Excitement filled the room as curriculum specialists and web designers from four universities designed the coolest unit design template. There was no shortage of ideas with valid arguments about what should be included in the final design.
Later, the excitement was quite different when I introduced this template to my first group of teachers. As the template was revealed, I could see the teachers deflate in their chairs. I'll never forget the hope in their faces turning into something more life…
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Added by Preston Webster on November 26, 2009 at 8:30pm —
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1. I can post video clips, articles, websites, etc. Maybe I can use these posts to drive discussion about issues like smoking, messages in the media (big tobacco and alcohol ads)
2. For their Drug Presentations - Students can create a NING profile about their drug instead of a power point! They can post information, anti - whatever their drug is ad. Would this be conducive to covering all of the various topics the students need to cover? Usually that's quite a bit of information.
After discuss…
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Added by Dan Weller on November 24, 2009 at 11:24am —
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My first thought is to use NING as a way to keep and revise thinking about the major topics in the ES curriculum.
1. For instance, rather than using sticky notes/index cards every time we want to discuss a new question, maybe students could just respond to a Blog post or discussion on NING. As we learn, can we update our thinking as class blocks/small groups/individuals on the NING?
2. Studying - Discussion forums in quiz/test prep.
3. Collaboration - Groups might use the NING site to discuss…
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Added by Dan Weller on November 24, 2009 at 10:00am —
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I am a fan of the way in which the blogosphere can pluck an article from the news and give it a life of its own. Not quite the Susan Boyle phenomenon but close. One such news story is the NYT's 11/20/09 article, "
Tips for the Admission Test...to Kindergarten." You can now find this article linked in countless tweets and written abou…
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Added by Joseph R. Stefani on November 23, 2009 at 4:22pm —
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I feel much more focused after today's worktime. Walking in I felt like I was swimming in a black hole of indecision. I now am zoned in. My next step is to create an observation instrument.
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Added by Kathy Waggoner on November 23, 2009 at 3:27pm —
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Students in 5th grade math often will ask "why do we need to know or learn this"?
I want my students to understand the connection between what they learn in 5th grade math and the outside world or its importance in any field of study.
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Added by Nancy on November 23, 2009 at 1:53pm —
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My PGP is about assessment and feedback. Based on my survey results, I need to provide more of the following:
*opportunities for students to assess their learning and their understanding
*opportunities for students to reflect on their learning and their understanding to plan future strategies
*opportunities for feedback
*opportunities to reflect on feedback to plan future strategies
*study techniques
I do some of these some of the time, but I need to infuse this in my daily routine. Every day…
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Added by Helena Wullert on November 23, 2009 at 1:43pm —
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Advising Sophomores...
Do boys and girls show stress differently? I wonder if a girl might say, "I'm so stressed," and get a positive, warm, nurturing response from a teacher, while boys might push back, feel defensive, panic, and get an impatient teacher response.
Reflections on the calendar...is it a good idea to take stock as a grade, sharing resources, etc. or is it a better idea to be free range, just going from topic to topic?
Would it be possible to talk about boyhood transition to man…
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Added by Ellen on November 23, 2009 at 9:51am —
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Online School for Girls
Newsletter November 2009
Last week, in Nashville, Tennessee, a group of three students sat around a lunch table with their teacher.
In itself, this is not unusual at most of our schools. However, what made this lunch unique was that the teacher, Heather Mannella, was from Westover School in Connecticut, and her students from Harpeth Hall School in Nashville were enrolled in her online Genetics course. When they met in person there were hugs all around. Heather kn…
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Added by Brad on November 19, 2009 at 2:14pm —
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I'd like to share an email I sent yesterday to the faculty and staff of my school. This was my attempt to encapsulate the NEIT experience and to provide opportunities for people to explore the content as well.
Thanks to
Alex Ragone for the prompt.
Enjoy!
Greetings, Last week five of us attended the
NEIT Conference at Mohonk…
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Added by Matthew Lipstein on November 18, 2009 at 12:38pm —
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Added by Liz Davis on November 18, 2009 at 9:38am —
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I could hear my heart beating in my chest as I drove up to the Mohonk Mountain House, the site of the NEIT (New York State Association of Independent Schools (N) Education (E) Information (I) Technology (T) conference. I was excited, but also nervous at the end of my 3.5 hour d…
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Added by Liz Davis on November 18, 2009 at 9:21am —
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I've been asked to design and teach a 1 or 2 session adult ed course on social networking, including Facebook and Linkedin, and perhaps Twitter. The participants may likely be seniors, though these days I'm not exactly sure what age constitutes a senior. I can craft the curriculum in any format I like and decide the time frame. There is only one catch – we will not be using computers.
I am intrigued by this for two reasons. The first is my love of participating in professional development and a…
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Added by Laurie Bartels on November 14, 2009 at 6:30am —
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Added by Chris Smith (Shamblesguru) on November 11, 2009 at 12:55am —
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I liked Geraldine Fabrikant's 11/7
NYT article,
Prep Schools Face Cuts in Student Aid, but to me it is not the most compelling story of the intersection between independent schools and the struggling US economy.
To me the most compelling story is what is happening to those schools who were living hand to mouth prior to the economic downturn. For these schools, endowments are small or non-existen…
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Added by Joseph R. Stefani on November 10, 2009 at 5:00pm —
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There is a rapidly growing group on Facebook which is compiling letters by teachers on our country's education policies to be sent to President Obama. I believe that we as independent school teachers can be a major contributing voice to this project. I know my Humanities 7 class erupted in cheering and applause this year when they learned they didn't have to take the MCAS, and I know many public school teachers who tell me they appreciate that I do what I do because it would be difficult if not…
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Added by Bill Ivey on November 8, 2009 at 12:27pm —
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Susan Engel's
New York Times OpEd, "
Teach Your Teachers Well" has some fine ideas about teacher development but unnecessarily slams graduate education programs, their hard working professors, and their students. Let's start with the bad news according to Engels; "the strongest students are often in colleges that have no interest in education,…
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Added by Joseph R. Stefani on November 5, 2009 at 5:02pm —
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The
Wilson Quarterly has a worthwhile article that takes on the notion that books are becoming less central to out cultural life. In "
Three Tweets for the Web," Tyler Cowen chooses not to dispute the displacement of books but rather champions the web of information that is becoming central to our cultural lives. By that he is referring not to the torrent of information on the web bu…
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Added by Joseph R. Stefani on November 3, 2009 at 6:26am —
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Every fall a global project takes place led by
Julie Lindsay and
Vicki Davis. This year over 220 students from

5 countries will research trends in information technology and globalizatio…
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Added by mrsdurff on October 30, 2009 at 9:58pm —
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As a twenty year educator I'm a bit of a school geek. By that I mean that I'm fascinated with some quirky aspects of schooling. When my nieces start a new school year I want to know what they're taking, no not "English, history, math, etc." but really what they are taking, what is name of the course? what is the topic? what book are you using? etc. Mostly they're patient. I love looking at schools from the outside and thinking about the message that is being sent by the building. I drive to Sout…
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Added by Joseph R. Stefani on October 29, 2009 at 11:00am —
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