NERA 2016 Conference

www.nereading.org 

NERA Conference News

Ralph Fletcher will speak about Power and Possibility for the Reading and Writing Classroom at the NERA Conference's Friday evening reception! 

Due to personal reasons, Nancie Atwell is unable to attend, and we are so pleased that Ralph is able to join us in her absence.

May 20-21, 2016 in Portland, Maine

Ralph Fletcher is a friend to writing teachers everywhere. He frequently speaks at education conferences in the US and abroad, helping teachers find wiser ways of teaching writing. Ralph is the author of many bestselling teacher professional books including Writing Workshop: The Essential Guide; Craft Lessons; What a Writer Needs, 2nd edition; Boy Writers: Reclaiming Their Voices, and Breathing In, Breathing Out. 

Students know Ralph as the award-winning author of more than 20 books for children and young adults, including Fig Pudding, Flying Solo, Twilight Comes Twice, The Writer's Notebook, Marshfield Dreams: When I Was a Kid, Also Known As Rowan Pohi, and Guy-Write: What Every Guy Writer Needs to Know. 

His newest book is Making Nonfiction From Scratch (published by Stenhouse). 

Email: fletcher17@earthlink 

Twitter: @FletcherRalph 

Website: www.ralphfletcher.com 

Blog: http://livethewritinglife.blogspot.com/

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

NERA  

P.O. Box 533  

Gardiner, ME 04345

Webinars

Title: "From STEM to STEAM & how to bring it to your school," presented by littleBits

Date: Thursday, April 28, 2016

Time: 02:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time

Duration: 1 hour

REGISTER HERE*

Summary

How do educators prepare students for jobs that don’t even exist yet? Now more than ever, it is important that students engage in STEAM learning in order to be ready for what is around the corner. STEAM – adding Arts to STEM – provides a full 360-degree approach to 21st-century learning.

This webinar will give you the inspiration to start your own STEAM learning initiative in your school or district as well as the necessary tips, tricks, and tools for implementing a successful program.

You’ll hear from educators such as Helen Mowers and Anna Adam from Killeen ISD in Texas. Find out how STEAM permeates the entire curriculum and how tools such as littleBits get students inventing and reimagining the world around them.

Speakers

Ayah Bdeir, Founder & CEO, littleBits

Ayah Bdeir is the founder and CEO of littleBits, an award-winning platform of easy-to-use electronic building blocks that is empowering everyone to create inventions, large and small. Bdeir is an engineer, interactive artist and one of the leaders of the open source hardware movement. Bdeir’s career and education have centered on advancing open source hardware to make education and innovation more accessible to people around the world. She is a co-founder of the Open Hardware Summit, a TED Senior Fellow and an alumna of the MIT Media Lab.

Anna Adam and Helen Mowers, Administrators, Killeen Independent School District, Texas

 

Anna Adam and Helen Mowers are the creators of Tech Chick Tips, a podcast with tips for educators about using technology in instruction to engage students. Both work in Central Texas at Killeen Independent School District. Anna has served for the last 18 years as a campus instructional technologist and district-level Digital Learning Specialist. Helen’s 22 years of experience include being a science teacher, instructional technologist, professional developer, and most recently as the Executive Director for Technology Services. Anna is the proud wife of one and mom to three digital kids, ages 16, 14 and 12, and Helen is proud auntie to two digi-nieces, ages 9 and 6 years! Helen and Anna are Apple Distinguished Educators, Google gurus, and addicted to cool gadgets, blogs, podcasts, and social media. The Chicks have presented at numerous state, national, and international events and conferences, including TCEA, TxLA, ISTE, and Bermuda Union of Teachers. You can find them online at Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter as @techchick94 and @betterannamac. They can often be found surfing the web at all hours of the day and night looking for new tips and tools that can engage students and teachers! 

*By registering for this webinar, you are agreeing that SmartBrief may share your registration information with sponsor of this event and that you agree to receive future messages from the sponsor.

Free Webinar: Digital Content Goes to School With more than 80 percent of schools and districts using digital content in the classroom, have you consider making the shift to digital? ASCD and OverDrive teamed up to address the most frequently asked questions, including: How do I get started? Which subject areas are available? Is 1:1 required? And many more. Please join us for our live webinar Digital Content Goes to School: Trends in K-12 Classroom e-Learning as we review research detailing K-12 digital content usage. Survey data from nearly 3,000 administrators will be shared, as well as mini-case studies on successful implementations. Learn about the most common subjects, devices and funding sources and how schools are increasing usage by students and educators. An executive summary and access to the full report will be available. Digital Content Goes to School: Trends in K-12 Classroom e-Learning Thursday, May 5, 2016, 2:00 p.m. EDT (US) Presented by Herb Miller, OverDrive Register Now This webinar is hosted by OverDrive. By registering, you will be sharing your information with OverDrive and may receive follow-up communication from them about relevant products and services.

© Copyright 2016 ASCD 1703 North Beauregard Street Alexandria, VA 22311-1714 USA http://www.ascd.org/ 1-800-933-ASCD (2723)

Wednesday, April 27, 2016 2 to 3 pm ET

Content provided by: Prevention to Intervention: Formative Assessment Reimagined A new breed of technology is driving a shift in how we view and use formative assessment. When fully realized, educators will be engaged, empowered, and equipped to interrupt, disrupt, and prevent the failure to learn versus treating failed learning. Beyond information, formative assessment reimagined provides in-time insight and intelligence of, for, and by the learner to adapt and adjust learning, as the learner is learning—not after instruction. To that end, this webinar will focus on three essential learnings: The what, why, and how of reimagined formative assessment; The transformational impact of instructional and assessment integration; and The results of assessing leading rather than trailing indicators of learning. Guest: Gregory Firn, superintendent in residence, DreamBox Learning This webinar will be moderated by Stefani Kauppila, curriculum designer, DreamBox Learning Register Here Thursday, April 28, 2016 3 to 4 pm ET Sponsored by: English-Learners and the Common Core: New Instructional Strategies As many educators are discovering, Common Core State Standards pose particular challenges for English-language learners in both language arts and mathematics, and yet the standards documents themselves provide little guidance for how teachers can help their ELLs meet the new objectives. In this webinar, veteran teachers Larry Ferlazzo and Katie Hull Sypnieski, authors of the forthcoming Navigating the Common Core With English Language Learners, will offer practical guidance on integrating the standards into instruction for ELLs. The authors will discuss research and developments in ELL education, examine the standards in depth with eye towards challenges and opportunities for ELL students, and provide targeted scaffolding techniques and instructional activities. The goal will be to give attendees a better understanding of how and when to adapt instruction under the common core to the particular needs of English-learners. Underwriting for this webinar has been provided by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Guests: Larry Ferlazzo is an award-winning English and Social Studies teacher at Luther Burbank High School in Sacramento, Calif., and the author of Education Week Teacher's blog Classroom Q&A With Larry Ferlazzo. Katie Hull Sypnieski teaches English and English-language development at Luther Burbank High School in Sacramento, Calif., and is the co-author of Navigating the Common Core With English Language Learners. This webinar will be moderated by Anthony Rebora, managing editor, Education Week Teacher; assistant managing editor, Education Week Register Here

Using A Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Approach to Individualized Instruction

Click HERE to register - Click HERE for Questions - Click HERE for more Info
Thursday, May 19, 2016 - 8:30 am - 3:30 pm - SERC, Middletown - Fee $10.00 per person - Breakfast and lunch included

Webinars

Content provided by: Innovation for Diverse 21st Century Learning Environments Omaha Public Schools, under Executive Director of IMS Rob Dickson, strengthens innovation through technology integration to serve 52,000 diverse students and improve learning. The district's new strategic plan places an emphasis on the "why" to make purposeful decisions regarding needs assessments and classroom 21st century skills to focus on what is best for the student and bring real change. This webinar walks attendees through key components of the plan and shares best practices for other schools embarking on similar journeys. Key areas addressed include: How technology-based solutions evolved to support a data-driven approach to professional learning and delivered school learning improvements. How Microsoft Innovative Educators throughout the district can serve as a pipeline for professional learning to support adoption of tools that enhance collaboration, communication, efficiency, and innovative classroom instruction. Advancing the use of blended-learning environments and enabling educational opportunities through new devices including Surface Pro for students and staff. Guests: Rebecca Chambers, technology coach, Omaha public schools, Omaha, Neb. Melissa Cleaver, instructional technology trainer, Omaha public schools, Omaha, Neb. Rob Dickson, executive director of IMS, Omaha public schools, Omaha, Neb. Eileen Heller, innovation facilitator, Omaha public schools, Omaha, Neb. Keegan Korf, digital citizenship lead teacher, Omaha public schools, Omaha, Neb. Kelly Means, innovation facilitator, Omaha public schools, Omaha, Neb. This webinar will be moderated by Preston Peine, Microsoft Corporation

REGISTER HERE

Join Learning Forward and AASA for a FREE Webinar How Can Supervisors Shape Effective Principals? Date: Tuesday, April 26, 2016 Time: 1-2 p.m. ET Register: knowledgecenter.webex.com Today's school principals need support for their development and growth as society places higher expectations on them to be instructional leaders who improve student learning and achievement. A new first-ever set of standards, developed by a committee of 12 educators led by the Council of Chief State School Officers whose work was supported by The Wallace Foundation, is intended to assist state education agencies and local school districts to help recruit, select, support and evaluate supervisors of principals. The standards emphasize shifting the supervisor's role away from the traditional focus on bureaucratic compliance toward fostering the growth of effective principals who improve both teaching and learning. Participants will: Learn about the standards cited in the Model Principal Supervisor Professional Standards 2015 and ways in which they could adopt and internalize these new standards within their districts. Hear how High School District 214 in Illinois is applying Standards 1 and 2 to improve the effectiveness of its school leaders. Learn about resources from Learning Forward and other organizations that support principal supervisors in meeting the needs of their principals. Presenters: Frederick Brown, Deputy Executive Director, Learning Forward Mary Canole, School Leadership Consultant, CCSSO David Schuler, Superintendent, High School District 214 (IL) and AASA President MODERATOR: MaryAnn Jobe, Director, Education and Leadership Development, AASA

Red Nose Day - Thursday, May 26th

About Red Nose Day

Red Nose Day is a fundraising campaign run by the non-profit organization Comic Relief Inc, a registered 501(c)(3) American public charity.  

Funds raised go to the Red Nose Day Fund and last year benefited children in all 50 states and 15 countries internationally through programs to keep children and young people safe, healthy and educated. 

Comic Relief Inc. in the US and Comic Relief UK are independent sister organizations that are joined by their shared vision of a just world, free from poverty and the mission to drive positive change through the power of entertainment.  

For more information, go to www.comicrelief.org 

ABOUT THE FUND

The aim of Red Nose Day is to bring about real and lasting change by tackling the root causes of poverty and social injustice.

To drive this change, the Red Nose Day Fund will award grants to projects on the ground that work to give people a leg up, not a hand out.

The Red Nose Day Fund addresses the immediate needs of children by making grants to organizations working domestically and internationally.

HISTORY

In the UK, Red Nose Day is an inspiring cultural phenomenon that unites people from all walks of life in the interest of saving and changing lives.

Co-founded by film writer/director Richard Curtis (Notting Hill, Bridget Jones’s Diary, Love Actually) and charity worker Jane Tewson, the BBC event has raised more than $1 billion over the past 30 years.

HOW WE HELP

All of the grant money distributed by the Red Nose Day Fund will be given to a variety of non profit organizations that transform children’s lives.

Half the money distributed will be spent right here in the U.S. at projects close to home. The other half will be spent in some of the poorest communities in Latin America, Africa and Asia.

All of the grant money will be used in projects to keep kids safe, healthy and educated.

For more information - http://www.rednoseday.org/

Buy a Nose at WALGREENS 

Resources on Improving School Climate

Department of Education Releases Resources on Improving School Climate

Free, First-of-Their-Kind Tools Will Support Enhanced Learning Environments for all Students

The U.S.Department of Education today released new school climate surveys and a quick guide on making school climate improvements to help foster and sustain safe and supportive environments that are conducive to learning for all students.

The ED School Climate Surveys (surveys) and the QuickGuide on Making School Climate Improvements will enable states, local school districts, and individual schools to collect and act on reliable, nationally-validated school climate data in real-time. These new free and adaptable resources will enable educators, administrators, and school system leaders to understand and create environments where every child can be successful.

“All students deserve schools that work to ensure safe and supportive school climates in which they can reach their full potential,” said James Cole Jr., General Counsel, Delegated the Duties of Deputy Secretary of Education. “These new surveys and quick guide will support any school that seeks to make significant improvements in all students’ safety and sense of respect and connectedness at school. We owe it to our children to ensure that school is not only safe and engaging, but that we are also working to continuously improve school climate by using resources like these.”

Research shows that students learn best when they are in environments in which they feel safe, supported, challenged, and accepted. Positive school climates foster trust, respect, communication and cooperation among students, school staff, parents and the community at-large. By improving school climate, schools lay the foundation for improving daily school attendance and high achievement by all students.

These new resources build on two Administration initiatives: President Obama’s Nowis the Time Plan, and his MyBrother’s Keeper Taskforce, which recommended that the Department work on the issue of school climates. As part of Now is the Time, the Department announced efforts to place a high priority on helping schools create safer and more nurturing school climates. One result was that the Department funded its NationalCenter for Education Statistics to develop the surveys to create a school climate measurement platform in coordination with theOffice of Safe and Healthy Students.

The new school climate surveys, which are on a web-based platform, are designed for middle and high school students, instructional staff, non-instructional staff, and parents and guardians. Moreover, the platform can process real-time data and provide user-friendly reports. Education agencies and schools administering the survey can store school climate survey data on their state, local, or school-based data systems. The federal government is planning to conduct a sample-based study using the surveys for benchmarking but will not collect or store data generated by the schools using the surveys for any other purposes.

In addition to the Quick Guide, a series of tools will be released later this this spring and summer as part of the SchoolClimate Improvement Resource Package, a web-based suite of action-oriented, research and evidence-based resources to help create and support positive school climates.

Two more Webinars!

	APRIL 21  |  1:00 PM CT  |  60 MINUTES

Formative assessment is a critical piece of teaching that enables educators to have a deeper understanding of students’ learning, helping identify their strengths, weaknesses, and areas for improvement. When used effectively, formative assessment techniques and data can also provide immediate and accurate feedback to the learner, shifting the mindset of the student and allowing the student to measure, monitor, and manage their own learning.

However, implementing formative assessment practices and analyzing the results can be overwhelming, challenging, and time intensive. Among the challenges are finding time to effectively re-teach to students who did not demonstrate mastery, developing differentiated instruction, and providing real-time feedback to students. 

Join us for a complimentary webinar featuring Linda Foote, Digital Learning Specialist at Poway Unified School District in San Diego, CA, and Pete Gonzalez, Regional Manager at NWEA™, to learn:

• The meaning and purpose of formative assessment – what it is and why it is important
• Successful, teacher-proven strategies from Poway Unified School District on how to shift the mindset of both learners and educators to be growth-focused
• Techniques to engage and motivate students to become learners who are active participants in their own education
• Tools that can help educators save time and automatically deliver individualized learning paths for students based on assessment data

REGISTER HERE

Overview

Title: "From STEM to STEAM & how to bring it to your school," presented by littleBits

Date: Thursday, April 28, 2016

Time: 02:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time

Duration: 1 hour

Summary

How do educators prepare students for jobs that don’t even exist yet? Now more than ever, it is important that students engage in STEAM learning in order to be ready for what is around the corner. STEAM – adding Arts to STEM – provides a full 360-degree approach to 21st-century learning.

This webinar will give you the inspiration to start your own STEAM learning initiative in your school or district as well as the necessary tips, tricks, and tools for implementing a successful program.

You’ll hear from educators such as Helen Mowers and Anna Adam from Killeen ISD in Texas. Find out how STEAM permeates the entire curriculum and how tools such as littleBits get students inventing and reimagining the world around them.

Speakers

Ayah Bdeir, Founder & CEO, littleBits

Ayah Bdeir is the founder and CEO of littleBits, an award-winning platform of easy-to-use electronic building blocks that is empowering everyone to create inventions, large and small. Bdeir is an engineer, interactive artist and one of the leaders of the open source hardware movement. Bdeir’s career and education have centered on advancing open source hardware to make education and innovation more accessible to people around the world. She is a co-founder of the Open Hardware Summit, a TED Senior Fellow and an alumna of the MIT Media Lab.

Anna Adam and Helen Mowers, Founders, Tech Chick Tips

 

Anna Adam and Helen Mowers are the creators of Tech Chick Tips, a podcast with tips for educators about using technology in instruction to engage students. Both work in Central Texas at Killeen Independent School District. Anna has served for the last 18 years as a campus instructional technologist and district-level Digital Learning Specialist. Helen’s 22 years of experience include being a science teacher, instructional technologist, professional developer, and most recently as the Executive Director for Technology Services. Anna is the proud wife of one and mom to three digital kids, ages 16, 14 and 12, and Helen is proud auntie to two digi-nieces, ages 9 and 6 years! Helen and Anna are Apple Distinguished Educators, Google gurus, and addicted to cool gadgets, blogs, podcasts, and social media. The Chicks have presented at numerous state, national, and international events and conferences, including TCEA, TxLA, ISTE, and Bermuda Union of Teachers. You can find them online at Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter as @techchick94 and @betterannamac. They can often be found surfing the web at all hours of the day and night looking for new tips and tools that can engage students and teachers! 

By registering for this webinar, you are agreeing that SmartBrief may share your registration information with sponsor of this event and that you agree to receive future messages from the sponsor.

REGISTER HERE