ActivExpression users invited to participate in Marzano study…

Over the last 5 years, Dr. Robert Marzano, noted author of; Designing & Teaching Learning Goals & Objectives, The Highly Engaged Classroom, Formative Assessment & Standards-Based Grading, On Excellence in Teaching, District Leadership That Works, and The Art and Science of Teaching, has worked with Promethean to conduct an independent study on the effects of the Promethean ActivClassroom on teaching methodology, student engagement, and performance.  Phase III of this study was recently announced, focusing on the integration of the ActivExpression learner responses systems into the classroom. 

Hawaii Promethean ActivExpression users are invited to participate in this exciting nationwide study to address the following research question: “What is the impact of Promethean ActivExpressions on student engagement and academic achievement?”

Below is a quick breakdown of the research methodology:

1.      Teacher participants will complete the free online ActivExpression course and take part in a free 2-hour workshop on the InterActiv Engagement Method (conducted by IAAK);

2.      Teachers will choose a 1-day lesson within a unit of study in their curriculum for the purposes of the study;

3.      Teachers will design a pre/post assessment and administer the assessment to a class that they’ve chosen for the study;

4.      Teachers will then randomly assign half of the class to the “Control Group,” and half of the class to the “Treatment Group;”

5.      Teachers will send the “Treatment Group” to the library/computer lab (or another area of the school) and then teach the “Control Group” the lesson without ActivExpressions and administer the “Post Test”  to this group at the conclusion of the lesson (teachers will also be asked to video tape this lesson);

6.      The next day teachers will send the “Control Group” to the library/computer lab (or another area of the school) and teach the “Treatment Group” the lesson with ActivExpressions and administer the “Post Test” at the conclusion of the lesson to this group (teachers will also be asked to video tape this lesson);

7.      Teachers will then send the data gathered from both groups, along with the video tapes of both classes to Marzano Research Laboratory for analysis.

If you are interested in participating in this study or have any questions, please contact Craig Crisler at (808) 457-6745 or at ccrisler@iaak.net.   Deadline to sign up is March 7, 2012 and study training will take place on March 12, 2012 (if unable to attend this training, we would be happy to schedule a training at your convenience).  Mahalo for your consideration!

Excitement builds for the Oct 19th Ed Tech Conference

In just under a month the IAAK Principals & Educational Technology Conference will take place at the Hawaii Convention Center from 8:00 am to 3:00 pm.  I’ve highlighted some of the sessions here… for more information on the conference, click here.

Resources for the Classroom:

• You don’t want to miss learning about a new resource to be used on the IWB – Channel One News InterActiv, created in partnership with Channel One and CBS News, offers students in grades 3-12 daily high-quality broadcasts featuring current, real-world content.  The program offers teachers a simple and engaging way to integrate authentic experiences while modeling the effective use of IWBs.
• As the Common Core State Standards continue to shape teaching and learning in the classroom, teachers will need to increase the complexity of text and integrate more non-fiction text.  MyOn Reader is a great web-based resource which not only provides access to thousands of eBooks but also includes embedded assessments to measure and track students’ Lexile levels.  This session will focus on how several Hawaii schools are using the resource to promote reading.
• It seems the buzz these days is all about “learning across platforms”.  If this concept is buzzing in your brain, you probably want to attend the session focusing on how PBS Kids is engaging students across platforms through its characters and content.

Common Core State Standards:

We’ve spent a good part of the school year working with Kevin Baird of the Common Core Institute and several Honolulu schools, focusing on unraveling the Common Core Standards.  In this keynote session, Kevin will discuss the ways educational technology tools and resources can and should be used to support the implementation of the Common Core.  Drawing from his diverse experiences in education, Kevin does an excellent job highlighting priorities and sharing practical strategies with high impact.

Promethean:

There’s always exciting news and practices to share with regards to Promethean.

• Ensuring 100% response rate in the classroom just got easier!  Hear about Promethean’s latest development – BYOD (bring your own device) for collecting responses.
• There is so much to learn from our friends at Variety School.  Hear and see how teachers and students at the school are leveraging the capabilities of the ActivBoard to enhance teaching and learning for students with special needs.  You will be impressed!

Join on October 19th – we’d love to see you there.