Over the last month, several educators (including quite a few in my own network) have launched new communities in Ning. I’m looking forward to joining the conversations that will unfold as others join and connections begin to build. Hope you will add to our learning! Jenny Luca and Jackie Gerstein have launched Students 2.0 and are opening dialogue around the potential for this exciting new space for kids. Heidi Hayes Jacobs has invited everyone to…
Students 2.0 is a new network for young people that will be facilitated in large measure by young people, with a bit of support from some older people who try to remain young at heart ; ). From the ning: Students 2.0 is a network for learners to connect independently with other students and with mentors in order to shape educational paths and experiences which may be outside of traditional institutions. We encourage you to…
This week, several people in my professional learning network have asked me to stream my demo lessons and share more photos of the work that I do inside of schools. Explaining why I can’t do that in 140 characters or less on Twitter is something of a challenge, so for what it’s worth, I’m sharing my thoughts about it here. The truth is, I wrestle with issues regarding transparency and boundaries quite a bit. Sometimes,…
Hey–there is an interesting conversation taking place over here. I jumped in because the issues raised here are particularly relevant to the work that I….and a whole lot of other people I know…..do. A theme has been emerging from my own learning over the last few years, and Bass digs into it in ways that I respect. He advocates for leading change by beginning with what is. He speaks to a reality that I understand,…
Last week, I had the opportunity to facilitate the first session of WNYLIT, a new forum for literacy leaders in our area, hosted at the Carrier Center in Angola, New York by the fine folks at Erie 2 BOCES (thanks Theresa)! Twenty literacy coaches, administrators, and teachers came together to explore the benefits and challenges of building relationships with those aim to serve. We used a protocol for rich text discussion to explore several pieces…
Jennifer started a timely conversation. I hope you’ll join in……..
So last week, I was planning my work with teachers in a district that is beginning to design curricula. At one point, I knew we’d be taking a peek at the draft of the new Core Standards, and I wanted to provide everyone the opportunity to highlight different aspects of the draft that they were interested in discussing together. My inclination was to show them Awesome Highlighter, a nifty little tool that allows for highlighting…
I’ve been spending more time in nings than anywhere else online over the last long stretch of time. Some of my favorites include the English Companion ning, Working Together 2 Make a Difference, and the WNY Young Writers’ Studio ning. This weekend, I stumbled upon another place that you might consider visiting as well. Making Curriculum Pop is a community for those interested in teaching with or about pop culture. Some interesting conversations unfolding over…
Young writers and educators are invited to join the fellows of the WNY Young Writers’ Studio at our first annual Celebration of Writing, which will be held on June 5th from 9:30am until noon at Pinnacle Charter School in Buffalo, New York. This year’s theme is A Celebration of Writers and Teachers in Progress. What makes this event special? All of the kids who are helping to facilitate it and the possibilities that our format…
Although I may not be spending quite as much time blogging this year, I’ve been finding myself far more active elsewhere online, and in my travels, I’ve found much to recommend. I’ll still be reflecting on what I’m learning and discovering here, but much of that is happening on the ground inside of the classrooms that I get to work in and in some of these spaces: The WNY Young Writers’ Studio is about to…