Homework+21st+Century+Classroom

tocHomework is assigned in advance of each face to face meeting in order to prepare us for the workshop and participatory nature of each meeting. It is anticipated that each participant will prepare adequately for each meeting in order to maximize the quality of the meeting for all and to honor the fellowship agreement.

**For August 16th:**
Participants should have completed Dan Pink's **A Whole New Mind** and come prepared with an understanding of each of the six themes. The resources linked below may be useful in considering the book:

Meeting Resources: August 16th

**For August 29th:**
Brandi and I are looking forward to our day-long workshop with you on Saturday, August 29th from 9 a.m.- 4 p.m. at Westminster. In preparation for that meeting please complete the technology setups outlined in my previous email. (Thanks to those who have done so already!) In addition to completing those setups we ask that you engage yourselves in the following advance work. The goal of this work is to provide a context and starting point for our work ahead this year, practice synthesis, and model collaboration using a tool.

Resources (including articles and videos) are here: http:// dobbsfoundationfellowship. wikispaces.com/Aug+29+Pre- Meeting+Reading+Materials


 * Your Assignment**

1. Watch Chris Lehmann's presentation at NECC2009 on Pedagogy and 21st Century Tools. 2. Pick one (1) of the articles to read and __provide a synthesis of that article using the discussion tab on the wiki__. (Post your name beside the article you are reading on the wiki page itself so that of the 10 articles everyone reads a different one.) 3. Watch the videos. You are not required to watch all of them, but they each provide something different and in total are less than an hour in length.


 * August 29th**

We will spend our first full day:

(1) Getting to know one another; (2) Reviewing and discussing the materials we've watched and read; (3) Developing short, small group presentations of our initial thoughts on what a 21st century classroom looks like; (4) Establishing a list of questions we have, and the tools and ideas we want to explore.

At the end we will take private time to reflect on we want the group's goals to be for the year as well as our own personal goals. We will work on those collaboratively on the wiki (group) and individually on the blogs (personal goals) during the weeks leading up to our Sept meeting. From this work our cohort and personal learning contracts will be constructed.

**For September 23rd:**

 * Referencing the meeting notes from August 29th, select an area of concern from the group cohort section. Research using a series of resources (articles, videos, commentary) that provide constructed arguments expounding on your question/topic of choice. Select an article and video that resonate most with you. Post to your blog the link to the article and video, as well as a reflection that address how your findings apply to a 21st Century classroom.
 * Read the PLC articles “What is A Professional Learning Community” (DuFour) [[file:Dufour- Professional Learning Community.pdf]]and “One Step at a Time” (Graham and Ferriter)[[file:One Step at a Time.pdf]].Be prepared to discuss your reflection at the next meeting. We encourage you to highlight areas of interest as you read.
 * Complete and email your personal contracts to Laura and Brandi by Wednesday, September 2nd. [[file:Learning Contract Template.doc]]
 * Using the 21st Century Classroom cohort contract wiki page, review the posted group notes from our August 29th meeting. Let's begin to develop clear and measurable objectives to contribute to the cohort contract. Post your objectives to the page.
 * Read one another’s synthesis of the [|selected homework articles]. Those can be viewed in the discussion tabs here and here. Based on their reflections, select another article. Note your name next to your new article and post a synthesis. Add another article and put your name beside it if you like. Use points expressed in your peer’s synthesis as points of reflection and comparison. Express your findings in your synthesis posted to the discussion forum already started.
 *  Complete the online evaluation at [|http://www.surveymonkey.com/s. aspx?sm=Hka1fWfj6T6Fj_ 2fFtO0PNtw_3d_3d] by Wednesday, September 2nd.
 * Remember to check the homework page for updates and additions.
 * Reach out to Brandi and Laura, and one another. Face to face and virtual chats (ask Laura) in between meetings can help us all move ahead!

**For October 12th:**
1. Each week you are required to post a blog entry. Deadlines for posting are 9/28, 10/5, 10/12 by 8am. Blog posts must reflect your personal learning and exploration during the week, both online and in your classrooms. What are reading, what are you thinking, what are you practicing/trying? What frustrates you, what questions do you have? 2. You are required to read and support your partner’s weekly writing with comments. Then, pick one or more others of your choice to comment on.(Who these others are you comment on will change based on what they are writing about and how interested you are. Quality of writing, and the invitation to participate will make a difference bloggers!) Please note that Bob Ryshke, Brandi and Laura will be blogging and commenting as well. 3. Focus your tool exploration this next month on collaboration. Explore various tools for collaboration. Find one you like, identify how you might use it in your classroom, post your tool and description/application in the Collaboration Tool table on the wiki. (You shouldblog about this as well!) Set up the tool and pilot with your classroom, advisory, book group, club, etc.

4. With your partner create a 21st century-style invitation to join a 21st Century Education PLC. The invitation must be persuasive, creative and an attention-grabber. What form will it take? No more than 30 seconds of audio or video, or one image with limited text. How will you collaborate to get this assignment done? 5. Complete the evaluation by Friday at noon.