Pinnacle and the 21st Century Teacher

Looking at the article "What is a 21st century teacher?" by Josh Stumpenhorst http://smartblogs.com/education/2012/06/22/what-21st-century-teacher/  and comparing his ideas of what it takes to be a 21st century teacher to what it means to be a highly effective Pinnacle leader, I can see several similarities. We as Pinnacle leaders need to be Visionaries, Connected, Flexible, Resourceful, Inspiring, Encouraging and Supportive, and Risk Takers. Stumpenhorst says that the 21st Century teachers need to be connected through PLN's, master's of technology, reflective practioner's and advocates for change. It appears that Pinnacle leader's are on the right track to being what Stumpenhorst describes a 21st Century teacher. I like the idea that we should advocate by setting forth positive examples. 

http://bit.ly/LoyxO2

Interesting Infograph on my Twitter usage as of 6/26/12

Pinnacle Semester 2 presentation

Student Work samples, videos and lesson activities

Fun Food Friday- This is a link to the document that my older students typed into. They have an opportunity to try new foods that they would not normally try.  They have tried Mac and cheese with different sauces, Belgian waffles, kiwi, strawberries, blueberries, bananas, chicken nuggets with different dipping sauces, pizza, tacos, fruit smoothies, Italian ice, and rice krispy treats.This is part of a lesson with the speech pathologist. 

Exercise video: The exercise video taken could not be uploaded due to technical issues and also privacy issues because of student disabilities. However, you will find a link to the Youtube video that we used to teach imitation skills to our students. Students were encouraged to participate in exercise by watching and imitating children from the Wii Just Dance Kids videos found on Youtube. Not only does this help when recess is not a viable option due to weather constraints but it also helps our students become aware that there is other people in and around them. This is a HUGE issue because most students with Autism are described as " being in their own little world." Having my students watch the video and then try to participate is very rewarding to see. 

Despicable Me:
Gummy Bear:
Kung Fu Fighting:

Lesson Activities:- PDF versions of Lessons created for the Smartboard that go along with the Health curriculum from News-2-You (article) and Unique curriculum.

germs & food choices


Survey Link

Healthy ideas to get kids motivated and keep them active

January has flown past and I have been remiss in blogging. I am in need of good sites or activities to keep kids motivated, active and healthy.  I am hard at work on a health/science unit for my special needs children. It hasn't helped that I have been down with Bronchitis for the majority of January.  Does anybody have any resources they would like to share?

1st Semester Pinnacle project

In the link below you will find my Prezi on Meville to Weville.  This is a direct instruction curriculum used to teach students with moderate to severe disabilities. I used this program to teach my students about community. I followed the Standard Course of Study Extended content standards. I used technology to stress key areas within the program and to make learning fun.  Many of my students are not technologically adept therefore I demonstrated some of the skills needed. Each activity within the unit was designed to engage students with learning opportunities. I feel that in this case technology was used to make the lessons more engaging. Some of the lessons that were used were created for Smart board use.  I do think that this type of instruction has impacted student achievement. I feel that the individual projects worked well. However my students need more direct instruction on technology.

• http://prezi.com/zjzyt7m6in2l/meville-to-weville-unit-3-my-school-family-and-friends/

http://ppbarker.edu.glogster.com/barkerallenfriendsglog-8963/    - link to the  glogster within the prezi

I also have a Smart lesson page that we used for part of the Family activities.


Rubric

https://docs.google.com/a/gaston.k12.nc.us/spreadsheet/viewform?hl=en_US&formkey=dDVuVXBlaVp1Y2dCZi12QXQzVGI0ZWc6MQ#gid=0

What are some of your favorite educational website?

Technology at School

What types of technology do you want to see students use in school?