{"id":1944,"date":"2012-08-22T10:39:55","date_gmt":"2012-08-22T17:39:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.sd41.bc.ca\/learningtech\/?p=1944"},"modified":"2012-08-22T10:39:55","modified_gmt":"2012-08-22T17:39:55","slug":"welcome-back-september","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.sd41.bc.ca\/learningtech\/2012\/08\/welcome-back-september\/","title":{"rendered":"Welcome back September"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Welcome back September. \u00a0And what a spectacular summer it has been – Olympics energy, warm sunny weather, family and friends laughter. \u00a0Though it’s always great to get away and get recharged, I look forward to the start of each new year. \u00a0A new year to test out some crazy ideas (yes I’ve read and reread some 13 books and most likely there will be future posts reflecting these ideas), a new year of possibles, a new year of adventures…<\/p>\n

On the staff development side, I’m excited about a host of opportunities to engage in conversation and experiences. And I’m really excited about the varied entry points for our educators: \u00a0hands-on experiences in gathering places rich with deep conversation, blended online interactive webinars [yes I’m expanding this due to the response from last year], small group experiences as a shared approach to inquiry, self-directed or guided by our blog content.
\nSo what’s on the horizon? Since this could be long, I’ve broken it down to multiple posts. This one will focus on literacy (reading, writing, communicating in all content areas). [Details of how you can be involved is on the\u00a0SD calendar<\/a>.]<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Blogging<\/strong>\u00a0or having some web presence continues to be a mainstay. \u00a0If you haven’t considered how this can help you enhance your curriculum, please talk to me or check out our many\u00a0class or professional blogs<\/a>\u00a0(click on Blogs) hosted on our server. \u00a0You will see a variety of ways that our teachers and administrators have used the platform (eg. Literature\/Information Circles, math problem-solving, critical thinking, parent & community global sharing, class newsletters, extending student voices, homework reminders, research support links, deepening professional conversation). \u00a0If you’re wanting to hop on board (“begin at the beginning”), our first group starts at the beginning of October.\u00a0If you are thinking, “how am I going to take this to the next level”, \u00a0consider joining one of our ‘next steps\/advancing’ gatherings.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Writing<\/strong>, whether in general or content areas is part of the literacy process.\u00a0We are continuing our pilot of\u00a0Google Docs<\/em>\u00a0through our Google Apps for Education. In fact, the response received from last year’s Writers Workshop group was beyond what I expected so I’m hoping to dive in with both feet. \u00a0Google Docs is an online tool, which allows teachers and their students to collaborate and revise in real time. \u00a0Critical to the writing process is timely support, which this tool has in its commenting feature. What types of questions and writing scaffolds can increase writing skills? How can you reframe comments to strengthen writers? Great questions lead to great conversations. \u00a0How does this open up the possibilities of peer support, parent engagement, as well as teachers targeting specific areas? \u00a0Many of the teachers have shared how the writing has changed, how students have changed their personal view of writing and how\u00a0editing\/revision is more accessible over paper\/pencil. And a big side perk of no more hearing “I forgot it or lost it”. \u00a0If you’re thinking to change your writing program, consider joining our series. \u00a0If you are one of our advanced writers [Writers Workshop-year2], we have a an entry spot for you too (deepening the conversation of writing strategies).<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Oral language and Communication<\/strong>\u00a0rounds out the general literacy components. \u00a0Grouped in this is communication (eg. strengthening speaking and oral language through consideration of audio\/video, and visual supports (eg. photography, graphic organizing). \u00a0The tools we use fall into categories – easy, \u00a0really easy, and supremely easy. \u00a0Depending on your goals, audio recordings are a great way to encourage oral language, reading fluency, or ongoing assessment via tools as simple as the audio recorder on a computer, audio on ipad or itouch or online through Vocaroo. \u00a0If you’re looking for a bit of splash, online avatars add personal pizzazz without driving you crazy (Voki, Blabberize). \u00a0Of course you’ll need a blog or wiki or other web presence to showcase them. \u00a0In video,\u00a0our ‘go-to’ is Photostory or Movie Maker. \u00a0And all of these can be strengthened through developing our ideas with the use of graphic organizers (Inspiration, Kidspiration, Webspiration (online), Popplet for ipads). For those interested in the role of visual images, consider how digital cameras can provide a voice to the world. \u00a0I’ve watched students gain confidence and increase their vocabulary through the power of images.<\/p>\n

Where can you find more information on these opportunities?<\/h4>\n