Tuesday, May 17, 2011

In closing...

This year we accomplished many of the goals we set for ourselves and a few more. PLC NOTES
One of the most beneficial goals was meeting with the seniors one month prior to portfolio presentations to go over any challenges they were having with placing content into their e-portfolio. Mike put a schedule

together for shops that did not interfere with gym and shop teachers were given passes for students to come for the portfolio checks. Mike, Lew and I met with them every week on alternating days. Liz was able to lend a hand too. We checked portfolios for content and deliverables, answered questions about how to imbed video, upload images, and organize their portfolios for presentations. We kept a spreadsheet of student progress and continued to work with students who were not on par for their graduation presentations dates. If their portfolios were complete they were checked off and dismissed.
In our year end meeting we discussed what the team goals and portfolio initiatives would be.
Next Year September 2011:
PLC Meet with new Asst Principal to discuss e-portfolio components;
Provide Professional Development on Google Sites for Heather Mulford to help bring all 9th grade students on board with a new google site;
Administer Google Form to determine Junior and Senior completed portfolio requirements
Organize shops into groups for pull out days for all Seniors in the Spring of 2012.
We had a great year as a team.

Monday, January 24, 2011

Take your professional learning community to the next level by using Google Docs to collaborate with colleagues.

Mark Wagner who is part of the Google Teacher Academy posted these useful resources for a PLC Team. Google Docs is used to promote and support collaboration within a PLC, including strategies for creating common assessments, sharing best practices, and capturing the conversation - even between meetings.
Read more on the PLC at The EDTECHTEAM Blog
http://www.edtechteam.com/workshops/2011-01-14

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Mid Year Progress

These last two months have been about planning and adjustments to the portfolio. Lew added a refection page to the portfolio in Career Ed and Work and Al updated the Job Shadowing Permission Slip with Instructional Assistant sign off.  After Mike met with our principal it was determined all students are required to complete Job Shadowing Experience. The team also determined an 8 hour job shadowing experience was not necessary and that 4 hours would be an appropriate amount of time to spend in the field, observing. Also, the requirements for Job Shadowing reflection say a “2 page reflection”, which was reduced as well. 
Time was scheduled during the CTE Staff Meeting in mid January to discuss Senior e-Portfolio and CTE use of Apple Core Team. With CTE Project Presentations begin March 31. We will organize a schedule for Seniors by shop to meet with Stanley/DiPaulo 4th Block and review portfolio progress. At which time we can determine who might need assistance with the portfolio requirements. 
We are steady moving toward a comprehensive e-portfolio with realistic goals and reflective components.

Saturday, November 20, 2010

A focus on Job Shadowing. Pluses and Pitfalls.

In October and November we worked on collecting information from students to determine our next steps in e-portfolio development and what ways we can support CTE teachers. We surveyed students, created and Apple Core Team, looked at the aspects of Job Shadowing and ways we can support Seniors in the final leg of their portfolio development.

Survey: A survey was conducted for all 10th, 11th and 12th graders on the current status of their e portfolio and the results were discussed in our last meeting. Of the 65 -10th grade students surveyed, 20 have started a portfolio. Of the 86-11th grades students, 32 have started their portfolio and of the 87-12th graders 62 have started a portfolio. These are the initial survey result from October 12, 2010. The survey also asked students if they were interested in participating on the Apple Core Team. This team is made up of students across disciplines who mentor students and shops upon request.

Apple Core Team and Training: Mike met with Principal Debbie Noel to plan e-portfolio training and support for seniors. It was determined the shops would be
divide into 6 groups, and seniors would meet 2 x a week with Mr. Stanley (A day)  or Mrs. DiPaulo (B Day) for 30 minutes at the end of the day for portfolio check with help from Apple Core Team and the meetings occur every 3 weeks. Mike and Lew met with The Apple Core Team for introductions and training.

Job Shadowing: We looked at the language and the job shadowing requirements for all 11th grade students. It was decided that we would “recommended” job shadowing during junior year and set a deadline for job shadowing senior year. It was suggested that CTE Teachers use the job shadow experience as a final exam / grade. Lew also completed his own survey to determine how many seniors completed their job shadowing requirements. Twenty five were reported complete as of December 6, 2010.

Senior Project Presentations: Presentation dates are used for e-portfolio completion deadlines. Beginning March 31, seniors will present their portfolios. Seniors who need additional support will come for help every day beginning one month prior to presentation date.

As we continue our journey as a team, the e-portfolio becomes more refined. What is so great about our work together is it is learn as you go, add or subtract to streamline the process without loosing the creative choices of our students.  It is important that we look for ways for this portfolio to be real and authentic. More than anything we must make sure our students leave with a quality product that demonstrates to potential employers the the authentic job related experience needed to enter the work force.

Friday, September 10, 2010

PLC 2010-2011 ~Let's begin again.

We began this school year with new leadership. Mike Stanley is heading the team and our first order of business was to meet in September. We outlined our goals and objectives for the 2010-2011 school year with the major focus on Job Shadowing and reflection. Mike suggested we create a survey to gauge where students are currently in portfolio development and identify Apple Core members for this year. The survey was created in Google Forms and posted to My CTE Portfolio page in Moodle. Information was collected in each of the following teachers classes: Caruso/Stanley 10th grade, Stanley 11th grade and Gordner 12th grade. One student from each shop will be chosen to be on the team. Job shadowing deadlines were set: November 24 2010 for Seniors and Juniors should complete their Job Shadowing by the end of 3rd Quarter (March 28, 2011).
We also talked about adding a refection to the portfolio as part of the 10th grade deliverable. We looked at the following resources:
o http://electronicportfolios.com/reflection/index.html
o http://www.delicious.com/eportfolios/reflection/
and determined the Career Paper in 10th grade was a great place for students to to begin reflecting.

Friday, August 20, 2010

PLC Honored by 3E Institute

This year all students in the junior class at CAT Pickering are required to complete a job shadowing experience. The intention is for students to spend a full working day shadowing a mentor, learning about industry standards and occupational responsibilities.  Job shadowing is an 8 hour partnership between school and community where each student spends the day on a job site working with a mentor.  This activity requires planning and collaboration between the student, his/her Career and Technical Education Teacher, a Community Partner and parents.  Each student must complete an interview with their mentor and create digital documentation of their job shadowing experience.  They write a refection about the experience and each component is added to their career digital portfolio.  Their digital portfolio is presented to a panel of experts from industry at the end of their senior year as a graduation project requirement.  Out team met with industry partners from The Chester County Economic Development Council, a Regional Career Education Program Consultant to discuss resources and partnerships for our students with the intention of increasing opportunity. The goal of job shadowing is to connect students to community partners who are currently employees or business owners in the area of a student's specific career and technical education program.  Students build relationships through this experience and the connection provides them with potential cooperative education and/or employment opportunities.  Students reflect on the day and bring back valuable knowledge to their program about current applications and new techniques being used throughout the industry.  Job shadowing meets student needs through real world experiences, helping connect school to career.

Sunday, February 28, 2010

Being inspired at PETE&C 2010

This year at PETE&C Sir Ken Robinson was the keynote speaker. (See Sir Ken's video below)  He spoke about finding your passion! In his new book The Element,  he asks the question of his audience "How intelligent are you?" But the real question he say is "How are you intelligent?" During his keynote address to a packed house he says “It’s not about reforming education, it’s about transforming education into something else” and "Being in your Element is about  doing something for which you have a NATURAL capacity/aptitude. Being good at something isn’t enough to be in your element, you also have to LOVE it."  Talent show itself in many different ways and we need to create an environment and the conditions to promote the development of those talents in our kids. We need to teach with a sense of purpose where assessment plays a role but is not the CULTURE!  Help kids find things that give their life purpose and meaning.
Chris Lehmann, Principal of the Science Leadership Academy  http://www.scienceleadership.org/drupaled/ in Philadelphia was the keynote speaker on the second day.  Chris' message is one of hope and vision for the future of education. He talks about dreaming BIG, about responsibility trumping accountability when it comes to providing a meaningful education to all kids.  To dare kids to do work that matters. He sites MIT where the brightest people in the world work in what they call "Life Long Kindergarten."  Their mission is to help children grow up as creative thinkers.  http://llk.media.mit.edu/mission.php .  There are no other moments during the course of the conference in which I feel compelled to stand on my feet and cheer, when I feel truly inspired and excited about educational transformation.  When I realize how much I love to teach! “The illiterates of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn”- Alvin Toffler.  I am in a constant state of "Learn, UnLearn, ReLearn".  Chris reminds us that we need to educate not train. Form partnerships and collaborative environments for kids to learn.  That drives me to be a better educator, mentor and leader.
One aspect of Chris’ keynote that really inspired me was SLA  Advisories. All the students at SLA are partnered with a teacher as an advisor. They meet once a week and these teachers are mentors to students for all 4 years.  Advisories would be a wonderful way to provide our students with support and training for career e-portfolios.  All the members of the faculty would mentor 10 or less students for all 4 years including working with them on the development of e-portfolios.  We could make an important impact in the lives of our kids by meeting them where they are, working closely with them, and encouraging their creativity as they begin the journey of their Career and Technical Education and Career e-Portfolios.

Watch Chris' keynote from PETE&C on USTREAM.  http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/4946938

Saturday, February 6, 2010

Digital Nation |PBS

Distracted by Everything
PBS broadcast this documentary this past week. Are our kids doing too much online?  What are some of the ramifications of the digital revolution in schools and at home?

Visit the website for more about Growing Up Digital.
Life on The Virtual Frontier