Put videos on a DVD and call it "The Yearbook on DVD" ... plus some videos that you might enjoy clicking because they show themes from the Coalition of Essential Skills

Let's take a moment to look at each of the other 10 videos that are currently on the CES national youtube channel.  None of these videos has more than 6000 views ... let's work together to get more eyes on these prizes.

Exhibitions

Goals apply to all students

Democracy in schools

Mastery in schools

Get the ENTIRE school involved in the innovation

Let's learn about PERSONALIZATION

Resources

Student = worker

Teacher = coach

Learning is TALKING

Teaching is LISTENING

Learn to use your mind well

Less is more

Where can you find an Essential School?





To give you something to read, if you want to see something besides a string of photos taken of the list of schools that are involved in Coalition of Essential Schools, here's my offer of virtual mentoring to teachers and students.

SKILLS
POSTERS:  I have a collection of posters that are essentially quotes from blogs and research papers.  The idea is to highlight one or two sentences and entice the reader to look up the article or at least put into practice the innovative procedure that the paper describes.  If you would like a free ebook with these posters, send me an email  or download the collections from www.TransformTeaching.org.  
DIGITAL YEARBOOK
I have offered to help schools create a digital year or "yearbook on DVD" and I got some success with Highland Park High School in Los Angeles.  (Thank you, Enrique Gonzalez, Ireland, Drake and others).  
WORKSHOPS for GOOGLE DRIVE and Digital Portfolio Making

I'm posting my resume here to entice someone to contact me so I can mentor a teacher who doesn't currently flip the class or who wants to learn how to use Google Drive (the way HighTechHigh.org uses digital portfolios) or who doesn't currently use posters and projects in the classroom.  I'm happy to donate my services ... that's the point of creating ebooks.  If there is a paid consulting  or volunteer job to be done, I'm there.  How can I serve you and your organization's mission?  As one of my students told me, "We are here to serve."



 My big issue currently:  Make a yearbook DVD... A DVD can cost under $2 to reproduce.  
Excuses (that I've heard from administrators)?  "Students put these videos on youtube and on facebook.  They won't buy a collection of videos."  Fine.  But at least SOMEBODY has the collection so that when it's time to meet again in 10 or 20 years, you have the sound of Mr. Dyke's voice and the image of John Corlette skiing.  Oh, yes, that's right... we didn't have DVDs 40 years ago, so I can't see and hear my old professors.  

I hope the previous paragraph inspires some students to get in touch with me to be guided toward making a Yearbook on DVD.

Here's why I support the Coalition of Essential Schools (and I invite you to subscribe to their Facebook page)

I'm a member of the Coalition of Essential Schools.

I have adhered to their principles for over ten years, but today, 28 October 2013, I became an individual member, paying $75 to say, "I support this organization's aims."  WATCH THIS VIDEO

I am a member of ASCD.org because that organization published The Big Picture by Dennis Littky and Samantha Grabelle (2004) and I just don't know when the next "good gospel" will be published by that organization.  I spend $39 a year on the basic membership and that's my vote for keeping The Big Picture in print.  Two chapters (1 here and 4 here, "One Student at a Time") of Littky's book are available for download on the ASCD website and for that, and for the free chapters of other books published by ASCD, I am happy to pay two pizzas a year to support their online web=books.

I admit that I learn something from the Educational Leadership magazine that arrives in print every two months.  Oh, yes, I'm a fan of EL and I use the articles in my workshops and to prod principals to innovate.

But when it comes to effective positive disruption, what organization does more than CES?  I can't think of anything more positively disruptive than to bring Linda Darling Hammond the stage (she's the keynote at the Nov. 8-10, 2013 event in San Francisco).  CES keeps the name Ted Sizer in front of me, so I feel compelled to contribute four pizzas a year to the organization.   Even the language used in their brochures and email blasts are positively unsettling.  "Critical Friendship."  I also like their constructive use of the semi-colon in the list in the first paragraph (in green) below:

==============================

For more than a quarter century, The Coalition of Essential Schools has gathered its members and our larger community for its annual meeting – The Fall Forum – to continue what our founder, Ted Sizer, coined as “a conversation among friends”.  This ongoing dialogue has served our schools and the larger educational community quite well as is evidenced by the countless communities and organizations that thrive with CES and our cornerstone 10 Common Principles explicitly or implicitly inside their values and design.

Whether we are talking about Advisory programs for personalization; Exhibitions and Portfolios as authentic and alternative assessments; Project-Based Learning as culturally relevant curricula; or Equity-Based Critical Friends Groups for making adult learning transparent and results-focused, CES is inside.

Making the Invisible Visible 

When we consider the impact of power (as influenced by race, gender, class, language, sexuality, etc.), what are the counterstories that can inform or transform our practice?  

Even with the strides we have made, we continue to be part of an educational system that, by default, favors some voices over others despite the fact that our schools and classrooms hold within them multiple, diverse and unequal experiences. "Making the Invisible Visible" is about creating conditions for us to surface, share and hear those voices from our classrooms, schools and communities that traditionally (and systemically) are unheard. "Making the Invisible Visible"will require us to consider these diverse and sometimes competing perspectives and beliefs as they relate to education and school in order to fully transform our own practices.  

At Fall Forum 2013, we will continue to hear from educators who have made and continue to make progress in improving education for our students regardless of social demographics. We will offer nearly 100 engaging and action-oriented workshops (here and here) that move beyond the status quo and challenge participants to question and reconsider our current beliefs about schools and education. On Sunday, we will create space for students, teachers and all educators to employ what they learned on Saturday when any attendee will be able to bring and share their own work or dilemma to a group of peers for critical friendship.   

Please join us, November 8-10 in San Francisco, as we not only continue, but expand the conversation, reflect on our own practice, and commit to new actions in service of our students.

===============================================

I hope that many of the workshops leak out into YouTube. I wish I could attend (I'm spending the weekend with a mentor who created several businesses and I'm trying to learn how to teach that entrepreneurial mindset from her).

Just imagine the list of schools that are associated with the organization. I've scanned the list (it's available to anyone who signs up for the free email newsletter... I feel I could volunteer as a yearbook mentor at distance for many of these schools, just because of their names).

Go ahead, subscribe to the free email newsletter.

Here is the CES Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/CESNational

YOUTUBE CHANNEL

By the way, here is my resume on their website

Ten Skills that Every High School TEACHER and STUDENT can have by the end of this week... just follow the links

Can you...
(1)  
Create and build a Personal Learning Plan for each student (and include elements of the 12 Global Skills for success in the 21st Century)?

(2) 
Create and build a Personal Digital Library for each student

(3) 
Create and maintain a Digital Portfolio (similar to students at HighTechHigh.org)

(4)
Know how to "flip the classroom" with videos and email or USB 

(5)
Know how to get word processing software FREE

(6)
Create and maintain a Resume (curriculum vitae or CV in Europe)

(7)
Know how to use Google Drive to store and PUBLICLY SHARE documents via a link.

(8)
Know how to link Scribd.com to Facebook and Twitter

(9)
Know how to make a "net impact" by using social media (Facebook, Twitter, Youtube) to make comments on essays and other items on the internet...  do you maintain a blog?  Do you have Klout?

(10)
Know how to meet on Facebook without giving up privacy.
make a group
make a fan page


Here are some links to get you started:

Here is how:

(1)  
Create and build a Personal Learning Plan for each student  HOW TO INCLUDE PROJECTS

CLICK HERE

http://www2.bw.k12.ri.us/education/dept/dept.php?sectionid=1318

elements of the 12 Global Skills for success in the 21st Century
"Tony Wagner seven survival skills"


(2) 
Create and build a Personal Digital Library for each student
STEVE MCCREA's presentation

(3) 
Create and maintain a Digital Portfolio (similar to students at HighTechHigh.org)

list of digital portfolios

Example of a DP at HighTechHigh.org
Another example

(4)
Know how to "flip the classroom" with videos and email or USB 

(5)

Know how to get word processing software FREE
OpenOffice.org

(6)
Create and maintain a Resume (curriculum vitae or CV in Europe)

NOTE:  Your document will be stored free if you use Google Drive for creating the document

(7)
Know how to use Google Drive to store and PUBLICLY SHARE documents via a link.

(8)
Know how to link Scribd.com to Facebook and Twitter
CLICK HERE  
Look for tips from Bob Finch and Ryan Cohn.

(9)

Know how to make a "net impact" by using social media (Facebook, Twitter, Youtube) to make comments on essays and other items on the internet...  do you maintain a blog?  Do you have Klout?

(10)

Know how to meet on Facebook without giving up privacy.
make a group
make a fan page

TransformTeaching.org

Steve offers a free workshop / training for teachers called "A Youtube channel for every teacher who wants one."  Call (954) 646 8246 for more information.

TheEbookman@gmail.com

(11)  Can you hang posters that will transform classrooms? Download the posters          Poster ebook with theory

An essay by a remarkable student with a remarkable title: "I want to be a mommy." (an essay for a college application)

This Essay was written by Brett Kushner.

My Film School Essay

As a child, I wanted to create something. I wanted to take charge; be the one to make decisions; to lead the way. I'm sure you know where I'm going with this. That's right: I wanted to be a mommy. After much education, however, especially an anatomy class or two, I realized my dreams were futile and I began to seek out a new area of interest that did not involve any kind of surgery. 

I entered high school as an actor. At the time, I was even considered the best actor in my forensics class. At the end of my freshman year, my forensics class required groups of four to make a short narrative film. As an actor, I was able to watch my original inspiration, Adam Fairholm, make Sleeper, the highly regarded short narrative that is still shown as the ideal film in forensics class. Adam was a grade above me and taught me how to fully utilize a mini-DV camcorder and Adobe Premier. I have always been very computer literate, so I picked up this new skill quite quickly. Since then, I have loved every moment of amateur filmmaking. I continued to watch Adam Fairholm create teasers and trailers for the school plays, and I would go home and try to recreate his After Effects techniques. I knew that he would graduate a year before I would, and that I could take his place one day. Scouring the internet for as much information I as I could find, I learned that being a filmmaker was much more complicated, in some respects, than being a mommy; however, I knew that I was up for the challenge. Junior year rolled around and I had been creating many videos for personal use, friends, class projects, etc. In fact, a rumor had spread around the school that I could help with any video assignments. People that I had never even seen at Saint Thomas would come up to me, greet me by name, and then ask, or sometimes beg, for me to help them with a last minute project. These tasks certainly helped me improve my skills because I never turned down a request, and I never settled for a mediocre piece of work. I experimented with blue screen, animation, music videos, hidden cameras, DVD's, Macromedia Flash, After Effects, and many other tools. With a motto "Nothing is impossible with filmmaking," I would go to great lengths to see my vision on the screen. When I applied to the Duke's T.I.P. Filmmaking In California summer program, I thought I had no chance of acceptance. I was thrilled to find I was wrong. During my two-week stay on the Chapman University campus, I was able to learn more about film than I had for three years. The two weeks culminated with a gala, showcasing the films we were able to make. I presented Put It In Reverse, a short narrative filmed entirely in reverse and then played at -100% speed using the Avid. This created an effect showing the main character acting normally, while the world around him was in reverse. This required much pre-production and choreography with the actors, and it worked out superbly. After my arrival back in Florida, I acquired a position as intern editor at RMS, the leader in private television networks. With my own editing bay, I learned about many of the real-life hardware that a professional editor might use. I started out using their Avid Media Composer, cutting down music videos. Now I am using In-Sync's Speed Razor, working at the same level as the other editors there. I constantly put out content that is broadcasted throughout the day across the country in stores such as FYE, Music Nation, Sam Goody, Advance Auto Parts, and upcoming Office Depot and Autonation. The highlight of my internship was visiting an Advance Auto Parts in Tallahassee and seeing my work playing there. I work at RMS three times a week, and I always look forward to it. All of my technical experience, however, means nothing compared to my creativity. My technical abilities are just a beneficial edge, since they are all learnable in time. What greatly advantages me is my creative spark. I have always been taught to think outside the box. In eighth grade I began "The Annals of Brett" that soon became a bi-monthly newsletter read around the world. Besides my friends and family, my newsletter was subscribed to from Michigan, California, Denmark, and even Taiwan. The Annals were my first real outlet for creativity as I was able to write on any humorous idea that I could think of. My next forte was acting. I started as a stage manager, but by the end of eighth grade and beyond, I acquired all parts from dramatic to comedic, major to minor roles, whether it be for school, camp, or forms of community theater. Meanwhile, I started a band, the PHB's or Pretty Hot Barbers, which produced the two hits "Tangerine" and "The Brett Song" that have become quite popular amongst friends. I also learned programming languages such as PHP that certainly provided a means to express myself. On my web page, with PHP, I started "Brett's Schedule Matching and Lookup" that allows Saint Thomas students to input their schedule before the year starts and find out whom they share classes with. 

EDITOR's NOTE:  This was a precursor of Facebook

After the success of that service (594 students or roughly thirty percent of my school), I created "Brett's Friend Rankings?or how to lose a bunch of friends" that ranks my friends based on a point system that I can update freely. Luckily I have not lost any friends yet. What drives me to create such pieces of work is the understanding that they will help or touch others. That is why I want to pursue my dream of a film career. 

Film can affect another more greatly than any other medium. People lose themselves in film and I want to be a part of that experience. With my creativity and my early practical experience, I know that I can successfully continue to learn about my passion and continue to share it with the world. I want my work to influence the world, just like mothers want their children to. I guess I wasn't so far off as a child; I guess I still do want to be a mommy.

[NOTE TO STUDENTS: yes, you can submit your essays here  – why not see your work in print?]

This essay was written in 2003 by Brett Kushner

Highland Park High School is profiled in a video by Erik Friedl about Personalization of Learning, Personal Learning Plans and Portfolios

Click here to see the video

Enrique mentions Will Sutherland  of QBE Academy in England
www.QBEAcademy.net

YOUTUBE videos for Will

Mario Llorente in Miami, with his ABC Dominos project  
Youtube.com/ABCDominos

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZ1d8HiqZvA&feature=c4-overview&list=UURt2LXGFL4LWrXk4Uhy8Lpg

Some notes from the video interview with Enrique Gonzalez

The elements of success are simple

Be on time

Respect others

Learn

Our job as teachers is to make the learning exciting.

Le gusta la aprendizaje

One of the students says, "Over here, people don't judge you by the way you look and act.  They think of you as students.  We're all seen here as students."

Enrique says, "Every student has special needs."

"They listen"

How?  We set up a personal learning plan for each student.

We find out who the individual is.

Here are some other videos with Enrique

Nightingale Middle School

Enrique's first video at Highland Park (For the Love of Learning)

Personal Learning Plan
drives projects into the Portfolio

Click here to see the video

BigPicture.org

See some other videos by Erik Friedlwww.Youtube.com/aiglon27

www.QBEAcademy.net

Teen Brain Camp is offered free online and in a face-to-face course at Broward College

The TeenBrainCamp.com website

www.TeenBrainCamp.com

It's an SAT test prep course with extra skills to pick up including website making and how to use the latest insights from Dan Pink, Malcolm Gladwell and Daniel Amen to building the 12 Global Skills needed in the 21st Century (Tony Wagner's list of seven survival skills).

Steve's talk about the brain