Moving the Needle on Adolescent Reading
“I used to assign reading, now I teach reading.” With these words, Josh Zajdler, Cohort One
participant gets to the heart of what the Advancing Adolescent Reading Initiative
(AARI) is all about.
The Advancing Adolescent Reading Initiative (AARI) is an in-depth professional
development program established to provide secondary teachers with access to learning
opportunities and resources aimed at building instructional capacity in the area of adolescent
reading instruction and intervention.

Questions for discussion around the staff room table
1. To what extent do you teach reading vs. assign reading?
2. How can you begin to make the shift to teaching reading in the content areas?
3. What supports do you need to move your practice to teaching reading?

http://www.industrymailout.com/Industry/Home/5548/23974/448493/May%20newsletter.
pdf

Tools for Teaching: Developing Active Readers


http://www.edutopia.org/blog/developing-active-readers-strategies-rebecca-alber

Teacher
NEVER DESTROY, ALWAYS BUILD
NEVER DOWN, ALWAYS UP
NEVER FORGET, ALWAYS REMEMBER
NEVER STOP, ALWAYS PLAY
NEVER OFF, ALWAYS ON
http://edudemic.com/2013/05/a-thankateacher-poem-dedicated-to-my-teacher/

A Thank-you For Teachers            Everywhere


 "Thank you for recognizing potential where no one else wanted to look.  May your example be an inspiration to teachers everywhere."
http://www.henrybuell.com/thanks-for-teaching/
Without great teachers there would be no great accomplishments - Henry Buell




Five ways to get kids to want to read and writehttp://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2013/03/28/five-ways-to-get-kids-to-want-to-read-and-write/#


ARE GRADES UTTERLY USELESS?http://blog.williamferriter.com/2013/04/27/three-reasons-grades-are-worse-than-useless/?buffer_share=20c86&utm_source=buffer&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Buffer%253A%252Bwillrich45%252Bon%252Btwitter

Get Up. Get Out. Don’t Sit.
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/10/17/get-up-get-out-dont-sit/


The Kid Should see This
http://thekidshouldseethis.com/about
There’s just so much science, nature, music, art, technology, storytelling and assorted good stuff out there that my kids (and maybe your kids) haven’t seen. It’s most likely not stuff that was made for them… But we don’t underestimate kids around here.

2Learn Professional Learning webinars
2Learn.ca Webinar Series: Twitteracy in EducationMay 8, 2013 (3:45 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.) - Twitteracy #2 of 2 - Using Twitter in Education
To Register for this single webinar event: http://bit.ly/YFVR0QREPEAT SERIES: In this, the second of the Twitteracy series, participants will learn about ways to use Twitter as a tool for professional development and to engage students in learning activities. This session is aimed at participants who have a basic understanding of the functions of Twitter.

2Learn.ca Webinar Series: Adobe Photoshop for Teacher-Generated MaterialsTo register for the entire Photoshop Series in one form, please visit http://bit.ly/10fNFWH.

May 7, 2013 (3:45 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.) - Photoshop #1 of 2: Basic Color Theory and Visual Effects
To Register for this single webinar event: http://bit.ly/XEg4EaMany teachers are generating their own digital content for use in classroom practice and would like to enhance their visuals with a professional touch. In this first of two sessions, participants will learn some basic color theory as well as how to make professional-grade buttons, ribbons, banners, icons and shadow effects. This webinar is aimed at the teaching professional who has installed Adobe Photoshop C5 or CS6 or the Adobe Photoshop CS6 trial and considers themselves an intermediate or advanced user with a basic grasp of Photoshop skills.

May 9, 2013 (3:45 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.) - Photoshop #2 of 2: Working with Layers and Layer Styles
To Register for this single webinar event: http://bit.ly/YCqw2dMany teachers are generating their own digital content for use in classroom practice and would like to enhance their visuals with a professional touch. In this second of two sessions, participants will learn how to work with and manipulate layers and layer styles. This webinar is aimed at the teaching professional who has installed Adobe Photoshop C5 or CS6 or the Adobe Photoshop CS6 trial and considers themselves an intermediate or advanced user with a basic grasp of Photoshop skills.

2Learn.ca Webinar Series: Google Lunch-and-Learn WebinarsDue to popular demand, 2Learn.ca is re-offering the Google webinar series in the format of lunch-and-learn sessions. The following sessions will run from 12:10 - 12:40 p.m.

To register for the entire Series in one form, please visit http://bit.ly/162Ywdd.

May 7, 2013 (12:10 p.m. – 12:40 p.m.) - An Introduction to Google Docs and Google Drive
To Register for this single webinar event: http://bit.ly/11F8Py2In this webinar, participants will be introduced to Google Apps and Google Drive, including creating and collaborating, groups, folders, commenting, and accessing offline. This webinar will include both computer and mobile device applications, and is designed for new users of Google Docs.

May 8, 2013 (12:10 p.m. – 12:40 p.m.) - Using Google Forms in Schools
To Register for this single webinar event: http://bit.ly/106rNfIIn this webinar, participants will learn how Google Forms may be integrated in meaningful ways for planning, student production, formative evaluation, and defining projects.

May 9, 2013 (12:10 p.m. – 12:40 p.m.) - Google Sites in Schools
To Register for this single webinar event: http://bit.ly/12sk9NnIn this webinar, participants will learn how Google Sites can be integrated in the classroom, including ways in which existing Google Docs can be embedded.

May 15, 2013 (12:10 p.m. – 12:40 p.m.) - Integrating Google for Classroom Logistics and Communication
To Register for this single webinar event: http://bit.ly/15cbLc0In this webinar, we will show ways in which Google Groups, GMAIL, Google Calendar, and Google Apps can help teachers with classroom logistics and communication with colleagues, students, and parents.

May 16, 2013 (12:10 p.m. – 12:40 p.m.) - Using Google Apps to Enhance and Automate Collaborative and Assessment Activities
To Register for this single webinar event: http://bit.ly/ZC9vX5In this webinar, we will explore ways in which teachers can use Google Apps for Educators to enhance their teaching practices and simplify the integration of this powerful educational tool for student assessment and collaboration. Specifically, we will address tools for teachers to manage and automate digital files and assessments between teachers and students.

2Learn.ca Webinar Series: Copyright in EducationMay 14, 2013 (3:45 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.) - #2 of 2: Creative Commons, Usage Rights & Alternatives to Copyrighted Materials
To Register for this single webinar event: http://bit.ly/10KOR6LWith the passing of Bill C-11, why is Creative Commons still relevant for teachers and students? Why should teachers be concerned about usage rights for any online resources? This session will provide background information that will address these questions. In addition, learn how to access and use multimedia that has been licensed for sharing and creative production from a variety of sources. This webinar is the second in a series of two 2Learn.ca webinars.

AAC/2Learn.ca Webinar 7 of 7: Creating Digital Forms for AssessmentMay 15, 2013 (3:45 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.)
To Register for this single webinar event: http://bit.ly/ZANraEAssessment of student learning is an ongoing task for teachers. Making the collection of assessment evidence a seamless part of a teacher's workflow has never been easier with the growing features available in digital forms. Participants of this webinar will learn how to use Adobe Acrobat and Google Apps for Education to create customized and relevant forms that they may use on a regular basis. In addition, tools and techniques to share and disseminate assessment data will be discussed. This webinar is the seventh in a series of seven Alberta Assessment Consortium/2Learn.ca Education Society webinars.

Project Based Learning

Creating 3-D shapes in Kindergarten - Wendy Doll  Drayton Christian School

"Math, PBL and 21st Century Learning for All Students http://www.edutopia.org/blog/math-PBL-21st-century-learning-jason-ravitz

5 Tools to Help Students Learn How to Learn

Helping students learn how to learn: That’s what most educators strive for, and that’s the goal of inquiry learning. That skill transfers to other academic subject areas and even to the workplace where employers have consistently said that they want creative, innovative and adaptive thinkers. Inquiry learning is an integrated approach that includes kinds of learning: content, literacy, information literacy, learning how to learn, and social or collaborative skills. Students think about the choices they make throughout the process and the way they feel as they learn. Those observations are as important as the content they learn or the projects they create.


Years gone by: Relevant learning ties remain

"Today, I have access to thousands of teachers on Twitter, on blogs, and at Edcamps. These people have helped me just as much as you have helped me. I feel lucky to live in such a connected age in education."


 Schools give standards-based grading system a closer look
http://www.twincities.com/education/ci_22915299/minnesota-schools-give-standards-based-grading-system-closer
"School grading tends to favor students who "do school well," as Osseo's curriculum and instruction director, Wendy Biallas-Odell, put it: They show up on time, raise their hands, complete assignments and volunteer for extra credit. In some classrooms, students can make headway toward an A that way -- without proving they have mastered the material."