A message to people who are certified Digital Footprint Specialists -- with a TESTIMONIAL about Matthew J. Blazek

Now that you have your Certificate certifying that you are "a digital footprint specialist" or a "social media assistant," what can you do with your new certification?

Your work is more important than the certificate.

For example, if a person sees what you can do as a maker of a website, that person might hire you or ask you to help them with their site.  

I have three tips to students (teenagers and people in university courses)

1.  create a website to capture your school work (essays, notes, comments on Blackboard and other online learning discussion places -- those posts are considered educational discussions and demonstrations of class participation)
2. projects:  Show your projects.
3.  blogs:  Write, post information, put links to useful places, write short articles with tips.  Set yourself up as a "leader of thoughts." Show that you are an expert by giving tips:  "Three ways to draw more attention to your next YouTube video."

For example, I recently wanted to show my colleagues what I learned about Finland's school system through Micheal Moore's film and the recent announcement about "elimination of subjects" (this is the system used at Big Picture Schools, centered in Rhode Island. See the list of questions below)


ABOUT BIG PICTURE SCHOOLS
You can learn more about their system if you look at the "learning goals" and the list of questions that students walk through and work through when pursuing a topic.   THAT's how to teach without focusing on a textbook or one subject.    Look at the video and you will see that the Finnish system is being used already (or better, the system developed in Big Picture Learning was organically developed independent of the Finnish system, but both systems were developed by starting with students, not by starting with a subject and a textbook)


sunlearninggoals

Click here to learn more about Finnish Schools . TINYURL.com/FinnishSchools
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I have a colleague who is traveling to Finland.  If he travels AFTER seeing the Michael Moore video, he will be better informed.   So it is my responsibility to put that info in front of him

Here's what I wrote to him:

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Hello Abner

(1) When you are in Finland, please look at this ebook

http://tinyurl.com/bigpictureadvisorbook

show this document to the Finnish people you meet.  Ask them about the LEARNING GOALS on page 150-151

That is similar to their system now.  They want to teach THINKING, not by subjects.  You can learn math, history, science, language, grammar all in the same class with the same teacher and you can do this by using questions.

(2)

SEE THE Michael Moore excerpt

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRJ1hgN7uAU

Minute 2:30 where the math teacher says "I want my students to learn how to be happy"

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You can see the full document at TINYURL.com/FinnishSchools.   Here is a sample of the information:

Projects in Finland and the new focus on TOPICS

The focus is on work across school subjects. Pupils may work with several teachers simultaneously during projects.

The pupils should participate each year in at least one such multidisciplinary learning module. 

The pupils should be involved in the planning.

14.11.2016

Projects in Finnish schools 

The new core curriculum for basic education brought some changes in August 2016.

The subjects common to all students in basic education are stipulated in the Basic Education Act, and the allocation of lesson hours among school subjects is prescribed in the Decree given by the Government. However, education providers have had a high degree of freedom in implementing nationally set objectives for more than twenty years. They may develop their own innovative methods, which can differ from those in other municipalities.

The new core curriculum for basic education that was implemented in schools in August 2016 contain some changes which might have given rise to the misunderstanding of abolishing separate school subjects. In order to meet the challenges of the future, the focus is on transversal (generic) competences and work across school subjects. Collaborative classroom practices, where pupils may work with several teachers simultaneously during periods of phenomenon-based project studies are emphasized.

The pupils should participate each year in at least one such multidisciplinary learning module. These modules are designed and implemented locally. The core curriculum also states that the pupils should be involved in the planning.

http://www.oph.fi/english/current_issues/101/0/subject_teaching_in_finnish_schools_is_not_being_abolished   From the Finnish Education Agency

How can teachers in the USA use this info about projects?

Ken Robinson has pointed out, “If you are a teacher in a classroom, you are the education system at that moment for those students.”   Teachers might complain about conditions and mandated materials that must be presented, but we have the opportunity to create a remarkable place of work and study.  We can copy the Finns by working together to create projects with students.

Bring a list of projects into classrooms

My “go to” list is by Matt Blazek.  His book describes over 40 projects, arranged by topic, such as “Twitter:  How would a person in the crowd at the Gettysburg Address summarize the speech on Twitter?”

“The 12 Labors of Hercules” can be turned into a newspaper “expose”  of a public relations campaign that hyped the exploits of a guy who lived in Ancient Greeze. 

Download the free list at TINYURL.com/BlazekProjects. 

Look for other teachers who are willing to put time into organizing projects.

How does a student experience projects?  If three teachers each require a project, the student has to juggle three separate assignments with competing deadlines.   If the teachers work together to ask students to create one large project, then students can create remarkable work.  

Store the ongoing work online (privately) and display the results in a digital format.  

When students are in the middle of a project, where can they store their work?  Students at High Tech High use careful “Sharing” options in Google Drive to allow parents and teachers to look at and comment on their work.

Teachers can show students how to set up free websites (like High Tech High in California).   An 11-step procedure is at TINYURL.com/FWPstart.  

On the next page are screenshots from student’s websites at High Tech High.  You can see the full site at www.TINYURL.com/exampleDP.

These “digital portfolios” are shared in the Common Application when High Tech High students apply for college.  

Other recommended resources

Principal of Change blog GeorgeCouros.ca

The Innovator’s Mindset   

Creator’s Kit by John Spencer   http://tinyurl.com/johnspencervideo

This list is available at www.TinyURL.com/ProjectsWithSteve2020    

I am looking for a principal who wants projects by students displayed on websites created by students.

Let the work by students speak about the learning that happens in the school.

I am looking for a principal who encourages teachers to combine assignments so that students work on “one big project.”  Students at Big Picture Learning and High Tech High have these opportunities.

HighTechHigh.org          BigPicture.org MetCenter.org   

QUICK LINK  TinyURL.com/HTHProjects  

SUBSCRIBE to the Big Picture Blog

Student websites at High Tech High

TinyURL.com/ExampleDP    shows the student’s essays

TinyURL.com/AbelSite   a “summary” site

When I saw Abel Thun’s site, I thought, “This is more than a collection of essays over three years.  This is a carefully curated set of projects to tell a story.” Abel’s site won him full tuition scholarships at two colleges.  

I contacted Abel and he contributed his advice to students in an ebook.  www.TINYURL.com/sundp5 

The ebook is free for downloading.

Stephan McCrea    Florida Teacher 845508

Portfolio:  TINYURL.com/SteveMcCreaportfolio

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Testimonial about Matt Blazek

Future Headmaster or Principal

I met Matt Blazek in February 2011 at Mavericks High School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.  I was trying to create projects with students to help them “show their understanding” and reveal their misconceptions.

The work of “A Private Universe” (funded by the Annenburg Foundation) is particularly important in showing that misconceptions are very difficult to replace with information from textbooks.   The film shows 23 of 24 Harvard graduates flubbing an explanation of “why are there seasons?” (a typical response was “It’s colder in the winter because the Earth is farther away from the sun,” which ignores the tilt of the Earth’s axis).   “We carry with us the strong incorrect belief that changing distance is responsible for the seasons” (minute 1:50). tinyurl.com/aprivateuniverse

I was attempting to get students to reveal their misconceptions through their work in making posters and creating short videos.   When Matt Blazek showed me his list of over 40 types of projects (“The Gettysburg Address” on Twitter, the Facebook account of Zeus, the Greek God, etc.), I was stunned.  “This will make my work so much easier.” Matt showed me how to raise the quality of posters and other projects by asking questions. His book of projects is available for download at www.TINYURL.com/BlazekProjects.

I introduced Matt to Abraham S. Fischler, the former head of Nova University, because Dr. Fischler was at the time advocating the use of computers with projects and discussions.  Matt’s list helped to sharpen the focus of Dr. Fischler’s proposal. See the video at www.TINYURL.com/MattBlazek.   

Project Based Learning: Making Education Personal: Samples for Digital Portfolios  (2013) Search: “Matt Blazek Book”

This unsolicited testimonial about Matt is intended to show you that he is an ideal candidate for serving as a headmaster or principal.   He motivated me as a teacher to improve my work as a teaching coach.  

Video of Matt’s discussion with Dr. Fischler about the use of projects in schools  (5 minutes) 

I include this testimonial with the description of the “role of topics in Finland” to show that innovation in one part of the world can be brought into schools in the USA.  

-- Hire an innovative principal and teachers who can work together

-- Introduce useful materials (like Matt’s list of projects) to students, teachers and parents.

I look forward to working with Matt as a volunteer when he starts work as a principal.  I intend to assist in training teachers with the Free Website Project. Hiring Matt includes a team of volunteers who can provide materials and time to bring innovative procedures into the school.

Stephan McCrea    Florida Teacher Certificate 845508   (954) 646 8246

FreeWebsiteProject.blogspot.com