Be in the Know: Guest Blogger, Jim DiFranco

Be in the know @GA

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There’s so much going on at GA, it’s almost impossible to keep up! Ever wonder how some colleagues know things before you? Wish you could get a weekend Patriots’ sport update? Or wonder what cool things are happening in other divisions? With other colleagues? Well, here is your starter guide!

*Disclaimer, by no means is this intended to take the place of attending events, cheering on our teams, engaging in conversations, or good ole collegiality.

Blogs:

Subscribe to some of GA’s blogs! We currently have six operational blogs utilizing Blogger. In order to “subscribe” to a blog once you’ve found one you’re interested in, scroll down and locate the “follow by Email” box. From here, fill in your email and click “submit.” When that particular blog gets updated with a new post, you’ll get an email and a link!  

To follow GA’s professional development, subscribe here:

http://gacrafted.blogspot.com/

To follow all the happenings around GA’s green spaces, subscribe here: http://gagreen.blogspot.com/

To follow Art Across the Academy (A3), subscribe here:

http://gavisualarts.blogspot.com/

To keep current on all the innovative things happening at GA, subscribe here: 

http://gaed21.blogspot.com/

See GA from a student’s perspective and subscribe here: http://gapatchat.blogspot.com/

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Twitter:

If you haven’t already, consider getting started with Twitter. To follow someone or something click on the “Follow” button once you’ve found what (or who) interests you. Here are some GA Twitter addresses to consider:

   Follow                    Twitter Handle

GA	@GA1759
Lower School	@ga_lowerschool
Middle School	@ga_middleschool
Upper School	@ga_upperschool
GA Sports	@GAPatriots
GA Arts	@GA_Art3
Follow me!	@jdifranco27

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Instagram: If you’re on Instagram:

 Follow GA: Germantown Academy

Facebook: Do I even need to say anything on this one?

 Like GA: Germantown Academy

The New Community Project:

Learn more about one of GA’s innovative US classes:
http://www.thenewcomproject.org/

Good Luck!

What is This Thing Called 20 Time? Guest Blogger: David Baroody

Overview

Passion-based research goes by many different names; 20 Time and Genius Hour are just two different terms that describe projects that center upon personal inquiry and ideas to spark innovation. Based on a framework employed by such innovative companies as Google, GE, Skype, and Apple, employees are encouraged to spend 20 percent of their time to develop, research, design, test, and refine a project or idea of their own. When applied within the classroom, this approach is meant to increase student engagement, independence, and responsibility, while allowing the teacher to model research and design skills, to provide an environment of entrepreneurship, and to give students access to feedback from authentic, real world audiences.

20 Time and the Classroom

Students can be initially skeptical of the pedagogical change embodied by student-centered, abstract learning. To aid buy-in among students so they understand how this new learning will successfully impact them, videos such as Daniel Pink’s Drive, Sir Ken Robinson’s Changing Education Paradigms, The Golden Circle, and Why We Make Bad Decisions highlight the importance of trying and failing in developing a growth mindset as a 21st century skill.

In addition to understanding the “why” of 20 time, it’s important for students to become familiar with basic parameters so they can see how the concrete components for which they are responsible are balanced against the freedom to experiment and personalize their work. The actual process involves students selecting a topic about which they are passionate, conducting initial research to craft a proposal or “pitch” for their idea, then further researching, designing, and implementing a product that showcases their learning and understanding.

For many, this may be the first time they’ve ever experienced a broad level of abstraction, and also given organizational control for such a broad and long-term project. As a result, there are a variety of structured mechanisms for teachers to support students along the way, including a basic brainstorming guide, blog feedback, impact mapping, and librarian assistance to aid research skills and strategies. After cycles of researching, feedback, reflecting, and design iterations, students can then share their work to the community in many ways, including digital platforms or TED-style presentations.

Guest Blogger Phy Chaveau: The Discovery Education Network

Discovery Education Blog

Ten years ago, while attending a week-long summit with 99 other recently elected Keystone Technology Innovators, I had the good fortune to meet Lance Rougeux, then an Executive Policy Director at the PDE’s Bureau of Educational Technology. “You love using video, Phy! Do you know about United Streaming?”  Honestly, I didn’t, but over the next year, Lance’s mentoring steered me towards one of the best professional decisions of my teaching career. I became an overnight fan, and soon, I couldn’t imagine teaching without this resource. United Streaming soon became Discovery Streaming, and its metamorphosis over the course of these past ten years to the Discovery Education Network has been nothing short of extraordinary.  

The underlying premise of the DEN, even at its inception in 2005, was that educators are undoubtedly each other’s most valuable resource. This may feel like a given nowadays, but Discovery was there at the forefront of this movement and it continues to set the highest standards when it comes to rich collaborative learning opportunities for school communities. Whether you consider yourself a technology novice or an expert, there is something here for you and your students. 
  

Did you know that we have paid subscriptions to Discovery through our GA Libraries? Students can’t help but engage with the broad collection of instructional videos, articles, images, and multimedia activities in every content area. Whether you visit Discovery twice a week or twice a day, there will be something new to explore.    

I hope to see you at November’s “First Thursday” in the Beard Center for Innovation for a look at how I and other teachers are utilizing the Libraries’ Digital Collections to support and extend our students’ learning experiences. 

In the meantime, if you would like to get going with Discovery before November, please watch this screencast I prepared in August as an introduction for our LS teachers. 

 Phy Chauveau, Class of 1760

Discovery STAR Educator, Fifth Grade Teacher