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Spring Project Season
This week I had the pleasure of visiting Metro, Impact and CAT. As a result, I got to spend time in our blended learning classrooms and immerse myself in the projects that our students are doing. While the 10th and 12th graders are focused on compiling, editing, and presenting their portfolios, others are focused on deeper learning challenges that engage their critical thinking, encourage them to…
Technology Tools Can Increase Student Advocacy
Over the past few months I have had a number of encounters that I can only categorize as magical. On several occasions, when working with either students or teachers, I have had the pleasure of sharing in moments that take my breath away. What unifies these moments is they are all instances of people advocating for themselves, their own interests, their own goals, their own vision. Let me tell…
Empowering Students to Own Their Own Learning: Some Things We May Need to Know
This week I had the pleasure of being in attendance at the annual conference for SITE. I was sponsored to attend by the Gates Foundation because I was asked to present on the development of our blended learning program. The presentation went well and I had a lot of positive feedback about our findings.
Beyond having the opportunity to share with the larger academic community, I was able to see…
Personal and Personalized Learning
Friday morning I had the pleasure of hosting Russ Altenburg from the Broad Foundation at Envision Academy in Oakland. It was a wonderful opportunity for me to learn more about our program by experiencing it through a new and different lens, Russ’s lense. It was also an amazing opportunity to hear about resources and programs that Envision can learn from and with.
As part of the…
Imagine
Imagine K-12 is a small organization that works with budding edtech companies as they prepare for their initial introductions to the public. These companies go through startup boot camp, Imagine K-12 staff supporting and encouraging them along the way, and this culminates in a Friday afternoon pitch and Q & A to a room full of teachers. The idea is that the teachers will ultimately be the…
What a Student’s Got to Say Got to Say ’bout It (Part 2)
[Read Part 1 of this blog series What a Student’s Got to Say Got to Say ’bout It]
Kiera’s Log – February 1st, 2013
Today I got to spend the day at Metropolitan Arts and Technology (fondly referred to as Metro). It is the first time I have seen the students since before winter break as well as their teacher, who was out on paternity leave – Congrats!!
Here…
What a Student’s Got to Say Got to Say ’bout It (Part 1)
In the weeks leading up to the winter break I had the pleasure of spending time at our school in Hayward Impact Academy (fondly referred to as IA). These Algebra I students are in the unique situation of being co-enrolled in a second math class, a course we call Academic Numeracy or Ac-Num. The design of this course has been to support the learning in the Algebra I class by reviewing previously…
Shared Learning Collaborative – Bay Area Camp
A couple of weekends ago I had the pleasure of attending the Shared Learning Collaborative’s first every Bay Area Camp. I was very excited as I had never attended a codeathon before. The idea of spending a weekend with a bunch of educators and a bunch of programmers, all with the aim of solving educations biggest problems, was inspiring and exciting.
So I dragged my tired teacher behind out of…
The Building Blocks of Change
Every organization is so different that I imagine the process of growth looks equally different. In order to try and foresee where and how the Blended Learning program at Envision Schools may grow, I find myself reflecting on the ways that we have already grown. Because Envision Schools is a relatively small organization I realize that change can occur pretty quickly. In the spring of 2011 Brian…
Data Teach Data Teach
Its Friday afternoon and I spent most of today combing over a combination of Google spreadsheets and Khan Academy. I met with one of the teachers I work with, and his BTSA coach. We determined that it was time to complete our cycle of inquiry, look at the data, and determine next steps. This process revealed some interesting things in relationship to the current question of how teachers and…