C4T November

I was assigned to Steven Anderson's blog Blogging About the Web 2.0 Connected Classroom

The World Innovation Summit On Education-#WISE13  

This week (October 29-October 31) I am in Doha, Qatar, attending the WISE Summit. Folks from over 100 countries are gathered to talk about what is working in education, examine current trends and discuss how countries can work better together, to provide kids everywhere a solid education.

After the amazing experience last year, there was no question I was headed back when I was asked to return. The conference is full of some of the brightest minds and best conversations.
But you don't need to head to Doha to participate. You can add your voice to the conversation no matter where you are.
First, what is WISE?

How can you get involved?
Website: http://www.wise-qatar.org/ Here you will find everything WISE. When the conference gets underway you will also be able to tap into what is happening at the conference.
WISE Livestreams: http://www.wise-qatar.org/wise-summit-2013#tabs-9 You don't have to be in Doha to participate. All the major sessions are livestreamed and you can add your thoughts, ideas and reflections too.
WISE Polls: http://www.wise-qatar.org/wise-summit-2013#tabs-6 The polls are simple. Pressing questions in education are raised here. MOOCs, STEM education, data gathering, and more. The questions and responses will be shared and discusses at the summit.
WISE Infographics: http://www.wise-qatar.org/wise-summit-2013#tabs-7 Who doesn't like a great infographic? The folks at WISE have created some great ones to share. Everything from how money is spent on Education from around the world to more serious issues like the number of children who are trying to get a solid education in conflict zones. These infographics can serve as a starting point for conversations and help us see education is no just something to think about at the local level, it's a global issue.
There will be lots of discussions on Twitter too. You can follow @wise_tweets or the #WISE13 hashtag.
If this year's summit is half as good as the one last year, there is sure to be some great learning and reflections happening. I hope you can join in, no matter where you are!

 

My Comment

Hi! My name is Emma Boren. I am a student in EDM 310 at the University of South Alabama. As a future educator myself, I think this is an AWESOME program. I have never heard of it before, however, I will definitely be looking into it more. Thank you for sharing your experience and for sharing ways to get involved from home!

 

 

The @ASCD Arias-The 5 Minute Teacher 

Recently ASCD released several short books that are aimed at packing a big punch in a small package. Each are less that 100 pages but have loads of quality information. Over the next few posts we will look at each one to see what they are all about. Then we will give away 1 copy of each. Sound like fun? In the first post we took a look at Fostering Grit. Then we examined Teaching With Tablets and Grading and Group Work. This time we look at The 5-Minute Teacher. 

In my first few years of teaching I always felt stress on Sundays. That was the day I sat down with all my textbooks and plan books and decided on what I would teach for the week. My classes were divided into 60 min chunks. My stress came from trying to figure out how I would fill each one of those minutes. I had units and lessons I would plan I knew would take days but I didn't have days. On the flip side I had lessons I knew would take only minutes, then what would I do with the rest of the time? 

Later on I learned different methods and strategies along the way that would help alleviate some of the stress of planning (like my adoption of formative assessments among other things.) But it took me several years and trial and error to feel comfortable. 

Enter Mark Barnes and the ASCD Arias Book The 5-Minute Teacher. 

We have just a precious few moments to engage our students in learning. Mark argues that 5 minutes can make all the difference. 

Mark says it best:

"I've learned that the hard way. It's the structure of the student-centered classroom that creates a powerful, exciting learning environment that students actually enjoy. The so called five-minute teacher-who should be nearly invisible-is part of the fun...Five minutes can be the most important part of the students' day. When students are poised to learn something new, five-minutes can prepare them for experiences that open doors and open minds. The trick is making those five minutes count."

Mark goes on to offer suggestions on making those five minutes count. Like the use of video to serve as a springboard to conversation or opening class with guiding questions that get kids thinking. He also explains the concept of being a guide on the side, being a coach rather than a teacher. As Mark points out (and I agree) when you move from teacher to coach you allow for more student direction in learning. 

There is also a great section on helping teachers develop their own Toolkit of Student Driven activities. Mark offers several suggestions for technologies and platforms that can help promote student-centered learning and engage students during and after the five minutes. 

Like the other ASCD Arias books, this was a quick and easy read, full of great ideas and suggestions to turn it up a notch in the classroom. For $6.99 for the digital edition this is a great edition to any professional library. 

 

My Comment

Hello, my name is Emma Boren. I am a student at the University of South Alabama in EDM 310. Thank you for sharing your ideas on how to create a lesson plan. I am an elementary education major, so I will most likely be with the same students all day, for each subject. I feel like I would need to grab their attention at the beginning of each subject lesson. Any ideas on how to keep young children's attention all day long?