Comments for World of Learning

Comment on Block-by-Block Community Engagement Key to Translating Learning Policies to Best Practices by vchandler

vchandler — Sun, 20 May 2012 13:18:14 +0000

Project GRAD Knoxville also had the pleasure of funding EdWorks support for a couple of years at one of our district’s turnaround high schools, Austin-East. Ed Works, particularly Dr. Samson, is a jewel! Since 2001, GRAD Knoxville has partnered with our community in a number of ways–our Board, by design in our bylaws, has general community members; our Parent Board of Trustees represents all our 14 GRAD-supported schools; through our College Board, our college scholars shape support programming for our students in higher education and connect via all social media; we have periodic “Call to the Village” community meetings; an annual Parent Conference planned and presented by parents; early college awareness events presented in partnership with other local college access partners; periodically present training for our after-school partners; the community attends the annual celebration of graduates qualifying for the Project GRAD scholarship; and the community generously funds this initiative. We are presently exploring how we can support our district’s planned implementation of Community Schools. The community is essential to the success of our youth! We have found they are very willing and often just need some guidance on how they can help within their various means. Respect them–they’ll be there for you!

Comment on Block-by-Block Community Engagement Key to Translating Learning Policies to Best Practices by Lester Lurie

Lester Lurie — Sat, 19 May 2012 21:11:45 +0000

The International YouthCan conference out of New York city is another venue for students to participate in community improvement learning projects that then can be shared at the conference hosted at the American Museum of Natural History. It encourages both grassroots and grass tops involvement. Students at Casey Middle School in Boulder Colorado have been regular attenders. It is truly a wonderfully organized and powerful event to prepare for and be a part of.

Comment on Block-by-Block Community Engagement Key to Translating Learning Policies to Best Practices by Shauna LeBlanc

Shauna LeBlanc — Sat, 19 May 2012 18:53:05 +0000

I love the idea of a community involvement promoting student achievement. Our school is working on implementing senior project requirements for students. Projects involve students going into the community and utilizing community resources to complete their senior research projects. The initial projects are meant to create lasting relationships between the school and business community in the hopes of being able to build upon these partnerships for future endeavors. Additionally, as a sponsor of the Beta club, I am currently working on branching out to the local middle and elementary schools and creating partnerships with their afterschool programs to set up tutoring/mentoring relationships between our honors students and their at-risk students in the hopes of providing some positive role model reinforcement into their daily lives, while giving our honors students a chance to give back to the community.
Actually getting into the community has been a challenge thus far because of the mentality at the school board level. Their ideology has yet to allow for such personable relationships, but we are working on this.
Shauna LeBlanc

Comment on Block-by-Block Community Engagement Key to Translating Learning Policies to Best Practices by John Marschhausen

John Marschhausen — Sat, 19 May 2012 17:47:31 +0000

Schools must engage parents where they “consume” information. This means Twitter, Facebook, email, RSS feeds, Feedburner, web page, and emerging media must be part of any districts comprehensive plan. Traditional media plans are still important, but they can be reduced. We’ve moved to postcards from news letters; we have drastically reduced our direct mailing.

Comment on Block-by-Block Community Engagement Key to Translating Learning Policies to Best Practices by Theresa Lipsett Shafer

Theresa Lipsett Shafer — Sat, 19 May 2012 11:34:57 +0000

The story of Detroit’s Central Collegiate Academy is an inspiring one! It serves to remind us that community engagement and involvement is key to the success of the people in that community. When I was a child, I lived near my very large extended family, I had my very own community of support with models of a wide variety of careers and activities. As families are more mobile and children aren’t surrounded by aunts, uncles and cousins, the community must become this family. Sometimes it is as simple as recognizing the talents on the block and inviting them in! Not only is Central Collegiate Academy building support for their students, they are insuring these students will grow up and give that support right back to the next generation of students!

Comment on Block-by-Block Community Engagement Key to Translating Learning Policies to Best Practices by sn2

sn2 — Sat, 19 May 2012 03:08:28 +0000

HYPER. LOCAL. The Block-by-Block, Grasstops/Grassroots approach is paramount to the advancement and growth of our communities, schools, and small businesses longer term. This project fosters leadership development in our youth by instilling the values of hard work, service, teamwork, and citizenship at a critical juncture in their young lives which will have a tremendous impact on our nation longer term. HYPER. LOCAL. Never in the history of our world have we been able to connect and influence change from the grassroots level at the speed by which we are able to today. When additional efforts of this project are powered and enhanced by emerging digital, social, and mobile echniques and strategies, the efforts will explode thus impacting more schools, more communities and more businesses at warp speed. HYPER. LOCAL.

Comment on Block-by-Block Community Engagement Key to Translating Learning Policies to Best Practices by Pat

Pat — Sat, 19 May 2012 03:04:51 +0000

I work with high school students with special needs. Most of my students will go to college and will hold down jobs in the competitive market. Because many of them will need extra time to do the perfect job, they need a little extra in order to be marketable in the community post graduation. In addition to their full time general education, my students prepare for job interviews, work volunteer positions for credit and learn to dress and carry themselves for success. We do this in through the help of the community – by the generous support of local businesses and families of our students. We have to take the time to make ourselves visible and, more often than not, go above and beyond expectations for our community help projects. My students receive help by helping others! The community response has been overwhelming and although we are closing out our first year, next years’s support pledges and requests are almost more than we can handle. My students will rise to meet the challenge!

Comment on Tech Innovation in Education: The 2012 Tech Olympics by Jeanne Bernish

Jeanne Bernish — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 13:04:45 +0000

Super event! This is my second day here and I have really enjoyed seeing students engaged in learning – so many of them achieving skills in technology even though there may be no formalized programs in their schools (imagine if there were!). Truly self taught learners now being exposed to careers and college opportunities – breaking out of the bubble and creating a whole new core curriculum based on building a relevant knowledge base.

Comment on The interest in Pinterest in the classroom by Kate

Kate — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 23:11:00 +0000

I’ve loved how the EDWorks Pinterest page has been working out. I’ve been swapping some really great online resources I never would have known about otherwise!

Comment on High-quality customizable learning options should be the rule, not the exception by Ed Jones

Ed Jones — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 14:02:43 +0000

Great summary, Lisa and Terry.

“Despite [33,000 e-students], Ohio has yet to harness fully the potential of digital learning for all students.” Quite an understatement.
“Ohio can’t afford to wait.” Yea verily.

Lisa, consider Ohio’s Credit Flexibility as a wedge to reaching the rest of our students:
- CF is in place now
- it offers a next path to reach the early adopters from all our schools
- CF sets a “brand” if you will, for early blended learning.

Actions 2,3,4,7, and 10 above define the waypoints.

CF DOES end the practice of requiring seat time (action 10). It puts the definition of mastery and competency into the hands of the teacher.

CF unbundles(action 7). Educator roles can change dramatically. Teachers can and should work together across districts. New individuals can be drawn in as ether subject experts or as coaches. Retired teachers might make a wonderful resource, and many others.

The task now is to take CF to the level (action 3). After that, educators will demand and get funding (action 6). Getting to the next level,though, has to happen on the ground.

Right now, CF hinges on the student, and his/her ability to find a teacher with time. It’s up to us in the digital learning community to change this. To empower both student and teacher.

If we make the whole planning/evaluating process easier, it will take much of the burden off the teacher of record.

Toward this, ODE has rolled out a COP tool, and plans seminars. Yet there’s much more that can be done.

I work at this. I’d like to talk more.