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Welcome to the Tuesday morning, January 16, 2018, edition of the HML Post. This weekly newsletter is a service to the members of the Horace Mann League of the USA.
More articles of interest are on the HML Flipboard site.
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Quote of the Week
Even if you can successfully swim against an angry tide as a school leader, you will be criticized for not walking on water.
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Horace Mann League's Annual Meeting
Many arguments circle the debate on the role cell phones play in today's digital age classroom. The common held belief that cell phones are distractions to a student's learning and only serve to disrupt their learning and understanding is being shaken by the arising belief that cell phones can actually serve to compliment one's learning.
Survey and action research has found that cell phones do not diminish or take away from a student's learning of material but rather increase student engagement in lessons as seen through fewer prompts to stay on task and decreased observations of off task behavior. When cell phones are utilized in the classroom in a positive manner, they serve to cultivate a set of skills within the students that will allow them to be successful contributors to their future marketplace.
(Learn more.)
This study was conducted to determine how various teaching behaviors influence students' emotional and cognitive experiences in class, and how these experiences relate to students' use of cell phones while considering contextual factors that might influence this outcome.
Results indicated that, after controlling for students' general cell phone involvement and course policies regarding cell phone use in class, students' decisions to engage with their cell phones during course lessons were influenced by their attitudes toward using these devices. Importantly, our results indicated that students' attitudes regarding using their cell phones for off-task activities in class were a function of their instructors' teaching behaviors and the experiences of boredom these behaviors produced. (Learn more.)
Based on the findings and results of the present action research study, one theme, encompassing six important patterns, emerged regarding educators' perceptions of students' uses of PEDs in classrooms.
The broad theme of a lack of professional development regarding technology integration in classrooms can be seen in information gathered during this study's data collection, during which teacher-participants consistently mentioned concerns that can be categorized in the patterns of control, cheating, preparation, fear, responsibility, and frustration. The teacher-participants in this study overwhelmingly believed that integrating technology offered by PEDs into curriculum and instruction is beneficial to teaching and learning, though the teacher participants simultaneously carry the belief that students in grades 9-12 do not currently show appropriate levels of maturity and responsibility when asked to use PEDs in academic settings. (
Learn more.)
Cell phones are just as much a challenge to me, as an educator, as to some students and a convenient and beneficial tool in a growing arsenal of educational technology. They are certainly another classroom resource; their potential makes me ponder on other ways to use them. Currently, I tell my students that there is no need to hide their cell phones. My syllabus now includes the following note on the use of cell phones: "Marvelous technology, make sure it is on vibrate. Feel free to use your cell phone to enhance our classroom discussion"
(
Learn more
.)
The author examined the literature regarding college students' use of smartphones during class time. Findings included the following: Students believe they are capable of multitasking with smartphones, but they are not and earn lower grades as a result; students misperceive that their peers use smartphones during class time more than they do to text other students, surf the Web, and visit social sites; and professors' policies regarding cellphone use vary greatly, but they agree that campus-wide policies regarding smartphone use would enhance learning. Gaps in the literature are identified and areas for future research proposed.
(
Learn more.)
by Alice Tidey on the NBC News website.
Students could soon be banned from using cellphones in French schools,
in a move the government says is necessary to protect public health amid fears over the devices' long-term effects on mental development.
Under current French law, students cannot use their phones in class but schools have the power to decide if they can use them at break times.
(
Learn more.
)
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A&E's new show sends seven young adults, ranging in age from 21 to 26, back to school at Highland Park in Topeka, Kansas. Clips on YouTube.
The students. (Bullying)
The administration. (Cell phones)
Meet Highland Park High administrators Dr. New, Mr. Ackerman, and Dr. Anderson as their school prepares to host seven adults going undercover as students on "Undercover High".
Cell phones are the bane of our existence. And I suspect no one knows this better than today's high school teachers.
What is it about cell phones that make them so addictive -- for many grownups certainly, but for teens especially? What is it about the cell phone addiction that makes kids push back so ferociously at the suggestion that they put down their phones in order to pay attention in class (or interact with family members at dinner)? (
Learn more.)
At the start of the new year, parents may encourage their teens to detox from social media, increase exercise, or begin a volunteer project. While kids may bristle at the thought of posting fewer selfies, surveys indicate
55 percent
of adolescents enjoy volunteering. And according to a recent study, when it comes to helping others, teens may benefit psychologically from spending time helping strangers.
The study, published in December in the
Journal of Adolescence,
suggests that altruistic behaviors, including large and small acts of kindness, may raise teens' feelings of self-worth. However, not all helping behaviors are the same. The researchers found that adolescents who assisted strangers reported higher self-esteem one year later.
by Roger Schwarz in the HBR's Tools for Better Meetings
We've all been in meetings where participants are unprepared, people veer o track, and the topics discussed are a waste of the team's time. These problems-and others like it-stem from poor agenda design.
An effective agenda sets clear expectations for what needs to occur before and during a meeting. It helps team members prepare, allocates time wisely, quickly gets everyone on the same topic, and identify es when the discussion is complete. If problems still occur during the meeting, a well-designed agenda increases the team's ability to e effectively and quickly address them. Here are some tips for designing an effective agenda for your next meeting.
- Seek Input from Team Members
- Select Topics That Affect the Entire Team
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List Agenda Topics as Questions the Team Needs to Answer
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Note the Purpose of the Meeting
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Estimate a Realistic Amount of Time for Each Topic
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Propose a Process for Addressing Each Agenda Item
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Specify How Members Should Prepare for the Meeting
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End the Meeting with a Plus
When a slide
presentation goes off the rails because of a power failure, audio glitch or other technical issue beyond the speaker's control, the best way to handle it is with some humor and a heaping dose of composure -- not to mention, a whole lot of preparation.
Murphy's Law states that anything that can go wrong will go wrong.
And they know that preparation trumps all else when delivering a keynote presentation, especially if using slides.
I use slides in about half of my keynotes. Yet, unlike some speakers who rail against them, I don't mind the use of slides -- as long as they are used properly and in service of the
audience.
That said, here are six common mistakes speakers make when using slides that you should avoid when giving your presentations.
- Tiny Print
- Too Many Words: Rememberless is more.
- Duplicate Words
- Unauthorized images
- Unnecessary slides
- Lack of preparation
When you're prepared, you can navigate almost anything. And if all goes well, then slides are just a bonus. (Learn more.)
2018 Annual Meeting and Awards
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The Education Cartoon of the Week. (Left here, just incase you didn't get a chance to read it.)
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The Superintendent's Special topics:
(Please share your ideas. Contact Jack McKay
)
Sponsor a Professional Colleague for membership
in
the Horace Mann League.
Click here to download the "Sponsor a Colleague" form.
On the Art of Teaching by Horace Mann.
The book, On The Art of Teaching by Horace Mann has been presented to new teachers as a welcome gift by a number of
schools district
. For orders of 50 or more, the district's name is printed on the front cover.
Ordering Information
Cost per copy: $12.50
Orders of 50 to 99: $11.00
Orders of 100 or more: $10.00
Send orders to: (include name of district, P.O. #, and address)
The Horace Mann League of the USA
560 Rainier Lane
Port Ludlow, WA 98365
or
email: Jack McKay
FAX (866) 389 0740
About Us
The Horace Mann League of the USA is an honorary society that promotes the ideals of Horace Mann by advocating for public education as the cornerstone of our democracy.
Officers:
President: Dr. Martha Bruckner,
Exec.Dir., MOEC Collective Impact, Omaha, NE
President-elect:
Dr. Eric King, Superintendent, (ret.) Muncie Public Schools, IN
Vice President: Dr. Laurie Barron, Superintendent, Evergreen School District, Kalispell, MT.
Past President:
Dr. Christine Johns-Haines, Superintendent, Utica Community Schools, MI
Directors:
Dr. Ruben Alejandro, Supt.
of
Schools, (ret.) Weslaco, TX
Dr. David Berliner, Professor Emeritus, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ
Dr. Evelyn Blose-Holman, (ret.) Superintendent, Bay Shore Schools, NY
Mr. Jeffery Charbonneau, Science Coordinator, ESD 105 and Zillah HS, WA
Dr. Carol
Choye
, Instructor, (ret.) Superintendent, Scotch Plains Schools, NJ
Dr. Brent Clark, Executive Director, Illinois Assoc.
of
School Admin. IL
Dr. Ember Conley, Supt.
of
Schools, Park City, UT
Dr. Linda Darling Hammond, Professor of Education, Stanford U. CA
Dr. James Harvey, Exec.
Dir
., Superintendents Roundtable, WA
Dr. Steven Ladd, Superintendent, (ret.) Elk Grove USD, Elk Grove, CA
Dr. Stan Olson, President, Silverback Learning, (former supt.
of
Boise Schools, ID)
Dr. Lisa Parady, Executive Director, Alaska Association of School Administrators
Dr. Kevin Riley, Superintendent, Gretna Community Schools, NE
Executive Director:
Dr.
Jack McKay, Professor Emeritus, University of Nebraska at Omaha,
560 Rainier Lane, Port Ludlow, WA 98365 (360) 821 9877
To become a member of the HML,
click here to download an application.
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