New Players of Note

Something interesting happened today.  

I subscribe to the blog of a well-respected social media icon named Chris Brogan.   Chris is your average guy in many ways:  low-key, friendly, a parent of school-age children, a concerned citizen.    But he’s also got a very large brain and tremendous networking abilities.  Through social media, he builds alliances with people from all sorts of backgrounds and especially those different from his own: people who like to think outside the box and who like to share useful information and bounce cool ideas back and forth until something clicks. 

My daily feed of Chris’s blog always gets me thinking:  it’s a pleasant morning nudge for a brain that hasn’t always warmed up yet, and I like where it takes me.    Chris’s column surprised me today, as it was about the US education system - not a topic I’ve ever seen him write about.   Chris just learned what many of us know about the atrocious dropout rate in America.    (Want to see how your state stacks up?  http://www.getschooled.com/state-facts ) 

He poses some interesting questions and found some unexpected players at the table.   I think you’ll find today’s (Nov 27) blog interesting, especially if your work is focused on intervention.  Input is always welcome, too. 

http://www.chrisbrogan.com/how-could-new-ideas-change-education/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+chrisbrogandotcom+%28%5Bchrisbrogan.com%5D%29

Cool Tweets for New Teachers

I discovered a cool Twitter account where new teachers can get (or share!) quick tips to make their day easier:

#NewTeacherTip

This is such an awesome use of Twitter (the popular 140-character micro-blog) that it should – once and for all – eliminate a teacher’s asking the question “But what can Twitter do for people like me?”    Even if you’re not a new teacher, you can surely remember being one, and you probably know one now.     They are very likely a little overwhelmed, perhaps under-supported, and very possibly intimidated by their new position.    They may be the victim of a budget shuffle which put them in a whole new position they never planned on.    NewTeacherTip is the perfect little pick-me-up, a repository of great ideas that come without the whole baggage of experienced teachers coming off like know-it-alls.

If you’re new to Twitter, or just now thinking of exploring Twitter, it’s FREE to sign up for an account  (and the site will even guide you through your name selection).   Once you sign up, you can “follow” any sites you want, meaning once you log in, you’ll see all the posts from that site without doing anything.   They come to you on the homepage.    It’s not necessary, however, to have an account, in order to simply search for the NewTeacherTip page, and read all the cool tips provided there by all sorts of helpful folks.

The hash sign (#) that you see in conjunction with the page name creates what Twitter calls a “hashtag” and makes that word searchable.   So if you’re looking for New Teacher Tips on Twitter, just search by:

#newteachertip

and voila!  There you go.

Remember to share your own great ideas, too.   After all, what good is social media without sharing concepts which can benefit others?

Social Media and Schools

As more and more kids text and tweet and blog and sext (yikes!), it’s important for teachers to understand at least the basics of this new form of communication.   Social networking will evolve, sure, but the wave is here now…. and “Can you say tsunami?”  

In my 2009 catalogs of non-fiction books for classrooms, there are several great new series on internet communications and internet-based careers.    A classroom looks contemporary and relevant by having these books available to students.  Not only do these books let the kids know that a) you understand what they’re doing, and b) you might be watching what they’re saying, but you also c) clearly understand that there’s a respectable – and lucrative – future in digital communication, and d) you’re a resource for kids who have questions, whether they’re shy, curious, ambitious or naive. 

Teens are often tortured by what they don’t know, and need to be reminded of what adults DO know.    In this case, what you know can truly set you apart from other teachers, set your classroom apart as a place where relevant info is shared and discussed.    I’m not an educator, but I’m thinking a language arts class could do a Daily Vocabulary Warm-Up that includes a few words like “Woot!”    (This word derived from Dungeons and Dragons game, as a contraction of “wow…loot!’ but has evolved to a happy exclamation in online lexicon).    http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=woot
Or just put TGIF: WoOT! on the whiteboard some Friday and see what happens.   

I’m watching my own community conduct a fascinating “experiment” which I have no doubt will work.  Local social media power-users are harnessing their tweets and posts (via Twitter and Facebook), as well as their network of friends and business associates, to conduct a whole new business model for fund-raising.    It’s been very interesting to watch Twestival Local unfold . . . the tweeting has begun, and the primary event is an all-day, all-night social media-based competition among several venues, where “pace-setters”will  take up residence – with wireless laptop or phone in hand - and tweet or post to get people in the door to eat, drink, shop, and buy $5 Twestival raffle tickets while they’re there.  

So ANY participating business location wins (they’re being heavily promoted online), the public wins (they’re part of something new and exciting which benefits a worthy local org), and the school that’s been chosen as a benficiary wins, via all the proceeds that are raised.    Social Media and the folks who promote it or coach it also win, when this whole thing works.   Best of all:  no tents, no permits, no crowds, no port-a-potties……….just people going where they go, hanging where they hang, and using technology to drum up some charity cheddar.     What an education that will be.

The fundraiser – Twestival Local – is an offshoot of a global event that happened in Feb;  this local version will be happening simultaneously in many cities around the world, Sept 10-13.    Organizers can create whatever events they want, all of which will be promoted via social media, to drum up money for a local org selected in an online poll in the community.    The school that’s the beneficiary in my community is planning to use the event proceeds for much-needed books and media.   I’m hoping their own students get in on the fun, and learn how social media can work on a higher level than socializing. 

Tweet to Compete’ is a concept any American school could use for fund-raising, and rather than relying on long-suffering parents to help their kids sell gift wrap, magazines, chocolates, car washes, etc . . . schools can quickly and easily pull in an entire town, no door-to-door required.    As in my own community, the local press will be all too eager to follow the event, because they’ve been forced to adapt and have started to position themselves as online players.   Your own social media fund-raiser could very well wind up on the six-o-clock news, and in editorial copy of the business pages, the lifestyle pages, the education pages, on talk radio, and more.    And the kids?   They are wired to make it happen.

Social Media now affects  all aspects of our lives, and while teachers are often discouraged by the distraction it has become, there ARE plenty of ways to corral it for a higher purpose.    Woot!

DK Works Magic in Library and Classroom

Before I became a consultant to libraries and schools, I already had a verrrrry large collection of travel books by DK.   Despite their weight (oh, that glossy paper!) they always went into the suitcase for a trip, and I’d spend hours pouring through them before departure.    Every photo was a stunner, and the layout was always beautiful.  In short, I considered DK books graphically perfect, and the information inside always useful and inspiring.    They were magical.

Now I have the pleasure of selling DK’s latest and greatest to school libraries and (surprise!) to classrooms, and it’s such a kick to get the new catalog.    One of the latest to arrive featues a book called OPEN ME UP;  the back of the catalog is (rightfully) dedicated to this eye-popping, super-hip book about the human body.   It has the coolest illustrations I’ve ever seen, and makes understanding the complex human body truly an approachable concept.

I’ve already had high school teachers ask me for anatomy books and I automatically suggested they add this stunner to their classroom as a high-interest magnet for learning.  Every library should have a copy, too (KAPKO protective covers will make it last longer – it’s a paperback and is going to be wildly popular, I guarantee).  I wish DK would publish a hardcover version, but beggers can’t be choosers, and I confess to being so enchanted by DK’s books, I’ll take what I can get.   

I might even order a copy of OPEN ME UP for myself.   My 18-year-old nephew, a professional dancer who’s looking into massage schools, is definitely getting one for Christmas.   I only wish I could see the students clusted around this  book once it hits library shelves in my Florida.   Their eyes will be big and bright, and OPEN ME UP will make them do just that, with this book and with others.   That’s real magic.

The tools for success

Well it’s back to school in Florida.  I’ve had a very busy week, hosting Wish List Days for local schools, in order to meet teachers and learn what tools they’d most like to have in their classrooms.   The past couple of days have been 12 hours at the computer, as I’ve had on my Nancy Drew hat to find the perfect science workbook, the coolest DVD about money management, career guides that will motivate, and books about pottery and fractions and robotics. 

I met with one particularly motivated ESE teacher who teaches math to ESE kids at the high school level.   He’s going to be using a cutting edge interactive program to bring up his students’ math skills while keeping them engaged.  This particular program offers direct instruction, differentiated instruction, and re-teaches, while encouraging the kids in a fun, positive way.   I had previously only sold it to elementary schools, but it was actually tested on ESE kids in order to earn its esclusive DOE certification of a “program that works.”   So he was pretty clever to realize that it was a great tool for older students working below level.    I plan to follow his example and promote this tool to other middle and high school ESE depts. 

It was fun being in the schools this week, the week before the kids come back.  Everyone was wearing shorts or jeans.  They were happy to see each other, and happy to think ahead to what will make their classroom successful.   It was nice seeing many of them settle in to new classrooms, but I know that due to budget cuts, many have had to transition into unfamiliar jobs. 

This is when it’s most critical to have the right tools.   A literacy and curriculum consultant is the best possible resource at a time like this.     The company I work with pays me to consult with districts, schools and department heads, so I encourage them to think of me as a “free” resource.    I love the challenge of finding what they need, whether it’s all the titles for a classroom library, materials for a brand new IB program, something new and exciting for station activities, or fiction for reluctant readers. 

Every day is like a treasure hunt, and I have the satisfaction of knowing that a job well done can actually improve a student’s grades, his outlook, even his future.    Give a good teacher the right tools and magic can happen.

Teachers, Media Specialists cope in stressful times

Because I rep for all sorts of educational publishers, I spend my days with teachers from all content areas, and  media specialists.   It’s pretty easy to sum up the current mood in Florida schools – stressful, with lots of unanswered questions weighing down the collective consciousness.

After scary newspaper stories of worse-case scenarios, some teachers have learned their jobs will be spared (certain music and art teachers in southwest Florida, for example) while others (media specialists among them) are learning their fates.    Some media specialists are being let go (leaving para-professionals in charge of libraries) while others are adapting or creatively evolving . . . i.e. moving into the classrooms, or taking on new jobs at their school (IB coordinator, for example).   I have friends at both the District and School levels facing a very uncertain future.

I admire everyone’s strength while money seems so shaky.   School Districts are just about to receive their final budgets for 2009-10 and will then have a lot of work to do, figuring out how to handle shortfalls.    And yes, stimulus money is coming . . . isn’t it?   I work in a lot of  Florida districts, from Escambia to Sarasota to Collier) and I have yet run into anyone at District or school level who knows anything concrete about how much they might receive or when.

But budgets will be worked out, educators and instructors will adapt, and life will go on in August.   I’m encouraging most of the schools I work with to go ahead and get their wish lists together, department by department.  It’s never bad to be prepared when funding comes.   All too often, money needs to be spent quickly, and it’s much easier to make good purchasing decisions when the heat’s not turned up.

I look forward to spending a half-day or full-day at the schools that recognize this.  Their teachers will get to  preview 2009 catalogs and give me a wish list of specific needs (supplementary, classroom library, leveled bookroom or library) so that when August or September rolls around and it’s back to business, I’ll have great options ready for them to review and present to their principals for purchase.

Certain areas will always receive a little more money than others:   RTI, ESE, ESOL and Title I schools.    But everyone, no matter their department, can prepare for better times while weathering the worst.   It’s practical, and it’s inspiring.

At present, I’m helping many educators spend leftover funds wisely.  And during the course of each meeting, I always make time to just sit and listen, because teachers and media specialists certainly need a shoulder, or a sympathetic ear, or any support they can get this spring.

A Penny for our Schools

Do you even remember the last time you regarded a penny as worthy? I don’t. When the checker at 7-11 tries to hand one back to me, I try not to roll my eyes while saying “keep it,” or motioning toward a local charity’s jar.

While attending a meeting yesterday, of Media Specialists in southwest Florida’s public schools, I heard the theory presented that a one cent sales sales tax would alleviate all the stress on our severely under-funded school system. The reason it won’t happen – so the theory goes – is that SWFL is a tourism-dependent area and lawmakers have been lobbied that the extra penny would keep people away.

Come on, Tallahassee. Honestly. Schools are losing their media specialists (what used to be called librarians), their music teachers, their art teachers . . . there’s not enough money for books . . . teachers are paying for caps and gowns out of their own meager salaries . . . and Florida ranks 50th in spending per student.

Does this sound like a recipe for generating great minds and a brilliant future? The Lee County school district has some very bright minds at the helm, folks with their eye clearly on the ball, dedicated to raising literacy rates, improving school quality, luring top educators, improving school scores, and raising the number of graduates. But they can’t do it with their hands tied behind their backs, no matter how smart they are. An education budget that’s too small costs us all.

I like the idea of raising the sales tax one penny. If Washington can print money at the speed of light for projects that Congress  hasn’t even read about and for companies which have been mismanaged, why won’t our our state legislators fund a well-managed system which is the very foundation of success for our children, our state, and our country?

Arts at Risk in Lee County

It’s upsetting many to read that southwest Florida’s  Lee County School District, in dealing with a budget shortfall, may opt to axe the arts.    Florida Weekly does a great job of explaining how this option hit the table, and what the Superintendent really thinks about it:

http://fortmyers.floridaweekly.com/news/2009/0422/top_news/001.html

In a world where cities compete with each other for the tax dollars and jobs that new businesses bring, I agree with those who say cutting the arts is a dangerous move.   It is true that most children do not go on to a career in the arts.   But the arts are part of a well-rounded education – not unlike being exposed to the tenets of various religions, but far more useful.   If you don’t believe me, tune in to Jeopardy any night of the week and see how many questions there are about Beethoven, Opera, Broadway, Shakespeare, Renoir, Rodin, Architecture, Ballet, etc.

Early exposure to the world’s great artists, and the civilizations which embraced them, is undoubtedly part of a well-rounded education.    We look to great architecture in Rome, Tokyo, Paris, Eqypt and Washington D.C.  for inspiration.    We make judgments based on brands, using cleverly-designed logos as our guide.    We purchase cars that we find “sexy” because of their shape.   Let’s face it, we buy books based on their covers, metaphorically and literally, all day long.    We choose music  that affects our mood and makes us happy and more productive;  we even expect it in certain settings .   We are glued to television, watching stars learn how to cha-cha.   The biggest day of many a student’s entire school life is centered around a dance.

So let’s not pretend the arts  are not important.    It’s time for the government to do as Lee County’s Superintendent Browder suggested, and mandate some money/time for these disciplines, so people in his position are not forced to consider axing band directors and art teachers during a crunch.

When large, tax-paying, job-creating corporations come looking for a new home, having a well-rounded school system is critically important.    Looking like a destination that’s committed to generating well-educated, well-rounded graduates is critical in the economic development (wooing) game.

Lee County has a consultant coming  to share tips on how to fund the arts in school, but legislators need to make the state of Florida strong, diverse and appealing, by committing to a well-rounded educational curriculum.     Alex Trebec would surely agree.

Parents can create reading-friendly homes for tots

Want to help your young children learn how to read, and how to love reading?   It starts at home.   

The Florida Center for Reading Research makes it easy for parents to encourage a love of books, which, as we know, leads to a successful life.   Here are some simple supportive steps in making your home ”reading friendly.”    These lists are based on scientific research about how children actually learn to read, so in following them, you can directly impact your children’s ability to comprehend text, build vocabulary and think about what they’ve read.    

For Kindergarten Aged-Children

1.  Create a special workspace and schedule daily quiet time for your child to do his/her homework from school. Be sure this is a time you are available to help if needed.

2. Schedule 15 minutes of special time everyday to read to your child. Before you read each book, read the title and look at the cover and pictures inside. Ask your child what she thinks the book may be about (prediction). After reading the book, review her prediction. Was the prediction right? If not, what happened instead?

3. Plan to go to the school library, public library, or the local bookstore once each week and read a new book together. After reading each book, talk to him about what happened at the beginning, the middle, and the end of the story.

4. Play rhyming games. Say two words that rhyme (e.g. cat, sat) and ask your child to say a word that rhymes with your words. Take turns. Ask your child to say a word and then you respond with a rhyming word. For example, child says “cat”, parent says “hat”; child says “chair”, parent says “pair”.

5. Take turns thinking of two words that begin with the same sound. Examples: mom, moon; dog, door; fun, fast; paper, pet.

6. Play the “say it fast” game. Say a word, one sound at a time and have your child say the word at a normal rate. For example, you say each sound in the word cat, “/c/ /a/ /t/.” Then your child says the word at the normal speed, “cat.” Play this game with about five to ten short words (e.g. am, is, it, in, on, sit, pan, sun, top, net, fin) each day.

7. Take every opportunity you can to help increase your child’s vocabulary. You can do this by pointing to things and asking the child to tell you what they are, or you can stop and explain the meaning of any words in your reading that the child may not understand. The more you talk to your child, the faster their vocabulary will grow.

For Children in First Grade

1.  Create a dedicated reading space and schedule daily quiet time for your child to do homework.  Be sure you are available to help during this time.   

2.   Set aside 15 minutes a day to read with your child.   Take turns readings pages in a book, or read a sentence to your child and have them read it back to you, until you have finished the entire book.

3. Plan to go to the school library, public library, or the local bookstore once each week and read a new book together. After each story is read, ask her to retell the story to you. Go back to the story to reread sections if she needs help retelling the story in sequence.

4. Play the “say the word slowly” game. Say a word at normal rate and then have your child say that same word slowly, one sound at a time. For example, say the word, “mat.” Then your child will say that same word slowly, one sound at a time, “/m/ /a/ /t/.” Play this game using about five to ten short words each day.

5. Fold a piece of paper into three parts. Let your child draw a picture of something he did in sequence. Then help your child write one sentence under each picture explaining what he did first, next and last.

6. Take turns thinking of two words that end with the same sound. Examples: mom, some; dog, rug; fun, ran; paper, feather.

7. Take every opportunity you can to help increase your child’s vocabulary. You can do this by pointing to things and asking the child to tell you what they are, or you can stop and explain the meaning of any words in your reading that the child may not understand. The more you talk to your child, the faster their vocabulary will grow.

For kids in Second Grade

1.  Create a special workspace and schedule daily quiet time for your child to do his/her homework from school.  Be sure this is a time you are available to help if needed.

2. Schedule 15 minutes of special time everyday to listen to your child read.

3. Go to the school library, public library, or to the local bookstore once each week and read a new book together. Read the title then look at the cover and pictures inside. Ask your child to predict what the book is about. After reading the book, review prediction then ask about the characters, setting, problem and solution.

4. Fact or Opinion Game: The parent says a sentence to the child then asks whether it is a fact or opinion. Ex: The weather is nice. (Opinion) A dog can bark. (Fact)

5. Encourage reading fluency by having your child read and reread familiar books. It can also be helpful to have your child read a short passage over several times while you record the time it takes. Children often enjoy seeing if they can improve their time from one reading to the next, and the repeated reading helps to establish a habit of fluent reading.

6. Pick out a new vocabulary word from one of the books you are reading with your child. Talk about what it means then make up a sentence with the new word. Try to use the word again that week.

Florida Trend’s NEXT Magazine shoots, scores for teens

Florida Trend struck upon a great idea:  publish an annual magazine just for high school students, about the future and their choices.   The result is called Florida Trend’s next, and I encourage you to track down copies for your students.   

The issue is smartly put together, with highly relevant sections including Healthy & Fit;  Workin’ It;  Scholarships & Your Cash;  and Colleges & Career Schools.   Some highlights from the 2008-09 issue:

5 Questions to Help You Choose Your School
57 Scholarships for School !
Great Careers in Florida-based manufacturing
Inside Tips from Scholarship Judges
Let your Vote be your Voice
Surf  Smarter:  Are you Web savvy?
Teach a Child to Read
College & Career Planner

The issue is simply PACKED with cool tips, real-life teen stories, smart money advice, and even a Bright Futures brochure.    The advertisers have been restricted to higher education, career & technical schools, AAA, college resources, the military, financial aid, volunteer orgs, a trust for disabled kids, and cyber safety.   No sugar, no tv, no blingy retail goods or unrealistic sports cars.   A reader service card makes it easy for students to get more info from any school or organization that catches the eye (and – more importantly - the imagination).

I love, love, love this magazine – and your students will, too.     www.floridanext.com

As always, if there’s an eduational resource I can help find for your classroom or school library, please contact me at two three nine, two zero nine, eight nine six six, or visit www.deebooks.com  .    

-Libby McMillan
Delaney Educational Enterprises, Inc.