“Selling Lessons Online Raises Cash and Questions”

Recently I read the New York Times article “Selling Lessons Online Raises Cash and Questions.” It raises the question of whether teachers should be paid for developing curricular resources. My answer is simple…..yes, they should be paid.  I recall working in a county where I was writing a children’s book on L. Douglas Wilder. My immediate supervisor cautioned me about providing the county with this book since I would not be able to gain any future financial incentives if I included it as a resource for educators. It would belong to the county even though I was the primary author. So I decided not to submit it since it was my work and I put in many hours reading, researching, and traveling back and forth to Richmond, Virginia. Daily many educators create lesson plans, graphic organizers, assessments, and a host of other materials. These resources are tailored for their kids and their teaching context.  If what is created is good enough to be shared with other educators worldwide, then why not allow teachers to become educational entrepreneurs? I am all for educators mastering their craft and passing it on effective practices to others.  There is a definitely a “pimp” mentality in which teachers are at times expected to contribute and not be rewarded. If you are an educator you should expect to be compensated for your time, energy, effort, and talent.  Especially if this done on your personal time. Do not allow others to use children as an excuse for not paying your for your intellectual property.

 

So what is your stance?

Partners in Learning Network

KDSL joined the Partners in Learning Network.  Check out http://tiny.cc/pmUM8 for more information.

Improving Education in Michigan

http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/michigan/news.newsmain/article/1/0/1575117/Michigan.News/Improving.Education.in.Michigan?dsq=23471265#comment-23471265

KDSL responds to an MPRN article on Improving Education in Michigan.

My Letter to President Barack Obama

http://www.theellacollection.com/

Last night I had the privilege of meeting Lana Dajani, the author of the children’s book My Letter to President Barack Obama.  A link to the book is above.  Immediately I noticed how passionate she was about writing for children. This passion was contagious as I went to preview the text and invite her to come to my school and read it to my class.

Check the book out for yourself.

KDSL on Literacy is Priceless

http://literacyispriceless.wordpress.com/2009/11/12/the-anatomy-of-open-education/

KDSL was recently mentioned on the blog Literacy is Priceless.

KDSL September/October/November 2009 Newsletter

KDSL Newsletter Volume 2, Issue 3
September/October/November 2009

KDSL Current and Recent Projects

Schools Need Teachers Like Me. I Just Can Stay

The Anatomy of Open Education

KDSL Information

 

KDSL Current and Recent Projects

KDSL Current Projects:
GEMS World Academy, Primary Years Programme (Dubai, UAE)
UAE Education Group Meet Up
Center for Educational Improvement (http://www.edimprovement.org/)

KDSL Recent Projects:
TEDxDubai Conference
(Official Blogger/Tweeter, http://www.tedxdubai.com/blog and http://twitter.com/tedxdubai/)

 

Schools Need Teachers Like Me. I Just Can Stay

Recently I read an article entitled Schools Need Teachers Like Me. I Just Can’t Stay and was quite perturbed after being a teacher and consultant for ten years. I am not from Teach for America or a Teaching Fellow Program and did not have a long line of educators in my family. I am not from an Ivy League background, did not enter the field feeling like I needed to “save the children”, or give back. Teaching is a calling and when I was called I accepted. This calling occurred in 1995 while working with the Young Spartan Program at a Lansing Public School with a group of first and second graders who struggled with mathematics. When I was able to see their smiling faces due to learning addition and subtraction through an interactive game I rejoiced too. My moment of obligation to work in education began before applying and being accepted into Michigan State University’s number one rated and highly competitive education program in 1996. Yes, some were shocked since I was pre-law and now added elementary education into my studies. Never did I defend my calling or purpose to them. I never felt (still today) the need to explain this to people. They can think what they want to think-they are going to anyway with or without my help. One of my favorite quotes by T.D. Jakes says “Don’t allow other people to breathe their plans on you.”

 Entering the field of education has been a door to many opportunities. I have been able to travel the world teaching and consulting, start my own business, work on a variety of projects, and gain a more global sense of education. All of this exposure and these experiences feed back into the work I do-whether in Washington, D.C. or Dubai. Also, I have ventured out of the classroom and back into the classroom since I am an educator first. My work has been in the suburbs and urban areas, public and private industries, and with international and charter schools. So this is how I keep the flame burning instead of being burned out. Education is always changing and evolving. Educators must change and evolve as well. Policies change, presidents change, priorities change, students change, passions change.

So why am I staying? There is much work to be done.

-Literacy rates worldwide are not where they should be

-Many teachers in developing countries are beginning education reform work and highly skilled educators are working as coaches and mentors

-A new teacher just started in the field and needs a top notch mentor

-I have two mentees in the field of education. One just started and one is about to finish his education administration degree

-Students need GREAT teachers

-Education is about more than the classroom

-Committed males in education are rare

-I am where I am today because of education and teachers

Schools Needs Teachers Like Me. I Just Can Stay.

 

The Anatomy of Open Education

Anna Batchelder is CEO and Founder of Bon Education. With experience leading education product development, professional development and online community initiatives for leading academic institutions and companies including the UAE Ministry of Education, the International Society for Technology and Education, Wireless Generation, SchoolNet, Columbia University, Kaplan and ECC Foreign Language Institute (Japan), she is passionate about improving education for all and developing technology solutions that significantly improve learning and access to educational resources.

 Anna has hosted numerous workshops on how to incorporate technology tools into the classroom across the Middle East, North America and Caribbean. She is author of the blog Literacy is Priceless and regularly guest blogs for Curriki. Anna holds an MA in Comparative and International Education from Columbia University, Teachers College, a BA in Economics from the College of William and Mary and is a former English teacher (Osaka, Japan).

“The advent of the Web brings the ability to disseminate high-quality materials at almost no cost, leveling the playing field. We’re changing the culture of how we think about knowledge and how it should be shared and who are the owners of knowledge.”
- Cathy Casserly, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching

With an increasing number of educators putting their lessons, curricula and learning objects online for others to use, customize and share, the open education movement is at a tipping point. That said, with so many educational resources available on the Internet, how does one go about finding the “perfect resource for class tomorrow” without losing too much time, money or sleep. Before we get to the answer of this question, it is important to take a quick step back and understand “the anatomy of open education”…

What is Open Education?

Open education is a term that refers to education in which knowledge, best practices and learning objects (lessons, units, etc.) are shared freely via the Internet for others to use and under many licenses to modify and re-share.

Why Open Education?

The benefits of open education are many (customization, cost-savings, freedom to innovate, etc.), but one of the primary advantages of the open education movement is that of access. Anyone who has an Internet connection via computer or mobile phone can access millions of readings, videos, simulations, lesson plans, interactive courses and more… all for free!

Open Education and Teacher Effectiveness?

Research shows time and time again that teachers have the greatest potential to influence a child’s education (North Central Regional Education Laboratory 2009, McKinsey 2007). Furthermore, the literature indicates that effective teachers tend to exhibit commitment (to help every child succeed), information-seeking (intellectual curiosity), flexibility (willingness to differentiate), and passion for learning (drive to support student learning) amongst several other traits (UNESCO International Institute for Educational Planning 2004, Kemp & Hall, 1992). Luckily, the ethos of open education goes hand-in-hand with these findings, enabling educators endless opportunities to improve their craft. Thanks to the millions of people actively engaged in sharing their ideas and content online, teachers today have 24-7 access to continued learning opportunities, professional development, lesson planning guides and resources for differentiation. Take one look at sites like Edutopia (edutopia.org), Discover Ed (discovered.creativecommons.org), and Connexions (cnx.org) and you will be blown away by the number of free resources available to help educators continuously improve the content area knowledge, skills and expertise they bring to the classroom.

Where to Start?

Finding the Perfect Open Education Resources for your Classroom The following is a curated list of open education resources targeted at helping K-12 teachers find classroom and professional development resources quickly, easily and for free:

Curriki.org – “Curriki is a social entrepreneurship organization that supports the development and free distribution of open source educational materials to improve education worldwide. The online community gives teachers, students and parents universal access to a wealth of peer-reviewed K-12 curricula, and powerful online collaboration tools”.

FreeReading.net – “FreeReading is a high-quality, open-source, free reading intervention program addressing literacy development for grades K-3. Schools and teachers everywhere can use the complete, research-based 40-week program for K-1 students, or use the library of lessons to supplement existing curricula in phonological awareness, phonics, vocabulary, comprehension, and writing. The site is also filled with free, downloadable supplemental materials including flashcards, graphical organizers, illustrated readers, decodable texts, audio files, videos and more”.

OERCommons.org - “OER Commons has forged alliances with over 120 major content partners to provide a single point of access through which educators and learners can search across collections to access over 24,000 items, find and provide descriptive information about each resource, and retrieve the ones they need. By being open, these resources are publicly available for all to use, and principally through Creative Commons licensing, many thousands are legally available for repurposing, modifying and improving”.

To find additional open education resources of note, visit Bon Education: http://boneducation.com/edtech-resources/open-education-resources

The Future Cost of Education

A recent post on Mashable, titled, “In the Future, the Cost of Education will be Zero,” author Josh Catone shares a recent statement by VC and “Hacking Education” organizer Brad Burnham. He writes: Knowledge is, as the economists say, a non-rival good If I eat an apple, you cannot also eat that same apple; but if I learn something, there is no reason you cannot also learn that thing. Information goods lend themselves to being created, distributed and consumed on the web. It is not so different from music, or classified advertising, or news.

 A nice notion indeed! To the sharing of knowledge!

Anna Batchelder
Founder, Bon Education
www.boneducation.com

 

KDSL Information

KDSL was started by Kevin Simpson in 2007. The mission of KDSL is to serve organizations, schools, and teachers worldwide by providing high quality, sustained professional learning connected to student achievement. KDSL values Knowledge, Achievement, Action, and Relationships.

 Kevin Simpson has been in the education field since 1998. He has taught in parochial, public, and international schools located in Washington, D.C., Michigan, Virginia, Laos, Qatar, and Dubai. Simpson has also served as a countywide elementary social studies curriculum teacher, preschool to twelfth grade curriculum coordinator, and elementary math specialist. He was a National Consultant with the U.S. Department of Education’s Teacher-to-Teacher Initiative which provides effective, research-based practices to educators across the country. Simpson specializes in teacher education, school improvement, curriculum writing, and data-driven instruction. He believes that providing teachers with high quality, collaborative professional learning is essential to student achievement. Educational Consulting Services Services are individualized and tailored to the needs of the schools, teachers, grade level teams, and student achievement data. KDSL firmly believes the best professional learning is ongoing and sustained. Therefore, schools must commit to working with KDSL one or more times each marking period throughout the academic year. No one shot deals.

Got History?
Math that Works
Assessment: The Remix
Learning While Doing: Teachers as Readers
Show Me Don’t Tell Me: Modeling and co-teaching lessons
Same, Same. Differentiate, Differentiate: Differentiating Instruction
Follow the Curriculum Map Road: Curriculum Mapping, Planning, and Pacing
Show me the Data! Accessing, analyzing, and acting on numbers
Somebodys Watching Me: Peer observation and feedback
Hands-on, Minds-on: Instructional Strategies that Work
The Secret: Teacher Collaboration

Other Services Available:

Curriculum Writing
School Improvement Plans
Instructional Walkthroughs
Education Branding

UAE Education Group Meet Up – November 15, 2009

The next Open Diversity Discussion group will be taking place on Sunday 15th November, from 7pm to 9pm at The Shelter. The topic is “How rapid changes in communication technologies are affecting our day-to-day lives, education and the Arabic world” and discussion will be led by Giorgio Ungania.

For more information, please contact Anna on anna@boneducation.com or visit http://tinyurl.com/yeq743t.

Grade 4S Gems World Academy

http://ksgwa4.edublogs.org/

Above is a link to my Grade 4 class blog.

Down the Persuasive Writing Road

“Here Mr. Simpson. You have to write one too.”

“Are you really going to send it to them for real?”

“Is this real?”

Over the last two days my grade 4 and I have started the genre of persuasive writing in writing workshop. My big focus has been on getting them to see this genre as real and building their voice as writers. Above have been some of their reactions so far. On the first day we examined letters to editors for audiences, purpose, and features. During reading workshop students are also reading a variety of letters to editors from around the world. We completed a shared writing on the topic of should grade 4 students be able to use their cell phones during mathematics. Below is an excerpt from their writing: 

 Lastly, if you are trying to work a problem out after school you will have your phone with a calculator and you would have practiced how to use it during school. When you are older you will be able to know how to use a variety of different phones and iPods. We are preparing for more complicated phones and this will help us to be successful.

When I told them I would email their letter to the superintendent, principal, and director of teaching and learning they replied “Are you really going to send it to them for real?” And I did right in their presence. The class kept asking if we had a response back. An excerpt from the principal response’s is:

However, you do make a good point that as we change the uses for our phones from simply talking to organizing our lives, maybe we have to readdress the use of phones in school for learning. Let me talk to the teachers and we will figure out if a rule change is in order.

Now we are working on writing a letter to the editor of the Gulf Press in Dubai, United Arab Emirates in response to the residence visa re-entry rule which will be enforced. Expatriates who leave for 6 months will have to reapply for a visa. Since the majority of the students are expatriates many of them disagreed with this rule. We read and discussed the news article and then shared our opinions. After reviewing the audience, purpose of our writing, and features to include we were ready to launch. One of my students who passed out the graphic organizers for prewriting said, “Here Mr. Simpson. You have to write one too.” I felt quite honored that they see me as a writer in the community and not a giver of assignments. This is always a goal – for me to write along with my students and receive feedback for growth from them also. We are in drafting mode now and during our technology time this week they will type their responses onto the Gulf News site. Once we got started writing today one student exclaimed, “Is this real?” The whole class chimed in and said “YES!” This is my hope. For students (whoever they are, wherever they are) who I teach writing to always see it as real and having an opportunity to add their voice to local and global issues.

Professional Educator

Professional Educator

“You are just a teacher.” The mere sound of those words disgusts me nowadays. I think it is the word “just.” I do not just teach. I educate. I hold myself and the students, teachers, and/or leaders I work with to the highest standard possible. Speaking of educate I have decided to redefine my role just so no one confuses me with being just a teacher. I am a professional educator. So what is a professional educator?

Professional educators stand out at schools and in the field of education. You can recognize them and their work from a distance. They do not accept mediocrity of themselves and of others. These individuals are constantly in a mode of continuous improvement for student achievement. Professional educators recognize that the phrase lifelong learner is to be taken seriously. So they are enrolled in graduate programs, conducting teacher research, or constantly seeking professional development opportunities. These individuals recognize that professional development is about students first and themselves last. Even if a professional educator attends a workshop they are seeking ways the content affirms or challenges the practices in their learning community. They do not complain, but work. But this is only a small part of what professional educators do. They also:

• Mentor new and seasoned teachers

• Participate in education organizations. They may even serve in a leadership position.

• Know and implement recent research on teaching and learning

• Provide professional development locally, nationally, or internationally

•Serve as instructional coaches

• Write curriculum or create resources for education resource providers

• Consult on education projects

• Serve as an in school leader

• Attend school board meetings and are actively aware of education and policy issues locally, nationally, and globally

• Collaborate with other professional educators

• Publish education books and articles in professional journals

So are you a professional educator? If so, the next time someone says you are “just a teacher” inform them of who you really are… a professional educator.