SUBSCRIBEHaving Our Say: Middle Grade Teachers’ Perspectives on 21st Century Education
This video production was derived from “Having Our Say: Middle Grade Teacher Perspectives on 21st Century Education,” a survey research project. 193 teachers were selected to participate from a random subset of the 557 middle schools in North Carolina. All teachers responded to the survey and 10 teachers participated in a follow-up focus group. The results of this research were presented at the American Educational Research Association in New York, NY in March 2008.
Cinema Veriteen, a NLC Pilot Project
During the Spring semester, the NLC launched the Cinema Veriteen project in collaboration with Centennial Campus Magnet Middle School. Cinema Veriteen is an online research process that results in short student-generated videos. The video below explains the theory driving this project, the Cinema Veriteen process, and teacher and student feedback.
New Literacies Summer Institute, July 2009
In July 2009, the Friday Institute will host the first annual New Literacies Institute: Integrating the Internet and Other ICTs Into Literacy and Learning. This Institute is open to teachers in grades 4-12 from all academic areas as well as educational administrators. Individuals and school-based teams are invited to participate. For a downloadable flyer about the Institute, click here.
The Internet and other technologies are profoundly reshaping the nature of literacy and learning in the 21st century. The annual summer New Literacies Institute prepares teachers and school teams for the important leadership necessary as new technologies and new literacies enter our classrooms. This week-long institute will prepare you to:
- understand the new online reading comprehension skills required by the Internet and integrate the new literacies of online reading comprehension into your classroom with several different instructional models — Internet Reciprocal Teaching, Internet Workshop, Internet Project, and Internet Inquiry
- use video and blog technologies to make multimedia an important element in classroom learning
- use student-safe social networking tools to build powerful learning communities
- understand the effective use of game-based literacies to increase learning and motivation in your classroom.
The New Literacies Institute will include opportunities for participants to engage all four institute goals, while exploring one area in-depth. Participants will work in collaborative groups to develop resources and products that they can share with a larger community of educators. The institute will provide participants with resources to not only develop new understandings about literacy in the digital age, but also to make connections to other professionals interested in new literacies.
Institute Leaders: Dr. Julio Coiro, Assistant Professor of Education, University of Rhode Island; Dr. John Lee, Associate Professor of Social Studies and Middle Grade Education, NC State University; Dr. Donald Leu, John and Maria Neag Endowed Chair in Literacy and Technology, Professor of Education, University of Connecticut; Dr. Hiller A. Spires, Professor & Senior Research Fellow, Friday Institute for Educational Innovation, NC State University; Dr. Carl Young, Assistant Professor, English Language Arts and Middle Grade Education, NC State University.
Dr. Don Leu Visited the FI
Dr. Donald J. Leu is the John and Maria Neag Endowed Chair in Literacy and Technology and holds a joint appointment in Curriculum and Instruction and Educational Psychology at the University of Connecticut. He leads the New Literacies Research Team at UConn. On April 17, 2008, he was awarded the Friday Medal to honor his significant, distinguished, and enduring contributions to education. Dr. Leu also presented a talk, How Reading Comprehension Has Changed While We Weren’t Looking, as a part of the Voices of Innovation Speaker series.
Left: Ann Goodnight and Glenn Kleiman present Don Leu with the Friday Medal.
Right: Don Leu presents a Brown Bag seminar in the Collaboratory Commons.
NLC Members Awarded Gertrude Cox Award
The NLC would like to congratulate Dr. Candy Beal, Dr. Carol Pope, and Lodge McCammon for receiving the Gertrude Cox Special Recognition Award. Lodge was the first student to receive this award.
The award is given by NC State each year to recognize Innovative Excellence in Teaching and Learning with Technology. Dr. Beal, Dr. Pope and Lodge recieved the award for their project, The Outsiders Meet the Digital Native Generation: Creating a New Model of Teacher Preparation. The multimedia learning project paired middle school students and preservice middle grade teachers in analyzing and discussing S. E. Hinton’s novel, The Outsiders. The teachers and students collaborated to produce a music video based on student reaction to the novel, and developed presentations on effective methods to teach The Outsiders in the classroom. While producing the video, students discussed lessons learned from the book, including the influence of gangs and peer groups. By observing this interaction, pre-service teachers gained valuable information on utilizing technology to motivate and inspire students.
Watch the music video below:
Navigating New Literacies and Learning in Middle Grades Education
Members of the NLC recently presented a symposium, Navigating New Literacies and Learning in Middle Grades Education, at the annual AERA meeting. Hiller Spires, Gwynn Morris, and Degang Li discussed their paper, New Media Literacies in the US and China: Middle Grade Teachers Confront the Issues. John Lee’s article, Children and Online Social Gaming, describes an exploratory study of pre-service middle grade social studies teachers’ pedagogical thinking about a specific online gaming environment called Whyville.
Lodge McCammon used video to convey his message, which can be seen below:
Serious Educational Games: From Theory to Practice
Serious Educational Games: From Theory to Practice, edited by NLC member Len Anneta was recently published. Watch the short video clip above to learn more.
NLC learned about the FIZZ
At our last meeting, Lodge McCammon and Luke Miles demonstrated the Fizz environments to the group. The Fizz environments provide a safe and easy way for teachers to broadcast and share class videos. For example, a teacher shared a video of a class music video about science on her blog, as pictured here.
To learn more about the Fizz, check out their website: www.fridayreel.com/fizz.
Visiting Scholar from Shanxi Datong Univeristy in China
Junzheng Zhang, Professor of Instructional Technology at Shanxi Datong University in Shanxi Province, China, is a visiting scholar at the Friday Institute. He is working with the New Literacies Collaborative until the end of June 2008.
NLC meeting on Fri. Feb. 22nd: Blogs and Wikis
Our last meeting was in the Collaboratory Commons at the Friday Institute on Friday February 22nd, from 10am - noon. Carl Young and John Lee presented “Pre-service English & Social Studies Teachers’ Experiences with Web 2.0 Technologies in a Collaborative Methods Course.” (You can download their powerpoint presentation here.)
New Literacies Workshop for Middle Grade Teachers
The NLC invited a group of 20 teachers from around the state to join us on Wed. Feb. 20th for a day of professional development focusing on the integration of Web 2.0 tools into their content area instruction (e.g. multimedia blogging, wikis, voicethread). The teachers also participated in focus groups about technology use in the classroom and took a tour of Centennial Campus Magnet Middle School where each 8th grader has a laptop in the classroom. The workshop was led by Hiller Spires (Professor & Senior Research Fellow), Gwynn Morris (Postdoctoral Research Associate), and Kim Turner (Graduate Research Assistant). The workshop was co-sponsored by the North Carolina Business Committee on Education.
Summit on US/China K-12 Education: Global Collaborations and Partnerships
The Summit on US/China K-12 Education: Global Collaborations and Partnerships was held on Thursday, May 1 2008, 9:00 am- 3:00 pm at the Friday Institute in Raleigh, NC. Click here for the event archives. Click here to watch the recorded webcast of the event.
We invite educators, policy makers, and business leaders to attend this summit to learn why US/China collaborations are important for creating a globally educated citizenry and work force. National speakers will address the value of US/China K-12 partnerships and describe effective policies and programs that support global learning. North Carolina educators will describe current collaborations and partnerships, share best practices, and offer opportunities to establish new partnerships with Chinese educators. (Please click here to see the flier with detailed information.)
Leveraging the work of the NC Center for International Understanding, the NC Department of Public Instruction, the NC State Board of Education and the NC State Confucius Institute and Friday Institute for Educational Innovation, we have designed the Summit to:
- cultivate understanding of the value of US/China K-12 partnerships
- showcase best practices for North Carolina/China school collaborations
- catalyze new partnerships and collaborations and expand the reach of existing ones through a forum for networking.
The event agenda is as follows:
8:30 - 9:00 am, Registration and informal networking
9:00 - 9:45 am, Welcoming remarks
Kathryn M. Moore, Dean, College of Education, NC State University
Larry A. Nielson, Provost, NC State University
Mary P. Easley, First Lady of North Carolina
9:45 - 10:45 am, Session One
INTRODUCTION
Betsy E. Brown, Special Assistant to the Provost to the Director, NC State Confucius Institute
GOING GLOBAL: PREPARING U.S. STUDENTS FOR AN INTERCONNECTED WORLD
Vivien Stewart, Vice President for Education and Chinese Education Specialist, Asia Society
ROUND TABLE DIALOGUE
10:45 - 11:00 am, Break
11:00 - 12:00 pm, Session Two
INTRODUCTION
Millie Ravenel, Director, North Carolina Center for International Understanding
WHAT KNOWLEDGE IS OF MOST WORTH: RE-IMAGINING EDUCATION FOR A GLOBAL SOCIETY
Yong Zhao, Director of the US-China Center for Research on Educational Excellence and University Distinguished Professor of Education at Michigan State University
ROUND TABLE DIALOGUE
12:00 - 1:15 pm, Lunch
12:45-1:15 pm, Signing Ceremony of the Memorandum of Agreement between North Carolina State Board of Education and Jiangsu Provincial Department of Education
INTRODUCTION
Hiller A. Spires, Professor and Senior Research Fellow, Friday Institute and College of Education at NC State
SIGNING CEREMONY
Wayne McDevitt, Vice Chairman, North Carolina State Board of Education
Howard Lee, Chairman, North Carolina State Board of Education
Li Shikai, Assistant Director-General, Jiangsu Provincial Department of Education
June St. Clair Atkinson, State Superintendent and Secretary to the North Carolina State Board of Education
1:30 - 2:20 pm, Breakout Sessions (Participants choose one of the following four session to attend.)
BEST PRACTICES FOR K-12 SCHOOL PARTNERSHIPS (Innovation Hall)
Session Facilitator: Matt Friedrick, North Carolina Center for International Understanding
Participants in this session will learn how NC-Chinese school partnerships can help provide students with real-world multicultural experiences. Robin Calcutt, Assistant Principal of Union Pines High School, will discuss the development of the school’s digital partnership with their Chinese partners, what activities have been completed thus far, and their future plans. Tom Merchant, math teacher at Charlotte Country Day, will discuss the development of teacher exchange, his experiences in China and with his partner school, and future plans to continue implementing the lessons learned into the classroom. Matt Friedrick from NC in the World will also share how you might get involved and what activities are currently happening with NCIW’s NC-China Global Partner Schools.
UNIVERSITY AND SCHOOL PARTNERSHIPS TO EXPAND KNOWLEDGE ABOUT CHINA (BB&T Classroom)
Session Facilitator: Betsy Brown, Confucius Institute
Participants will learn about three programs designed to expand knowledge about China for students, teachers, and the community. First, NC State Confucius Institute staff will provide an overview of ongoing activities and projects, including professional development support for K-12 teachers of Chinese, continuing education classes, summer abroad opportunities for high school and college students, and support for NC businesses and local organizations. The second presentation will include an introduction of the partnership between Sanderson High School and Zhonghua High School in Nanjing, China. Cathy Q. Moore, Principal of Sanderson High School, and Paul S. Taperek, Exchange Coordinator, will discuss how they developed the relationship with the school and how they maintain the partnership. They will also talk about about the Asian Studies course that will be taught in their school, which will include a student exchange program and travel to China. Ming-An Lee, Chinese teacher from Cary Academy, will share how students advance their knowledge of the Chinese language and culture through a multifaceted approach. Students learn from cross-cultural exchange through opportunities such as hosting Chinese students, traveling to China, and working in China as interns. This unique program includes real life experiences and extends beyond the classroom setting.
CHINESE LANGUAGE EDUCATION IN NC (Discovery Classroom)
Session Facilitator: Helga Fasciano, NC Department of Public Instruction
Helga Fasciano, Section Chief K-12 Programs, North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI), will moderate a panel of educators sharing how North Carolina’s K-12 public schools are meeting the demand for Chinese language instruction in a variety of ways: Bobby Hobgood, LEARN NC’s Director of Research and Development in Online Curriculum and Instruction, will share the progress with the Foreign Language Assistance Program (FLAP) grant through which the state is developing online Mandarin Chinese I, II, III, IV, and AP courses that utilize Skype technology and conversation coaches to focus on communication skills, as well as reading and writing. Ynez Olshausen, Principal at Smith Academy of International Languages, will discuss the Chinese immersion program that is currently one of two available in the state, sharing how the program has grown and what the future holds. Ann Marie Gunter, NCDPI Second Language Consultant, will describe the increasing number of Chinese language courses being taught in K-12 classrooms across the state, and Li Jin, Project Director for the North Carolina STARTALK Student Institute, will explain this new language enrichment opportunity for high school students.
NEW LITERACIES IN THE US AND CHINA: GLOBAL CONNECTIONS IN TEACHER EDUCATION (Nortel Room)
Session Facilitator: Hiller Spires, Professor and Senior Research Fellow, Friday Institute
This session will present work in US/China teacher education. As emerging Web 2.0 technologies continue to change what it means to be literate in the 21st century, educators are making important changes in how they engage students to learn. First, Hiller Spires, Professor and Senior Research Fellow at the Friday Institute, will discuss a study that investigated teachers’ practices with new literacies in the classroom–in the US and China.. Second, NCSU Assistant Professors Jennifer Mangrum, Micha Jeffries, and Angela Wiseman will share how preservice teachers and elementary students are sharing English songs and digital artifacts about culture via a blog with students in Beijing, China. The goal is to increase cross cultural understandings and sensitivity. Survey findings will be shared that provide a snapshot of current preservice teachers’ orientation towards cultural sensitivity.
2:30 - 3:00 pm, CLOSING REMARKS
INTRODUCTION
Glenn Kleiman, Executive Director, Friday Institute for Educational Innovation
A CALL TO ACTION
James B. Hunt, Former Governor of North Carolina
Middle Grade Teachers Survey- Speak out on New Literacies!
Middle Grade students have had their say…now it’s time for middle grade teachers to have their voices heard! The New Literacy Collaborative is conducting a research study to understand middle grade teachers’ perspectives on technology use in the classroom. In the first phase of this study, teachers will be randomly selected from North Carolina middle schools from across the state to participate in an online survey. The survey asks about the barriers teachers are facing and the successes they have had so far. In the next phase, we will conduct focus groups to better understand teachers’ perspectives on new literacies. We will use the data to better serve teachers’ needs through professional development workshops and advocacy at the state level. We aim to produce a short video summarizing the findings, similar to the student version, to distribute to the public and NC legislators. To view the video of students’ perspectives, click here. If you have any questions about this study, please email Gwynn Morris by clicking here.
Online Professional Development Course
This online professional development course, Learning and Teaching with Web 2.0 Tools, is for teachers, technology specialists, curriculum specialists, or other school personnel interested in learning how to incorporate 21st century learning strategies and the “new internet Web 2.0 literacies” in their classroom instruction.
The cost of the course (typicially $100 per participant) is being funded by the Friday Institute for Educational Innovation, the Center for 21st Century Skills, and the North Carolina Business Committee for Education, so that the only charge to each participant is a $25.00 registration fee. The class runs from January 14th to February 29th. This online workshop is divided into seven one-week sessions that include readings, an activity, and an online discussion among workshop participants. Each session is designed to take approximately two to four hours to complete.
For more information, including the course schedule, please view the Web 2.0 Professional Development Information Sheet. Please email the instructor of this course, Cris Crissman, with any questions you have.
Registration is limited to the first 60 participants and the check for the $25 registration fee must be received by January 10th. Registration is now closed. This course will be offered again in the coming months. Please email Gwynn Morris if you would like to be notified when registration opens for the next session.
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