ProjectPLN
Learning Together
You can scroll the shelf using ← and → keys
The Evolution of Project PLN
March 13, 2012
There are going to be some changes to Project PLN, so we wanted to share them with all of you.
We started out as an every monthly e-zine dedicated to sharing great stories from our PLN with he world around us. After a year, the time constraints of running a monthly magazine took its toll on us as we tackled new challenges and built new schools. We had hoped to move to an every other month format still wanting to bring stories to everyone out there looking for educational inspiration. After some long breaks and deep discussions, we have finally decided that quality is much more preferred over quantity. Below you will find our new schedule effective this year.
The thought of stopping Project PLN was never really an option for us because we just love sharing too much and we want to give others the chance to share with everyone as well. Although we are the editors of Project PLN, we feel this is everyone’s magazine. We are excited to move into a more structured format to all of our readers a chance to submit their ideas and see the thoughts on their PLN here.
We might just make another creepy video for old time’s sake.
Thanks again for all of the support over the past couple of years. We hope you stick around for the new changes.
Nick and Kelly
Editors – Project PLN
Publication schedule for a year:
Call for Articles: June
Issue 1: August -
Call for Articles: August
Issue 2: November
Call for Articles: November
Issue 3: February
Call for Articles: February
Issue 4: May
Who we are reading
March 13, 2012 — 6 Comments
For this issue, we really wanted to share with all of you some of the blogs that we are reading that we think others should be reading. We are not saying that these blogs are better than all of the other blogs out there and they do not get to put up some fancy banner declaring them the preferred blog of Project PLN. These are just some good blogs and we encourage you to read them and share them with others. If you think there are some other great blogs, feel free to leave them in the comments portion of this post. Heck, leave your blog information if you would love to share what you write with the rest of us. We are ALWAYS looking for new blogs to read.
Lyn Hilt’s blog – http://lynhilt.com/ – The Principal’s Posts
Even though Lyn writes from the perspective of a Principal, her blog shoudl be read by anyone involved in education. Her most recent post, Lessons on Leadership, is a fabulous post exploring what leadership. If you haven’t read this post, and every other one she has written, please take the time to do so. You will not be disappointed and will probably find yourself forwarding many of her posts to your staff.
Andrew Barras- Education Stormfront: http://educationstormfront.wordpress.com/
Andrew, also known as @crudbasher, has a fantastic blog that always makes me feel like I am getting a sneak peak into the future. Education Stormfront is always on the cutting edge of introducing me to the technology that is going be transformational in the educational realm. This goes beyond classroom resources and opens up a whole world of “what if” and “what next”. This blog will make you dream of possibilities and stay ready for what the future holds. I love that there are other geeks out there who get a kick out of this stuff as much as I do! This post was especially exciting since I am working on a big project that will make it possible to personalize learning: How Personalized Learning Will Take Off.
Pernille Ripp – http://mrspripp.blogspot.com/ – Blogging through the 4th Dimension
Pernille, a 5th Grade Teacher, writes about her work with her students and all things education. She really brings a nice and refreshing approach to learning. A favorite post of hers is when she wrote a letter to post to herself in the past. Dear First Year Pernille is just an awesome post addressing the world that first year teachers live in. If you are a new teacher or mentoring a new teacher, please read this post and pass it on. Also, Pernille writes a blog about her “passion for passion” entitled poor og rich – a danish girl finds her style in america. Just a fun read if you are into fashion and the viewpoints of others.
Maggie HosMcGrane -Tech Transformations: http://www.maggiehosmcgrane.com/
I consider Maggie one of my greatest mentors as an educator. What I love about Maggie’s blog is the honesty you will find there. Maggie shares freely and often. Whether it is urging you to take the journey through a new book together, or inviting dialogue to question school policies, Maggie is always challenging you to stretch your thinking. Maggie has such a gift for words and reading her posts instantly has you joining her journey of learning. Maggie writes about technology, reform, design, educational reading, and reflections on her experiences as a technology specialist. Maggie’s is one of the first blogs I read every week. Maggie is the other educator who taught me about the inquiry model. Check out this recent post from Maggie: Tips For the Frustrated Teacher As I said, Maggie is wonderful about inviting you to learn with her!
John T Spencer – http://www.educationrethink.com/ – Education Rethink
John is a writing machine. He has published 5 books and writes regularly on his blog. He has ideas and opinions on everything and he shares them. John is the type of blogger that not only shares their thoughts on a topic, but encourages you to think and share on his blog as well. A recent post by John, What I Mean by Autonomy, was John’s thoughts after seeing Richard DuFour speak at a conference. In the comment string for this post, Mr. DuFour actually responded to his thoughts. It was a very cool situation to see. John always has something exciting going on an is super fun to interact with on Twitter.
Rita Meade – http://www.screwydecimal.com/ – Screwy Decimal
Screwy Decimal is actually not a blog about education, but a blog written by the hilarious Rita Meade about her job as a children’s librarian in Brooklyn. Her post on a supposed autograph in a library book is funny. Recently featured in a local new article on “The Real Women of Brooklyn“, Rita is funny, smart and a former teacher. That makes her fit in just right with all of us.
Edna Sackson- What ed Said: http://whatedsaid.wordpress.com
Edna Sackson is one of my all time favorite bloggers and tweeters. Edna writes prolifically about education and has a gift for revealing greatness in the students she has contact with and the many educators who read her blog. I can’t tell you the countless ways Edna has shaped me as an educator through her honest look at education, celebration of students, and thoughtful sharing of all she learns. In short, it is a must read! Edna was one of the first educators to introduce me to the inquiry model. She shares her observations and best practices openly and freely. Best of all: Edna creates fantastic ToonDoo cartoons to accompany her posts. They always succinctly summarize her post and give my mind something to file away so I can remember her brilliance when I need it. It is hard to go wrong with Edna’s posts, one of my recent favorites is 10 People Who You Might Know.
Bill Ferriter – http://teacherleaders.typepad.com/the_tempered_radical/ – The Tempered Radical
Bill is just a good writer. On top of that, he is a good thinker. Combine those together and you have a heck of blog. Bill tackles every day educational issues and shares his thoughts with his PLN. Recently, Bill had a post talking about the value of his PLN to him after his Dad had passed away. Many people have written about the value of a PLN, but Bill’s post, So Much More Than a Personal Learning Network, is just a wonderful post worth reading and sharing. If you liked that post, read it again because you will then love it. Also, check out his other work because you will find many different topics that Bill will make you think about.
Gateway to 21st Century skills: http://thegatewayto21stcenturyskills.blogspot.com/
Joann and Peggy co-author this blog. I love the way that they choose a topic and each give a little different take on the subject matter. Peggy’s Corner is a post with information and inspiration. It is the “why you should care about this” post. Joann’s Picks is a post with helpful resources, lessons and ideas for k-12 on how to bring what Peggy wrote about into your classroom. I really appreciate that every topic that these ladies choose, they offer advice and resources for absolutely every classroom. The resources are broken down within the post by age making it really easy to find what you need! Everything these ladies do is fabulous but one of my very favorite posts was The da Vinci code. No matter what subject(s) you teach and what age group, you will find lot’s of greatness on Gateway to 21st Century Skills!
Project PLN Feb/March 2012 Call for Contributions
January 1, 2012
Project PLN 2012! Happy New Year to all of you!
Project PLN is moving to a bi-monthly posting schedule in 2012 to keep the editors (us) and the contributors (you) sane. So, what is first up in 2012?
We want to know what books/reading has had the most impact for you as an educator. These could be books about education specifically, or books that have given you a new outlook on education, learning or teaching. If you are anything like me, everything you read, see, encounter is filtered through your education lens and adds something. We want to hear about all of those things!
When I pitched the idea of this month’s issue to Nick, his first response was “awww not a book report” in a super whiny, high-pitched voice….okay I made that part up, we were actually texting and the whining was implied. Book report is not exactly what I had in mind (although if that jives your jets, by all means be our guest). One of the things I have been particularly bad about is keeping track of the books and recommended readings from those in my PLN. They fly through my Twitter stream, get favorited in my Reeder or scribbled on a nearby piece of scratch paper. The result: very few of them ever see the light of day again and I forget. I also know that books (and blogs) have had a profound impact on me as an educator. If not for Seth Godin encouraging me to “Ship it”, I might not have taken the leap to start a school. If not for Sir Ken Robinson, I might not have had such conviction to help every child realize their “Element”. For this issue, your posts can be in the form of top 10 lists of your must reads. A bucket list of things you want to do as a result of books you have read (with reference back to the original inspiration). A blog post you have written as a reflection on something you have read. A link to your bookshelf in Shelfari. For those of you who are feeling really ambitious, a book trailer. Really it can be ANYTHING, we just want to know what you are reading/have read that has impacted the way you think about or do education.
As always, feel free to email posts to ProjectPLN10@Gmail.com, check in on us at Twitter @ProjectPLN or say hello on Facebook. Please get us your posts in February so we can work on publishing them for the March issue!
The December and January Issue
December 27, 2011
Hello PLN,
We hope you will enjoy this month’s issue. We have collected posts from all over the world on what students think a dream school would look like. We would like to thank all of the teachers that were able to have their students work on this project and we are excited to share their thoughts with you. We have grades 1 and 4 – 12. Please take a look at these posts and leave a comment the teachers can share with their students. It would mean the world to them to hear what educators thought of their ideas. Please pass this to all of your friends and share your ideas of the perfect dream school in the comments sections of each post.
Due to time constraints of the editors and the writers (You!) we have decided to start publishing a bi-monthly magazine. One of the hardest parts of ProjectPLN is getting all of the posts together in time to share with all of you. We are prefer quality over quantity and figured that every other month would be easier on all of the teachers out there who really want to share a story, but have trouble finding the time in a month to write something they cold share.
Look forward to a new post in the new year announcing the topic for the February/March Issue of Project PLN.
Wishing everyone in the world a happy New Year,
Nick and Kelly
Project PLN
Grade 1
December 26, 2011
I decided to have the first graders design their dream school. I knew they would have some creative ideas about this. I was also able to address two of our first grade computer standards at the same time (bonus!): working collaboratively and using graphic organizers. The students brainstormed at home and wrote, typed, or drew a picture to share their ideas when we met for Computers. Then they worked together in small groups to create a web of all their ideas in a program called Kidspiration. The first graders picked up the basics of this program very quickly and were creating and collaborating like professionals!
I created a Voicethread with the Kidspiration webs that the students created and the pictures they drew. View our Voicethread at http://voicethread.com/share/2519706/. (I did not edit their writing.) It was interesting to see what a dream school designed by First Graders would look like. There were several aspects that came across loud and clear.
http://voicethread.com/book.swf?b=2519706
Their dream school would be FUN! (Ex.: desks made of candy, rope swings, t.v. in the lunchroom, etc…)
Their design would have the best technology for the students and teachers to use. (Ex.: books with tv screens, mind-reading/lunch-making machines)
Our first graders are good problem solvers. (Ex.: They’ve figured out how to make sure they have recess everyday!)
Our first graders are financially savvy. (Ex.: They would include a bank in their dream school. They would use Scrip to buy tickets to ride the school train.)
This was a fun project to work on with the first graders.They seemed to enjoy it too. Our school is already a pretty great place. I hope that the students have fun at school learning new things and playing with friends. They are lucky to attend a school that has a lot of great technology available to them in every classroom, but it is always fun to DREAM!
Melissa Schur
PK-8 Computer Teacher
Follow me on Twitter: @uwlalum
My blog: http://mrsschurscomputerlab.blogspot.com
4th and 5th Grade
December 26, 2011
Here are a series of posts from Mrs. Peters 4th and 5th Grade student! Click the picture to be taken to their Kidblog.
Grade 7
December 26, 2011
Greetings, Project PLN, from Ann Arbor, MI! These 5 sketches are what my 7th graders came up with for their dream school. I shared with them the information you put out, and encouraged them to discuss what types of things they would include in their dream schools, and not just the layout of the building(s), and to use things like video, voicethread, etc. Ultimately, though, this was a completely extension assignment, for those who were finished with their lit circle projects that we were also working on. Some students were excited about the dream school idea but never put anything together. Others did put some things together, but without much passion behind them. This is what we have, though – a glimpse into the mind of some 7th graders, and how they picture their dream schools. Enjoy!
–Mr. Wyzlic’s 7th grade classroom
Grade 7 Part 2
December 26, 2011
Here are some thoughts from students in Kristen Breck’s class.
My idea of a perfect learning environment would be awesome. Instead of having regular sized rooms the class rooms would be huge with tall ceilings. All classes would start at 10:30 and school would end at 6:30. All homework would be short and due on Friday so that people would not have to stress over it. Lunch would also start a lot earlier and last for sixty minutes. Also in all class rooms music would be playing at all times. School would be an exiting place for me with these ideas.
To start off I would rather have school start at six-thirty and go to one or one-thirty. The reason I would like this time schedule is because I’m a morning person, I’d rather get up early and have extra time than sleep in late and be rushed. My ideal classroom would be a classroom for about twenty-five students, because with a small group of students its not as crowded and loud. Also when there’s a small group of people and it isn’t every loud its easy to concentrate and get your work done. In the classroom there should be five computers and books and dictionary’s. The reason I would rather have books and old fashion ways or reading and looking up words is because yes it’s easier but also there easier to break. With a book or a dictionary you can put it in your backpack and bring it to and from, but with a high-tec item (such as nook, IPad, or a tab) that cost a lot of money it could be dangerous because it could break. One thing i think could change is the lunch time. What they should do is take away some time from our break and make it four minutes and then add to our lunch. The last thing I would change is not being able to be on your phone. I agree during classes and assembles there shouldn’t be any phones but during break, at lunch, free time in classes students should be allowed to use there cell phones.
My Ideal Learning Envirement
My ideal school day would start at 7:00 AM and end at 1:30 PM because I would like to get school done early in the day to have time to have fun and spend time with friends. I would like to have no homework and instead have classwork to do instead. I would like the locatation to be up in the mountains by a lake because it would be relaxing. Every time I would look out a window I could see a lake or a mountian veiw. Up in the mountians you could also escape the hot summers. There would be fun P.E. units. For example, water skiing, wakeboarding, tubing, canoeing, and swimming in the summer, and snow-boarding, skiing, and sledding in the winter.I also would like to be ablt to choose my P.E. unit so I don’t get stuck with some unit I don’t want. Lunch would be the usual 30 minuites long, however, there would be 2 snack breaks to make sure you are not distracted by hunger during the periods close to lunch. Every 2 months there would be a week of break to do fun things with your friends and to take a break of learning. The electives there would be art, home economics, manufecturing technology, many different languages, and animals,where you would learn about animals and interact with them. For example, horse-back riding, walking dogs, etc. The languages you could learn would be French, Spanish, and Japenese. As for core classes, they would be math, history, english, and science. If the teacher was teaching something you already knew and proved it on a practice test, you could spend the time doing AR or studing for other classes. I would like to also choose the people that would be in my class. I also think it would be important to have a small number of people in my class, like ten people or so, so we could concentrate better.
No homework
Indoor and outdoor activity’s during lunch
4 days a week
Indoor swimming pool
Eat in class
Chew gum in class
Pick the people you want to be in your class Have same grade P.E.
No P.E in afternoon
Have snack and lunch whenever you want Can have pets on campus
Have 1 hour lunch
My ideal learning environment would be small class sizes with a big class room because it would be easier to learn and you would have a lot of space to work. I would like to have school start at 10:00 a.m and end at 4:40. I would like to have a longer lunch Becuase then you could leave to go eat out and go shopping. I would like a pool and a ice ring because it would be fun and you would be able to go swimming and ice skating for P.E. I would like to have to wear whatever to P.E. without school colors. I would like to have the school indoor because if its cold or hot you would be just right. The ideal classrooms would be hard wood floors and higher up desks and chairs with cushions and have an Ipad or a Mac laptop depending the one you chose. The floors would be heated and so would be the chairs or cooled depending how you feel that day.The lunch’s would be from restaurant food depending on the day. For our electives it would be Cooking class from the top chefs, fashion from famous people, make up class using make up artists,Workshop like wood and photo class, voice couches from famous people, Paint balling, and gun class, and any thing we would like. There would be real stores from the mall so you could go shopping. For field trips you be able to travel for half the price. There would be a health class for P.E. on Friday and Thursday. There would be classes for you to be prepared for college such as doctors, lawyers, and anything you want to be come.
My idea of a learning enviornment so to start for the sports we would like soccer, softball (fastpich), baseball, swim , ect. For the education help we could have laptobs in different classes or ipods. For your elective you could have photography , drama , ect. We could also take fridays off and at the end of every month you could have a allday project thing were everyone stays at school for a day and dose some projects. Finally you could provide something other than A.R goals and quizzes that would be fun.
My ideal learning environment would be technology because it will help me with all of my subjects. If their were computers and IPads in every classroom it would help a lot of students and teachers with their work. Teachers would be able to grade the students homework, tests,and classwork by the touch of a button. Students would be done with their work easily. If they had homework and they were done with it they would simply turn it in through an email. It would also be useful for gym teachers because they could grade your performance and effort simply. Technology would also help kids with their projects. They could outline their project on the computer and finish it on a poster board. Technology will also help the school’s budget on tools and paper products. Without technology people would not be organized and life would probably be a mess.
My Ideal School :
- ● Calm Teachers that Never get mad .
- ● Start school at 10:00 and get out at 2:30
- ● Ipads instead of paper and pens
- ● ”Real Food” instead of “School Food”
- ● You can wear your slippers to school
- ● Bigger lockers
- ● No homework , Just classwork
- ● We would get to choose our teacher
- ● Aloud to Chew gum
- ● Text at certain times
My ideal learning environment would be a small class but a with big classroom. I would have school start at 9am and then end at 3pm. I would have a longer lunch (1 hour) and a variety of food, and there could be an off campus lunch. At this school, you could choose what you want to do in P.E. instead of doing the unit your teacher tells you to, and you could also chose to dress in a P.E. uniform or not. For technology, the students could use iPads or laptops or more high-tech sources. Students could also listen to music in class. Instead of desks, some students could just sit on the floor or some students could choose to sit in desks. For electives, you could have cooking class, photography, and there would be more than five electives. The first class would start at 9:05am, the second class would start at 9:45am, and there would be a break that ends at 9:55am. The third class would start at 10:00am, the fourth class would start at 10:40am. Lunch would start at 10:45am and end at 11:15am. The fifth class would start at 11:20am and the sixth class would start at 12:00pm, and the seventh class would start at 12:40pm. Students could then go to P.E. at 12:45pm and it would end at 1:15pm. Students could go to their elective starting at 1:20 and ending at 2:00pm. For the last hour of school, students could choose to go home, or go to a class that helps them with their future or with other subjects they are having trouble with.
- ● no homework
- ● flexible times that you get to choose
- ● school in Paris
- ● swimming pools-indoors and out
- ● we should get to choose what electives we get
- ● we should be able to pick what friends we want in our classes
- ● we should choose when we have break or eat with our friends
- ● we should get laptops for each students to own for the school year
- ● we should be able to use our phones at school
- ● we should get better hot lunches to choose from
My ideal learning environment would include several adjustments. * A day that starts at 5:00 A.M. and end at 1:10 P.M.
* An hour long lunch that includes activities everyday
*A forty minute video game period every day.
*Candy at the end of each period, including lunch
*Less students in each class to decrease teacher stress
*A twenty minute break between periods 4 and 5
*Limos to take kids home instead of buses.
*The option to choose what order classes go in (EX: 4 per. math instead of 4 per. English) *Free school supplies in every class.
*No library late fees
These explain my ideal learning environment and how I think school should be like.
- ● iPads/ Tablets instead of binder
- ● Flexible start times- (5-6 AM)
- ● End at 12:30
- ● A 20 minute break after every period
- ● Choose which subject you want to go to but have to go to all the required classes by end of day
- ● Nap time after lunch
- ● Able to eat and drink in classroom (gum allowed)
- ● Order what you want (like a fast food place) and they will buy it
- ● Comfortable chairs….. Leather Recliners
- ● Flat screen T.V.s
- ● phones/ electronics are allowed in class
- ● Lot’s of trees and nature all around the school.( Planting sessions for extra credit) name your own plant
- ● biology labs for dissecting only
- ● Each child has 1 laptop for all classes
- ● Teachers have Apple computers
- ● Football, Soccer, Baseball stadium at the school ( Terf)
Freedom to choose your schedule. Scholarship program to kids who have no money to get into college. Five minute break in between all classes. We can eat in class. Free sitting in classes. iPads for each student. Better Hot lunches. Pot-Luck every Friday. Station Extreme Dances. Pay students for the answers the get correct. Pay teachers more. NO Homework.
I think this should be schools everywhere…
Starting with school starting at 10:30 and ending at 4:30 pm. Classrooms should have no rules against gum and flavored drinks inside.
There should be a unicorn in every room-to support imagination talking should be allowed with NO end.
Lunch should be 1 hour should have flat screen TVS and sofas instead of chairs that spin! Classrooms should not have more than 2 tests in a day. Homework should be lessened to three pages max for each class. After school activities are more and more available.
PE is a whole hour
The other classes 45 minutes.
Eating is allowed.
Schools need to have better structures like this one! THEY SHOULD ALSO have nap time.
