Here are the slides. Use them as you wish.
Saturday, January 24, 2015
Thursday, January 22, 2015
Saturday, January 24 details
Here are some helpful details for our face-to-face meeting on Saturday, January 24:Time: 8:30am to 3:30pm
Location:
National Institute of Aerospace, 100 Exploration Way, Hampton, VA
Map - Link for directions
Laptops: You will likely want a keyboard and mouse, so bring a laptop rather than a tablet. Wireless will be available. If you have an ethernet cable around, bring it too for fastest most reliable connectivity.
Internet / Cloud-based computing: I strongly encourage cloud storage. Come with passwords to email and your preferred storage (Google, Dropbox, iCloud, etc.). I will eagerly help you create accounts if this is new to you.
Attire: Saturday casual and comfortable. Heat or AC may be on Saturday mode.
Coffee: I'll bring regular and decaf coffee. Consider bringing a water bottle. Vending machines are available.
Lunch: Bring your own, or we can decide to order pizza or other food. I'd like to have you working independently or in teams through lunch. There is nearby fast-food, but I don't want to budget more than a few minutes for lunch travel if possible (there is a Wendy's and Sonic within 0.5km). Let me know if you have a recommendation.
Call me with questions: 571-482-8298
Sunday, January 18, 2015
Thoughts on Grading in Education
Reflective Writing:
In preparation for our face-to-face session next weekend, I'd like you to spend some time thinking about grading. You may consider this from the perspective of a teacher or a learner, or maybe both.
REVISED - 01-19-2015: I just discovered that you have another week in the second grading period in NNPS, ending on January 23, and I realize this will be a busy week. Just read through this below, make notes of your ideas, but then let's postpone this task until after we see each other on Saturday.
Write about the purposes of grading in education. Alternatively, you might consider how to answer the question, "What does a teacher's grade tell a student, parent, or college admission officer?" Use any format that's useful to you: paragraphs, bulleted lists, headings and subheadings, or whatever you wish.
Consider (nut don't be limited to) any of the following:
You might pick any or all of the above and add a sentence or two of comments. You can save this in a Google Doc, Dropbox file, or elsewhere. There's no specified minimum length - just gather your ideas. Feel free to do some background reading and share any citations you find valuable on your blog. After you've had a chance to discuss this with the group, you'll be encouraged to refine it further, and perhaps share it.
In preparation for our face-to-face session next weekend, I'd like you to spend some time thinking about grading. You may consider this from the perspective of a teacher or a learner, or maybe both.
REVISED - 01-19-2015: I just discovered that you have another week in the second grading period in NNPS, ending on January 23, and I realize this will be a busy week. Just read through this below, make notes of your ideas, but then let's postpone this task until after we see each other on Saturday.
Write about the purposes of grading in education. Alternatively, you might consider how to answer the question, "What does a teacher's grade tell a student, parent, or college admission officer?" Use any format that's useful to you: paragraphs, bulleted lists, headings and subheadings, or whatever you wish.
Consider (nut don't be limited to) any of the following:
- percent correct
- rubrics
- comparison to others
- effort vs. excellence
- timeliness
- attendance and tardiness
- help from others
- groupwork grades
- bonus points for advanced courses (AP, IB, DE)
- competency-based grading
- digital badging
- self-evaluation
- peer-evaluation
You might pick any or all of the above and add a sentence or two of comments. You can save this in a Google Doc, Dropbox file, or elsewhere. There's no specified minimum length - just gather your ideas. Feel free to do some background reading and share any citations you find valuable on your blog. After you've had a chance to discuss this with the group, you'll be encouraged to refine it further, and perhaps share it.
Blogger / Blogspot Tutorial
This 9-minute tutorial should help those getting started with blogs.
If you're already using WordPress or a similar blogging tool, you
may use that instead of blogger. Just send me the link to your blog
when it's been created.
If you're already using WordPress or a similar blogging tool, you
may use that instead of blogger. Just send me the link to your blog
when it's been created.
Saturday, January 17, 2015
Preparing for next weekend
Later this weekend I'll send you a few video tutorials for how to explore the technologies I've suggested.
Create your accounts, then explore. I haven't asked for anything specific after you create such accounts. Some will have explored these technologies already; others may be reluctant or even unwilling. Most will be somewhere in between.
Thanks for your notices about Schoolology; please don't worry about the Schoolology invite yet. We'll spend a good amount of our first meeting firming up your access and familiarity with the tools we'll be learning. I'll figure out what's happening (or not happening) with Schoolology before then.
McDaniel is still working on bugs that prevent me from faculty access, including the ability to see my class roster. I'm told I'm a generally a very flexible person anyway, so you can expect the rigor in my courses to come in the form of authentic, individualized, transformative learning experiences, not rigid deadlines!
I'll also post a new reflective thinking/writing assignment on Saturday evening here (http://nnps-secondary-stem.blogspot.com/) just to get you in inquiry-mode before our face-to-face time next weekend.
Call or email anytime,
Jim
Friday, January 16, 2015
Computing languages to meet Foreign Language requirements?
I'll be curious to know what secondary teachers think of this STEM bill introduced on Thursday night in the Virginia House of Delegates by Del. Patrick Hope.
Summary as introduced:
Advanced studies diploma; foreign language requirements; technical programming or design language. Requires the Board of Education, in establishing course and credit requirements for a high school diploma, to provide that the three standard units of credit in foreign language required to graduate with an advanced studies diploma may be satisfied by completing two years of one foreign language and two years of one technical programming or design language approved by the Board.
Full text of proposed revision to § 22.1-253.13:4 Part D.
9. Provide that the three standard units of credit in foreign language required to graduate with an advanced studies diploma may be satisfied by completing (i) three years of one foreign language, (ii) two years each of two foreign languages, or (iii) two years of one foreign language and two years of one technical programming or design language approved by the Board.
See the Bill in the full context of Section 4 at
https://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?151+ful+HB2218
Summary as introduced:
Advanced studies diploma; foreign language requirements; technical programming or design language. Requires the Board of Education, in establishing course and credit requirements for a high school diploma, to provide that the three standard units of credit in foreign language required to graduate with an advanced studies diploma may be satisfied by completing two years of one foreign language and two years of one technical programming or design language approved by the Board.
Full text of proposed revision to § 22.1-253.13:4 Part D.
9. Provide that the three standard units of credit in foreign language required to graduate with an advanced studies diploma may be satisfied by completing (i) three years of one foreign language, (ii) two years each of two foreign languages, or (iii) two years of one foreign language and two years of one technical programming or design language approved by the Board.
See the Bill in the full context of Section 4 at
https://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?151+ful+HB2218
Sunday, January 11, 2015
Online Learning Week 1 - January 12 - 18
Welcome to our first week of the new NNPS Secondary STEM cohort.
The focus of this week will be mostly about building infrastructures for the rest of the semester.
We'll discuss all of the following things in our face-to-face session on Saturday, January 24, but you are also encouraged to email me (JimEgenrieder@gmail.com or Jim@STEMeducation.us) or call 571-482-8298 at any time.
Things to do this week:
A. Defining STEM
Using any tool (e.g., MS Word, Google Docs, etc.), develop your own personal/professional definition of the following. Start without using any resources!
B. Exploring Online Teaching and Learning Tools and Platforms
Throughout our coursework I'll ask you to explore a variety of tools and online learning management systems, some or all of which may be familiar. Some have complementary if not overlapping (maybe even thoroughly redundant) utility. Don't sweat that - I simply want you to have the experiences with each. Later you'll have a chance to choose among them which will be your primary tool(s). I'll emphasize free tools, and I'll certainly welcome your suggestions.
Begin with these:
Again, try these; ask for help or troubleshooting as desired. We'll introduce others throughout our coursework and discuss them in our face-to-face session.
Email or call anytime.
Jim
The focus of this week will be mostly about building infrastructures for the rest of the semester.
We'll discuss all of the following things in our face-to-face session on Saturday, January 24, but you are also encouraged to email me (JimEgenrieder@gmail.com or Jim@STEMeducation.us) or call 571-482-8298 at any time.
Things to do this week:
A. Defining STEM
Using any tool (e.g., MS Word, Google Docs, etc.), develop your own personal/professional definition of the following. Start without using any resources!
- Science
- Technology
- Engineering
- Math
- STEM Education
After you've drafted something from your own knowledge and experience, feel free to begin improving or enhancing your definitions with other resources, but try to keep the definitions your own (diction you could comfortably use in a discussion with a colleague or friend).
You're not obliged to share this with me or anyone; I simply want you to start this process of defining these components of the increasingly ubiquitous "STEM" and it's variants.
B. Exploring Online Teaching and Learning Tools and Platforms
Throughout our coursework I'll ask you to explore a variety of tools and online learning management systems, some or all of which may be familiar. Some have complementary if not overlapping (maybe even thoroughly redundant) utility. Don't sweat that - I simply want you to have the experiences with each. Later you'll have a chance to choose among them which will be your primary tool(s). I'll emphasize free tools, and I'll certainly welcome your suggestions.
Begin with these:
- Blogger - If you have a school or personal Google account, you can use the same account to log into Blogger / Blogspot. You may use that account or create a new Google account to use Blogger/Blogspot or other Google tools during this course. When you have logged in to blogger, look for the "New Blog" link; consider starting with the "Simple" template, or use any other that appeals to you. You can change templates at any time. Create a post, perhaps introducing yourself. Please visit my course blog at http://nnps-secondary-stem.blogspot.com regularly.
- Twitter - If you're already using Twitter, particularly if you use it for teaching, there's no need to set up another account unless you wish to. (Many teachers like to segregate their personal and teaching lives.) You may use any name, pseudonym, or theme you wish. Explore other Newport News accounts and please follow me.
- Schoolology - I've sent each of you an invitation.
Email or call anytime.
Jim
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