Sentiments On Common Sense

Things tough at school?  Too much going on?  You getting pushed to the limit?  Are you stressed out??  Perhaps you just need a little validation.  Perhaps you need to just hear that you are a good person, well dressed and highly professional.  Perhaps you just need to smile and relax.

Try it on someone today. Validate them.  Give ‘em a ticket to a good day and watch them be more efficient, more effective and happier employees.

What?? Don’t know how to validate?  See video below.  I caught myself giggling at this one. My secretary had to come in and find out what I was laughing about.

Enjoy!

I am sometimes confused by all the new stuff on the web.  I didn’t think I was confused about Creative Commons until my Library / Media / Tech guru, Mr. Doug Johnson took some time to give me (and all of us) a clear lesson on the what’s, how’s and who’s of Creative Commons. The two part blog post is a draft of a magazine article for a school library magazine.  He is sharing his draft in hopes of getting feedback.

He writes in Part 1:

Creative Commons (CC) is an alternative to traditional copyright. The creator can assign a variety of rights for others to use his work – rights that are usually more permissive than copyright, but more restrictive than placing material in the public domain. CC makes sharing, re-using, re-mixing and building on the creative works of others understandable and legal.

In Part 2 , he really gets into the meat of the article.  I am going to have to reread it tonight and leave a comment for him, but my initial impression about his ideas on driving this idea into K-12 classrooms is noteworthy.  What better way to get kids to understand the idea of intellectual property rights than by having them assign the same Creative Commons rights to their own works.  Once the shoe is on the other foot, the students will be able to personalize the idea, and how to have their work shared, enhanced (mashed-up) to create new and bigger ideas.

Nice piece Doug!  Good luck with the article.

Picture courtesy of Creative Commons http://static.flickr.com/61/155031332_3953263b03.jpg

Technorati Tags: Doug Johnson, Creative Commons, Intellectual Property, K-12 Education

Recently at my school, the focus on of many a conversations in meetings, in staff rooms and in hallways is the need for forthcoming, open and honest communications between home and school. I spent some time this weekend doing some online research on some information to share with parents both online and in blogs written by administrators.  Below is my article which will appear in our publication later this week. Readers of Sentiments on Common Sense get a slightly edited preview.

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Family-School Partnerships – A Recipe for Success

According to the National Parent Teachers Association family involvement promotes student success. There’s more than 30 years of research to back that up.

• No matter what their family income or background may be, students with involved parents are more likely to:
• Earn higher grades and test scores.
• Be promoted, pass their classes, and earn credits.
• Attend school regularly.
• Have better social skills, show improved behavior, and adapt well to school.
• Graduate and go on to postsecondary education.

Plus, when families, schools, and communities work together,

• Student achievement improves,
• Teacher morale rises,
• Communication among parents, teachers, and administrators increases,
• Family, school, and community connections multiply.

As a former elementary school teacher, I urged the parents of my students to let me know if there were problems or concerns right away.  Most people were great about it.  They would let me know if I wasn’t communicating enough or if I was communicating too much!  They voiced concerns about their children’s learning progress.  Unfortunately, some of the parents of my students made the mistake of hold back their concerns till parent conferences. Some even held them back to long that they left me letters and notes on the last day of school. Those notes, while helpful for me, failed to help the one person that needed it most- the student!  In the case of a classroom teacher’s work, no news is not necessarily good news.
One of the best ways that parents can help their children succeed in school is to be involved with their education. This starts with communicating well with your child’s teacher. Basically, good communication involves meeting with the teacher, being a positive and courteous partner in your child’s learning, and keeping the lines of communication open in various ways throughout the year.

Consider these tips from the University of Florida:
1. Meet the teacher. Go to your child’s school open house or meet-the-teacher day. Even though time may be short, a few simple steps can show your interest and support:

• Introduce yourself and your child.
• Collect any information the teacher provides.
• Offer to help by signing up to donate items to the class or to volunteer for other jobs.

2. Go to parent-teacher conferences. Often schools schedule these sometime during the year. More information about how to get ready and what to ask can found at the following Web site: http://www.ed.gov/parents/academic/help/succeed/part8.html
Make sure that you schedule a conference if:

• Your child has special needs and your teacher needs to know this early in the year.
• Your child’s grades drop suddenly.
• You suspect that your child is having difficulty understanding her or his schoolwork.
• Your child is upset about something that happened in school – with peers, or with the teacher.
• Your child does not seem to have any homework.
• Something changes at home that may affect the student’s learning (e.g., new baby, parental illness, divorce, or upcoming move).

3. Find the right time to talk to the teacher. If you are at school, you may run in to teachers and be tempted to ask about how your child is doing.

• At school, ask the teacher if it is a good time to talk or when is most convenient for him or her. Just before or after school may not be the best times.
• If you run into a teacher around town, simply exchange pleasantries. This is not the time for a parent-teacher conference.

4. Write short notes and follow up. If you want a quick response to a question:

• Send a brief written note or an email message (if allowed) to the teacher with your question clearly stated.
• Include your phone number and/or email address.
• If you don’t hear back in a few days, follow up with a phone message to the school.

5. Follow email etiquette. Email is often a convenient and helpful way to communicate with your child’s teacher, but should follow the same guidelines for any professional communication.

• Be aware that teachers get many email messages – and have many other responsibilities during their day–and may not be able to respond immediately to yours.
• Identify your child and sign your name. Include a phone number where you can be reached if needed.
• Be diplomatic. You can’t take back an email message and email can be easily forwarded. Be calm, choose your words carefully and avoid criticizing the teacher. Don’t write and send an email when you are angry.
• Be brief and stick to the point. Don’t include animations, pictures, and graphics.
• Use upper and lower case, not all caps (that’s considered shouting).
• Stick to school-related matters. Don’t forward chain mail, jokes, or frivolous information.

6. Be positive and courteous. Many teachers are overworked and underappreciated. Speaking in positive ways opens up the lines of communication so you can work together to help your child succeed in school.
References:
http://www.pta.org/family_school_partnerships.asp
http://www.education.com/reference/article/Ref_Communicating_Childs

Technorati Tags: parent communications

My colleague and friend at International School of Bangkok, Mr. Jeff Utecht, invited me to collaborate on a list of interview questions that administrators might consider asking teaching candidates as they move to job fairs.  My school, like many in Asia and the world are planning the big move to 1:1 computing and beyond the preparations for the teachers we have on contract using an aggressive staff development model, we also must have strong new teachers to come on board and make it happen as well.

Jeff came to me last year with a list of questions which I thought were well thought out. I’ve written about the international school recruiting experience in the past. So it seems fitting that I post these questions that Jeff and I worked up (more him than me!) via a google doc.

So… here are the questions. I have attached the PDF for downloading below.

Questions for teachers entering a 1:1 school

What computer platform are you most comfortable with, Mac, PC or Tablet?
I think this is an important question as schools become focused on a platform. It’s not an indication of whether or not you are going to hire the person, but their answer to this question based on what your school is (Mac, PC, or Tablet) might lead you to ask other questions about their computer use. If they are most comfortable with a Mac for example you might ask them how they would feel working in a PC school? At this point in time I think it’s a question that you have to get on the table early so you each know where the other is coming from.

Why do you want to work in a 1:1 school?
In my opinion the answer to this question is crucial! I’m looking for excitement in their response. I’m looking for them to be excited at the opportunity that they get to teach in a 1:1 school. I think the answers are going to be all over the board, but are they excited? At some point hopefully they talk about enhancing student learning.

What particular challenges and learning opportunities excite you about working in a 1:1 school like ours?
Can the candidate articulate why they are excited to work at your school? Why do they see 1:1 schools as being exciting places to work. I would be looking for an answer that talks about changing the classroom environment. Changing the way teaching happens and the way learners learn. I want to hear about the opportunities that the candidate sees for their classroom and their subject area.

Being able to look up information and resources on the web is an important skill. Explain how you go about looking up information on the web. How do you verify that the information you found is trustworthy and of use to you and your students?
This question is asked to see if candidates understand the importance of verifying information found on the Internet. Do they understand .edu sites? Do they know how to check a WHOIS? Listen to their response and see if they can tell you how they verify information on the web and do they sound confident enough that they could teach this to students in their class?

Knowing we are a 1:1 school and that we expect students to use their laptops for learning. What is something that you would start learning and thinking about today to prepare you for this new learning environment?
I want to know they are thinking about the change that happens to the classroom when you introduce a computer to every child. Are they thinking about classroom management, are they thinking about online resources, are they thinking about how their class can be student-centered, how when you put this tool in the hands of students that you no longer control the content in your classroom and you, the teacher have just become a facilitator of learning. I want to know they are thinking about the changes that happen to learning. If they say that teaching is teaching, I’d be worried.

At what times do you feel that it would be appropriate to have “lids down”?  When do you believe a laptop is not a tool for appropriate use?
I think this would be telling. Many teachers stuck in the lecture/listen mode would tell you that when they want kids to “listen” or “work with others” an interviewer would have to pry.  Those of us who have used the tool as collaborative note taker (think live blogging  or back channel notes here!) know the power of this, but a traditional teacher may struggle with the giving away the power of the tools to the kids.

How comfortable are you with using online resources in your classroom? What are some resources you have used in the past? How have your found these resources?
Hopefully your candidate has used online resources in their class before and they can articulate what and how they use those resources. I would continue on this question asking probing questions that lead me to the next question on this list. Do they use Wikipedia? How do they use it? Do they only name online databases or paid sites? In part you might be able to learn about their ability to search and find information on the Internet through the answers to this question.

Tell me how you think the future you are preparing children for will be different?
I’d love to hear the answers to this one. Of course as an administrator, you too better understand the new connected digital world we are preparing students for.

How often do you/have you taken part in technology Professional Development opportunities?
We know that constant professional development in the use of technology is needed. Both before and during the implementation of a 1:1 program. I want to know that the teacher candidate has continued to seek out and find ways to learn about technology. If it has been years since they have been to any technology PD courses/conferences/sessions, then this is an indication that they will need some support.

On the other hand hopefully they answer with something like “I take part in Professional Development opportunities every day.” This response would definitely be a notch up for an applicant. It would tell me two things. 1. That the teacher candidate is and believes in being a lifelong learner. 2. That they understand how to learn and take opportunities everyday to learn by connecting themselves into a network of professionals either locally or virtually.

Do you read any professional magazines or educational blogs as part of your own PD? If so, which ones?
With this question you are trying to find out if the candidate is comfortable with reading online resources. I believe this question also is a good lead question into the other questions below as they give the candidate a heads up that you are looking for a teacher that really understands how a 1:1 classroom is different, and that you expect your teachers do be reading online, researching online, and using the Internet as a resource in their classroom.

Do you have an RSS reader? If so, what do you subscribe to?
This is a huge hiring point for me. If candidates say they have an RSS reader and they understand what RSS is and what it means to “subscribe” to something, then they are on their way to understanding how teaching and learning changes in a networked digital environment. It also indicates a lifelong learner who has some understanding of how the web is changing.

Do you belong to any online communities?
What communities does the teacher belong to? Twitter? Any educational Ning sites? A Google or Yahoo group maybe? If a teacher answers he/she belongs to an educational community, then you have a lifelong learner on your hands who is open to learning and thinking in new ways.

Do you have a Personal Learning Network? If so, can you tell me a story of how you learn from your network.
Now you’re starting to separate the wheat from the chaff. If you can find a teacher that A. Knows what a PLN is and B. Can tell you a story of how they learn, you are looking at a teacher who might not know the platform that your 1:1 program is, but knows they have people that can help them learn it. A teacher that knows how to use a Personal Learning Network (PLN) is a teacher that will need little “official” professional development as they will be learning on their own, and most likely will be a leader in your school in helping others to learn.

How often do others come to you for guidance in using technology? Do you offer guidance when not asked? If so, describe how you did this recently?
Is this teacher viewed as a technology leader by others? Chances are you already knew that based on questions above. In a 1:1 teaching environment you can never have to many technology and learning experts in your grasp.

PDF: Interview Questions for 1:1 Schools w/answers

PDF: Interview Questions for 1:1 Schools w/o answers

photo courtesy of creative commons http://static.flickr.com/3179/2887167256_9bcb0f2c40.jpg

Technorati Tags: Jeff Utecht, International schools, interview questions

See video below.  It pretty much says it all.

The beautiful woman in the video is my wife talking to my 5 year old. Poor Maddie has been living with her father’s idiosyncrasies for the past 5 days and boy is she gonna be glad to get her mother back.

Next time someone tell you that tech is pulling families apart, feel free to send them here.

Technorati Tags: Family Connection, see you soon, three squeezes