TIME IS RUNNING OUT! REGISTRATION CLOSES JANUARY 13, 2012!
WE'VE GOT LAPTOPS, NOW WHAT?! FOUNDATIONS FOR SUCCESS Click here to learn more or to register! |
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WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!
 We are currently compiling a list of constructivist, creative software tools for iPads and other tablets. What have you been using? Click here to share your recommendations! Please email us at service@aalf.org and let us know if you have a topic or story you'd like to share with the AALF community. The more we share, the more we'll learn!
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SURVEY SAYS!
How do you define 1:1?
Let us know by responding to our 10-second poll!
So far the results are trending toward defining 1:1 as individual laptops or tablets for each student with 24/7 access, but some AALF members believe it means having 24/7 access to a handheld device. How do you define it?
We will share more survey and poll results in upcoming issues, so stay tuned!
Thank you for participating!
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CONTRIBUTING TO AALF
The AALF worldwide newsletter readership continues to grow.With this in mind, we would like to invite foundation members to contribute to the newsletter. We are currently looking for articles on the following themes:
Current Issues in 1:1
Student Voice
New Learning Spaces
Teaching Practices & 1:1
Learning Frameworks
Action Research on Innovative Practices (Teaching Practices, Professional Learning, Project-based Learning, etc.)
If you have something you would like to contribute, please send a brief (50 word) article summary, along with your contact information, including your organization and title, to Justina Spencer (jspencer@aalf.org). We look forward to hearing from you!
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 1:1 initiative.
For additional information regarding AALF coaching support, go to the Coaching and Mentoring Services page of our website, or contact Karen Ward at service@aalf.org
Coaching Services now available in Australia. For more information, contact: Susan Einhorn at seinhorn@aalf.org
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SHARE YOUR EXPERTISE
Has your school or district switched from laptops to tablets or laptops to iPads? What have your experiences been?
Click here to share your expertise!
What type of evidence do experienced 1:1 schools rely upon to prove that technology has helped their students?
If you have any experience or thoughts on this question, please click here and share it with the AALF community.
Thanks for sharing!
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1:1 RESEARCH - DO YOU HAVE ANY TO SHARE?
We are continually updating our collection of links to the latest 1:1 research. If you have recently completed or read new research on 1:1, its impact in schools, in specific curriculum areas, on teacher preparation and ongoing support, etc, please let us know by sending the link to Justina Spencer at: jspencer@aalf.org
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EVENTS 
Check Events on the AALF website regularly to keep up-to-date on other events of interest to the 1:1 community. Jan. 17-26, 2012 We've Got Laptops - Course 1: Foundations for Success Jan. 30- Feb. 16, 2012 The Visual Experience: Visualization and Simulation as 'Tools to Think With' Feb. 6-8, 2012; Apr. 2-4, 2012 Cincinnati Country Day School Tablet Conferences Feb. 19-21, 2012 NSBA Education Technology Site Visits - Klein, TX Feb. 21-Mar. 1, 2012 We've Got Laptops - Course 2: Instructional Frameworks & Increased Student Achievement Feb. 22- 25, 2012 ASB Un-Plugged Mumbai, India Feb. 29- Mar. 2, 2012 NSBA Education Technology Site Visits - Cullman, AL March 5-7, 2012 COSN Conference AALF President, Bruce Dixon, is a spotlight speaker on March 6th. March 13-22, 2012 We've Got Laptops- Course 3: Models of Outstanding (and Effective) 1:1 Classes June 24-27, 2012 ISTE 2012 San Diego, California July 9-12, 2012 Constructing Modern Knowledge Manchester, New Hampshire July 15-17, 2012 Lausanne Laptop Institute Memphis, Tennessee |
The Foundation thanks all its partners for their ongoing support.
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Greetings!
Happy 2012! Welcome to the January edition of the AALF newsletter.
This month we have an editorial by Susan Einhorn, Executive Director of AALF, who writes about looking at the big picture when implementing change. This issue also includes an article by Ann McMullan, Executive Director of Educational Technology at Klein Independent School District, about their 100 Model Classrooms program; Mark Pullen, 1:1 classroom teacher, talks about the importance of differentiation in 1:1 education; and we have an article that explores the effectiveness of teacher training in AALF coaching sessions in Oklahoma. We've also included several resources we think you'll find of value. As well, you'll find some of our regular features: Survey Says and Share Your Expertise.
Click on the link at the end of each article to read it in its entirety on our website. You can comment or add your stories to any of these articles. We would love to hear from you!
Enjoy!
 Justina Spencer
AALF Communications
jspencer@aalf.org
Be sure to follow us on:
 
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** NEW AALF INSTITUTE!**
THE VISUAL EXPERIENCE- Visualization and Simulation as 'Tools to Think With'
Click here to learn what Visual Learning is and how you can support it in your classroom!
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FINDING HARVEY
 In this editorial, Susan Einhorn, Executive Director of the Anytime Anywhere Learning Foundation, discusses the importance of looking at the big picture. Click here to learn what "Harvey" is, and how it is achieved. |
1:1 TECHNOLOGY: THE ULTIMATE DIFFERENTIATION TOOL
 One of the benefits of a 1:1 program is the fact that students can receive instruction that is personalized to meet their needs. In this article, Mark Pullen, a 1:1 classroom teacher, discusses the importance of differentiation when it comes to classroom instruction. Click here to learn more!
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AWARD ANNOUNCEMENT!
 FluidMath, a software for mathematics for both teachers and students, recently won the Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA)'s "Most Innovative Education Product or Service" award. Nils Ahbel, a mathematics educator and AALF contributor, wrote about this particular software for the March 2011 edition of the AALF newsletter. In case you missed his article, click here to read about how FluidMath has changed the learning experience in Nils' classroom.
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THE LEARNING EDGE
Click here to learn more!
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THE MATH FORUM: AN ONLINE MATH EDUCATION COMMUNITY CENTER
 The Math Forum is a leading center for mathematics and mathematics education on the Internet. Their mission is to provide resources, materials, activities, person-to-person interactions, and educational products and services that enrich and support teaching and learning in an increasingly technological world.
Their online community includes teachers, students, researchers, parents, educators, and citizens at all levels who have an interest in math and math education. Click here to learn more about The Math Forum!
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100 MODEL CLASSROOMS
 Last year, Krimmel Intermediate School in Klein, Texas, introduced their 100 Model Classrooms Program. According to Ann McMullan, Executive Director of Educational Technology at Klein Independent School District, the program is designed to build faculty capacity and foster meaningful, reflective, and actionable collaboration within a professional learning network. Click here to learn more about Krimmel's 100 Model Classrooms Program!
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A VISION FOR POWERFUL LEARNING
 How do we identify and leverage the possibilities that technology offers for transformative student experiences, roles and relationships? A Vision for Powerful Learning is a new ideasLAB white paper that will be available for free download in late February 2012. Click here to learn more!
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ASSESSING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF COACHING IN PROFESSIONAL LEARNING
 A team of doctoral students from California State University, Fresno, recently conducted research on the perceived effectiveness of coaching as a means of professional learning. Specifically, they surveyed teachers, teacher leaders, and administrators who participated in a number of AALF coaching sessions held over one year at a district in Oklahoma. Click here to learn about the research & its results!
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AALF NEXT STEPS INSTITUTES-- SIGN UP TODAY!
The Next Steps Online Institutes are a series of Professional Development courses that focus on best practices of highly effective 1:1 classes and their organization, pedagogy, and learning culture. These courses concentrate on frameworks and innovative practices for teaching and learning in 1:1 classrooms. Whether you're new to 1:1 or have had a 1:1 classroom for a few years, AALF has a Next Steps course for you! CHECK OUT OUR NEW NEXT STEPS COURSE!
 The VISUAL Experience: Visualization and Simulation as
"Tools to Think With"
Join us as we examine visual thinking - how it is often easier for us to create meaning from visual experiences than from symbolic depiction like text or numbers. In this course, consisting of four 1-hour sessions, you'll explore visualization and simulation in mathematics, sciences, social sciences, special education, and the arts, and learn about free technology tools and activities that can help your middle and high school students visualize relationships and simulate complex and emergent behavior in biology, chemistry, physics, earth science, economics, mathematics, and more.
**REGISTRATION CLOSES IN 2 WEEKS! SIGN UP TODAY!
WE'VE GOT LAPTOPS, NOW WHAT?! SERIES
COURSE 1: WE'VE GOT LAPTOPS, NOW WHAT?! - FOUNDATIONS FOR SUCCESS During this course, participants will learn about, discuss and plan for the crucial alignment of district and/or site 1:1 goals with their classroom instructional practices and student engagement activities. **REGISTRATION CLOSES JANUARY 13th! SIGN UP TODAY! JANUARY 17-26, 2012 COURSE 2: WE'VE GOT LAPTOPS, NOW WHAT?! - INSTRUCTIONAL FRAMEWORKS & INCREASED STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT While building upon, We've Got Laptops, Now What?! Course 1: Foundations for Success, participants will take an in depth look at the elements of successful 1:1 classes and learn about research-based frameworks and principles that guide teachers to become 1:1 pedagogical design experts.
FEBRUARY 21-MARCH 1, 2012 TAKEN 1 OR 2 OF THESE COURSES? THEN BE SURE TO CHECK OUT: COURSE 3: WE'VE GOT LAPTOPS, NOW WHAT?! - MODELS OF OUTSTANDING (AND EFFECTIVE) 1:1 CLASSES Developed for people who have taken Courses 1 and 2 in the We've Got Laptops, Now What?! series, this institute provides an opportunity to dig more deeply into the tools and frameworks introduced in the earlier sessions as you virtually visit with educators at highly effective laptop classes and schools around the world.
During Course 3: Models of Outstanding (and Effective) 1:1 Classes, you will have the chance to speak with experienced laptop classroom teachers or site administrators to learn about their practices and, using the tools and frameworks presented in the first two courses, to identify the strengths in each model school. These tools and frameworks will help you develop an understanding of the elements present in highly effective 1:1 programs with the expectation that you will be better prepared to incorporate the class/school models and common understandings in your own work.
Course dates: MARCH 13 - 22, 2012, from 5-6pm EDT/2-3pm PDT. Click here for more information. This course is offered only to educators who have completed Course 1 and/or 2 of the We've Got Laptops, Now What?! series. For course registration codes, contact: service@aalf.orgWant to take all three courses? Are you part of a team? Special team and three-course package rates are available! Contact service@aalf.org for more information.
DON'T MISS OUT! REGISTER AS SOON AS POSSIBLE-- CLASS SIZE IS LIMITED!
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