Friday, December 8, 2006

Sample Professional Development Intervention: Voting

Content Focus: Social Studies
Grade Level: Middle School
Major Concept(s): Elections, Polls, Voting

Targeted LoTi Level: LoTi 3
Targeted Goals and Objectives:
Goals:
I. To improve student achievement in Social Studies.
II. To elevate technology implementation in the Social Studies Department.
Objectives:
A. Target Social Studies instructors will successfully implement this professional development intervention in their classroom.
B. Target Social Studies instructors will successfully implement technology at a LoTi 3 relating to The Constitution and American Democracy (Discuss the role of political parties in the American democratic system including candidates, campaigns, financing, primary elections, and voting systems)

Professional Development Agenda:
1. Greetings!
2. Content Standards Discussion: Campaigns, Primary Elections, and Voting
3. "Can Our Candidate Win the White House?"
4. Campaign Scoring Guide
5. Scaffolding and Differentiation Issues

Required Materials:
* One Computer for the Classroom
* Internet Access

Internet Resources:
270ToWin
Election Calculator
Free Online Surveys
CSPAN
U.S. Senate
U.S. House of Representatives
President of the United States
U.S. Supreme Court
U.S. Electoral College

Brief summary of Professional Development Intervention:

This intervention will involve participants working as campaign strategies for the 2012 Presidential Election and devising an action plan by first:
1. Randomly being assigned a party affiliation (i.e., Democrats, Republicans, Independents) using the roll of a die
2. Reviewing the results of the 2008 Presidential Election.
3. Creating a tentative strategy and including a projected Electoral College Map of the United States

Culminating Performance Task
Participants will work in teams representing campaign strategists for the 2012 Presidential Election and devise an action plan strategy to get their candidate elected into the Oval Office. Remember, it only requires 270 Electoral Votes!. Each campaign team's action plan must include the following deliverables:

* An Executive Summary outlining the broad strategy to win the White House for their political party including an Electoral College Map projection
* An identification of the major issues that will likely be discussed and debated during the 2012 Presidential Election based on current trends.
* An Action Plan outline for "one" target state - Download Action Plan Template
* Final multimedia presentation to share goal, objectives, and action plan for the "one" target state

Assessment:
RubiStar

Sample Professional Development Intervention: Voting

Content Focus: Social Studies
Grade Level: Middle School
Major Concept(s): Elections, Polls, Voting

Targeted LoTi Level: LoTi 3
Targeted Goals and Objectives:
Goals:
I. To improve student achievement in Social Studies.
II. To elevate technology implementation in the Social Studies Department.
Objectives:
A. Target Social Studies instructors will successfully implement this professional development intervention in their classroom.
B. Target Social Studies instructors will successfully implement technology at a LoTi 3 relating to The Constitution and American Democracy (Discuss the role of political parties in the American democratic system including candidates, campaigns, financing, primary elections, and voting systems)

Professional Development Agenda:
1. Greetings!
2. Content Standards Discussion: Campaigns, Primary Elections, and Voting
3. "Can Our Candidate Win the White House?"
4. Campaign Scoring Guide
5. Scaffolding and Differentiation Issues

Required Materials:
* One Computer for the Classroom
* Internet Access

Internet Resources:
270ToWin
Election Calculator
Free Online Surveys
CSPAN
U.S. Senate
U.S. House of Representatives
President of the United States
U.S. Supreme Court
U.S. Electoral College

Brief summary of Professional Development Intervention:

This intervention will involve participants working as campaign strategies for the 2012 Presidential Election and devising an action plan by first:
1. Randomly being assigned a party affiliation (i.e., Democrats, Republicans, Independents) using the roll of a die
2. Reviewing the results of the 2008 Presidential Election.
3. Creating a tentative strategy and including a projected Electoral College Map of the United States

Culminating Performance Task
Participants will work in teams representing campaign strategists for the 2012 Presidential Election and devise an action plan strategy to get their candidate elected into the Oval Office. Remember, it only requires 270 Electoral Votes!. Each campaign team's action plan must include the following deliverables:

* An Executive Summary outlining the broad strategy to win the White House for their political party including an Electoral College Map projection
* An identification of the major issues that will likely be discussed and debated during the 2012 Presidential Election based on current trends.
* An Action Plan outline for "one" target state - Download Action Plan Template
* Final multimedia presentation to share goal, objectives, and action plan for the "one" target state

Assessment:
RubiStar

LoTi Mentor Certification Day 3 - Union, New Jersey - December 8, 2006

Welcome to Day 3 of the LoTi Mentor Certification Institute at Kean University. Provided below is today's agenda:

Social Studies Professional Development Case Study
LoTi Certification Task #4
Complex Thinking Skills - Hollywood Edition
LoTi Narratives
Engaging Questions, Focus Strategies & EBAM
LoTi Certification Task #5
LoTi Certification Task #8
LoTi Mentor Submission Date
LoTi Mentor Submissions
LoTi Mentor Support
LoTi Project Schools - 2007-08 School Year
Mission Statement

Please leave me with a comment or two. I would very much like your feedback about Day 1 and Day 2.

Thanks,

Chris

LoTi Mentor Certification Day 2 - Union, New Jersey - Reflection

Today, we focused on several areas impacting instruction, assessment, and technology use in the classroom such as how to design individualized professional development plans for staff based on their LoTi, CIP, PCU, and DETAILS profiles as well as how to conduct a makeover of a lesson plan by first assessing its critical attibutes (e.g., Validity/Reliability, Authenticity, Challenge, Critical Content, Differentiation, Technology Use).

Besides the LoTi Sniff test, I also introduced another concept to help us think about LoTi and the eight stages comprising the LoTi Framework. I used a lava lamp as a metaphor to represent the different levels of LoTi in the classroom. I also provided you with a sample H.E.A.T. Observation form that can be used by classroom teachers (for self-reflection), peer mentors, instructional coaches, and administrators to conduct classroom walkthroughs. What causes one lesson to be at a higher level than another relates directly to the amount of HEAT generated.

HEAT
- Higher order thinking
- Engaged learning
- Authenticity
- Technology tools

Keep in mind that the H.E.A.T. acronym represents four of the dimensions from the larger scoring guide that we used today to evaluate a lesson plan. The reasons for addressing only four dimensions are threefold: (1) KISS principle, (2) reduce the amount of staff anxiety-already too many competing priorities going on in the classroom, and (3) hit the critical elements first.

May the LoTi Be With You Always!

Chris

Thursday, December 7, 2006

LoTi Mentor Certification Day 2 - Union, New Jersey - December 7, 2006

Welcome to Day 2 of the LoTi Mentor Certification Institute. Provided below is today's agenda:

LoTi Certification Task #2
LoTi Certification Process
Manatee LoTi Review
LoTi Certification Task #1 - Review
LoTi Certification Task #3
LoTi Certification Task #4 - Homework

After you review the agenda would you please provide me with some feedback about the agenda (e.g., on target, missing some elements, too much) via this blog. Just click on the Comments link.

Next, I would like you to complete the following culminating performance task and then rate the LoTi and CIP Levels of the task afterwards.

Your task is to design your ideal bedroom including size and shape as well as select the furniture that will be assembled in your bedroom using the Room Planner link below. Your final bedroom design will need to include the following items:

* Your bedroom design including all furniture placement
* The circumference and surface area of your bedroom
* Cost estimate for any and all furniture including floor preparation (e.g., carpet, hardware floors, tile)
* Multimedia presention to your funding agency (e.g., yourself, spouse, signficant other, financial institution) as to why your bedroom design should be funded.

* You may work in groups - no problem

* Internet Access
Room Planner

Cool LoTi Resources

Thanks,

Chris

LoTi Mentor Certification Day 1 - Union, New Jersey - Reflection

Since part of the day was spent "LoTizing" video clips and related learning activities, I wanted to provide you with some additional suggestions when conducting classroom walkthroughs or reviewing student products.

1.Having students apply what they have learned to a new authentic situation involves more than just depositing the information into a webpage, blog, wiki, or multimedia presentation; it requires students applying the pertinent concepts or skills to a situation that directly impacts the learner, his/her immediate surroundings, and/or the larger community. If this is not the case, then you most likely have either a LoTi 2 or 3 learning experience.

2. The easiest way to discriminate between LoTi 2 and 3 is the presence of (1) Higher Order Thinking Skills (Bloom's Taxonomy) or (2) one or more Complex Thinking Strategies. If a learning experience is teacher-directed and engages students exclusively at the Knowledge/Comprehension levels, then it is almost assuredly a LoTi 2 lesson. Conversely, if a learning experience is teacher-directed and engages students at the Application, Analysis, Synthesis, and/or Evaluation level or enables students to exercise one or more complex thinking strategies (i.e., Problem-solving, Creative Problem-solving, Decision-making, Investigation, Experimental Inquiry, Reasoning, Personal Reflection), then it is almost assuredly a LoTi 3 lesson.

3. Reaching consensus about the "learner-centeredness" of a classroom experience is sometimes difficult. The easiest way to achieve some type of consensus is to first divide the learning experience into three components: Content, Process, and Product. If you detect that a minimum of two out of three of these components is "learner-centered" then we call the entire experience a learner-centered activity. Conversely, if you detect that a minimum of two out of three of the components is "teacher-centered" then we call the entire experience a teacher-centered activity.

3. Whenever possible, use the modified version of the LoTi "Sniff" Test to help approximate the LoTi of any lesson plan, web-project, or instructional unit.

• Is technology being used by students as part of the learning experience? - Yes/No
• Is there evidence of higher order thinking by students tied to the content? - Yes/No
• Are students applying their learning to solve a real world problem or situation or resolve an issue? - Yes/No
• Is the learning experience student-centered? Yes/No
• Is there two-way collaboration with experts outside the classroom? - Yes/No
• Do students have unlimited access to technology during the school day? - Yes/No

4. A truly differentiated classroom has LoTi 0-4 occurring on a daily basis.

5. The appropriate or target LoTi should always be commensurate with the content standards being addresssed and at the desired level of student cognition.

Also, think about LoTi as Levels of Teaching Innovation rather than Levels of Technology Implementation. It will prove most beneficial as you begin to implement LoTi on your campus or in your region.

Wednesday, December 6, 2006

Monday, December 4, 2006

LoTi Mentor Certification Day 1 - Union, New Jersey - December 6, 2006

Greetings from the LoTi Team! Today, we will begin Day 1 of the LoTi Mentor Certification Institute at Kean University in Union, New Jersey. The agenda will consist of the following events:

I. Instructional Technology Revisited
II. Extreme Technology Makeover Case Study
III.LoTi Observations***
IV.Certification Task #1
http://www.learning-quest.com/LoTi_Mentors/
V. Online DETAILS for the 21st Century Survey
http://www.lotilounge.com

Let me know of any concerns or questions you have with the agenda or the institute itself. Your comments are greatly appreciated.

Sandra McCubbin