21st Century Classroom

This spring, I have been working with one of our Title I principals as she completes an Electronic Portfolio for the West Virginia Institute for 21st Century Leadership. One of the challenges in developing the portfolio is to showcase 21st Century Learning in our schools. This little slide show was made on PhotoBucket, which we later found was not friendly to post on the Google Site that she is using to develop her portfolio. Rather than chuck the project I decided to post it here. These are just a few of the ways that Cabell County's Title I schools have embraced 21st Century Teaching and Learning.

Letters to the North Pole

Mrs. Claus visited seven of Cabell County's Title I schools this holiday season. Since it's such a hectic time of year in the North Pole, she put the powers of technology to good use. Using our newly implemented Polycom videoconferencing system, Claus was able to talk with children across the county without leaving the warmth of her North Pole fireplace.

I designed this project to address Reading/ Language Arts Curriculum Standards and Objectives in writing, listening, speaking, and reading comprehension. PreK- Grade 3 classrooms were invited to participate. The work began in the classrooms with students writing their annual Letter to Santa. Teachers composed a Nice List to forward to the North Pole so that students would know that their good deeds and behavior does not go unnoticed. We also incorporated Science and Social Studies by making a connection between the wildlife in West Virginia and that found at the North Pole.

During her high-tech visits to the schools, Mrs. Claus shared a lesson in good character and kindness with the children by reading Silver Packages, written by West Virginia author Cynthia Rylant. This story shares a lesson about the value of personal relationships and the importance of giving of ourselves every day. We hope to run the project again next year, reaching even more classrooms in our Title I schools.

To view our collaborative project space, visit http://letterstothenorthpole.pbworks.com.

Polycom Video Conferencing

At the end of April, I was hired as a TIS for Cabell County Schools. One of the first initiatives that they have assigned to me is to attend a series of Polycom training. I will be responsible for coming up with a plan to integrate this equipment in the schools. In January, seven HDX Media Centers were placed in the schools, one in each of the Title I funded schools. The county also purchased several for the Central Office and three server-mounted units that will record or stream conferences, manage student/ teacher access, and assist with scheduling. Needless to say, I was a little anxious about traveling to Andover, MA alone to attend what I anticipated to be a training that was far beyond my technical ability, let alone comprehension. I met with Dennis one afternoon for a quick run-down of the RSS 2000. He left me with some words of encouragement, "Don't let those engineers intimidate you!" Those few words and a black pin-striped suit gave me the confidence that I needed to step in to my new position. I am scheduled to be in Atlanta the first week of June for training on the SE 200. I hope I'm ready!

• RSS 2000 Technical Course Certificate
  

SHE Students Visit Capitol

When the bus pulled away from 1901 Hall Avenue on a rainy, Thursday morning fourth grade students from Spring Hill Elementary had no idea that they were about to have one of the most exciting adventures of the 2007-08 school year. We arrived in Charleston, unloaded the bus of excited ten-year-olds and reported to a tour docent at the Cultural Center. Although we knew that Senator Clinton was scheduled to speak on the capitol lawn that day, we had no idea that it would be possible for us to get up close and personal. Because of the turn in weather, Senator Clinton was asked to move her appearance inside the capitol building. Our tour, therefore was given from the marble foyer of the Cultural Center. I was determined that these students would not return to school disappointed that they had not seen the inside of the capitol building. Down the long halls we bypassed propaganda flyers, button-sellers, Clean Coal protesters, security, metal detectors and entered the rotunda crowded with children and adults alike. Music blared with John Denver's Country Roads, Dolly Parton's Nine to Five, and many other lively mountain tunes. After a long, hot wait Senator Clinton arrived on stage with West Virginia's First Lady, Gail Manchin. I handed out the digital cameras and sent the students to the front lines. Check out this amazing photo by one of our most talented journalists. His response to the experience was, "She gave me a pity hug!"

Get Set for the WESTEST!

The students of Spring Hill Elementary registered to attend a conference hosted by the teachers and staff of Spring Hill Elementary. This conference, Get Set for the WESTEST was developed in response to low achievement scores on the 2007 WESTEST. The students arrived at SHE on Saturday, April 26 at 8:30 am, were provided with breakfast, attended an assembly with the principal, and then broke into small teams where they were scheduled to attend sessions until 3:30 pm. These sessions focused on Content Standards and Objectives that were identified as weaknesses according to the 2007 WESTEST results. Our goal was to provide targeted instruction to the students of SHE so that they would have every opportunity to be successful in 2008.

I got the idea for this project during the CTB McGraw-Hill Writing Roadmap study which took place in October. Because this study provided payment for each student essay completed, we had a nice sum to work with. The principal, teachers and I decided that it would be beneficial to offer the students a conference, one that would allow them to understand the importance of their success on the WESTEST. The project was a tremendous success, and we hope that it will be an annual event at Spring Hill Elementary. Visit the page link located in the Web Index for more detailed information.

Parent Partner

Title I funding provides for a Parent Partner position at SHE. This position acts as a liaison between the community of parents and Spring Hill Elementary. Our own Karin B. resigned from the position this year to pursue a career elsewhere. We wish her the best of luck; she will be missed. Together with Karin, her replacement Jake Boltz, and a number of parent volunteers I was able to work on a variety of projects. Much of what I was able to do with this team involved photographs, video, and graphics work. I enjoyed these projects as an opportunity to utilize my creativity. Additionally, I was able to offer technical assistance and mentor training to those working and volunteering in the Parent Room. Below are links to a couple of brochures that have been created in order to provide SHE parents a general overview of Adequate Yearly Progress and the No Child Left Behind Act and Title I Services and Programs. I hope to adapt these documents so that they might be made available to a wider audience of parents at other Title I schools in Cabell County.

• AYP and the No Child Left Behind Act
  
• Title I Services and Programs
  

WV Essentials

Early in March, Karen and I were invited to become Master Traines in the Intel Teach to the Future Essentials Course. Our good friend at the state department, Bodie Fulford recognized our interest in the Intel initiative when we worked with her to become Master Trainers in the Thinking with Technology course. The newly renovated Essentials course utilizes Web 2.0 resources as a method for classroom implementation of the Intel units. Instructor Dan Morris from Colorado, along with participants from Wyoming, New York, and from across West Virginia gathered together in a small room at the Marriott in Charleston. We had a truly great experience; and Bodie's lunch selections were the best ever! Feel free to visit the WV Essentials wiki to view all of the units created during this week. To read more about my Intel experiences, please access the link on this page under Web Index.