classroom. The tools we pick have to pass 3 tests: do we have the “stuff” to do it, do teachers know how to do it, and do teachers see the relevance of doing it? We are going to design our 21st Century Skills staff development in such a way that teachers won’t be able to wait to get started. Randy and I have had several conversations about doing this, and we have things pretty well mapped out. One extra thing I have thought about after reading the first 2 chapters is incorporating assessment into the staff development. I definitely agree that it all starts with assessment. I did not directly answer the questions posed, but this is what was on my mind as I read chapters 1 & 2.
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