by Gary Kaplan
School will be opening September 16. How it will open is still uncertain. Three operational models have been defined by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education: fully in-person, fully remote, and a hybrid of the two. It is up to each district to decide which option to choose. The decisions will not be strictly pedagogical: much will depend on health and safety conditions. Final school plans for reopening are due at DESE August 10.
by Cathie Maglio, Blended Learning Specialist
One of my favorite classes is the Grade 10 Level 1 English Learners class at East Boston High School taught by Meredith Hubbell. I am amazed at the strategies Meredith has developed to help students build their English language skills. One of those strategies is our JFYNet online reading comprehension program which Meredith uses nimbly and adroitly in combination with other methods.
by Eileen Wedegartner, Blended Learning Specialist
The job of the English teacher is to ensure that students can read a complex text with comprehension and formulate ideas about it orally and in writing. Teachers often walk a fine line between imparting their own views and facilitating an environment where students can formulate their own judgements based on their own knowledge, values, ethics and beliefs.
by Cathie Maglio, Blended Learning Specialist
Navigating the corridors of a high school during the changing of classes is a challenge. I’d rather drive on the expressway in rush hour. Students move in packs down the middle of the corridor making it difficult for anyone to pass. They congregate at the ends of the corridors blocking anyone from getting around the corner. They stop abruptly to greet a friend and you almost bump into them. Or they almost crash into you texting on their cell phones oblivious to their surroundings.
by Greg Cunningham, Blended Learning Specialist
When I first saw the job title “Blended Learning Specialist” I pictured a culinary instructor in an apron demonstrating how to make smoothies in a food processor. “Two scoops of ice, one cup of blueberries, a banana, a pinch of cinnamon and blend. ” What I discovered was a bit different: a new world inside the classroom fostered by the ability to help students learn in an environment where they are the center of attention and the teacher acts as a coach and motivator of their learning.
by Joan Reissman, Blended Learning Specialist
There has been a lot of discussion about the new MCAS 2.0 test. Parents and teachers are wondering how they can help students build the skills they need to succeed. The biggest difference is that the test will no longer be on paper. It’s online. Although students use technology every day, that doesn’t mean they will automatically know how to navigate the test. The first step in preparation is to make sure that students understand how to navigate through the test and answer all questions.
by Eileen Wedegartner, Blended Learning Specialist
I recently had a conversation with one of the teachers I work with about a course she is teaching this year. The content is intriguing, relevant and full of rigor. It has to do with social media, networking, media bias, and how we humans are adapting to these rapid changes. It is a course I would have been dying to get into in high school or college.
by Cathie Maglio, blended learning specialist
Ever since fifth grade I wanted to be a math teacher. I fell in love with the subject at that point and never wavered from it.
After receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in math, I knew I wanted a master’s degree but didn’t know in what. It took twenty years to find the right program, a Masters of Education with a concentration in Technology in Education at Lesley College (now University). The program was being offered at a local school one week-end a month for 22 months.
by Eileen Wedegartner, Blended Learning SPECIALIST
I’m sitting in an ELL classroom. Students are reading articles in our online curriculum and working through the meanings of unfamiliar words. The teacher in this class has stressed the techniques of active reading: note-taking and annotating a text as you read, asking questions, summarizing and making connections. The students are practicing these techniques as I observe.
