BI-COUNTY BRIEF - NOVEMBER 2008
| Volume 6, Issue No. 4 | November 2008 |
Evaluations for the 2008 Bi-County Teachers Institute held in Chester on October 10, 2008 were very positive. Keynote presenter Dr. Dale Henry and his message were well received. Comments such as "I loved his humor" and "He was inspiring and motivating" were common among the educators in attendance. There were also many good suggestions given in the evaluations for future sessions. Some of our teachers wanted more instruction in the use of pod casting, while others wanted more sessions for physical education and social studies. We will take your feedback into consideration as we plan our next Institute. With the approval of the Waterloo district, we hope to hold our October 2010 Bi-County Institute in the big, new Waterloo High School.
PROFESSIONAL TEACHING STANDARDS, NOT LEARNING STANDARDS
For every workshop or conference you attend in the state, you complete an ISBE evaluation. The second statement asks each participant to agree or disagree with the statement: The relevance of this activity to ISBE teaching standards was clear. Most often this statement on evaluations is marked either disagree or strongly disagree. This does not reference the Illinois Learning Standards that guide student learning requirements, but rather the Illinois Professional Teaching Standards, developedas a picture of effective teaching in the classroom. Next time you attend a workshop or conference, determine which of the following Professional Teaching Standards are the focus of your session:
1) Content Knowledge
2) Human Development
3) Diversity (differing approaches to learning)
4) Planning for Instruction
5) Learning Environment (classroom management)
6) Instructional Delivery
7) Communication (students, parents, colleagues, administrators, community)
8) Assessment
9) Collaborative Relationships
10) Reflection and Professional Growth
11) Professional Conduct
Next month, look for a follow-up article to see how you can use these to self-assess your classroom instruction.
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS USES TECHNOLOGY FOR AN ENGAGING EXPERIENCE
To reach more people in a meaningful way, the Library of Congress has used new technologies to enrich its exhibits for both on-site and online visitors, allowing anyone in the world to learn more about many of the treasures displayed there. In April the library unveiled the "Library of Congress Experience," computer kiosks in selected locations that let users virtually flip through and examine artifacts that are too delicate for handling, such as Thomas Jefferson's Declaration of Independence draft, George Washington's copy of the U.S. Constitution, John Beckley's Bill of Rights, and the Gutenberg Bible. Kiosk users can even decipher hard-to-read handwritten documents by overlaying typewritten text and can zoom in on areas that interest them, such as the parchment paper's fiber and the repairs and edits to the document made by literally cutting and pasting.
Visitors to www.myloc.gov can look at and zoom in on exhibit photographs, view historic documents and participate in interactive learning activities available exclusively online, including games and activities that help children in grades three through 12 comprehend the displayed materials. Lesson plans for grade school educators are also available on the site. Soon the library will also offer a "Passport to Knowledge" with a bar code that will allow users to create a personalized online collection. With their personalized collections, users can bookmark artifacts for further research, share with others or play a game called Knowledge Quest that challenges visitors to solve riddles and puzzles associated with the bookmarked items. To see video of the Library of Congress experience, visit www.govtech.com/historyupclose.
SCHOOLYARD HABITAT ACTION GRANT
Schoolyard Habitat Action Grant applications are due November 30, 2008. Are you helping your students to become shareholders in the natural world? The Schoolyard Habitat Action Grant program can assist you! Funds of up to $600 per educator are available through this competitive grant program. Butterfly gardens, prairie plots, wetlands and other wildlife habitat areas can be implemented. Teachers and youth group leaders are eligible to apply. Students should be involved in all aspects of the program, from design to maintenance, and the project must increase the wildlife habitat value of the site. For complete instructions and a copy of the application form, visit www.dnr.state.il.us/lands/education/CLASSRM/grants.htm. The Schoolyard Habitat Action Grant program is sponsored by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources' (IDNR) Division of Education with funding administered by the Illinois Conservation Foundation.
DVD ADDITIONS TO RESOURCE LIBRARY
The Monroe-Randolph Regional Office of Education Resource Library is available to all schools who participate in the Resource Library program. Teachers may check out videos, DVDs, CDs, Reading and MASH kits by going to the website: www.roe45.org and clicking on the Resource Library. Items will be delivered to the Monroe County schools on Monday and to the Randolph County schools on Friday. New additions include:
DVD's:
ART - The Story of Movies (Mr. Smith Goes to Washington).
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT - Big River Educational Workshop Information; Differentiated Instruction.
SCIENCE - Introduction to Laboratory Safety; Unstoppable Solar Cycles - The Real Story of Greenland.
HEALTH & SAFETY - Toby Tire's Giant Steps to School Bus Safety; Danger Zone.
20TH ANNUAL PRE-K - KINDERGARTEN KALEIDOSCOPE CONFERENCE
This year's Kaleidoscope Conference is full of wonderful presenters, including Michael Heggerty, Mary Jo Huff, Sharon MacDonald, Robin McCants, Lisa McMorris, Beth Leggity, Donna Whyte, Sharon Rak, Kari Docherty, Becky Rains, Susie Bishop, and others. The conference for pre-k through kindergarten educators is being held at the Mt. Vernon Holiday Inn on January 8 & 9, 2009. New this year are two administrator academies for school administrators. To register for the conference or learn more about the specific sessions, visit www.roe12.org. Principals have been provided a few registration forms as well.
ADMINISTRATOR ACADEMY OFFERINGS ONLINE
Academy information is available to the public by accessing the main web-page of ECS www.isbe.net/ECS/. Information on approved Administrators' Academies and workshop sessions that are being offered is available through this web-page.
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
| November 8, 2008 | Explore Test for 6th Grade Gifted Program | SWIC, Red Bud Campus | 8:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. |
| November 12, 2008 | Mentor Training - Coaching Cycle | SWIC, Red Bud Campus | 8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. |
| November 14, 2008 | Principal Leadership Training | SWIC, Red Bud Campus | 8:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. |
| November 14, 2008 | Technology Recycling Day | SWIC, Red Bud Campus | 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. |
| November 17, 2008 | Principals' Leadership Webinars | SWIC, Red Bud Campus, Rm. 152 | 5:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. |
| November 18, 2008 | Best Reading Practices - Content Area | SWIC, Red Bud Campus | 8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. |
| November 24, 2008 | RtI, SIP and DIP Plans Data Analysis | St. Patrick's Center - Ruma | 8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. |
| November 26, 2008 | Mentor Training - Using Student Work | SWIC, Red Bud Campus | 8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. |
| December 4, 2008 | Guidance Counselors | SWIC, Red Bud Campus | 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 P.M. |
| December 5, 2008 | Project Citizen Training | SWIC, Red Bud Campus | 12:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. |
| December 9, 2008 | Best Reading Practices - Vocabualry Instr. | SWIC, Red Bud Campus | 8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. |
| December 10, 2008 | Mentor Training - Formative Assessment | SWIC, Red Bud Campus | 8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. |
| December 11, 2008 | Principals' Leadership Webinars | SWIC, Red Bud Campus, Rm. 152 | 5:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. |
| December 12, 2008 | RtI, SIP and DIP Plans Data Analysis | St. Patrick's Center - Ruma | 8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. |
| January 13, 2009 | Best Reading Practices - Writing to Enhance Comp. | SWIC, Red Bud Campus | 8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. |