NCLB Title II Part D District 4 & 6 Competitive Grant Partnering with Our Digital Natives Fall 2009

Information Session Agenda ●Introductions ●MOET ●Teaching Matters ●Overview of Grant ●Grant Goals ●What Schools Will Receive ●Program Deliverables ●Description of Writing Matters Institute ●Description of the Partnering with Our Digital Natives Institute ●Online Places and Spaces ●Participant Requirements ●Contact Information ●Questions

Manhattan Office of Educational Technology (MOET) The Manhattan Office of Educational Technology provides opportunities that support the integration of innovative practices into schools in the borough of Manhattan. Our office is responsible for the implementation of all Title IID grants in Manhattan.

Partnering with Our Digital Natives (PDN) Grant Team Manhattan Office of Instructional Technology Lisa Nielsen Borough Instructional Technology Director – Manhattan Lisa Nielsen is a permanently certified educational administrator and teacher. Ms. Nielsen oversees the creation and implementation of innovative technology and instruction in her role as a Technology Innovation Manager for the New York City Department of Education (NYC DOE). She has spent more than a decade working in various capacities in educational innovation at the NYC DOE and Teachers College, Columbia University including as a manager of instructional technology professional development, a literacy and instructional technology coach, program developer, teacher, librarian, and staff developer. While serving in the capacity of teacher she was honored as Teacher of the Year and nominated by her district as Technology Educator of the year. Ms. Nielsen is a Google Certified Teacher, International Edublogger, International EduTwitter, and creator of The Innovative Educator social network, blog, and wiki. In addition to her blog ( her work has been published in “Learning and Leading,” “Tech & Learning,” and ISTE Connect. An outspoken and passionate advocate of innovative education Ms. Nielsen is also often covered by local and national media for her views on "Thinking Outside the Ban" and determining ways to harness the power of technology for instruction and providing a voice to educators and students. Felton Thomas Borough Instructional Technology Technician – Manhattan

Partnering with Our Digital Natives (PDN) Grant Team Manhattan Office of Instructional Technology Beth Richards Borough Instructional Technology Specialist – District 6 Beth has been teaching for 18 years which includes experience as a second, fourth and fifth grade classroom teacher. She has also been a computer teacher and is currently an Instructional Technology Specialist. Her work focuses on enhancing literacy and other content curriculum areas with project-based learning, innovative technology tools as well as global communication and collaboration opportunities. Barbara Johnsen Borough Instructional Technology Specialist – District 4 Barbara has….

Teaching Matters ●Teaching Matters is a non-profit organization that partners with educators to ensure that all students can succeed in a digital age. ●We target the common challenges to student success with educational innovations made possible by technology. ●We offer comprehensive services to enable educators to apply these innovations to enhance school performance, instruction and student learning.

Teaching Matters Inc. PDN Grant Team John Clemente Director of Educational Services Mr. Clemente leads TMI’s team of 35 educational consultants with high expectations to achieve the goals of over 200 education clients. He oversees the implementation of Teaching Matters professional development services and programs. He has been with Teaching Matters since 2004, and has been a key member of the development team for the Voices and Choices and Writing Matters series. He graduated from New York University with a degree in anthropology. He subsequently joined the AmeriCorps VISTA Program in Paterson, New Jersey. He was an inaugural member of the New York City Teaching Fellows, teaching middle school in the south Bronx for four years. He received his Masters in Education from Lehman College and a Masters in Media Studies from New School University. Laurie Baum Educational Consultant Ms. Baum brings more than 17 years in the field of education. Most recently, she was a learning specialist in two NYC independent schools where she encouraged students to use technology as a tool to facilitate their writing. Her classroom experience has included seven years teaching a self-contained 5th grade class in the Bronx. Prior to working as a teacher, Ms. Baum ran the Columbia University Liberty Partnership Program, a drop-out prevention program that provided enrichment and work experience for 250 adolescents in Washington Heights. She has also worked at several NYC museums, running education programs for students of all ages. Ms. Baum attended Wesleyan University where she received a B.A. in Psychology. In addition, she completed an M.S. in Teacher Education from Bank Street College of Education and participated in the Reading and Writing Workshop Program at Teachers College.

Partnering with Our Digital Natives Overview  Designed to address the Enhancing Education through Technology theme of the Title IID grant program.  Supports Districts 4 and 6 schools in preparing students, teachers, and leaders for improvement in ELA and success in the 21 st century.  Focuses on supporting educators to leverage technology in the development of learner-centered instructional and assessment practices in ELA.

Grant Goals 1.To develop and implement School-wide 21st Century Education Action Plans to transform English language arts instruction and learning 2.To develop and implement platforms to share innovative technology practices school- wide 3.To develop technology- infused ELA curriculum units 4.To improve student academic achievement through the use of technology Assess Schools Along the Continuum of 21 st Century Success Implement innovative ELA program and design exemplary units for writing Improve academic achievement in ELA Develop 21 st C. Action Plans

Schools will Receive Support in the following areas: Creation of a 21st Century action plan Establishment of student innovation squad Access to Writing Matters program Helping students become creators of published content in areas of passion Visitations NYC’s most innovative schools Developing a school innovation celebration Participation in 21st Century ELA and innovation institutes Subscription to the My Access! Writing feedback tool and scoring engine A technician dedicated to supporting grant schools Hardware (pending budget availability)

Program Highlights  Leadership institute - The Roadmap for School Innovation: Assess your school on the continuum of 21 st century success  21 st century action plans: Your plan to move along the continuum of 21 st century success  Innovation Field Trips: You and your team will be invited to attend visits to model schools demonstrating aspects of successful 21st century learning environments in ELA.  Innovation Celebrations: Celebrate innovative practices in your school  Institutes: Writing Matters and Partnering with Digital Natives Institutes

Partnering with Digital Natives Institute  Teachers and students will be provided with opportunities to find ways to make ELA instruction more engaging and innovative using Marc Prensky’s concept of “Partnering with Our Digital Natives.”  His approach is to partner teachers and students in reflecting on curricula and instructional choices, with structured opportunities for students to give voice to what will engage them and their classmates. Digital natives share a common global culture that is in part defined by their experience growing up immersed in digital technology, and the impact of this upon how they interact with information technologies, information itself, one another, and other people and institutions. From: Digital Natives, Berkman Center for Internet & SocietyDigital Natives

Writing Matters  Upper elementary and secondary writing curriculum consisting of a series of four to six week units, addressing specific genres  Original content and interactive technology  Comprehensive professional development  Assessment and curriculum are closely aligned to national and NYS Learning Standards  Recommended by the Partnership for 21st Century Skills and the National Council of Teachers of EnglishPartnership for 21st Century Skills

Unpack the Pedagogy: Writing as a Process –Multi-step –Student choice –Powerful models* –Time for writing –Ongoing assessment and differentiation –Reading – writing connection

Principals’ Expectations Associated with Writing Matters  Boost student writing skills Ideas, organization, language use, conventions, writing behavior  Boost teacher pedagogical skills Apply writing pedagogy, workshop model, ongoing assessment

Genre Studies  Mastering the Essentials  Memoir  Response to Literature  Poetry  Editorials  Feature Articles  Short Fiction

Monitoring Student Progress/Program Assessment Tools From Formative... Baseline Assessment Teacher’s Checklist and Checkpoints Conferring and Conferring Logs Looking into classrooms Looking at student work

Monitoring Student Progress/Program Assessment Tools To Summative... Measure student outcomes with... Rubrics (for each unit) End-of-Year Assessment WM Assessment Tracker ELA data

Grade Modification/Differentiation in Writing Matters  Beginner, Intermediate and Experienced modifications...  Mentor texts  Instructional Strategies (skills addressed, student resources)  Assessments/Outcomes (rubrics)  Technology Use

Visit the Online Classroom  Teacher resources Lessons Handouts Prof. P’s Office Submitted work Assessments Visuals  Student resources Animations Notebooks Handouts Activities

Online Places and Spaces  Our Wiki:  Our Blog:  Our Learning Network:  Teaching Matters  Vantage Writing

School Participation Requirements Identify a team  School principal  1 innovation liaison  2 literacy teachers with their own class–ready to innovate with technology and curricula  Two students from each class  1 literacy coach (optional) Minimum technology requirements  Teachers have access to an internet-ready  laptop and projector at all times.  2 model classes must have weekly access to an iinternet- ready set of classroom computers (lab or laptop cart) Classroom Requirements  Completion of pre, post, and interim literacy assessments on the computer  Must implement 2 units of instruction: Mastering the Essentials and Response to Literature  Publication of student work

Participant Requirements  Yearly participation in all grant activities by audience indicated  1 leadership seminar  1 school intervisitation  2 forums  2 PDN workshops  2 literacy workshops  3 literacy assessment workshops  Documentation of innovative practices to enhance ELA instruction  Self-Assessment on 21st century school continuum (year 1)  Creation of an action plan to move school along continuum (year 2)  Technology Innovation Fair Showcase for student/teacher success (year 2/3)

Questions???

Next Steps  Complete the interest survey at  Register for PDN classes >Visit our wiki at >Select PDN ActivitiesPDN Activities  Select teachers to attend October 1 st and 2 nd literacy workshops >Confirm they are indicated in the interest survey and update if necessary  Join us for the Leadership Forum to begin assessing your school on the dimensions of 21 st century success

Contact Information Manhattan Office of Educational Technology Lisa Nielsen Technology Innovation Manager - Manhattan Beth Richards Technology Innovation Specialist – District 6 Barbara Johnsen Technology Innovation Specialist – District 4 Teaching Matters John Clemente Director of Educational Services Laurie Baum Education Consultant