Learning Gets Personal
May 19, 2016
And the Flop Award goes to…
It’s (finally) the end of the school year. Time for reflection, final exams, and award days. So often we celebrate success and hide our failures. Today, however, let’s flip the paradigm and celebrate the classroom flops. See what I did there...flip to flop? Let’s not just acknowledge a #fail, but truly pat ourselves on the back for the classroom moments that didn’t go according to plan.
Why, you ask? Because when we fail, we learn. As you embarked on your personalized learning journey this year, we asked you to take risks and change how your classroom works. Risks are scary without a fail-forward mindset. Let’s take a moment and acknowledge a lesson that you thought embodied personalized learning and would knock your students’ socks off...but then it flopped. How did this experience move you and your students forward? Did it shape your next lesson or perhaps your understanding of the principles of PL? Did you model failing forward for your students? We’re all learning about personalizing instruction, so give yourself permission to try new things and learn from them when they don’t go as planned.
by Brittany Griffin, Education Elements
CV of Failures
Design Thinking: Learn to Reframe Failure
When Risks in the Classroom Lead to Rewards
Need some inspiration to take a risk in your instruction next year? These teachers pushed themselves to redefine learning in some risky yet remarkable ways. Read more here.
Meet the Robinsons... Spotlight on failing forward
Reminder: 2016-2017 Digital Citizenship Implementation Plans Due June 3rd
Spotlight on Schools: Brookview ES
Authentic Learning with Skype
Upcoming Professional Learning Opportunities
VanCon is Coming May 31, 2016!
The Vanguard team would like to invite all principals to attend VanCon 2016 at the Georgia Tech Hotel and Conference Center on Tuesday, May 31. Please click here for more information and to register for this FREE event. Spaces are limited, so please register as soon as possible if you're interested in attending.
In addition to our incredible Vanguard presenters, we will feature Steve Dembo from Discovery Education, Leslie Fisher, and Tony Vincent.
Please contact Heather Cox (heather@ksuiteach.org) with any questions.
Evaluating Effective Technology Use
PD Opportunity for All Principals, Coaches, and CSTs (anyone responsible for evaluating or coaching teachers)
Fulton has made a significant investment in technology to support personalized learning. Come learn more about how you can maximize the potential of this technology to transform learning. Technology use exists on a continuum. Naturally, when we first use a tool we tend to use it as a substitute for more conventional paper and pencil tasks, but the potential of technology goes far beyond substitution measures. This interactive session will provide you with strategies and a framework (Technology Integration Matrix) to follow for defining and evaluating effective technology use. Students in Fulton County currently have greater access to technology than ever before. See the possibilities of how teachers/students can use that technology in unconventional ways to transform learning activities.
June 1 (2 Sessions)
- 8:30-11:30 (buffet lunch will be available after the session)
- 12:30-3:30 (come early to enjoy lunch
If interested, please complete this form to register.
Wednesday, Jun 1, 2016, 08:30 AM
Georgia Tech Hotel
Summer Office 365 Professional Development Courses for Administrators
Registration available in Edivate in the Instructional Technology catalog
OneNote for Administrators
June 16 - 12:30-3:30 (Central Office- Powers Ferry)
Learn from two fellow Fulton principals how they are using OneNote to assist with organization, collaboration, and productivity. There will be hands on time to explore how to create and share notebooks with staff, students and parents. OneNote notebooks can be used for staff meetings, plan out school initiatives, track student achievement, streamline the walk-through and observation process and more.
Microsoft Innovative School Leader Academy
July 14 - 8:30-3:30
This one-day professional learning experience is designed for the K-12 school leader who wants to use Microsoft technologies to create, promote and sustain digital-age learning culture. This workshop will facilitated by two FCS principals and will explore OneNote Staff Notebook, Office Mix, Forms, Skype for Business, and Sway. These are all tools you can use to collaboratively plan with teachers, leaded flipped faculty meetings, communicate with parents/students, gather data, evaluate teachers/staff, and more.
Helpful Links
Questions?
Heather Van Looy, Ed.S.
Fulton County Schools
Email: vanlooy@fultonschools.org
Website: https://employees.fultonschools.org/academics/Personalized%20Learning/Pages/default.aspx
Location: 6201 Powers Ferry Road, Atlanta, GA 30339
Phone: 470-254-6899
Twitter: @heathervanlooy
CV of Failures
Think your classroom flops were the floppiest of all? This accomplished Princeton professor puts your failures to shame with his CV of failures. The programs he didn’t get into, the jobs he didn’t land, even the scholarships he didn’t receive. In order to succeed, he had to take risks. With risks, come failures. Let’s give an honorary Flop Award to Mr. Haushofer. Read more here.