Computer is New Jeopardy Champion
February 18, 2011 by PLB Registrar · 9 Comments
This was a difficult newsletter to write this week because I am torn. This week there was one item in the news that created a “Wow, that is so cool.” and an “Oh my gosh, that is so scary.” moment for me. IBM Corp.’s super computer, Watson, soundly defeated two […]
What’s in a Student’s Name?
February 18, 2011 by PLB Registrar · 2 Comments
Often, the first knowledge a teacher has of an English Language Learner (ELL) in the classroom is his name on a roster. It may look different from typical U.S. names. You may not know how to pronounce it. Sometimes you may be able to guess what language an ELL speaks […]
Sound Reading Development
February 17, 2011 by PLB Registrar · Leave a Comment
There are several reasons why all educators should be aware of best practices in reading instruction. One of the arguments is that sound reading enables improved student understanding across all content areas.
Every teacher involved in a student’s life is responsible to reinforce good reading skills. […]
Understanding Blogs
February 16, 2011 by PLB Registrar · 1 Comment
So, what’s a blog? Let’s start at the very beginning by defining the word blog. Blog is short for weblog (a term which is not used frequently anymore) and is an online journal where entries (called posts) are written in chronological order with the most recent appearing at the top of […]
Dissecting Standards
February 15, 2011 by PLB Registrar · 1 Comment
Standards can be presented in many ways. You can have content standards, benchmarks, and even performance standards. The first challenge is understanding what each term means.
It is difficult to define all the key words without running into overlapping of the terms. Some states have fused all the types of […]
What Influences Learning?
February 14, 2011 by PLB Registrar · 1 Comment
There is change in our role as teacher that’s reflected in society and technical advances insisting we must prepare 21st century learners. This is critical in our roles both as teachers and learners across K-12 and all academic areas.
“What influences what we learn?” and “How are influencers determined?”
These answers are not the same […]
Smart Phones in the Classroom
February 11, 2011 by PLB Registrar · Leave a Comment
An amazing thing happened recently, more people bought smart phones than traditional computers. Why do I say traditional computers? Well, if you have a smart phone you may realize that you are really carrying a very powerful little computer that happens to let you talk to people more than you […]
Using Video Games in the Classroom
February 11, 2011 by PLB Registrar · 1 Comment
With today’s children, video games have great instructional value and could even be used as cultural artifacts or for study and evaluation. The key for using such games as these in a classroom with students is for a teacher to create cultural study guidelines, or even game play studies.
From Professional Learning Board’s online continuing […]
Getting Started in Moodle
February 10, 2011 by PLB Registrar · Leave a Comment
Creating a course
Like creating a fine dining experience there is so much more to building an effective online learning course in Moodle than just having a bunch of food. In this course, you’ll learn about using the right tools and selecting robust ingredients to prepare for a successful […]
What School Administrators Absolutely Must Know
February 9, 2011 by PLB Registrar · 1 Comment
As a school administrator, mentor teacher, school board member or educational leader you are responsible for providing a safe and secure environment within which students and faculty will work. In the past this has involved building details in the physical world; the brick and mortar. In schools today this now includes […]
