All Blog Posts Tagged 'growth' (31)

10 videos that WILL ignite a discussion - Part 4

This is part 4 of the "videos that WILL ignite a discussion" series. I have been using these videos during PD sessions, as well as during Power Lunch sessions to spur discussion and reflection. As educators, it is crucial that we are constantly in a state of reflection and evaluation, and with the help of these videos educators are able to engage in thoughtful and productive…

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Added by Justin Tarte on March 20, 2011 at 8:45am — No Comments

Evaluating Educator Evaluations...

Evaluating educator evaluations...

Teacher and administrator evaluations...surely a topic that will garner the attention of all educators!

Yesterday I was sitting in my Advanced School Law class and we started discussing teacher evaluations as they pertain to contract renewals and dismissals. As my professor continued the discussion, I started to hear some great "tweetable" statements. For those of you in the… Continue

Added by Justin Tarte on February 21, 2011 at 1:50pm — No Comments

10 videos that WILL ignite a discussion - Part 3

If you didn't know, I really enjoy watching short videos. In particular, I really enjoy watching videos that get me thinking and reflecting on my educational practices and beliefs. I have been using short videos in Professional Development sessions to get educators at my high school talking and discussing issues related to education. This is the third installment of the series..."videos that WILL ignite a discussion." I encourage you to check out…

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Added by Justin Tarte on February 21, 2011 at 1:42pm — No Comments

10 videos that WILL ignite a discussion - Part 2

Here are 10 videos that will get you thinking and reflecting on your educational practices and beliefs. I did a post a few months ago with 7 different videos, and the response was quite positive. Leave a comment and let me know what other videos you would add to the list. Thank you and enjoy!

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Added by Justin Tarte on February 6, 2011 at 7:08am — No Comments

7 videos that WILL ignite a discussion

One of the biggest reasons I enjoy using Twitter is it enables me to connect with educators from all around the world. Additionally, Twitter has proven to be an efficient and effective platform to discuss pressing educational issues. Unfortunately, most…

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Added by Justin Tarte on February 6, 2011 at 6:58am — No Comments

Leading by example...

A couple weeks I decided to do something most educators would never dream of doing. I gave all 140 of my German students the opportunity to assess me. I explained to my students that the assessment was 100% anonymous, and the most… Continue

Added by Justin Tarte on February 2, 2011 at 9:30am — 1 Comment

6 Solutions to the Most Common Teacher Problems...

Last week we had our third professional development day at Seckman High School. As a PD representative, I had the opportunity to lead two PD sessions. The format of my sessions was to… Continue

Added by Justin Tarte on January 31, 2011 at 6:11am — No Comments

10 reasons to get educators blogging...

5 reasons educators should start reading blogs:

1) - Blogs are the heart of learning and sharing...

If you are an idea and inspiration junkie like myself, then you will find blogs to be extremely beneficial. Educators of all ages and backgrounds are bringing their ideas, reflections and experiences to one convenient location; their blog.… Continue

Added by Justin Tarte on January 20, 2011 at 1:39am — 1 Comment

14 books educators should read...

Here are 14 books that I have read over the last two years that have had a positive effect and impact on me as an educator. Some of these books were read in the book club at Seckman High School, and some were read as part of my doctoral studies. Despite doing a lot more online reading of late (blogs, articles, etc...), I still feel that books play an important role in educator growth and development. Please comment and let me know what you would add to the list.… Continue

Added by Justin Tarte on January 20, 2011 at 1:37am — 2 Comments

10 steps for educators new to Twitter...

Educators from all around the world are beginning to use Twitter as a valuable piece in their professional growth toolbox. As professional development continues to evolve and transform, we will need new ways to encourage teachers to embrace new opportunities. Here is a "How… Continue

Added by Justin Tarte on January 20, 2011 at 1:34am — No Comments

Technology that augments the use of technology by educators...

I recently had a discussion with a friend about the relative merits and demerits of technology, and before you jump in to claim that the pros outweigh the cons, let me iterate that the topic under debate was the value of (or lack of it) technology for those who are either scared to use technology or have no clue about it. The tech savvy may find this hard to understand, but there are still those who refuse to embrace technology or do so under considerable duress.

There’s no doubt that…

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Added by Justin Tarte on January 20, 2011 at 1:30am — 2 Comments

What are you really worth...?

There are lots of things that people love: new car smell, walks on the beach, winning the lottery and most importantly, opening a gas station soda only to find out you won a free soda!

In addition to these most cherished things in our lives, I also really love to be inspired and motivated. Over the last couple weeks there have been two pieces in particular that have so eloquently come together in perfect harmony...…

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Added by Justin Tarte on January 20, 2011 at 1:28am — No Comments

Life of an Educator: Top 5 blog posts of 2010...

I started this blog on June 14th, 2010. For the last 6 months this blog has provided me the opportunity to share and collaborate with some of the best educators in the world. I have been able to take my self-reflection to the next level, which in turn has hopefully made me a better educator. This blog has been influential as I embrace the concept of 24/7 professional development...anytime and anywhere. For the members of my PLN and the readers of my blog, I thank you for your support and…

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Added by Justin Tarte on December 19, 2010 at 9:14am — No Comments

Reflections of a PD representative - try not to take it personally...

I typically have a clear and well-thought out purpose for each blog post, however for this blog post I am going to simply reflect on today's

professional development session. I lead a PD session about 7 weeks

ago for all of the staff members at my high school on social media and

technology integration, and today's session was an extension of the

previous session for any teachers interested. We asked each staff

member to choose… Continue

Added by Justin Tarte on November 17, 2010 at 6:17pm — No Comments

5 ways to spread the power of Twitter as a PD tool...

This past weekend I had the opportunity to attend the EdcampKC technology conference in Kansas City, MO. This was my first

"unconference," which basically means the entire conference was

participant-driven and each session was presented by someone who was

actually attending the conference. There was a big board set up in the

main room, and before the conference officially started any person

interested in presenting was able to… Continue

Added by Justin Tarte on November 9, 2010 at 7:13pm — No Comments

Why Twitter should be a part of your PLN...

If somebody asked me about the last 6 months of my life, I would respond

by saying something like this; the past 6 months have been extremely

challenging, but yet at the same time I can say with little hesitation

that I have grown more as an educator in the last 6 months than in any

other time period in my life.

The world in which we live is changing faster than anyone could ever

imagine, and because of this the educational system must evolve and… Continue

Added by Justin Tarte on October 29, 2010 at 8:10pm — No Comments

What island are you on?

I just finished reading The Learning Leader, by Douglas R. Reeves, as a part of my doctoral studies. I found the book to be

extremely well written, as well as extremely valuable for anyone looking

to gain a more in-depth understanding of school improvement.

As districts and schools look to both district and building leaders, it

is difficult not to notice the "Islands of Excellence," as well as the

islands of… Continue

Added by Justin Tarte on October 22, 2010 at 3:43pm — No Comments

REBEL - Education Reform Blog - revisit...The factory model does not work for schools...

Tom Whitby has encouraged all education bloggers to write a positive blog on how we should reform the

educational setting. I have decided to revisit a previous post of

mine...

If you have ever walked into a factory that produces a finished good from raw materials, it is frankly an amazing process. Dating back to

the early 1900's, Henry Ford revolutionized…

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Added by Justin Tarte on October 17, 2010 at 2:00pm — No Comments

Criticism hurts...but how you deal with it is all that matters!

The path to growth and development can be ugly at times. Educators are part of a world that is continually changing and evolving, and as such

we are forced to take a leap, and at times take a leap when we are not

ready. Going through all my undergraduate classes at Mizzou we were

always told how rewarding and fantastic the field of education is, and

from where I sit right now I could not agree more. So...the big

question… Continue

Added by Justin Tarte on October 10, 2010 at 8:05pm — No Comments

5 things we can learn from our four-legged friends...

My wife and I have been married for a little under three years, and about a year ago we decided that we wanted

to grow our family. As we discussed the most typical way of growing a

family (a baby), we came to the conclusion that we should start small

before taking the big leap. Last summer we purchased an 8 pound, runt

of the litter, slightly discolored, adorable, and loving yellow lab

puppy.…

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Added by Justin Tarte on October 4, 2010 at 3:18pm — No Comments