October+21,+2010+Session+Descriptions


 * TEACHERS SHARING WITH TEACHERS**
 * SESSIONS DESCRIPTIONS**
 * October 21, 2010**
 * Chase Collegiate School**

**SMARTBoards and Google Earth: Going Places in Education** (James Sorrels, Westover School) GRADES K-12 / ACROSS THE CURRICULUM

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In this presentation you'll learn some of the benefits of using a SMARTBoard vs. a traditional white/chalk board. You'll see examples of some of the special features that come with the SMARTBoard software and find out how the SMARTBoard will help your students re-engage with the material and become subject focused. You'll also be able to view an example of how to use the free tool Google Earth to explore the world, discover new cultures, visit places you've always dreamed of and much more without ever leaving the comfort of the classroom.======

**Technology-Based Collaborative Writing Between Schools** (John Corrigan, Pomfret School) GRADES 9-PG / ENGLISH, WRITING Participants in this workshop will discuss Pomfret School's model of collaborative, technology-based essay writing. Students will always need excellent reading and writing skills, but at a time when economists and technology experts declare "the MFA is the new MBA," it is time to rethink how we package our product. Technology-based collaborative writing assignments between schools stress the necessary technological and interpersonal skills and empathy necessary to communicate effectively in a global workplace. Attendees of this workshop will learn how to acquaint their students with Google Video Chat and Googledocs (and other Web-based, free services) and will discuss the pedagogical benefits and challenges of using these technological advancements as tools in the writing process. Participants will survey potential essay topics, discuss assessment, review student examples from successful projects, and examine the role of empathy in collaboration. Biographical Information: John R. Corrigan is a member of the English faculty at Pomfret School. He has scored both the AP Composition and Language and Composition and Literature Exams and is the author of five published novels. In 2009, he presented "Using a Wiki Discussion" at the National AP Conference. Intended Audience: New/Experienced Teachers Session Type: Single Presenter

**Global Transdisciplinary Units** (Denise Vacca and Peter Zantop, Whitby School) GRADES K-5 ACROSS THE CURRICULUM The 3rd and 4th grade teachers (multi-age classes) would like to share their latest transdisciplinary units of inquiry. Each unit includes various subjects (language, science, social studies, technology, the arts, etc), 21st century skills, and social-emotional learning. Teachers work collaboratively to create excellent learning experiences. Each learning experience specifies concepts, knowledge (content standards), subject-related skills, 21st Century skills, and action. Our units are centered around enduring understandings that are global and timeless. Two such units this year were Revolutions and Economics. Revolutions explored in depth the reasons people revolt across time and place, focusing on the American, Chinese and French revolutions. The Economics unit examined the systems people create to meet needs and wants. This unit examined the economics concepts of: • Needs/wants • Scarcity • Goods/Services • Choice • Resources • Value • Consumers/Producers • Production, consumption and distribution • Exchange • Imports/experts • Money • Banks: financial institutions • Supply and demand • Price • Standard of Living • Productivity Units are learned through hands-on collaborative structures. Learning is project-based. We would like to share our units as examples of global conceptual learning at the elementary level.

**Art/Dance Collaboration: A Constellation of Light, Movement, Sculpture and Sound** (Jennifer Pommiss and Erin Riley Greenwich Academy) GRADES K-12 / ART, DANCE, THEATRE, VIDEO PRODUCTION Luminosity: A Constellation of Light, Movement, Sculpture and Sound was the result of a semester-long collaboration between Greenwich Academy teachers Erin Riley (Art), Jenny Pommiss (Dance) and Kate Howard (Video Production). Luminosity explored the entire experience of the stage as an artistic space – through light, sound, movement and art. This culminated in a Middle School student performance for peers and parents. Following the performance, Upper School students from the video production class conducted interviews with students and faculty and wove this with footage and still images from the performance to create an original documentary of the project.

**Learning Together: Building Excellence through Collaborative Professional Review** (Don Gibbs, Pomfret School) GRADES K-12 / ACROSS THE CURRICULUM Great schools insure an outstanding student experience through regular, comprehensive professional review. Pomfret School has established a 360° review modeled after the accreditation process. Learn how Pomfret identified best practices, from the classroom to advising, and the added benefits of expanding conversations about excellence and performance across all levels of the school community. Description of Presentation: Great schools insure an outstanding student experience through regular, comprehensive professional review. Pomfret School has established a shared responsibility for professional growth, modeled after the accreditation process. Teachers assemble artifacts and write narratives in response to an assessment rubric. Professional review teams, organized by the person under review, evaluate the employee’s performance by visiting classes and practice sessions, speaking to colleagues, and interviewing students regarding residential life and advising. This inclusive approach has reinforced the values and goals of the school, reveals each day the skills and contributions of colleagues (on both sides of the review), and has generated a culture of growth and collegiality. Participants will learn our story, engage in activities to identify core competencies in each facet of school life, and examine evaluative techniques that invite community investment and promote excellent practice.

**Adman: Media Literacy and Advertising** (Joe Dietrich, The Master’s School) GRADES 9-PG / MEDIA LITERACY For a number of years I have been teaching a unit on media literacy that addresses the way that advertising works by immersing students in a simulated ad agency. Almost all of the skills listed on the wiki as 21st century skills are developed through this project. I would enjoy sharing the plans, rubrics, content and examples of student work with other teachers. here is the handout that students receive at the beginning of the project: Objective: To create an ad campaign to present to the class promoting “Olivetti’s Extra Virgin Olive Oil” Steps: 1. -create a name and structure for the agency (organize) 2. -view present state of advertising by documenting the nature, frequency and variety of a specific product (research the business) 3. -identify the market for the product (research the market) 4. -work up a storyboard for a tv ad and create a magazine ad (brainstorm & create) 5. -write the script for the tv ad (write) 6. -sell the class on the ad campaign (not necessarily the product) by making a presentation as an ad agency to the class who are the manufacturers. (presentation) Hints: Organize yourselves by clearly defining the responsibilities of each team member. Include research info and ad in as effective an audio-visual manner as possible. Assignments: 1. create a business card and organizational chart due Thurs Feb 3rd 2a. make a chart of the timing, frequency and length of ads for three current TV shows (i.e. who is the sponsor for the show and how are the ads presented) due Fri Feb 4th 2b. research 5 magazines and create a chart defining who advertises in them ( include name of publication, frequency of publication, cost of magazine, size and types of ads 3. create and write up a profile (age, income, hobbies, habits, etc.) of the typical buyer include survey to identify typical buyer (target market) due Mon Feb 7th 4a. create two magazine ads due Tues Feb 8th 4b. draw with captioned frames a 6 to 8 panel storyboard for each commercial you propose due Wed Feb 9th 5. write the script with stage and camera directions as well as dialogue due Thurs Feb 10th 6. perform or present all your work to the rest of the class as if you are the ad agency seeking to obtain a contract with us as the manufacturer Tues Feb 15th.

**Enchanting Fairy Tales Projects** (Jennifer Krayewski, Greenwich Country Day School) GRADES K-5 / ACROSS THE CURRICULUM Bringing fairy tales to the 21st century child opens a magical door to their imagination and creativity. The students are fascinated by these age-old classics. They immediately become engaged and excited to use them as a springboard for their own digital storytelling. Our fairy tale adventure began with books read by our librarian, the classroom teacher and the technology teachers. During computer class the students became characters from the stories and crafted letters using Stationery Studio. They enjoyed creating imaginary addresses and using their photos for the postage. Using the application Neighborhood Map Machine, the boys and girls worked collaboratively to plan a multistep mystery to a fairy tale land. They wrote directions, filmed video directions using puppets, and added photos. The map project is an excellent way to reach a variety of learning styles. The letters and the mysteries were shared among the students, the school and online. A variety of other projects will be suggested using Web 2.0 technologies.

**Making Technology Education Relevant** (Sharon Plante and Jeff Ruggiero Eagle Hill Southport) GRADES 6-8 / ACROSS THE CURRICULUM Too often, technology education occurs in a vacuum. Students are taught a set of skills which are not reinforced and/or applied in the regular classroom. This presentation will focus on a school-developed model that provides our students technology education that builds interest and investment while maintaining experience and relevance to their curriculum. Using sample projects, curriculum units, timelines and lesson plans, we will discuss how we developed an integrated technology plan through the collaborative and creative efforts of the faculty and administration.

**Jazz & Poetry: A Collaborative Integration of the Arts Across Grade-Levels and Teaching Disciplines** (Craig O’Connell, Christi Sharon, Toni Wright, John North, St. Thomas’s Day School) GRADES K-5 / ACROSS THE CURRICULUM What can happen when teachers and students bring their passion and skills together in a collaborative learning environment? At St. Thomas’s Day School an environment that allowed this type of collaboration resulted in the integration of poetry with jazz for students in grades 4-6. This activity culminated in an integrated arts performance at the 2009 New Haven Jazz Festival. We will demonstrate how the cross collaboration of students and teachers created a model for developing an integrative approach to the arts. We will show how 21st century technology can be used to enhance and integrate poetry, jazz, dance and visual arts to establish a new creativity among the participants. This project was the result of four teachers from different disciplines coming together around the idea of celebrating April as jazz and poetry month. Fourth, fifth and sixth graders were invited to join these teachers for jazz and poetry luncheons. Teachers working with teachers became the model for student interaction. The cross collaboration amongst both groups then influenced a new form of creativity that was sparked by the rhythm, cadence and movements of jazz. Inspired by jazz, students wrote their own poems, choreographed their own dance and created graphic arts culminating in multi-arts based performances. We have found that this collaborative integration of the arts has generated remarkable energy among teachers, students, parents and the broader New Haven community. This initial jazz and poetry collaboration has led to other projects linking poetry, art and jazz across grade levels.

**Just Write! Tag You’re It** (Marfie Lavendier and Sally Follansbee, Renbrook School) GRADES K-5 / WRITING We are collaborating on writing activities throughout the school year. All students have partners in the other grade to whom they write. Reflecting upon the exciting literature read, the children on both levels have sent letters back and forth, impersonating favorite characters from the books. Their exchanges have been imaginative, thoughtful, and refreshing, and each assignment ends with a celebration of the writing. They read the responses with their partners, chat about the books quietly together, and then as a whole, we gather to discuss the work. The participation has been incredible, which is the reason we would like to share what we have accomplished thus far.

**Take Your Projects into the Clouds** (Judy Soto, Greenwich Country Day School) GRADES K-5 / ACROSS THE CURRICULUM Last Spring our first grades enjoyed a Voice Thread project with a school in California pairing the children’s CT tech classes with the CA science classes. This year we decided to expand the project and take it further. We included other Web 2.0 technologies, and both schools enjoyed a Skype call to introduce all of the children to each other. Additional creative projects comparing the weather and weather dependent activities utilized a variety of media, including videos, photos, graphs, etc. Our vehicle for sharing the projects was VoiceThread, and Skype became an effective way for teachers and students to communicate with each other.

**The Library in the Digital Age** (Alia Methven and Joe Knowlton, Greenwich Academy) GRADES K-12 / ACROSS THE CURRICULUM The 21st Century Library – It’s not just books anymore. Computer technology makes the search for information more immediate, wide-ranging, and challenging. By combining the traditional research services of the library with the reach and capabilities provided by technology, the 21st Century version becomes a center for dynamic interaction and collaboration with sources of information throughout the entire world. In this presentation we will explore the merger of the library and the computer lab, the evolving role of the librarian in partnership with the technology staff, and the physical changes of the library space itself.

**Quick and Easy Video Projects to Encourage Fluency and Communication** (Veronica Lima, Greens Farms Academy) GRADES K-12 / ACROSS THE CURRICULUM This presentation will introduce several effective ways in which to incorporate video technology into the classroom and beyond. Participants will learn how to guide students in dubbing a film clip, creating video PSA projects and designing a Voki. In addition, the basics of Windows Movie Maker and Microsoft Photo Story 3 will be outlined along with innovative uses for the Flip video camera. Walk away with ideas and strategies to use right away in any language.

**Professional Development 24/7: Building a Personal Learning Network Using Twitter** (Lorri Carroll, Hamden Hall Country Day School and Andrew Watt, The Independent Day School) GRADES K-12 / ACROSS THE CURRICULUM

Lorri Carroll and Andrew Watt show how Twitter — of all things! — has become a meeting ground for tech-savvy teachers all over the world. Have questions about SMARTBoards? Don't wait for company reps. Need advice on a lesson on World War I? Want to find English-speaking teachers in Germany. Get help and advice 140 characters at a time! Come find out about building your own Personal Learning Network (PLN) with Twitter!

media type="custom" key="7311755" **Animating with Scratch (Emily Silverman, Greens Farms Academy) GRADES K-12 / ACROSS THE CURRICULUM** Options for using Scratch*, from MIT's Media Lab, to develop closer connections to the material at hand. I have used it with high school students to enhance their reading and understanding of selections from Latin literature. Sharing the presentations in class and discussing them also allows students to benefit from each other's work. Students pick up the basics of Scratch quickly and also enjoy sharing tricks and tips they've discovered. * From the Scratch website: Scratch is a programming language that makes it easy to create your own interactive stories, animations, games, music, and art -- and share your creations on the web. As young people create and share Scratch projects, they learn important mathematical and computational ideas, while also learning to think creatively, reason systematically, and work collaboratively.

**Exploring Hidden Bias (Pascale Musto, Chase Collegiate School) GRADES K-12 / ACROSS THE CURRICULUM** Recognizing the ongoing work of strengthening community that is enhanced by CAIS within all of our schools - combating prejudice and racism – it is important to note that we still all possess hidden biases. Scientific research has demonstrated that biases thought to be absent or extinguished remain as "mental residue" in most of us. Studies have shown that people can be consciously committed to egalitarianism, and deliberately work to behave without prejudice, yet still possess hidden negative prejudices or stereotypes. So even though we believe we see and treat people as equals, hidden biases may still influence our perceptions and actions. Psychologists at Harvard, the University of Virginia and the University of Washington created "Project Implicit" to develop Hidden Bias Tests — called Implicit Association Tests, or IATs, in the academic world — to measure unconscious bias. Come to this workshop to explore and discuss hidden biases. We will first take a series of the IAT tests and then have a brief seminar session to discuss the results and hidden biases.