A Principal's Reflections
FEBRUARY 19, 2012
'After hearing about all the hoopla surrounding Pinterest , I decided to check it out a few days ago. Up until this point I really didn’t have a clue as to what it was all about except that it was a social media tool that functioned like an electronic bulletin board. After requesting an invite, I was all set to go a day later and began to create my first pin board.
Educational Technology Guy
SEPTEMBER 25, 2012
'An interesting infographic from PBS on what teachers want for technology in the classroom: Related: 10 Essential Educational Resources for Teachers - my list. This post originally appeared on Educational Technology Guy. Feel free to share summaries and links to these articles, but do not copy and repost entire article. Follow me on Twitter and Google+.
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The Web20Classroom
APRIL 23, 2012
'Today (April 23, 2012) is the 7th Anniversary of the first video ever being uploaded to YouTube. You can still see that first video here. Many districts are realizing the potential that YouTube learning can have in the classroom. There are lots of great videos and channels out there on 1000''s of topics. I have put together a list of some of my favorite tools to use with YouTube.
A Principal's Reflections
APRIL 30, 2012
'Cross-posted at teach.com. Education is currently at a crossroads as traditional methods and tools are changing as a result of advances in technology and learning theory. We are beginning to see some schools across the country take the lead in merging sound pedagogy with the effective integration of technology. These schools and educators, whether they realize it or not, are not only enhancing the teaching and learning process, but they are also providing their learners with essential skill set
Generative AI holds tremendous promise for all stakeholders in higher education. But guardrails are needed. Strong governance that empower instructors are at the core of a responsible approach to using generative AI in academia.
A Principal's Reflections
JANUARY 19, 2012
'This piece is cross-posted at the Huffington Post. As we continue to move even further into the 21 st Century, technology becomes more embedded in all aspects of society. As a father, I see this firsthand with my son, who is in first grade. The gift he wanted the most this past Christmas was an iPod Touch, which Santa was kind enough to bring him. Then there is his younger sister who will regularly ask to use my iPad so she can either care for her virtual horse or dress Barbies in creative ways
A Principal's Reflections
AUGUST 1, 2012
'I am extremely excited that August is Connected Educator month. In my opinion, being a connected learner, leader, and/or educator is no longer an option. My personal and professional journey in this area is well documented and something that I regularly present on. When I think back to my life as an educator prior to becoming connected, I can honestly say that I was isolated, naive, and definitely not as well rounded as I am today.
EdTech Update brings together the best content for education technology professionals from the widest variety of industry thought leaders.
A Principal's Reflections
JUNE 10, 2012
'Educators must be experts in effective communication techniques, especially when it comes to parents and other key stakeholders. As the times and tools have changed we now have a variety of means to disseminate information in a more efficient and cost-effective fashion. In my experience I have identified 4 key principles that lay a foundation for communicating effectively with parents: transparency, honesty, accessibility, and flexibility.
A Principal's Reflections
NOVEMBER 24, 2012
'A recent U.S. study, Creativity and Education: Why it Matters , sheds new light on the role of creativity in career success and the growing belief that creativity is not just a personality trait, but a learned skill. A summary of some of the key findings are listed below: Image credit: [link] 85% percent of professionals agree creative thinking is critical for their career success, and 68% of respondents believe creativity is a skill that can be learned.
A Principal's Reflections
FEBRUARY 26, 2012
'A few weeks back I passed along an Education Week article to administrators in my District that highlighted the many technology challenges that states anticipate with common tests. Below is a response to the article from Danielle Shanley, my Director of Curriculum and Instruction, as well as her sound synopsis of the misguided educational reform movement.
A Principal's Reflections
JULY 5, 2012
'Change in education seems to be as illusive as the Loch Ness Monster. Everyone seems to be talking about it, but little action leading to meaningful results seems to be the mainstay in many schools. Through my work over the years as a teacher, educational administrator, and learner through I have identified common roadblocks to the change process. If identified and addressed appropriately these roadblocks can be overcome.
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A Principal's Reflections
MAY 5, 2012
'Many of us firmly believe in the potential that technology has to transform the teaching and learning cultures of schools. Whether it is used to enhance lessons, assess learning, engage students, or unleash creativity, technology has a defined role in a variety of school functions. Even though I am preaching to the choir, many schools still treat education as an effort in preparing students for a world that no longer exists.
A Principal's Reflections
MARCH 7, 2012
'Recently New York City made public teacher evaluations based on student standardized test scores. This proceeded the state of New York''s decision to change how educators are evaluated, in part by connecting the standardized test scores of students into final ratings. The following letter was shared with me by a friend whose daughter is in the New York City Public School System.
A Principal's Reflections
FEBRUARY 8, 2012
'Several years ago, two high school chemistry teachers from Colorado shifted their teaching practice dramatically. Where previously they had lectured to students during class time, then assigned their students homework tasks meant to reinforce the lecture, they flipped that model around. They created videos of their lectures and asked their students to watch them as homework, then used in-class time to complete the tasks that used to be done at home.
A Principal's Reflections
MARCH 18, 2012
'This past week I was fortunate to attend the NASSP 2012 Annual Conference as a presenter, 2012 Digital Principal Award recipient, and most importantly a learner. On Friday morning I attended a session facilitated by Dr. Gary Stager , a progressive educator whose work I have come to know over the past couple of years. Gary’s message is one that resonates with me and many other educators who frequent digital spaces.
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A Principal's Reflections
NOVEMBER 30, 2012
'As part of the PDK International Emerging Leader Award , I had the opportunity to attend an amazing professional development experience in Washington DC. During the first session there was a presentation on the Finnish Education System and the characteristics that make is the most successful system in the world in terms of student achievement. Here are some aspects that called out to me: Culture of trust and moral/social responsibility.
A Principal's Reflections
SEPTEMBER 23, 2012
'The other day I began conducting formal observations of my teachers. My second observation of the day took me to an English class. During the opening moments of the 9 th grade English class I was pleasantly surprised when the teacher quickly reviewed the summer choice reading assignment that was due in a few days. She used social media, specifically Twitter, to increase student engagement as well as relevancy and meaning.
A Principal's Reflections
NOVEMBER 17, 2012
'First year New Milford High School teacher Mrs. Westbrook has been tackling the Common Core in an engaging and innovative fashion. One major instructional shift required by the Common Core Curriculum Standards is the increased emphasis on the use of informational texts. As students engage nonfiction, they learn to grapple with complex ideas and arguments and use those ideas in forming their own opinions.
A Principal's Reflections
JULY 26, 2012
'Cross-posted at the Huffington Post. This summer I have made a commitment to reading more and have chosen books that I think will help me become a better leader. A few weeks ago I finished Drive by Daniel Pink and am now halfway through with Linchpin bySeth Godin. I highly recommend both of these book at any educators who is interested about the science behind motivation or overcoming resistance to become and indispensable component of an educational organization.
Speaker: Andrew Cohen, Founder & CEO of Brainscape
The instructor’s PPT slides are brilliant. You’ve splurged on the expensive interactive courseware. Student engagement is stellar. So… why are half of your students still forgetting everything they learned in just a matter of weeks? It's likely a matter of cognitive science! With so much material to "teach" these days, we often forget to incorporate key proven principles into our curricula — namely active recall, metacognition, spaced repetition, and interleaving practice.
A Principal's Reflections
SEPTEMBER 30, 2012
'Over the past three years I have, in my opinion, dramatically grown as a school leader. The catalyst for a significant portion of this growth was my embracement of social media as a powerful leadership tool. For me social media opened the door to a variety of pathways to enhance my ability to lead a comprehensive high school is a way that was more relevant, meaningful, and impactful.
A Principal's Reflections
MARCH 1, 2012
'The following is a guest blog post by Dr. Greg Farley. Greg is the Director of Technology at Matawan-Aberdeen Regional School District and an Adjunct Professor and course developer at the Graduate Schools of Education at Monmouth University and Drew University. Greg also conducts workshops at K-12 schools and universities and mentors doctoral students and administrators in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
A Principal's Reflections
MAY 31, 2012
'Mrs. Kanchan Chellani, one of our math teachers here at NMHS, is very enthusiastic and creative. To engage students in her classroom, she has developed an interactive, student-centered learning environment. Through the use of technology, collaborative learning, and teaching mathematical concepts in the real-world and interdisciplinary context, she has managed to successfully work towards creating this desired positive and energetic blended learning environment.
A Principal's Reflections
APRIL 1, 2012
'The following is a guest post by Danielle McCartan. Danielle is a foreign language teacher at Ramapo High School in NJ and currently enrolled as a graduate student at the College of NJ. This is being posted with her permission. Society has evolved from the days of the infamous phone call: “Hi, did you get my e-mail?” Push notifications take care of that problem.
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A Principal's Reflections
DECEMBER 26, 2012
'Educators across the country are grappling with the Common Core Standards and the significant changes that have come with them. Many Districts spent the end of last year and this past summer re-writing curriculum to address the new standards while also spending a great deal of money providing needed professional development to teachers. With upgraded curricula and the knowledge gained from trainings teachers began in earnest this past September developing lessons to implement and assess the new
A Principal's Reflections
NOVEMBER 1, 2012
'Original post can be found at Teachercast. Dear Friends, The last few days have seen some of the most heartbreaking photos and videos coming out of the state of New Jersey. Even days after the tragedy of Hurricane Sandy, over 1 million New Jersey residents are still without running water or power. Today, we are announcing, along with other great educators across the state the #NJED Hurricane Sandy Supply Relief program.
A Principal's Reflections
AUGUST 9, 2012
'I was recently sent this video that puts into perspective the new type of learner that is entering our schools. The problem, however, is that the majority of schools across this country and beyond are doing very little to meet his/her diverse learning needs. Times are different and thus learners are different. Isn''t it about time that schools focus more on the learning needs of our students as opposed to preparing them to bubble in answers on tests or ensuring that they follow orders?
A Principal's Reflections
FEBRUARY 1, 2012
'Everyone that knows me is well aware of my professional affinity for Twitter. As I have previously mentioned many times on this blog, it was Twitter back in March of 2009 that served as a catalyst for my transformation into the leader that I am today. Prior to delving into this 140 character world I utilized traditional mediums for communication and professional development, had no idea what Web 2.0 was, and adamantly believed social media had absolutely no place in education.
Speaker: Chris Paxton McMillin, President of D3 Training Solutions
There are plenty of great authoring tools for developing eLearning, but the one you select could directly impact your course's outcomes. Depending upon your learners’ needs and your organization’s performance goals, you could be overlooking considerations that impact the both effectiveness of your courses and how long it takes to finish them. From general capabilities to specific workflow structures, some aspects are critical when it comes to learning objectives and deadlines.
A Principal's Reflections
JUNE 18, 2012
'As I reflect on my continuous evolution as an educational leader I am constantly amazed at how things have changed over the course of three years. It was in March of 2009 that I decided to give this social networking tool Twitter a try. At the time I was skeptical about whether my time was going to be well spent posting updates in 140 characters and whether or not people would actually care or be interested in what I was doing.
A Principal's Reflections
SEPTEMBER 5, 2012
'Well the summer is unofficially over and all I can say is that it was one of the most productive breaks I have had in recent memory from a reading standpoint. I made a commitment to set aside time to read, something that I have failed miserably at in the past. The challenge for me though was to select books that were not only engaging, but would push my thinking on educational leadership.
A Principal's Reflections
APRIL 23, 2012
'While attending the NSBA Annual Conference this past weekend, I had the opportunity to attend Sal Kahn’s keynote on Sunday. Khan is the creator of Khan Academy. He began his keynote by sharing a video montage of Khan Academy highlights and then presenting some impressive statistics on usage. To date, these statistics are: 140 million+ lessons delivered, 500 million+ exercises done, and 6+ million unique visits per month.
A Principal's Reflections
MAY 23, 2012
'For those of you who regularly read my blog you know how passionate I am about Twitter and its positive impact on my professional practice as a school leader. I am constantly advocating for other school leaders and educators to embrace this powerful tool to improve communications, enhance public relations, establish a positive brand presence, grow professionally through the formation of a Personal Learning Network (PLN), increase student engagement, and discover a world of opportunity.
Speaker: Amanda Davis, Chief Experience Officer and Liam O'Malley, VP of Association Solutions
The "new normal" is now a little less new, a little more normal. Does that mean your current LMS strategy is in need of a refresh? Is your organization or association leaning into the always-evolving eLearning environment to ensure you have the tools and content to remain relevant through all this change? There are many complex decision-making processes within your learning & development strategy and LMS lifecycle management, including: Selection.
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