Apologies to those who have noted that entries were non-existent over the last year. With Common Core adaptations and the myriad of issues dealing with technology there was little time to post. My hopes are to begin again.

Most teachers in the nation are on some type of vacation during the summer months. The common misconception is the word vacation. Although I have found adequate time to downshift and relax, a good portion of my summer this year has been dedicated to the use of technology in the history classroom. As those with a tech background know, keeping up with the trends in educational technology is mind boggling. It is more a challenge to those of us who grew up with the basics, a typewriter – a manual one at that. However, in order to maintain an engaged student audience the use of technology has become vital in the 21st century classroom.

This past two weeks I have attended two tech camps, the CUE Rockstar Camp in Manhattan Beach, California, and the Google Edtech Summit in Orange County, California. Both of these camps were filled with participants of all levels and educational experiences who desired to improve their respective implementation of technology in the classroom. In the attempt to digitize paper curriculum many sessions were devoted to demonstrating how the use of technology can create a more efficient classroom. The use of the Google platform of educational tools such as Drive, Google Moderator, and the myriad of plug-ins and extensions that accompany Google Chrome were prime examples of a 21st century classroom at work. Although Google’s roll-out of the Google Classroom left many of the participants frustrated with the lack of key components and tools to effective manage the classroom environment. My recommendation is to wait for 6 months until the glitches are fixed. Meanwhile I will continue with Google Drive.

Needless to say my time this summer has been spent trying to filter out what I can use and what ideas should be shelved for later. The common mistake some make is to try everything only to be overwhelmed because the lack of focus. Take little steps. For myself I will try the Canvas learning management system this year. In order to keep my students engaged with daily assignments I will continue using Instagram to take snapshots of the in class work as well as homework. In order to better manage the paper giant that comes with teaching 230 students, I will continue to use Google Forms for primary source document study and other assignments. The use of the Google Add-On Doctopus will be vital in disseminating assignments. The work still continues as the rapidly approaching school year descends upon teachers in the vacation mode. Preparation time is vital in order to be fresh when those new faces walk into the classroom for the first time.

I have been off the blog radar for quite a while due to some tech issues and the extreme business of teaching. What has happened since the last post? The iPads have landed! My classroom now has 8 iPads which we will be using quite frequently. Of course this all comes with challenges as many students for whatever reason think that once a device is in their hands they can change backgrounds, try to download all of their own apps and on and on. Laptops are so much easier to manage, even a classroom set of 40 did not come with the challenges of managing iPads.

So what are we doing? In the next couple of days students will be using the iPads to create a two minute documentary/advertisement on modern day slavery. This will be uploaded to my Google account. I know that in this area we have only touched the tip of the iceberg when it comes to using these medium. I am constantly looking to see how other history teachers are using tablets in their instruction. Besides the basics such as using the devices for Edmodo, Google Drive there are so many other uses. It is just a matter of having the time to review and test everything out. If you happen to come across some ideas on using tablets in a history classroom please leave a comment or contact me.

For many teachers in the profession, the one of most inconsequential actions that is part of our assessment as a teacher is the evaluation. Most teachers are subject to routine observation in which an administrator comes into the classroom once or twice a year with a checklist and checks off the agreed upon part of the evaluation. For many there is little follow up in regards to our teaching or even a discussion on how we can improve. Of course this would require administrators who are true instructional leaders as well as teachers who are willing to address their respective areas of need.  As a disclaimer I have had both administrators who can recognize good teaching and maintain a professional conversation about teaching and those who have simply checked off the list in a couple of minutes and put the evaluation form in my box to sign. As a educator I would be thrilled to have a discussion about my teaching that would allow me to set goals to improve.  For one I may not be aware of these weaknesses unless pointed out by a keen eye.

Thursday night the San Jose Unified School District along with the San Jose Teachers Association signed an historic document which will push the typical teacher evaluation to a new level. EdSource featured this agreement in the article by John Festerwald that outlined the basic tenets of document.  Here are some highlights. It is important to note that no part of the evaluation will include student test scores as teacher evaluation piece.

Peer Review

New positions will be created in which teachers will be trained as evaluators who will work in concert with principals in evaluating new teachers and if requested veteran teachers.  Teachers selected for these positions will undergo a rigorous training and will be rewarded with additional pay for their work. The key component of this is that administrators and teachers will working in concert to improve the quality of instruction.

Pay

Due to the complexity of the contract there will be no changes to teacher pay as it will continue on current step and column process,  However, if a teacher is deemed as unsatisfactory and does not make a marked improvement there is possibility of a salary decrease.

Career Ladder

There are many teachers who aspire to take on leadership positions but do not endeavor to be administrators.  The San Jose agreement provides an opportunity for these teachers to advance as instructional leaders with salary incentives of $15,000  for model teachers to 25,000 for master teachers.

Many teachers including myself have longed for this type of change.  My hope is that teacher unions and districts will put aside the animosity that has poisoned many of the conversations about teacher evaluations and look outside of the box to innovative agreements such as that of San Jose, San Juan Unified School District and other districts who are true in their attempt to improve the profession.  Forcing teacher evaluations tied to student test scores is not an answer.

For those truly interested in a groundbreaking policy report on teacher evaluations and how to improve the profession I would refer you to the Accomplished California Teachers site.  Their report has detailed information about teacher evaluations, career ladders, and an innovative approach to salary advancement.