For when you miss out

This weekend, #EdCampNJ went down in North Brunswick, NJ.

 If you don't know what an EdCamp is about, check out this fantastic review by +Jeffrey Bradbury on http://www.edcampnj.org/what-is-edcamp/


I went last year and it was such a great event. So much so, that it changed my perspective on learning, leading, and teaching. The people that I met there, some from the Social Media edu-space, became good friends and people who continually shape my existence!

So, when they announced the registration for  the 2014 version of EdCampNJ, I jumped at the chance to sign up. I was excited, especially since I had just changed just districts and jobs. There were so many questions I wanted to ask and a few sessions ideas I had kicking around in my head. If you think I am feigning my excitement, do yourself a favor and ask anyone of the over 400 educators who went this year how valuable that day was. The conversations alone (along with, "gasp" free swag and pizza) make this day one of the best of the year. 

Picture of last year with some of the great Edu-Peeps in attendance. 

Work up early on Saturday, got my coffee game going and then, I hear the dreaded cough from mountain tops. My kids, specifically the little one, has a HUGE cold. Goops, gabs, mucus, and snoogies all ruining up and down his little face (yes, those are medical terms). My life shifted to dad mode while trying to make the little guy feel better but when the SECOND kid also work up with those medical anomalies, I knew it was a sign. 

My hopes of going to the unconfernce were dashed. 

I knew it was going to be a great day but I needed to stay with the family. Thankfully, ever so thankfully, these types of events just don't happen in person. They also happen over the internet via Twitter, Google Drive, and Hangouts. 

I was able to watch along as the fellas from #satchat brought up great guest after guest during their show. I was able to follow the hashtag and see what people were talking about in the sessions and I was able to actually see the session materials thanks to Google Drive!

It stinks when you have to miss out on something, especially something you know will benefit you, your staff, and your school district in general. 

It stinks that you can't be a part of something greater than yourself BUT.. and there is always a but, the event is great because of the people who attend and their willingness to share of themselves. 

So even though I couldn't make it:

THANK YOU #edcampNJ organizers for all your hard work.

THANK YOU educators, teachers, administrators, and tech gurus who gave of their time and ideas. 

THANK YOU #NJED and NJ for being the BEST place to work in. YOU ALL ROCK. 

A New Way Home

As human beings, we become accustomed to routines and daily doings. Whether it is from what we eat in the morning to how we meet and greet people; routines are important. When things in our lives change, it has a ripple effect and often times those ripples effect how we do things. Having a routine keeps is moving, alive, and active.

Just recently, I started a new job at Princeton Public Schools as Supervisor of Social Studies and Global Education. It has been an amazing two weeks so far. I have had the chance to meet so many enthusiastic and phenomenal educators and see the great work they are doing for the students who are in their classes and attend their schools. I have also had the chance to visit with my staff here in my home base and get to know them a little bit more as well (over pizza, which, in my estimation, is the best way to get to know someone).

While the job, the people, and the interactions have all been more than I could have hoped for, one thing has changed, my routines. Changing a routine isn't inherently a bad or good thing. It is just something that needs to happen. Changing a routine isn't like changing the channel. It takes time to ease into a new one and find out which one works for you.

My most pressing routine I need to change is how I get to work and what I listen to. Now this might not seem like a great deal but my car ride is my place to think about my daily events, what I need to do, and how I need to get them done. Usually, I have had time to listen to a podcast or two (Check out the BAM Radio Network for some great ones on Education: #edtechchat for one is a homerun). Now, my time is a bit different so I need to switch up what I listen to and how I get to and from work. Finding a new way home from work has been a great adventure.

Another one? What buildings I go to and how I will manage my day. Being new to the job and district gives me an opportunity to try new things out, like the Bullet Journal (Thanks, +Daniel Scibienski for this one). It is an analog way of keeping track of notes, events, and ideas. With this fresh start, it gives me some time to try new things out, including new note taking.

To check it out for yourself - http://bulletjournal.com/

My ride home is my own little Adventure Time. 

So - moral of the story? Don't be afraid to switch it up, not matter how big or small you believe the change is. Even if what you try out doesn't work, give yourself an excuse to try something new. Routines are great but so is change. Don't get stuck in a rut. 

Video O Da Week! - Episode I

In this new series, I will be re-posting great informational videos about Education, EdTech, Social Studies, Global Education, and Citizenship. With so many great sites and information being posted daily, I wanted to take the ones that I felt were the most useful and powerful and share them again on this blog.  

I will be posting these periodically and providing context and information to go along with it!

Here is the first in our series, originally posted on Edutopia: http://tinyurl.com/mzpeedg

Blended Learning: 

Making it Work in Your Classroom

A great site to help define what this learning program is all about and how you can start leveraging it in your classes NOW: What is Blended Learning? 

Chubby Bunny and Reasons to move away from Summative Assessments

As school starts this week for the majority of American Educational Institutions (and thank goodness for that), teachers prepare to introduce themselves to a whole new crop of students, go over procedures and talk about the dreaded "Grading Policy."

I recently read a piece on Edutopia about Formative Assessments, which you can find here: Dipsticks: Efficient Ways to Check for Understanding - I started to think long and hard about WHY these types of assessments do not get as much attention as their older, much more maligned sibling does. The summative assessment, for much of the modern world, is the end all to be all.

Benchmarks, Midterms, Finals, SGOs... summatives rule the roost in education right now. They are in the news, they are tied to teacher performance, and they are all some students think about because of the emphasis that is put on them. Teachers do their part too - they weight summative assignments much higher than other types of grades in their room to reinforce the severity, and finality, of these assessments. 

Summative assessments also keeps the great tradition of "cramming" for a test alive.

Cramming for a summative test is like trying to shove 100 marshmallows in your mouth at the same time while trying to say "Chubby Bunny." Have you ever tried to do that? It's not easy. You may get them all in but you aren't going to swallow them all and when it's time, its all going to come back out the same way in went in. Now try putting marshmallows in your mouth one by one without swallowing or letting them out out. Cramming information in your brain the days leading up to, and the night before, a big test is the same way. 

Teachers need to help students out. We need to focus more on the formative assessments because that is where true learning, reflective learning, takes place. Having common formative assessments can help with that and starting off with just a few in place to play with this year should happen. You can add these to your repertoire quite easily and they generally take very little to put into place in your classroom. 

Below is the cycle that ALL formative assessments have in common. A solid formative assessment will help and direct the teacher on how to teach that child, or group of children and help to CHANGE the direction of what was planned. They are to help inform all of what is going on, what needs to be addressed, and where things can potentially go. 

For instance, take exit cards. Students can give you a one sentence answer to what they learned or an answer to a well formed formative question right before they leave. That information can be, and should always be, used to shape the next days lesson depending on the answers. It gives the teacher a real chance to listen to their students and the students a real chance to let the teachers know, "Hey, I need some more time with this."

Formative assessments also allow the student to understand material in smaller chunks, like eating one marshmallow at a time. Using this method, its easier to swallow the information and keep it down, this focusing on the learning, not the actions of trying to keep it all in at once. 

Some great ideas for Formative Assessments can be found here: 

http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/what-are-formative-assessments-and-why-should-we-use-them


So while I don't think the big bad midterms and finals are going to go away anytime soon, formative assessments are the true key to helping your students understand what they are learning and will help them retain that information long after its been taught. 

So this year, put more emphasis on your checkups before your students checkout - you may be surprised with what you find out! 

Every new beginning ...

Moving on is hard. Change is hard. Leaving is hard. I am someone who enjoys consistency and a sense of familiarity. I like digging into someone, growing roots, so that whatever I am doing, where I am, whoever I am with, means something. I become socially, emotionally, and even physically invested with my whole being. 

For the past seven years, I have been growing my roots deep in Green Brook Township Public Schools, first as a teacher and the last two as Technology Coordinator and Supervisor of Instruction. These roots have dug deep as I have had the chance to personally teach over 500 students in that time, work with nearly 100 teachers, help improve the learning and education of nearly 1000 students and be involved in a fantastic small community. I have gone through many life changes here that I will never forget - marriage, home ownership, the arrival of my two children, rescuing a few pets along the way, finding out I wasn't that good at soccer (you get the picture). 

As the start of school is right around the corner, I cannot help but think about new beginnings, fresh starts, and the eagerness that I know I hold dear to my heart about this time of year and the good feelings it brings along with it. I think about new teachers, new students, and returning educators and the excitement they bring each and every day.

I am excited to start the school year off with my Green Brook family one last time but it is bittersweet knowing that it is my last one. Writing an email to my Green Brook family to let them know I has resigned as Supervisor of Instruction and Technology to accept a position in Princeton Public Schools as a Supervisor of Social Studies and Global Education was, and will always be, the hardest task I have had to do in my years there. 

I don't like saying goodbye - I don't like "uprooting" or "removing" my roots. I am thinking of this as a chance to plant new roots, but never forgetting to water my old ones as well. My family in Green Brook will never, ever, leave my heart and mind. I have made some near and dear friends that will be with me the rest of my life. 

New beginnings happen because something ended – it’s like that band Semisonic’s line “Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end.”

Thank you, Green Brook for the journey we took together, through all the ups, downs, laughs, and cries we shared together. 

So while this journey may be coming to an end, I am excited to start a new one in Princeton Public Schools come this October. 

Timothy J. Charleston

ALS Ice Bucket Challenge

Recently, and by recently I mean today, a good friend of mine and fellow connected educator, +Jay Eitner, challenged me to the #strikeoutALS #ALSicebucketchallenge. I accepted his offer with great pleasure.

Here's the proof below:







After doing it, and watching so many others, from Governor Chris Christie, the NY Jets, and so many others take the challenge, I became overwhelmed with good feelings. THIS is what social media is meant for!

So often, social media is demonized for being so negative and being the first to break bad news but this is something that is not only positive, it is for a great cause, to find a cure for ALS, or Lou Gehrigs disease.

Bravo, Social Media. Bravo, Society. You have taken one, very large step in redeeming yourselves.

Guest Article: Google Classrooms and Beating the RUT

In this weeks installment of guest posts, I have found two, GREAT articles from blogs of fantastic educators. 

First up, have you heard about Google Classroom? No? WHY NOT? 

Seriously, Google Classroom is going to be the game changer in education when it comes in intergration with Google Apps for Education. But don't take my word for it. Check out what Bethany Petty wrote:

Teaching with Technology: Classroom by Google is AWESOME!: I finally got my invitation to join Google Classroom! Have you? I never thought it would arrive! Of course, I dove right in...literally I ...

Next up, a great, though provoking post by Tony Sinainis about the upcoming school year and what you can do to get motivated for it and to get yourself out of the summertime blues and sadness. Tony is an award winning principal in New York who focuses on motivating learners to be their best and who they are. Check it out. 

Leading Motivated Learners: Rut: Dear Fellow Educators, As I sit down to begin officially preparing for the upcoming school year, there are a lot of ideas and questions...

Finally, a guest Video Post from Hillsborough, New Jersey, the town I live in! Hillsborough is doing some wonderful things with Google and with their Chromebook and Nexus tablet initiatives. They have put out a few great videos documenting how they use it and this one is right up there. Its all about using Google Forms for Math!

Can't wait to send me kids to school here!

Featured Guest Post - Life of an Educator: Dear Principal

I love reading blogs, especially those of other educators who I admire and strive to learn more from. Justine Tarte is one of those educators. He recently wrote a post on his own blog from the perspective of a teacher to a principal regarding the upcoming school year and things they would like them to do (or do differently). 

It was a great post that was deep and though provoking for all administrators as we move forward into the new school year. As a true, first year administrator as well, it gave me reason to think about how I would like to approach this year. 

I want to come out the gates quick and with a ton of energy and passion. And I know my teachers do to. But the school year is a marathon, not a sprint. I don't want to burn out my teachers the first weeks of school nor do I want to push them so hard that they push back even harder. As Justin points out, some of my teachers are coming back with their own ideas that they learned over the summer. They want to try out some of things they learned, or didn't have time for last year.

 So, let them try it our their way. Help them grow and learn from mistakes. 

Just like a Zombie Run, school years are a marathon. Take your time, pace yourself and run with a pack. 

You can follow Justin on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/justintarte

Check it article below:




Life of an Educator: Dear Principal: Some things I need you to know...: Dear Principal, I'm sure you are just as excited as I am for the upcoming school year. The summer has been full of learning for me an...

Changes to NJ DOE Teacher Observations

Taken directly from : http://www.state.nj.us/education/news/2014/0714eval.htm

Christie Administration Provides Greater Flexibility
In Preliminary Years of Teacher Evaluation

For Immediate Release	Contact: Michael Yaple Rich Vespucci
Date: Wednesday, July 14, 2014	609-292-1126

Trenton, NJ – The Christie Administration today announced that the state Department of Education will provide greater flexibility to school districts in the two student achievement components of teacher evaluations, including the introduction of a review process for teachers' 2013-14 school year summative ratings.

"The Department of Education has slowly and methodically rolled out new standards and assessments.  Throughout the process we have continually and consistently listened to the voices of thousands of educators, and we continue to do so now that we have a full year of statewide implementation to learn from," said Acting Education Commissioner David Hespe. "By actively engaging all stakeholders, New Jersey is able to move forward with an educator assessment program that will help teachers improve their craft, and ultimately provide the high level of education that every New Jersey child deserves."

For school year 2014-15, the Department is modifying the weights of student growth components in teacher evaluations as measured by the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness of College and Careers (PARCC) assessments and as measured by a teacher's individualized student growth objectives.  

Teachers who teach 4th through 8th grade Language Arts and Mathematics – approximately 20 percent of all classroom teachers statewide – will continue to use two student growth measurements as part of their evaluation. For the 2014-15 school year, these teachers' evaluations will be comprised as follows: 10 percent will be based on student academic growth as measured by statewide assessments, 20 percent will be based on student academic growth as measured by individualized student growth objectives, and 70 percent will be based on observations. For the 2015-16 school year, their evaluations will be comprised as follows: up to 20 percent, to be determined by the Department, will be based on student academic growth as measured by statewide assessments, 20 percent will be based on student academic growth as measured by individualized student growth objectives, and 60 percent will be based on observations.

The previous system called for student academic growth to represent 30 percent of teacher evaluations, with 55 percent classroom observations and 15 percent student growth objectives (student growth objectives are specific student learning targets that are developed between teacher and principal, rather than based on a uniform statewide assessment).

The use of student growth as a factor in teacher evaluations was one of the requirements of the Teacher Effectiveness and Accountability for the Children of New Jersey Act, or TEACH-NJ, which the Legislature unanimously passed in 2012. The modifications announced today continue to adhere to the requirements of the law.

For teachers who do not receive a student growth measurement derived from a statewide assessment, their 2014-15 and 2015-16 school year evaluations will be comprised as follows:  20 percent will be based on student academic growth as measured by individualized student growth objectives and 80 percent will be based on observations. Previously, the classroom observations counted for 85 percent.

The Department will also offer flexibility to teachers in reviewing their evaluation ratings for the 2013-14 school year.  Specifically, any teacher who receives an evaluation rating of Ineffective or Partially Effective due to the outcome of the scoring of the student growth objectives will be eligible to ask for a review of their rating.  The Department plans to release additional details regarding this review process later this summer.  Further, the Department will continue to offer targeted training on the development of student growth objectives throughout the next school year. 
 
"Research has shown that the single most important in-school factor in improving a child's education is a high quality teacher, " Acting Commissioner Hespe said.  "The overarching goal – to ensure children in New Jersey have their education provided by a high quality teacher – remains unchanged."

Gov. Christie talks about a Task Force to review K-12 Student Assessments

Taken from here: http://www.state.nj.us/governor/news/news/552014/approved/20140714a.html

Executive Order Creates Nine Member Panel to Assess and Provide Recommendations

Trenton, NJ – Governor Chris Christie today signed Executive Order No. 159 instituting a study commission that will review the effectiveness of all K-12 student assessments administered in New Jersey.  The Commission is charged with reviewing and providing appropriate recommendations about the effectiveness of the volume, frequency, and impact of student testing occurring throughout New Jersey school districts, including those administered for college admission, college credit, and college pathways.  The creation of this Commission will also help ensure the effectiveness of the Core Curriculum Content Standards, including the Common Core State Standards, and the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness of College and Careers (PARCC) assessments.

“This Administration is committed to the educational success of every child, no matter the zip code,” said Governor Christie.  “Since 2010 we’ve enacted a series of measures that implement rigorous standards, develop excellent educators, and use high quality student assessments to gauge the progress of student learning and the effectiveness of classroom instruction. Establishing this commission is just another step in ensuring we’re providing the best quality education possible to our students .”

Governor Christie has repeatedly reaffirmed his commitment to providing a high-quality education to every New Jersey child through a focus on improving teacher quality while expanding choices for families in failing school districts:

• For the fourth year in a row, Governor Christie has set a historic high for State spending for education. Total direct State aid to schools is over $12.9 billion.

• In August 2012, the Governor signed into law the Teacher Effectiveness and Accountability for the Children of New Jersey (TEACHNJ) Act, marking the first extensive reform of New Jersey’s teacher tenure law in over 100 years. In November of that same year, the Administration worked with teachers to bring  the first performance-based pay system to Newark Schools. 

• The Christie Administration also has worked to increase the overall number of charter schools in New Jersey to 94, while focusing on quality and holding all schools accountable for results by closing 10 low-performing charter schools. Through measures such as the Urban Hope Act, Governor Christie has expanded educational options for children and their families by authorizing “renaissance schools” in Camden, Newark and Trenton to address failing schools in urban communities.

• The Interdistrict Public School Choice program  is increasing educational opportunities for students with the option of attending a public school outside the district of residence and without cost to parents.

• Governor Christie took decisive action to reform the Camden School District. The Christie Administration, through the new state-appointed superintendent and leadership team, and in coordination with local and community leaders, is taking direct oversight in implementing the necessary reforms of the school district to start delivering better results for Camden students and their families.

Membership of the Commission will be comprised of 9 appointees who have practical experience, knowledge, or expertise in the areas of education policy or administration and will serve without compensation.  The Commission will have the ability to consult with education stakeholders, practitioners, experts or other knowledgeable individuals in the public or private sector on any aspect of its mission. 

An initial report of recommendations will be presented to the Governor no later than December 31, 2014, with a final report to be issued  by July 31, 2015. 

The Commission will expire upon the Governor’s receipt of a report containing their final recommendations and a final report will be provided to the Legislature and made available to the public.

A copy of Executive Order No. 159 [pdf 25kB]

# # #

A new "side" project

This is the time of year when I truly believe school is at its most "crazy." Projects, trips, end of school, start of summer. Its a whirlwind race to the end. It's also a great time to start thinking about the future, next year, passion projects, and the like. 

Last week, I finally had the chance to hook up with +Christopher Nesi for his great podcast, House of #EdTech, in which I was the featured content! (What an honor!!!)

Great production, website, podcast - Chris has got the whole shabang down pat!

We had been trying to get together over the past month but due to the addition to my family and a few other items, we hadn't been able to do it. While when we did, it was fantastic to say the least. Chris is a top notch professional who makes you feel like you had known him for years. His questions, comments, and overall feel to the podcast were so crisp and clean, that its truly no wonder that his podcast is burning up the Podcast Charts over in iTunes! It was a true pleasure to be on his show and something I would do again in a heartbeat.

Check out the links below to check out my conversation with Chris on the House of #edtech!

Chris's website - http://mr.chrisnesi.com/

Stitcher Radio - House of #EdTech

After the podcast, we were just chatting and I had mentioned that I love the idea of podcasting. He told me something... why don't you start a podcast? 

Me? A podcast? Do I even have the voice for it? Where do I start? What would it even be about? What program would I use to record? Do I even own a microphone?

That idea has been bouncing around my head for the week. Finally, I knew. I had to do something about it. I had to start a podcast. 

So, this is my open letter to the world - I will be starting a podcast in the next few weeks, no doubt about it. But I don't want my podcast to be the same old thing that's been done. I want to talk about education in a real way. I want to give my honest opinion on things and I want my guests (if I have them on!) to do the same. I want to have a broad range of topics from differing perspectives on teaching, learning, and engagement that can help many educators, parents, and students. 

Most of all, I want to have fun doing it and I want people to think while listening to it. 

With that said, be on the look out for ...

We're All In This Together

The title of my post may be misleading. Let me explain:

Over the past year, I have worked with fantastic educators, locally and across the USA (and the world!). This month, though, is a time for change in education.A time when we see colleagues and friends move on  to other district, jobs, or to Florida for those who are hanging it up for good. It is one of the hardest months for me because each and every year, I see co-workers move own to greener (and sometimes not so greener) pastures. some in education and some out of it entirely. Just this past month, my district lost its Superintendent and a few great teachers to other districts. 

It has been an up and down month. One where you want to write about it but don't know how to get those feelings out.

Being on vacation this week has allowed me to unwind a bit and of course, that is when the ideas start coming in. Today was one of those days that just grabs you. You know, a day when all of the ideas you have been trying to work on for the past few months come rushing at you like a title wave of energy and excitement. A day when you weren't expecting productivity but found it in the strangest of places. 

My strange place happened to be on the couch, watching the Disney channel.

I was flipping through the channels and for some reason, the movie "High School Musical" was on. For some other reason, I stopped clicking and decided to watch it right as their big dance number was up, entitled "We're All in This Together." If you haven't heard the song, check it out online. It's catchy and a good summer time jam. 

That song, that title, their energy reminded me of what we in education did this year. It reminded me about how I truly felt about the educators we lost this year to attrition, movement, or retirement. 

I wasn't sad, angry, or upset. It just clicked. It just all made sense. This isn't a month of mourning, its a month of endless possibilities. 

We are all fighting the same fight, we are all in this together- FOR THE KIDS. 

While it's bittersweet that I am losing some great co-workers, I am happy by the prospect that I now have friends and colleagues in other districts. These are new connections that were not there last year. My mind is already spinning with the possibility of cross-district planning, projects, and events! 

I am also excited to see the new crop of educators who will come through those doors with that "students-first" mentality and energy that knows no bounds. 


Even though the halls may be empty now, my mind is FULL is ideas. Thanks, Disney Channel.

PS - for your viewing pleasure...

Teachers, Meet Graphite

In education and technology, there is always the "new" thing that is out there. For educators to research products, see if they are worthwhile to use, check to see how they can align to the CCSS and then use it in the classroom can takes weeks, even months.

Graphite helps to solve that issue. Put out by Common Sense Media, Graphite collates and curates only the best, top rated applications and programs for educational purposes, reviews them, shows what grades they would be best for, and aligns them to the different ELA and Math Common Core State Standards. For educators, this is a win-win. You only get so much time with your students that you can't waste it searching for products that may not be a good fit.

Stop wasting time and start searching smarter. BTW - Common Sense Media ranks the apps by top picks and has a Teacher Center where teachers can share info about those apps right on the site. Check them out at http://www.graphite.org/.

Great Storytelling tips from Pixar

Pixar's 22 Rules to Phenomenal Storytelling from Gavin McMahon

BYOD Model Lessons

Over the past two years, Green Brook has been developing a Bring Your Own Device policy for our students to bring in their personal devices to use for learning. Part of the process of implementing this policy is to give sustained, professional development to our teachers so that they can see what BYOD is all about and how to use it in their classrooms. 

Mrs. +Sarah Diczok - Vajtay  and Mrs. Laura Philip, two amazing educators at GBTPS, became our model teachers and educators during this PD process. Laura and Sarah created model lessons in their classes. We then used a peer-to-peer observation model to invite small groups of teachers in to view the lesson LIVE and in person. The first groups were based off of content areas but the second groups were mixed. The small groups were also invited to participate in a group reflection period right after the lesson to talk about what they saw, issues with BYOD, and how to overcome the pitfalls of using devices in your teaching. 

The road to a BYOD pilot has not been easy and it has come with many challenges, some of which we have not even faced yet but so far since the pilot started in March, our network hasn't imploded, our classrooms are still buzzing, and our teachers are using BYOD ideas to help deliverer great lessons.

The results have been more than what anyone could have hoped for!! During the last two lessons, our educators learned about using devices as great learning and teaching tools in a variety of ways. 

1. Using Socrative or a QR code to start off a lesson or Do Now. 
2. Implementing a short video to provide notes. 
3. Device management using similar terms such as "show me" or "devices down."
4. Large and small group assessment 
5. Lesson closures via collaborative tools such as NearPod

The purpose of these types of lessons is to give our educators a chance to see what BYOD looks like to give a picture of what it can look like in theirs. While the pilot is just starting to finish up for our 8th grade students, the hope is to expand the pilot to other grades in our schools so that even more teachers and students can use these powerful devices as learning/teaching tools and to help their classrooms knock down walls and engage in true, 21st century learning models. 

Mrs. Diczok-Vajtay talking about Socrative with her students. 

Eager Listeners Pt. I 

Eager Listeners Pt. II

Engaged students. 

Devices down procedure. 

Listening to a video and taking notes. 

Just to be nominated...

Through ups and downs, highs and lows, I have always found solace and comfort in knowing that I was not alone in my journey in education. Whether it be my great colleagues at Green Brook Township Public Schools, my family, friends, or my ever growing PLN (personal learning network), I knew I could count on them for an ear, a hand, or a heart. 

After watching Frozen with my daughter for the first time on Sunday night (yes, I know, we are a little behind in our movie watching, jeez, just LET IT GO), I got an e-mail that I was nominated for a 2014 Bammy Award for School Technologist! My great friend and colleague, Jay Eitner, Superintendent of Lower Alloways Creek, had nominated me for this prestigious award. Even though the winning would be great, I am honored and appreciative just to be nominated!

Nuggling watching Frozen!

If you don't know what a Bammy Award is or what they are all about, take a look:

What the Bammy Award is, what it is not

"The Bammy Award is based on the notion that collaboration, making a contribution and making a difference is more significant than personal achievements. Consequently, a Bammy Award is not a statement or measure of the honoree’s superior professional performance, abilities, credentials, qualifications, certifications, professional accomplishments or personal achievements (though all of these may be relevant).  Ultimately, all individuals are being honored for their contributions. Consequently, making the short list or ultimately receiving a Bammy Award is a community-wide honor for being an exceptional contributor, not a statement of superiority or a badge of victory. The word "winner" is simply out of step with the spirit of the Bammy Awards.

Congruent with the spirit and intent of the program, all participants and honorees acknowledge that a Bammy Award  cannot be “won.” That the term “won” should not be used in referring to the Bammy Award, and that the use of the word “win”or "winner" when referencing the award or the recipient  is a breach of the spirit of the awards."

 
I urge YOU to nominate others who have contributed to education in a way that has helped change the game! 
You can certainty vote for me here, but take a look at all the other great nominees as well! Thank you so very much for your kind support! :)

http://www.bammyawards.com/

Fearless Leaders - Pt. III

Being who you are, not being ashamed of it, is one of the cornerstones of being happy. 

As educators and leaders, we need to teach kids, at a young age, that it is okay to be who you are. There is no shame in who you are. We are all equal. 

Leaders inspire by working with us, working for us, and working for the betterment of us all. Let's hope we can all be who we are and continue to inspire others to be who they are. 

The Socratic Process

Here is a great web image on one of my favorite, and probably oldest, teaching techniques - The Socrative Questioning Method!

Wikipedia summarizes it as "The phrase Socratic questioning is used to describe a kind of questioning in which an original question is responded to as though it were an answer. This in turn forces the first questioner to reformulate a new question in light of the progress of the discourse."

Fearless Leaders - Pt. II

If we take what Mr. Mandela states about success and failure, it is not how much we succeed that matters. It is how many times we get up in spite of failure.

In education, I constantly tell our teachers and students that it is okay to FAIL, as long as you learn from it and get back up and try again.

To FAIL = First attempt in learning.

Someone stated to me a few weeks back that failure in learning IS learning. If our students get the answer right the first time and we never push them to try new things and fail, then we are not doing our jobs as educators correctly. We need to push our students to fail. We need to help them learn and understand what those failures mean and how they can then turn them into successes.

Fearless Leaders - Part I

Just some inspiration to get you through your day, week, or month! Always speak up and stand up for what you believe in, especially if it is for our students.