STSD Curriculum & Technology Update

Regular updates and musings on curriculum and technology in the Salisbury Township School District in Allentown, PA.

What is this shift? --- in 5 minutes

Here is an excellent video that captures the direction of education for the future. Chris Lehman, Principal of the Science Leadership Academy in Philadelphia, shares his thoughts on education in the 21st century. He talks real fast because the format of the presentation was to assemble 20 slides in 5 minutes. There are a lot of great thoughts in here. Leave yours in the comments…

Here are the actual slides in the presentation, some which you cannot see in the video:

Mastering Low-Level Content

How do we balance the political needs of NCLB with the needs of 21st century learning? Feel free to comment with your thoughts after watching this brief video.

Mastering Low-Level Content from Scott McLeod on Vimeo.

Learning to Change - Changing to Learn

There seems to be a new piece of media available on the internet pertaining to 21st century learning every week. Here is one that I most recently found. There are a number of well-known educational voices here sharing their thoughts around new ideas of teaching and learning. What do you think?

The Future is Now…according to the Rutgers University English Department

There are lots of interesting points in this short presentation:

1. “...the nature of communication has totally changed.”
2. “English, as the site that excels in human expression, and in the study of human culture related to expression—we should be the place that’s at the very cutting edge of education for students in these areas.”
3. “We now live in a world where we don’t simply go to the web to draw information down, but that people are actively participating in and contributing to the knowledge and information that is on the web.”
4. Because we now live in this read/write world, it’s essential that the English Department provide our students with training in how to live in this world.”
5. Collaboratories - “...spaces where students can work on multimedia composition. Because to compose, and to compose successfully in the 21st century, you have to not only excel at verbal expression and written expression, but you also have to excel in the use and manipulation of images. That is what it means to compose.”
6. Writing in the 21st century - “It’s multiply authored. It’s multiply produced. That’s where English is going.”

What are your thoughts?

Podcasting with Mrs. Prokesch @ SMS

Beth Prokesch from Salisbury Middle School shares here experience with podcasting. Be sure to click through on the link to listen to some of the fine examples!

Prokesch’s Podcasts can now be found on the middle school’s webpage thanks to the planning and hard work of the 7th grade students in Mrs. Prokesch’s English classes. After completing the lengthy study of different forms of poetry this past month, students were given the opportunity to present one of their exemplary poems to the world!  Students were wide-eyed with excitement and wonder when presented with the idea of a poetry podcast for an alternative assessment to end the unit.  This assignment incorporated many skills I’ve covered and reviewed throughout the year as well as the inclusion of academic literacy strategies and technology.  The students followed a grading rubric to help them polish their final podcast. They wrote a script introducing themselves, the poem and perhaps any literary devices they incorporated into the selection.  Throughout the script they were required to indicate in writing any pitch, speed and/or volume changes.  The day preceding the recording, students practiced their podcasts using headphones purchased for this type of project.  Students critiqued fellow students as well that day.  The process went smoothly with the appropriate preparation in place.  Students were shown by fellow students how to include music on their podcasts to help set the mood they had in mind.  In the end, students were excited to complete the extra work in preparation for their podcast; hearing their own poems and voices on the computer made them laugh at themselves and pay tribute to fellow podcast examples.  I will look forward to completing this assessment again with future English classes and units.