Google+ - A Great PLN!

Good Morning!

I just wanted to share with all of you how awesome google+ is. I joined with my school gmail account a few weeks ago. Recently, they added a new feature called "communities", which is similar to facebook groups. I posted a question in one of these communities and had 6 comments on it before lunch time. People gave me ideas, resources, and even self-paced tech training videos that went along with their suggestions.

Google+ also has those little +1 on like every website which makes it easy to share things you find on the internet.

I would highly recommend getting on google+ and following teachers such as Richard Byrne and also finding communities that interest you. Oh, and you can add me to your circles! :)

See you on G+!

Eric Hills

PLC Data Protocol

In our PLC we completed our first data protocol of the year. While we have been discussing student achievement, rewriting assessment, and comparing work informally, this was the first time we sat down and officially looked at test results. For the most part, this was a great relief. I found that our scores on the assessment were similar for the most part. Also, we got an opportunity to rewrite confusing questions as a whole group. I think this is much more helpful than me just rewriting with my own ideas. What I especially like about this data protocol was that we agreed the test was were it should be in terms about rigor, but we discussed ways to teach the concepts better, so that our results turn out better next year. It was nice to get to the instructional part in a discussion about assessments, as usually I think many people get caught up in what didn't work . We focused on what did work. Have you looked at test data as a PLC? Do you find it helpful?  Also, do you plan enrichments/remediation at this time?

Free Writing for Language Arts and content areas

Last year I was coteaching in a 7th grade language arts class. We started doing a freewrite activity at the beginning of class during our poetry unit. It was great fun since the students were motivated to read out loud by allowing them to perform if they wanted to. Some students did raps, some did creative readings. I started this fall with freewrites in my pull out Level 2 EL class grade 7. They are motivated by what they can create and show and perform for their fellow students. Sometimes it is competetive between them--I don't make it competetive, they do. Sometimes they bring the writing home to add to or improve it--and they are excited to show it the next day! I think this generation is motivated more about what they can show the world than what the world can show them--social media makes so much sense--like facebook is about what you can PUT OUT THERE--not so much about how you can injest more from others. I would suggest doing freewrites in ALL content areas and just see what the students do creatively with the vocabulary and concepts--just give it a try! --Ann Browning Zerby