A Little Motivation

The day we have all been waiting for is finally here ... tomorrow morning, our kids come back to the Ranch! They will come in bright eyed, ready to give and get lots of hugs and eager for another year of learning.

My message is simple, be ready teachers; you will transform lives ...
so here's a little Pep Talk from Kid President.

20 Minutes

We need to share this graphic with all our parents during Meet the Teacher/Parents' Turn to Learn. Powerful! 

Passion Matters

What is "Genius Hour"? 

 

Genius hour is a movement that allows students to explore their own passions and encourages creativity in the classroom.  It provides students a choice in what they learn during a set period of time during school. (Source: http://www.geniushour.com)

Check it out!

Resources:

 

http://www.geniushour.com 

 

http://www.20timeineducation.com 

 

http://www.livebinders.com/play/play?id=1242069  - This has been created by 2 HS English teachers from NY ( Julie Jee & Kathleen Bellino ) who facilitate Genius Hour in their classroom. The Project Inspiration tab has past presentations that have been submitted.

 

http://psolarz.weebly.com/2013-2014-passion-projects.html - This site is from Paul Solarz, a 5th grade teacher from Illinois. He breaks down each component of the process into small pieces...from how to kick off the projects to the culminating presentations!

 

http://geniushour.wikispaces.com/ - A collaborative wiki created to share success stories and resources on Genius Hour. The page is moderated by Joy Kirr, Denise Krebs, and Gallit Zvi. 

 

http://engagetheirminds.wordpress.com/genius-hour-resources/ - This is a wonderful collection of resources from Terri Eichholz, a K-5 G&T teacher from Texas.  

 

https://www.atlassian.com/company/about/shipit - ShipIt Days Atlassian ...Where it all began!!

 

 

 

Articles/Blogs:

 

http://smartblogs.com/education/2014/06/11/genius-hour-making-time-for-passion-in-the-classroom/ - Great post by Angela Maiers 

 

http://www.danpink.com//2011/07/the-genius-hour-how-60-minutes-a-week-can-electrify-your-job - Introductory post from Daniel Pink

 

 

 

Videos:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwwdtQHqd9g - How Google's 20% Time Fosters Innovation

 

http://www.thenerdyteacher.com/2014/06/tedxgpshs-video-collection-edchat.html - Absolutely amazing collection of student reflections of their Genius Hour experience at TEDxGPSHS. This event was fully organized and facilitated by students in Nicholas Provenzano's class. 

DonorsChoose.org & Fuel Your School-- Sept. 1st!

Hi, friends! 

I just wanted to give you all a quick note on an opportunity that's coming our way...

Fuel Your School is back, beginning September 1st! 

Here's how it will work:

• You can request up to $2,000 in materials (excluding taxes, vendor or order fulfillment fees or any optional donations to support DonorsChoose.org.)  The smaller you keep the total cost of your project, the more teachers will benefit from this funding opportunity - so consider your colleagues and post small!
• Only project requests submitted on or after Sept. 1 are eligible to receive funding through the Fuel Your School program. The project submission period ends Nov. 30, 2014, or earlier if all funds have been exhausted by eligible projects.  For the best chance of having your project funded, we recommend you submit on Sept. 1, as soon as the project submission period opens. 
• Chevron will fund up to one project per teacher.

If you do not have a DonorsChoose account yet, I strongly urge you to create an account. It is an amazing site that funds teacher projects. I have personally had 12 projects funded in years past. 

Check out our MRE totals here: http://www.donorschoose.org/school/morton-ranch-elementary

If you need any help, please don't hesitate to ask! Dream big, our babies deserve the best! 

2014-2015...Get ready!

In one month (and a few days), our elementary will be filled with excitement from many educators about possibilities! It's always a thrill to hear about new learning, reflection, and collaboration that happened during the summer months. Bring on the application of our adventures!

We will use this blog to highlight some MRE happenings during the school year. We plan to use text, images, and video to create our school's story. Get ready for a wonderful ride...who knows it might even inspire others to try something new.