October Paddle On Perche Creek

The mile stretch of Perche Creek just upstream from the Missouri is a fantastic place to watch the seasons change. My sit-on-top Wilderness Systems kayak allows me to skim along with the leaves that litter the surface. In late October I miss seeing the turtles, but when the trees begin to shed, terrific views of the limestone bluffs, hidden all summer, emerge.

Stripes on the trunks rising from the bank mark water lines from spring and summer floods, revealing how dynamic nature is. The creek, turtles, and trees seem to relax in the fall, but paddling in and out of the powerful eddies at the confluence reminds paddlers that the Missouri isn't ready for winter yet.

Are our attempts to teach responsibility ethical?

Imagining Assessment

An important way of considering of the true purpose of assessment.

Using EdHub to Increase Flexibility and Clarity

To support teachers in our evaluation system we are using the resources provided by Edhub in our monthly professional development days.

Registering for the Edhub resources was fairly simple. The Edhub administrator provided tokens that were redeemed when the account was created.

Once the account was created, resources for two of the four indicators our district uses for evaluation were curated: student/teacher relationships and critical thinking. Teachers volunteered to lead professional development sessions on the indicators, and a schedule was created that allowed teachers to choose, elective style, which indicator they most wanted to explore.

For our district this approach increases flexibility for teachers: they are provided a time and place to develop skills of their choosing. Clarity is also increased: administrators and teachers together can learn what research says regarding appropriate student/teacher relationships and critical thinking.

There is great value in educators gathering together to affirm:
-relationships are healthy and secure when structures and limits are in place
-creative, collaborative work on open ended assignments ensures that critical thinking is taking place

EdHub's research based presentations on a range of performance indicators are great resources for clear, yet flexible, professional development.

A Review of Three Online Textbooks

Our school began using online textbooks in our social studies classes this year. Students benefit from the marriage of content and technology. Educators have many options when it comes to online texts. Here, I examine the cost, content, assessments, and ease of enrollment of three.

mheonline: Discovering Our Past

Our students have been using this text a great deal this year. The content, including multi-media extras, is high quality. The aligned assessments are easily shared between student and instructor. Educators set up student accounts through a straightforward process. Once students are given their username and passwords they begin learning immediately. Unless a school purchases a traditional textbook and uses it for over a decade, the cost of the online resource is more affordable. 

ck12.org

If I were a homeschool educator I would use ck12 exclusively for mathematics and science instruction based on quality, price, and flexibility. The same factors make it an attractive option for schools as well. My daughter and I have been exploring the middle school physical science resources. The content aligns to standards, and while modules require a bit of construction from instructors, assigning readings, quizzes, and discussion questions is not difficult. Ck12 is free, and students with email addresses create their own accounts. 

USHistory.org

USHistory.org is another free resource. The content is well designed and written at a lexile appropriate for middle school school students. The source documents in each chapter provide opportunities for students to read more challenging texts. There are no assessments provided, but most teachers would find it easy to use a platform such as Edmodo to write and assign questions. No registration is required. While there are some advertisements in the sidebars, they are not distracting.