I presented on the topic of Project Based Writing, and while this keynote may not make sense to many of my readers, it will to those who were in the room and emailed asking to have it.  So I’m posting it here.

Feel free to download the Quicktime of my keynote here. It’s sans sound, but you’ll get the idea.

 In addition, I’ve included links to my handouts (sorry, we ran out that day!) because I know some teachers are looking to start jumping in right away.

CATE Handouts (10 Reasons to Teach Using PBW, Great TED speeches, Advocacy and Executive Summary Outlines)

Problem Statement

Teacher Created Resources Internet Literacy Handouts

Checklist for TED

Checklist for Career Quest

Checklist for Teach the Teacher

Many of the documents here I have been developing and tweaking for some time, and in 2013 some of them will become a new workbook from Teacher Created Resources called Project Based Writing. ?Check back next year for news on the book’s release date.

Hope these all help, take care, and if there’s anything else you guys need, let me know!

-Heather

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Post tags: authentic assessments, cate, internet literacy, project based writing, Teacher Created Resources, writing project

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In it, I’ll be sharing what I have learned about the upcoming Common Core standards and how they will be assessed. It’s pretty interesting stuff and, in theory, far more aligned with authenticity than the bubble tests of yore. Nevertheless, there are challenges in making the transition to these tests that districts need to be prepared for. Despite these hurdles, however, teachers and districts can begin making the transition by identifying the skills students will need and by using more authentic methods of assessment in their own classrooms.

I’ll share some of what I’m doing in my classroom and some of the writing that’s on the wall with the tests to come.

Come join me! Like a birthday party, you’ll leave with goodies: a couple of download-ables and a slew of resources to help you in your practice.

Hope to see you Monday.

-Heather

© heather for tweenteacher.com, 2011. | Permalink | One comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: 21st Century assessments, common core standards, education, k12, middle school, professional development, standardized tests

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I am hoping that the power of social media can help a gal out.  I’m in the need of a catchy title for my new book that is due out in early 2011.  The working title is Tips for Tweenteachers, but it just doesn’t light my fire, nor has is resonated with early reviewers.  It reflects what the book is about, but not my voice.

So here’s the deal.  If you can help out and come up with a title that my publisher selects, he will send you a free copy of my book when it’s published as well as two more titles of your choice from the Eye On Education library.

So what do have to lose?  I could use the help, since my wall already has a head-sized hole in it from where I’ve been banging my noggin for the last few months trying to solve this problem.

Just leave any suggestions here, and I’ll get back to you if your title is selected.  Thanks so much for your help!

Sincerely,

Heather Wolpert-Gawron

aka Tweenteacher

© heather for tweenteacher.com, 2010. | Permalink | 12 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: book, education, eye on education, k12, middle school

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Want me to address an issue about education and school life in my upcoming Webinar series?  Leave your comment below. I want to discuss what you find the most important…so no-holds-barred, and ask away!  

My series should be up and running in the next month, so check back in or subscribe to tweenteacher for automatic announcements and updates.

Sincerely, 

Heather Wolpert-Gawron 

aka Tweenteacher

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“Charming, excellent, quick paced, funny, irreverent, spot on – everything you want in a presenter.  PLUS, content is so accessible.  Great job.  Provided what is often missing @ CUE – practical, hands on, how-to of what tech looks like in day-to-day classroom.”

“This was the best presentation of the conference.  Thorough, articulate, motivating.”

“Very useful information!  Enthusiastic and informative presentation.  Thanks for sharing your expertise in an easy to understand format.  Great!”

“Great, fascinating, well-organized, excellent presentation!  Nice job!”

“Very practical and real world.”

“Excellent presentation!  One of the best I’ve been to!  Creative way of incorporating multiple strategies to achieve student success.  Great teacher presentation!”

“Good use of visuals, good energy in presentation.  Excellent presentation and materials.”

CUE is a “brain spa” for three days.  In that time, you can go (as I did) from tech-tentative to a tech enthusiast.

I am once again a proud presenter, but more importantly, I can’t wait to learn from my colleagues and audience as well.

Hope to see you all there.

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Post tags: CUE, Ed Tech, education policy, ELA, ELD, k-12, k12, middle school, podcasting, technology, Title I, TLN, tween

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I deeply believe that unless we as educators take ourselves out of the boxes of lessons that made up our own educational backgrounds, and learn the technology that will be our current students’ futures, then we are not preparing them as we should.  Our job is to prepare them for the “real world,” and that world is different than the one we grew up in.  For that reason, I jumped into the uncomfortable deep end, where I not only learned to swim, I grew gills.

Teaching with technology has enriched my Language Arts program and has allowed me to do something that we all should do sometime in our career: create an elective (see Step IV in my “How to Take Control of Your Teaching” post).  

My podcasting class is an offshoot of my Speech and Debate team.  It has exploded as a standards-based, broadcasting network that is entirely student written, performed, produced, and publicized.  

As always, at any tech ed conference, I look forward to seeing the other sessions as well.  Hopefully, I may even see some of you there too.

Long Live CUE!

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Post tags: CUE, Ed Tech, education, ilc, innovative learning conference, integration, k-12, san jose

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I am going to be presenting up in the Bay Area at the FETC/CUE conferencethis fall.  My seminar is called “Podcasting with 50 Middle Schoolers – Are You Crazy?!” Six years ago I went to CUE for the first time on the lower tier of the tech savvy ladder.  There, I was inspired.  

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Post tags: Art, CCHE, Character Education, CUE, differentiation, Ed Tech, education, ELA, FETC, History, integration, k-12, k12, Math, teaching

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May 3, 2008
Los Angeles

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March 6-8, 2008
Palm Springs

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Post tags: CUE, education, k-12, k12, podcasting, technology

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