The challenging new frontier in education has arrived. This session showcases the myriad applications of synchronous online instruction in support of district needs: course supplements in a time of budget constraints, remedial coursework for at-risk students, home instruction. Connect with students in their environment: the virtual landscape
By using problems identified in children's literature, students are given opportunities to create tangible solutions to solve problems presented in some of their favorite stories. Children identify the problem, consider how the problem could be solved, ponder what they could make to solve the problem, plan and build a solution. Next, they test their solutions to determine whether or not their creations meet the needs of the problem. Students are encouraged to seek multiple solutions to promote the understanding that there is more than one working solution. As a closure activity, students revisit the story to compare their solutions with the one provided in the literature. This circular process integrates math, science and technology in a hands-on learning approach. Meeting countless standards, children's engineering allows children to become problem solvers of the future by allowing them to practice 21st century problem solving skills in an active and innovative setting.
The TI MathForward™ program – responds to a pressing need for middle school algebra readiness and high school algebra success while increasing teacher capacity for further gains. The TI MathForward program enables schools to turn around student achievement in mathematics and creates a basis for sustained progress over the long term.
It is our goal to help you learn ways to evaluate and shape your school’s or district’s SMART Board use. It is easy to walk into a classroom and see that a teacher has something displayed on a SMART Board, but how do you really assess what type of learning is taking place? We will investigate ways to further integrate and evaluate the use of the SMART Board interactive whiteboard, Notebook software, and other educational technologies. Together we will explore effective and engaging uses of the SMART Board, ways to help teachers plan and design interactive learning environments, how to use SMART Technologies products to assess student learning, and so much more.
"Personal Learning Plans" is a national trend and a proven technique to get middle school and early HS students thinking about possible careers, and what it is required to get from (a) where they are now to (b) a successful career. PLPs don't have to be complicated or expensive. Career Days for 8th graders is a related tool for motivating students and making them consider alternatives. This session will also mention "Career Academies" and related ideas for making successful transitions from school to college and career.
This program has been perennially popular as an Action Lab at Workshop, but can also be delivered in a compact, cogent format as a floor session. Some districts are already delivering Option II programs, but many more have not yet started. Many board members are not aware of how valuable Option II can be to save parents money while expanding the curriculum and facilitating a successful transition from HS to college. Board members can learn about policy resources in this area and other areas related to improving student academic achievement, at NJSBA.
We will share our Assistive Technology (AT) mission:
* provide ongoing professional development for teachers on the use of assistive technology tools in the classroom.
* facilitate the process of implementing assistive technology in the classroom.
* involve students and parents in the use of technology to support learning goals.
* pilot the use of new and innovative assistive technology tools and collect data to assess student outcome.
Additionally, we will present how we chose the AT team members to insure that the entire district would benefit from development and implementation of this initiative.
LEGO Designs is a robotics program aimed at hands-on technology, engineering, and mathematics and designed to have students working in pairs. Our top seniors are paired with our top seventh-graders and they work together on high-interest activities/challenges in the high school's new, cutting-edge computer lab after school and on Saturdays. The students who we are at risk of losing to one of the magnet high schools come to our high school and get to see one of our top-shelf, brand new facilities. They also develop mentoring-type relationships with seniors who tell them about all that our high school has to offer. Students enrolled, for example, in Advanced Placement mathematics classes serve as the senior mentors since engineering has a direct link to many of the concepts that are studied in such courses; the seventh-graders are selected via an application and accompanying rubric.
In Puppetry Workshop students develop their skills in language through their investigation of the art and craft of puppetry. Students construct and manipulate shadow puppets, marionettes, and hand puppets and around stories that have been created by students. Students learn to work cooperatively through a sequence that culminate in a production. The production instills a sense of commitment and responsibility. This course includes presentations at local schools, hospitals, and township events.
Puppetry Workshop provides a voice for all students. Through the puppets, students are able to express their ideas through written and oral means. They build confidence while developing performance skills. Puppetry workshop has been especially beneficial to our special education students who do not always meet with academic success. In addition to servicing these students, the program also lends itself to the district's character education program. Through their pupppets, students teach their peers about respect and responsibility through varied skits.
The Ad Agency introduces second and third-year graphic arts students to the real life experience of running an advertisement agency. Students create products such as logos, posters, playbills, ads, and web pages for the school community. As part of this experience, students work individually and in teams to generate ideas and develop concepts with real customers; focus on the aesthetic, structural, and functional aspects of advertising product design; compete for advertising opportunities; conduct meetings to discuss project timelines; and, ultimately, create a product for an authentic audience using 21st century skills.