Common Core and School Librarians School Library Monthly/Volume XXVIII, Number 1/September-October Common Core and School Librarians: An Interview with Joyce Karon by Pamela K. Kramer Pamela K. Kramer is a former school librarian, Deputy Executive Director of AASL, Director of the DuPage Library System in Geneva, IL, and is a consultant with Pamela K. The Common Core Standards (CCS) are at hand! I asked Joyce Karon, a former school librarian, district coordinator, former member of the Illinois State Board of Education and the Illinois Board of Higher Education, to discuss these standards with me. Q: What are the Common Core Standards? A: The simple answer is that they are academic standards for K-12 education designed to prepare students for college and career readiness. Q:How are the CCS similar to or different from other standards? A: To begin with they are clearer. Q: What do the standards mean for students, for teachers? A: We all agree that students have a right to a good education. References: I-SAIL. I-SAIL.
Chromebook Tips Every Teacher Should Know Cards on the table, we love Chromebooks. They’re a fast, relatively low-cost portal to powerful learning opportunities. And that’s what we want out of classroom technology: something to push learning beyond current limitations. We collected some next-level tips every Chromebook-using instructor should know: Shortcuts! There are tons of em. Ctrl+N: New window Ctrl+T: New tab Ctrl+Shift+W: Close current window Ctrl+Tab: Next tab Ctrl+Shift+Right/Left Arrow: Select text one word at a time Ctrl+Shift+Up/Down Arrow: Select text one line at a time Alt + F or Alt + E: Opens Chrome settings menu Alt+1, Alt+2: Navigate between different windows Ctrl+Shift+a: Select all Alt+Tab: Go to next window Ctrl+F: Find Shift+Search: Caps lock/disable caps lock You Can Still Have a Home Icon You can get a “home” icon on your omnibar by navigating to “settings” and then “appearance.” Screencast Like A Pro There are a few different ways you can screencast on your Chromebook. Are You Pinning Tabs? Using a Chromebook now?
AASL Standards for the 21st-Century Learner Skip to main content ALA User Menu Search form A Division of the American Library Association You are at: ALA.org » AASL » Learning Standards & Program Guidelines » Standards for the 21st-Century Learner Share this page: Share on Facebook Share on Google+ Share on Pinterest Print Standards for the 21st-Century Learner Standards for the 21st-Century Learner offer vision for teaching and learning to both guide and beckon our profession as education leaders. Rights and permission on the use of the learning standards. Downloading & Ordering You can download the Learning Standards as an eight-page full-color pamphlet: You can also purchase the learning standards in packets of 12 from the ALA Online Store. Prices are $13.50 for members; $14.95 for non-members. *This publication complements the Standards for the 21st-Century Learner in Action and Empowering Learners: Guidelines for School Library Programs. © 1996–2015 American Library Association
Rigor is NOT a Four-Letter Word How to Teach Students to Evaluate the Quality of Online Information The volume of information available on the Internet is astounding, and it just keeps growing. Business intelligence company DOMO estimates that 571 new websites are created every minute. With that amount of information, it can be difficult for students to separate the gems from the garbage, but, fortunately, we can help them navigate online information easily and efficiently. What Students Currently Think of Online Information Image via Flickr by USACE Europe District Students today don’t know a world without the Internet, but that doesn’t mean they know how to think critically about what they see online. Coiro suggests strategies to help students to effectively evaluate what they see on the Internet, practice refuting what is on the Internet, and cross-check claims. Identifying Good Content There are a few checks and balances to ensure that online content is indeed credible. Learning to Use Websites Effectively Students may not understand the differences in quality between websites.
Standardized Testing | K12 Academics Standardized testing is used as a public policy strategy to establish stronger accountability measures for public education. While the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) has served as an educational barometer for some thirty years by administering standardized tests on a regular basis to random schools throughout the United States, efforts over the last decade at the state and federal levels have mandated annual standardized test administration for all public schools across the country. The idea behind the standardized testing policy movement is that testing is the first step to improving schools, teaching practice, and educational methods through data collection. Proponents argue that the data generated by the standardized tests act like a 'report card' for the community, demonstrating how well local schools are performing.
Answering questions about library impact on student learning This essay reports on a project which evaluated the Understanding Library Impacts (ULI) protocol, a suite of instruments for detecting and communicating library impact on student learning. The project was a dissertation study conducted with undergraduates enrolled in upper-level and capstone history classes at six U.S. colleges and universities in 2011. My first essay for In the Library with The Lead Pipe introduced the protocol and provided background on the approach. This essay uses selected results from the 2011 project to demonstrate how the protocol works and suggests ways readers can get involved with future ULI projects. High expectations for higher education These are trying times in U.S. higher education. Support for teaching and learning is at the heart of most academic library mission statements. Just what outcomes do libraries influence? In my opinion, doing nothing is not an option. The ULI protocol is designed to meet this challenge. What are student learning outcomes?
A Project-Based Learning Cheat Sheet For Authentic Learning A Project-Based Learning Cheat Sheet by TeachThought Staff Like most buzzwords in education, “authenticity” isn’t a new idea. For decades, teachers have sought to make student learning “authentic” by looking to the “real world”–the challenges, technology, and communities that students care about and connect with daily. You’ve probably been encouraged in the past to design work that “leaves the classroom.” Reach beyond the school walls. We’re going to take a closer look at progressive approaches to teacher planning whenever Terry Heick can be convinced to finish that series. The function of this image is to act as a kind of brainstorm–to help you get your own creative juices going to decide what’s most important when designing an authentic project-based learning unit–audiences, technology, habits, purposes, and so on. You obviously don’t even have to use these categories; they are just a sampling of the kinds of thinking that can help you make the shift from academic to authentic learning.
Curriculum: National and State Standards "All states and schools will have challenging and clear standards of achievement and accountability for all children, and effective strategies for reaching those standards." -- U.S. Dept. of Education Search our interactive map to find standards specific to your state: U.S. Map of State Standards Common Core State Standards Initiative "The Common Core State Standards Initiative is a state-led effort coordinated by the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO)....These standards define the knowledge and skills students should have within their K-12 education careers so that they will graduate high school able to succeed in entry-level, credit-bearing academic college courses and in workforce training programs. English Language Arts Standards Mathematics Standards Voluntary National Education Standards for the Major Subject Areas
All Aboard!: Implementing Common Core offers school librarians an opportunity to take the lead. By Rebecca Hill, 3/30/2012 OK, so school librarians weren’t invited to the party. When members of the National Educational Association, the National Council for Teachers of English, the International Reading Association, and the American Federation of Teachers met in 2010 to draft new benchmarks for language arts and literacy for our nation’s K–12 schools—the Common Core Curriculum State Standards (www.corestandards.org)—there weren’t any media specialists at the table. Even though school librarians have been longtime champions of information literacy, reading, and critical thinking—all prime pieces of Common Core—we weren’t asked for our input. And two years later, things still aren’t looking up for many of us. As a growing number of states and large school systems, including those in New York City, Boston, Cleveland, and Philadelphia, grapple with plans to implement the ambitious new standards, school librarians still aren’t consistently invited to pull up a chair. It’s a worthy goal.
S.O.S. for Information Literacy Google Forms for Teachers- A Must Read Guide In today's post, we are sharing with you one of the best and simplest guides I have ever read on Google Forms. This visual tutorial is created by Eric Curts and covers a wide range of tips and tricks on anything you need to know about Google Forms. Check it out and, as usual, your feedback is most welcome. Here is a cursory look on the table of content of this guide : What is Google Forms?
Teachers And Social Media: Finding Your Comfort Zone by Dawn Casey-Rowe, Social Studies & Educational Technology Teacher Teachers And Social Media: Finding Your Comfort Zone “You’re a teacher. You shouldn’t blog.” My friend was serious–and concerned. Social media has the potential to strike fear in the hearts of many educators. As more and more teachers reach out in the public sphere, they wonder if this leaves them overexposed, and if so, the best practices that they should use. “Well,” I reply, “I want them to use my Learnist boards, and there’s nothing I wouldn’t say in public on my blog, though I’m not sure the topics are of interest to them. The payoffs are huge. I now have a PLN, (Professional Learning Network) of national experts in education, tech, writing, blogging, social media, sustainability–any interest I develop. If you’re just jumping into social media, you might appreciate the following Learnist resources. Teachers & Social Media: 6 Resources For Finding Your Comfort Zone 1. 2. 3. 4. 21st Century Leaders: Connected Principals
Making Lesson Recap Videos with Screencastify | Sustainable Teaching Making video recaps of my lessons has revolutionized my teaching. I am so grateful to Chris Aviles for suggesting it at EdCamp New Jersey. A parent told me she wishes every teacher made video recaps. A learning support teacher uses them to help my students study in her instructional support classes. Students who need multiple opportunities to learn and absent students benefit the most from video lesson recaps. I have documented how I use SnagIt to make recaps on my Chromebook. Watch this video where I discuss how I use Screencastify: After installing the extension… Before starting the recording be sure “Desktop” is selected and “Embed webcam” is not. “Desktop” makes sure Screencastify captures the entire screen. When you stop recording, Screencastify puts the video file in a Google Drive folder. Overall, I have been thrilled with Screencastify. Video lesson recaps have tremendously benefited my students. Like this: Like Loading...