EDL508 Blog - Goben

Goben-EDL 508 Blog Module 7 

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Programs developed to improve relationships between schools and homes

The following links are tools that can be used to strengthen the relationships between school and and families of students. 

ClassDojo - www.classdojo.com 

ClassDojo is an app-based program that allows for teachers or school staff members to make contact with parents or guardians of students in their school. Through ClassDojo, staff members can provide timely updates to guardians about their students progress, daily behavior monitoring as well as being a channel to share what students are doing during their time at school. ClassDojo is also widely used by teachers as a behavior tracking tool. Students are able to earn DojoPoints for various reasons as assigned by the teacher or staff member. 

This can be useful for school administrators as a simple tool to make connections with those at home for students in the school.

Google Classroom Guardian Summaries - www.classroom.google.com 

Google Classroom is a free learning management system used for schools world-wide. Through google classroom, teachers are able to assign classwork, provide interactive online practice opportunities and even give assessments. With Guardian Summaries through GoogleClassroom, guardians are able to subscribe to their students profile and receive information about their students' progress. Guardians can be informed about activities taking place in class, upcoming classwork, missing classwork and assessments that are on the calendar for their student(s). Guardians have the ability to subscribe to daily or weekly summaries for their student if they so choose. They also have the ability to opt out of receiving periodic summaries. 

Teachers maintain control over what is shared with guardians, and through the google suite can message guardians about specific areas if necessary through gmail. Teachers must invite guardians to the google classroom in order for guardians to have access to their students information.

This piece of google classroom can be useful for administrators to advocate for guardians to stay involved in their students learning process. 

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Videos for Professional Development

The following videos would be beneficial for an administrator to use as professional development activities for the beginning of the school year. These videos would be great to implement in a back to school staff meeting. The main focus of both of these videos have to do with the connections that need to be made between teachers and students. 

The 5 Principles of Highly Effective Teachers: Pierre Pirard at TEDxGhent

During this TED Talk, Mr. Pirard provides his audience with 5 principles of Highly Effective Teaching. When implementing all 5 principles in the classroom, teachers can better reach their students, expanding

Every kid needs a champion | Rita Pierson | TED

During this TED Talk, Rita Pierson passionately shares the message that students don't learn from people they don't like - calling on teachers and educators to make powerful and personal connections with students. 

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Best Practices Resources

In this section, administrators can find two websites that a staff could lean on for best practices in various content areas. These links can be a great reference point that administrators can direct their teachers to explore when needing to strengthen or supplement lessons, units, assessments or even their own professional learning.

Achieve The Core

Achieve The Core provides teachers with various tools, strategies and other information that is pertinent to best practices in the area of English Language Arts and Mathematics. Achieve The Core offers teachers materials that can assist them in planning lessons, guiding instruction, building assessments and much more. Achieve The Core also offers various professional learning opportunities through online learning supplements. 

University of Illinois Social Studies Resources

This University of Illinois resources provides teachers with various tools to better reach their students in the areas of social science, mainly focusing on civics and inquiry. The site provides a filter to allow teachers to curtail their learning towards their specific role/students. Through audio, video, images and toolkit formats, teachers can create more powerful lessons for their students to best understand these specific realms of social studies. 

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ELL/SPED Resources

In this section, administrators can direct their staff to refer to these resources when needing to better support their instruction for learners with special needs and/or those who are ELLs or Bilingual students. Administrators can also direct families of students to refer to areas of these resources to extend learning into the home, as well as obtain various assistances through various programs attached to these links. 

ISBE English Language Learners and Bilingual Education 

The Illinois State Board of Education has a vast amount of resources available for teachers who are searching for the best ways provide a meaningful education for their students who may be English Language Learners or Bilingual Students. ISBE also provides teachers and schools with resources to provide to their students guardians, further strengthening the relationship with home(s) and school. 

Council for Exceptional Children

Here, teachers can find tools and resources that are practical and evidence-based to best serve their learners with special needs. Through various webinars, podcasts and the vast learning library offered here, teachers can expand their knowledge in special education and develop powerful lessons for their students. 

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Artificial Intelligence - Resources for school professionals

Artificial Intelligence is BOOMING in our world today. It seems that every other day there are new AI programs popping up all over. It's important for educational administrators to continue to be vigilant and adapt to the changes that occur in regard to AI. Below are two sites that can help teachers and administrators both develop an understanding of how AI and schools can thrive together, productively.

Learning Technology Center Illinois AI - Anticipated Guidance

Learning Technology Center - Main

The Learning Technology Center provides teachers and schools with various resources with the goal of  using educational technology effectively to benefit student learning. Their anticipated guidance article discusses how Illinois may follow other states and how they are handling AI in various ways in an educational setting. The main link provides teachers and schools with various resources, focused on incorporating technology into the classroom effectively. 

Illinois Society for Technology in Education - AI 

The Illinois Society for Technology in Education is an organization that envisions students engaging in transformative learning experiences that spark their imagination and prepare them to thrive in learning and life. ISTE offers teachers and schools with AI professional development opportunities, focusing on how to responsibly use AI for learning. Through lessons, workshops, articles and videos, schools are able to learn about processes that being used worldwide and how others are adapting to artificial intelligence in school.