President's Message
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DEVELOPING THE PROFESSIONAL
By Bruce Dixon, President
Anytime Anywhere Learning Foundation
 In recent months I've become more convinced we are finally backing
up the discussion around the role of teachers from one of trade to one of
craft; from one that is a job, to one that is truly a profession...with some
serious action.
I know we all work on the assumption that we are all professionals,
but to those who honestly reflect on past performance, behavior and attitudes
that might at best be an optimistic view. I like Richard Elmore's thinking in
his comments that "education is a profession without a practice"...there is absence
of a clear body of knowledge and a clear body of practice.
Click here to read more about Bruce's take on developing the professional.
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AALF Leadership: Executive Director's News and Thoughts
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MY OWN PERSONAL LEARNING
By Susan Einhorn, Executive Director
Anytime Anywhere Learning Foundation
 This month I'm focusing on project-based learning. No, not
for students or even the Foundation. I'm focusing on it for me. Early this year
I signed up to participate in National Novel Writing Month, held every November. My
project? I, and all NaNoWriMo participants, must write a 50,000-word book in
one month (and a 30-day month at that!).
That comes to 1667 words a day for 30 days. Doesn't seem like too much,
but that's on top of working, parenting, and community volunteer work. And it
means writing 1667 words EVERY DAY, not just some days.
Why would I do this? I liked the challenge of setting a
difficult but thought-provoking goal for myself and working to achieve it. The NaNoWriMo organization suggests participants tell
everyone they know that they're participating in this month-long event so they're motivated to continue if,
for no other reason, than to save face. Click here to read more of Susan's thoughts on her personal learning.
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Resources
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WHAT BLOGS or TWITTERERS DO YOU FOLLOW?
Where do you go to find new ideas: Twitter or a Blog? This month we have compiled a list, in no particular order, of some of our favorite Blogs and Twitterers. Click on the titles to go to the blog sites or click on the Twitterers' names to be directed to their Twitter pages.
1. Weblogg-ed by Will Richardson
2. Connectivism by George Siemens
3. Open Thinking by Alec Couros
Click here to read more of our Blogs and Twitterers list!
We will be repeating this column in upcoming newsletters, but we need your help. Please share your
favorite blogs and Twitterers with us here, and maybe we will feature them in our next issue!
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Global Storybook
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GLOBAL CONNECTIONS
FOR HALE MIDDLE SCHOOL
By Michael Valentine, Head of Middle School
Hale School, Perth, Australia.
Hale School, a large independent boys' school in Perth, Australia, has taught boys for generations. In 2003, Hale School introduced a 1-to-1 notebook
programme in Years 7, 8 and 9. I lead the introduction of the 1-to-1 programme in Year 7
in the Junior School in my dual role as Year 7 teacher and Head of Junior
School. I've now been appointed
the inaugural Head of Middle School at Hale School, which will cater to 400
boys in a purpose built centre comprising Years 7 and 8.
Click here to learn more about Hale Middle School's 1-to-1 program.
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Polls and Results
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SURVEY SAYS
Which professional learning programs have been most beneficial to your development as an educator? Let us know your thoughts by responding to a 10-second poll we have posted on our new site (scroll down the homepage).
We will share more survey and poll results in upcoming issues, so stay tuned!
Thank you for participating!
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Questions from the Community
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SHARE YOUR EXPERTISE
 This month, we have two questions we would like to pose to our AALF community. If you have any experience or thoughts on the questions below, please respond by following the link to the discussion boards!
1) Do you think 1-to-1 decreases opportunities for collaboration? Please click here to share your thoughts.
2) Do you have any experience in using iPods in the classroom as a teaching tool, or have you ever considered using them? If so, please click here, and share your knowledge with the AALF community.
Are you implementing a 1-to-1 laptop program and struggling with a specific issue? Do you have questions about policies, communicating with parents or the community, AUPs, professional development, or any other issues that you are facing in implementing anytime, anywhere learning in your school or district?
If your answer to that question is yes, let the AALF community help. Send your questions to AALF, and we'll post them both in our newsletter and on the AALF web site. Although we may not be able to post all your questions, we'll try to post as many as we can. |
CONFERENCE ANNOUNCEMENT
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COME JOIN US AT ASB UN-PLUGGED!
 The American School of Bombay hosts ASB
Un-Plugged, an international One-to-One learning conference that takes place
once in every two years. We invite you
to the American School of Bombay, Mumbai, India from February 24th
to 27th to immerse yourself in the world of learning with
laptops and tablets. ASB Un-Plugged 2010
is being organized in collaboration with the Anytime Anywhere Learning Foundation (AALF), the Near East/South Asia Center of Overseas Schools (NESA), and The Laptop Institute.
The
conference is an all-in-one learning
opportunity for audiences ranging from classroom teachers to technology
directors and coordinators, from principals, superintendents and business
managers to tech support teams. ASB Un-Plugged 2010 is for those who wish to understand how schools around the world
and their students and educators have embraced innovation, change, and
leadership in education for the 21st century. Hear educators and students sharing
their best practices, strategies and techniques, ideas and applications that
have proven to be successful in a one-to-one environment. Learn about the
administration of one-to-one programs-launching a program, professional
development, classroom management, responsible use policies, community support,
resources, and support structures. Educators present their experiences and
ideas through Hands-on Institutes, Workshops, and Job-Alike sessions.
Our conference speakers include Scott Klososky, Doug Johnson, Dr. Helen
Barrett, Dr. Scott McLeod, Bruce Dixon, and Susan Einhorn. A Flat
Classroom Workshop will also
take place during the conference. The workshop will be facilitated by
Julie Lindsay, Vicki Davis, and Bernajean Porter. The Flat
Classroom project is a ground breaking, internationally recognized
project
which combines students from various cultures, countries, and
backgrounds into
a meaningful collaborative writing and digital storytelling project to
study
the trends in information technology.)
AALF will be holding a pre-conference workshop on February 24, 2010 for schools who are interested in initiating,
building, and launching 1-to-1 Laptop/Tablet programs. Bruce Dixon, 1-to-1 pioneer, and Susan Einhorn, the Executive Director
of the Anytime Anywhere Learning Foundation, will guide participants
through the complex process of envisioning and deploying a 1-to-1
program at your school. This pre-conference workshop will help set the ground
work for building a program at your school as well as setting a context
for many of the sessions at the Un-Plugged Conference.
Mark your calendars for this learning
journey to learn and examine best practices and essential conditions for
building a 1-to-1 learning environment that is focused on enhancing student
learning. Additional conference details are on the ASB Un-Plugged NING. Join the ning and begin to make connections with
educators around the world. Registration is now open!
Please click here for further information, or to register.
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| Coaches' Corner |
AALF COACHING
AALF coaches provide support for educators at all levels and, working either individually or in expert teams, coaches and consultants support educators and policy makers at every phase of their 1-to-1 initiative. This includes creating a vision, designing appropriate goals, translating plans into action, choosing the most effective technology tools and designing technology support, providing professional development opportunities, and using data to reflect on the effectiveness of their program.
Working with individual leaders and teams of educators, AALF coaches incorporate:
- Face-to-face and additional communication sessions
- Online learning opportunities
- The use of Web 2.0 online collaborative communication tools such as blogs and wikis
- Professional development support with AALF associates who are currently working in highly effective 1-to-1 schools.
For additional information regarding AALF coaching support, go to the Coaching and Mentoring Services page of our website, or contact Susan Einhorn at seinhorn@aalf.org
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Online Institute Announcement
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  ANNOUNCING NEW AALF NEXT STEPS INSTITUTE:
Laptops + EL Students = A Winning Combination
The laptop is a powerful tool for supporting EL students as they develop their listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills. This online institute will focus on the best practices of effective 1-to-1 teachers that support EL students in their learning and achievement. It will be led by Karen Ward, experienced laptop teacher and coach for AALF, Central Valley Educational Leadership Institute (CVELI) at California State University Fresno, and Springboard Schools, a California non-profit educational organization. In this online course, each participant will:
· Learn about 1-to-1 pedagogy and accompanying practices that result in highly effective instruction for EL students.
· Examine best practice models of 1-to-1 teachers that ensure success.
· Use the tools provided during the session to apply what they have learned to their work.
· Apply what they have learned to answering the following questions:
This online institute will run in the month of January, however the exact date and time of this event is still to be determined. We will post this information on the Events page of the AALF website very shortly, so please check back regularly! We hope you will join us! If you have any questions about this institute please contact us.
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Conferences, Institutes, Academies and Events |
UPCOMING EVENTS
Check Events
on the AALF website regularly to learn of other events at which AALF leaders will be speaking or leading workshops. We look forward to seeing you there!
JANUARY-- TBD
AALF Next Steps Institute: Laptops + EL Students = A Winning Combination
Check AALF's Events listing regularly for more details!
FEBRUARY 25-27, 2010
ASB Un-Plugged: International One-to-One Learning Conference, Mumbai, India.
Organized in collaboration with the Anytime Anywhere Learning Foundation (AALF), the Near East/South Asia Center of Overseas Schools (NESA), and The Laptop Institute. AALF will be hosting a "21 Steps for 21st Century Learning Workshop" on February 24, 2010.
Do you have an upcoming 1-to-1 event you would like to share with other newsletter readers? Contact Justina Spencer for information on posting these events.
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| AALF Worldwide Networking |
CONTRIBUTING TO AALF
Our AALF worldwide newsletter readership continues to grow. In the past year our foundation enrollment and readers have grown to over 2,500 members. This is exciting news and certainly provides evidence about the relevance of 1-to-1 learning across continents! As our audience and support continues to grow, we are anxious to provide timely and relevant information regarding 1-to-1 learning and schools around the world. With this in mind, I would like to invite foundation members to get involved with the production of this monthly publication. There are several ways you can contribute to this important work:
- Get involved with a RTA group (Research-to-Action); these groups will continue to contribute to the '1-to-1 Leadership and Learning' column which explores 'best pedagogical practices'
- Volunteer your school to be a '1-to-1 Global Storybook Spotlight School'; this column provides an in depth look at 1-to-1 schools from the perspective of leaders, teachers, and students
- Volunteer to submit an article to an upcoming issue of the AALF newsletter.
- Volunteer your unique suggestions; suggest columns or ideas you think would benefit 1-to-1 educators around the world
Please contact Susan Einhorn (seinhorn@aalf.org or 425.223.3763) if you are interested in any of these opportunities. | |
This year we will be celebrating the 