Learning and Leading - September/October 2010

Every year we hear more stories about the impact our Spice It Up! conference has had on students and teachers across the district, reinforcing our dedication to continuing the effort. Here are just a few examples that make it all worthwhile:

Class blog. Barbara Ozminkowski uploads photos
of the students and posts about what’s happening
in the classroom regularly to keep her kindergarten
families and friends in the know. One parent said,
“It’s very much like being a fly on the wall, peeking
in on daily learning experiences.” Another parent
added, “The pictures on the blog are very helpful
in sparking conversations about school with my
kindergartner.”
Ozminkowski’s kindergartners are bloggers
too! By second semester, they learn how to log
on to their own pages and write short entries. The
students are motivated to write and publish to an
outside audience and are eager to read comments

Proof Positive Screencasting tools. Randall Micallef created content for MiLearning on i TunesU and shared his knowledge with others by offering a session on screencasting tools. “Attending the conference has taken away some of the intimidation associated
with using new things or ideas in the classroom,”
says the eighth grade math teacher, who has
been a participant and a presenter. “I am always
looking for ways to incorporate technology in my
classroom that the students will find interesting to
use. At Spice It Up! I find something every year that
I can instantly use in my classroom and that the
kids always find fun.”

Podcasting. Julie Stoughton has recorded science podcasts on a routine basis since learning about the tool at a session. Her seventh grade science students now listen to podcasts on her website to review for summative benchmark assessments. With study guides in hand and ears tuned to their MP3 players, the students listen to the teacher re-create the various labs, concepts, and ideas they have learned throughout the unit. Hearing their teacher’s voice helps them remember the content more vividly.

that visitors to the blog leave. When Ozminkowski shares these kinds of positive experiences and parent feedback with colleagues at the conference, they’re more interested in starting their own classroom blogs.

Presentation tips. Renee Valentine learned the importance of including more images and less text-intensive bullet points in her electronic presentations at Shoemaker’s Presentation Zen session. Recently, the math/science curriculum developer made an existing PowerPoint about differentiated instruction in the math classroom to make it more interactive and engaging.

“The way I create and present presentations is dramatically different since attending the session at Spice It Up!” she says. “Feedback from teachers has been positive; hopefully the new and improved presentations have a lasting impact on teachers and their classroom instruction.”

NCTM’s Online Professional Development Unique professional development hat’s convenient, affordable and immediately useful! NCTM offers a variety of online professional development opportunities that make it easy for multiple educators to participate from one site, for one low price.