Project-Based Learning is an amazing way to engage your kids in authentic learning. Check our the Jameson School project-based enrichment group, known as the “AV Team,” as they make their sales pitch to Bryan Christoforo of Saco & Biddeford Savings Institue. Working with local dairy expert Lucas Patry, of Kate’s homemade Butter, the AV Team is learning the entrepreneurial cycle. One of the most valuable skills an entrepreneur should possess is the ability to pitch and idea to gain capital from investors. The kids nailed their presentation! Awesome work! Jameson AV Team Sales Pitch from William Corcoran on Vimeo. Tweet
PBL Sales Pitch!
Jameson School Wins Best Procedures Video!
MLTI & UMS Collaborative Webinar!
MLTI April 4th Technology Integration Resources
Google Drive iPad Portfolios!
Jameson School Wins Best Procedures Video!
Congrats to my students at Jameson School who won a huge award for thier video, Computer Lab Procedures, at the PBIS Film Festival on March 28! GREAT WORK! See the video below: Computer Lab Procedures 2012 from William Corcoran on Vimeo. Check out the formal press release below: Instructional technology can play an integral part in developing a school-wide culture of positive student behaviors, clear and effective classroom procedures, and learning routines, creating safe, joyful schools where significant learning can happen. Just ask the students of Jameson School, the K-3 school in Old Orchard Beach, Maine, who recently won the award for “Best Procedures Video from an Elementary School” at the 2013 PBIS Film Festival, held in San Diego as part of the International Conference of Positive Behavioral Support. PBIS is a team based, systematic approach in teaching behavioral expectations throughout the school. Ensuring that all students know what to do to be successful at school and rewarding good student behaviors is essence of what PBIS schools do. Homegrown videos are used to support this positive message in a variety of ways, including the demonstration of classroom and school-wide procedures, are scripted and carried out by students and teachers. RSU 23 has embraced PBIS as part of our pedagogy and each of our schools is working hard to develop a PBIS system that best fits it’s students’ needs and sharing best practices with each other. This is a team effort. Instructional technology is an important part of Jameson’s practice and we empower our students to use these tools in achieving success. Students demonstrate creativity and innovation while learning to communicate and collaborate using technology. They also practice safe digital research and literacy skills. They’re asked to think critically, problem solve, and make decisions using technology. Perhaps most importantly, with today’s
MLTI & UMS Collaborative Webinar!
Here are a few links to the recording from the MLTI & UMS Collaborative webinar. I presented some general ideas on integrating technology into lesson plans while showing the actual web 2.0 tools I use with all my students. What is the MLTI & UMS Collaborative? The goal is to better prepare new teachers to teach with technology. It is facilitated by Cynthia Curry (@ClCurry) of MLTI. Part 1 of Webinar Part 2 of Webinar Here is a huge list of references I made… I spent a lot of time on them… Worth a look! Tweet
MLTI April 4th Technology Integration Resources
Thank you all for tuning in! As promised, here is a list of my favorite resources. I hope you enjoyed the presentation and took something from it. I know how it feels to be in your shoes. I’m still in them as a student at UMaine online. For me, one of the most rewarding and useful things I enjoy in the field of education is connecting with others and sharing resources. If you have any resources to add to this list, please leave them in the comment box and I will add them to this post. Good luck and take care. Remember to follow me – @MisterCMaine – on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Vimeo, Edmodo & Skype! ISTE NETS-S Standards Common Core Standards Common Sense Media Digital Literacy & Citizenship Standards Alignment Types of Technology Integration Online Learning and Blended Classrooms Schools that Work Blended Learning Blog What Blended Learning Looks Like Project-Based Activities Incorporating Technology Schools That Work – King Middle School, Portland, Maine Combining Blended Learning with Project-Based Learning Using Glogster To Create Products & Presentations Collaborative Online Tools like Google Docs Check out my presentation for UMaine’s EDU560 (Tech Assessment) class on using Google Doc Forms for assessing students My Blog On Google Doc Forms My Blog On iPad Portfolios With Google Drive Google’s Free Offerings To Teachers Harness Digital Smarts Of Your Students Creating Personal Learning Networks How Wikis Work: The Basics See my Internship Instructional Design Project Using Google Doc Forms Developing Classroom Routines with Homegrown Video Homegrown Video Presentation – The complete guide to EVERYTHING you will need to know to create your very own homegrown videos with your kids! This blog I created as part of my presentation on creating homegrown videos for the 2012 Maine PBIS Conference. Homegrown Video For Playground Procedures
Google Drive iPad Portfolios!
Google Drive for the iPad has some exciting new features. The most impressive is the ability to share documents in real time with collaborators. So, students can actually be working on a document together, or with a teacher, from their own iPad. This allows for some incredible ways of creating portfolios entirely from the iPad! See the entire tutorial below from edudemic.com. Tweet
Homegrown Video – “Playground Procedures Delight”
Homegrown videos are a really terrific way to make a lasting impact at your school on bad behaviors. They demonstrate the right thing to do while using positive language. Recently, my school has been having some playground procedure issues. So, Mr. Moore (a 1st grade teacher) and myself decided to make a homegrown video. “Playground Procedures Delight” is a rap tune that the allows the kids to chant along with the beat. My 2nd grade AV RTI intervention group worked together to identify high frequency issues on the playground. They wrote I-messages to be “problem solvers” on the playground, one of our expectations. They discussed on Edmodo and came up with some great messages for the video. Below is the video, we hope you enjoy. Remember, these types of videos are engaging to kids! The chants will stick in their minds as they are on the playground. To learn all about making homegrown videos to support your PBIS plan, click here and check my blog post out. Playground Procedures Rap (Remix) from William Corcoran on Vimeo. Tweet
M.Ed. IT ePortfolio
ITSE-T Standards, Artifacts, & Reflections Welcome to my teaching with technology ePortfolio. Below you will find artifacts and reflections that demonstrate my ability to teach 21st Century skills efficiently and effectively with technology. I like to think of myself as an outside the box educator. With that in mind, my reflections are produced on Google Docs, allowing anyone who views my ePortfolio to comment and share their experiences. You can feel free to ask me more about mine, or simply leave a comment. As a dedicated lifelong learner, one of my favorite things to do is hear people share their experience. I hope to hear from you. Standard 1 – Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity Teachers use their knowledge of subject matter, teaching and learning, and technology to facilitate experiences that advance student learning, creativity, and innovation in both face-to-face and virtual environments. a. Promote, support, and model creative and innovative thinking and inventiveness. Artifact Reflection b. Engage students in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic problems using digital tools and resources Artifact Reflection c. Promote student reflection using collaborative tools to reveal and clarify students’ conceptual understanding and thinking, planning, and creative processes Artifact Reflection d. Model collaborative knowledge construction by engaging in learning with students, colleagues, and others in face-to-face and virtual environments Artifact Reflection Standard 2 – Design and Develop Digital Age Learning Experiences and Assessments Teachers design, develop, and evaluate authentic learning experiences and assessment incorporating contemporary tools and resources to maximize content learning in context and to develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes identified in the NETS·S. a. Design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity Artifact Reflection b. Develop technology-enriched learning environments that enable all students to pursue their individual curiosities and
EDT560 Final Project!
As I finish up EDT560 (Tech Assessment) at UMaine, I’ve learned quite a bit when it comes to using technology during assessment. I was happy to further explore the Google Doc Form and it’s place in assessing. I hope you enjoy my final project for EDT560. In the video below, you’ll hear me presenting my experiencing with Google Doc Forms for assessment purpose. I share some suggested best uses so you may assess your students effectively and efficiently in a variety of scenarios. Click here to download the PowerPoint presentation. Click here to check out my blog on creating a Google Doc Form. Tweet
Teaching & Learning TODAY!
As I was checking out some Tweets, I stumbled upon a video that got me thinking about what is good teaching and learning. Most importantly, it got me thinking about how our current school structure was designed for the 20th century student. We hear the term “21st Century” being thrown around in terms of teaching and the skills our students need, however, how do can we put this into action in our classroom? I have some ideas and suggestions for you. First, take some time to watch the video below. Please, take the time to listen to the whole thing, otherwise reading on won’t make any sense. A few ideas resonated with me as I watched that can help us create a 21st Century learning environment. Although this is not new to me, the idea of FREE online professional development is the tool that will help us achieve this learning environment. Let’s face it, we all have hectic lives that revolve around family, friends, and those enjoyments that allow us to free our mind from work. Online learning creates a platform for us to learn what we want, when we want, how we want! Enter Reinventing Schools, a website designed to give you all the resources you need to change the way you look at teaching and deliver 21st Century Skills! The best part of the site, in my opinion, is a free online series of lectures called, “Reinventing Schools – A Design Thinking Challenge.” Here is a description of the courses: “Reinventing Schools – A Design Thinking Challenge.” by EDUPUNK – BRENDAN O’KEEFE Mission: Encourage life-long learning, promote alternative learning environments and equip you with 21st Century skills. The Reinventing School challenge is hands on, encourages discussion of the issues facing learners today and empowers young people, teachers and
PBIS Homegrown Presentation!
Thank you for attending my breakout session at the 2012 Maine PBIS Conference! It was a pleasure to work with you and grow as professionals together. Below are all the resources you will need to create your own homegrown video. I hope you will share resources you may have or find with me to add. The Presentation on Vimeo: Mister C’s PBIS Homegrown Video Presestation from William Corcoran on Vimeo. PBIS Homegrown Video Prep Handout Download the PowerPoint Here The Presentation on Voicethread: This is where you will share your videos idea from conceptualization through completion. I invite you all to comment on each other’s ideas, ask me (and others) questions, and share your successes and failures. My hope is we can all work together to create a video for you to submit on the Maine PBIS Vimeo and Michael Kennedy’s Homegrown SW-PBIS video channels. Please follow the Voicethread below, sign up for a free account, and lets start sharing our experiences together so we may build a homegrown video that is both content and technically appropriate. Remember, the most impactful videos deliver a message reflective of YOUR school culture and community. Talk at your PLC’s, or team meetings, and brainstorm some ideas that would have meaningful impact on your class or school. Don’t know how to use Voicethread? Learn below: Example of Successful Videos: Example 1, “Hypocrisy,” meets basic standards for technical proficiency. This was written and produced quickly. Conveys message clearly, however, very dry. Hypocrisy from Michael Kennedy on Vimeo. Example 2, “Imma Be,” contains advanced standards for technical proficiency and is one of the best videos made on the Vimeo PBIS website. Imma Be from Michael Kennedy on Vimeo. Introducing PBIS to Faculty: Welcome Back from Michael Kennedy on Vimeo. Introducing PBIS to Students: Fruita Monument High
