Parent Communication Recap

The September 17 #NCed chat focused on the topic of Parent Communication.  Understanding how to build partnerships with parents is such an important component of educating the whole child.  Although most #NCed Chat participants are proponents of using technology to connect with parents, most overwhelmingly agreed that face-to-face contact is best when possible. However, during the chat Tuesday, some amazing online resources and innovative ideas were shared.  Here are a few of those ideas:

·         Jessica Luby in Newton-Conover City Schools uses Facebook to connect with parents, to provide a platform for questions, and to address concerns.

·         Cheryl Rhea in Hickory City Schools uses Edmodo as a secure platform that only the teacher, students, and parents can access. 

·         Dayson Paison in Alamance-Burlington Schools uses Twitter, Instagram, and Vine to connect with parents.

·         Ashley Hurley suggested hosting a parent edcamp.

·         Chris Casal from the New York City Department of Education shared he is getting ready to use Google Hangout for parent conferences and does Twitter PD with parents.

·         Jeannie Smith in Jones County Schools shared that one of her colleagues uses QR codes to share video podcasts (created with Voc-A-Roo) that her students record with parents.  She also shared Teacher Kit app for iPad.

·         Angie Sigmon in Newton-Conover City Schools uses Remind 101 to send text reminder to the parents of her second grade students.

·         Jill Thompson in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools shared this resource which includes several digital platforms by which to connect to parents.

·         Raymond Giovanelli is a principal in Charlotte who does coffee chats, video records them, and uploads them to YouTube for parents who cannot attend.

·         David Schouweiler in Newton-Conover City Schools has created a Google Community for parents to connect with him.

A variety of non-tech strategies to connect with parents were also provided.  Some participants send greeting cards and letters to the homes of students to share positive behaviors or notes of welcome.  Others do tea and cookies with parents quarterly.  Jan King, Regional Lead for Regions 7 & 8 from the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction shared that it is important to take the educational jargon out of our conversations with parents.  The concept of building strong, quality relationships was prevalent throughout the chat.  Building trust and compassion and following-through with ongoing communication are keys to developing a partnership with parents.

If you would like to check out the Tuesday, September 17, 2013 full #NCed chat, click here to access the archive.

National Board Chat

Amid all of the unfortunate legislation in North Carolina, one bright spot is the decision to continue National Board pay for teachers.  The process of self-analysis and reflection as well as the emphasis on classroom instructional design and pedagogy are second to none in terms of educator growth.  In 2001, I began the National Board process because the 12% pay increase was appealing.  I had no children, and it seemed like a great time, six years into my career, to pursue this certification.  What I did not expect was an incredible, eye-opening learning experience that changed the way I thought about my students, my teaching, and my instructional choices forever. I have heard many NBCTs share the same sentiments about the process.  The design of the entries, the pouring over video footage of my own instruction, and the deep analysis of my instructional choices were eye-opening.  I honestly believe that my National Board journey was the first step in my evolution as an instructional leader.

Tonight's #NCed Chat will feature Beth Edwards, former NCDPI National Board Coordinator.  Beth still works for NCDPI as a Professional Development Consultant in Region 1, and she still works with National Board to support teaching and learning in North Carolina.  I have had the distinct honor of working with Beth for the past few years, and she is passionate about National Board and committed to serving educators across our state who seek this prestigious certification.  Currently, Beth is enrolled at the University of North Carolina - Wilmington - seeking an Ed.D. in Curriculum and Instruction.

During our August 6, 2013 chat, we will share and solicit information from North Carolina National Board Certified Teachers about how the process affected teaching and learning in their classrooms, structures in place for support for NBCTs across our state, and resources available to support candidates.  Join us at 8 pm as we explore the world of National Board Certification.

Resources and Websites
National Board Website
NEA National Board Resources
Guide to Understanding National Board

National Board Online Support Groups

EA Math- http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EA_math/

EC-Gen- http://ecgen.org

ENL- http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nbpts_enl/

AYA ELA- http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AYA-ELA-NB/

ENS- http://groups.yahoo.com/group/exceptional-needs/

LM- http://groups.yahoo.com/group/librarymedia/

Literacy- http://groups.yahoo.com/group/early_middleliteracy/

Middle Childhood Generalist- http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MC-GEN-NBC/

Music- http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NBPTSmusic/

Renewal- http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NBCrenewal/

World Languages- http://www.quia.com/pages/wloe.html

Secondary Art- http://groups.yahoo.com/group/eaya-art/

Elementary Art- http://groups.yahoo.com/group/emcart/

Support Contacts

Dr. Sonja Brown, North Carolina NCDPI NBC Coordinator  Sonja.brown@dpi.nc.gov

Karen Garr, North Carolina NBPTS Teacher Engagement Director  Kgarr@nbpts.org

Elic Senter, NCAE Center for Instructional Advocacy elic.senter@ncae.org 

Suggested Reading

Accomplished Teaching: The Key to National BoardCertification by Bess Jennings, Mary Ann Joseph, and Frank Orlando

What Works! Successful Strategies in Pursuing NationalBoard Certification

By Bobbie Faulkner

Elegant and Accomplished Teaching: A Guide to NationalBoard Certification for the Early Childhood Teacher by Susan Finn Carter

Problem-Based Learning: A Platform for Student-Centered Inquiry

#NCed will be on break the week of July 4th and will resume on July 16th with a relevant and sure-to-be engaging conversation facilitated by John Robinson, Principal of Discovery High School in Newton-Conover City Schools and Ann Carlock, NC Social Studies Consultant for NCDPI. Join John and Ann, along with other educators from across the state, to discuss ways to implement PBL in your own setting.

If you're interested in moderating a future #NCed chat, or would like to suggest topics for future chats, please visit our Get Involved page. Also, be sure to sign our Guest Book. We hope you'll join us on July 16th!

Google+ Hangout on Air - Technology Integration

Tonight, moderators Dayson Pasion and Jayme Linton will facilitate a conversation about how NC educators are integrating technology in their classrooms. A panel of NC educators with experience in technology integration will chat live via Google Hangout while the Twitter chat is taking place. Chat participants will have options for how to join the conversation:

• Participate in the Twitter chat as usual by responding to questions from the moderator, using Twitter, Tweetdeck, Tweetchat, or another site.
• Watch the Google Hangout on Air as panelists bring the Twitter conversation to life.
• Participate in the Twitter chat and watch / listen to the Hangout on Air to get the full effect.
• If there is space available, join the Hangout on Air as a panelist.

#NCed Folks Talk Tech Integration on Air

Join us Tuesday, May 21st at 8:00 pm EST for the first ever #NCed Twitter chat Google Hangout on Air. Moderators Dayson Pasion and Jayme Linton will facilitate a conversation about how NC educators are integrating technology in their classrooms. A panel of NC educators with experience in technology integration will chat live via Google Hangout while the Twitter chat is taking place. Chat participants will have options for how to join the conversation:

• Participate in the Twitter chat as usual by responding to questions from the moderator, using Twitter, Tweetdeck, Tweetchat, or another site.
• Watch the Google Hangout on Air as panelists bring the Twitter conversation to life.
• Participate in the Twitter chat and watch / listen to the Hangout on Air to get the full effect.
• If there is space available, join the Hangout on Air as a panelist.

If you're interested in watching / listening to the Google Hangout on Air, it will be posted to the #NCed blog at the start of the Twitter chat. You can listen in while participating in the chat. Moderators will keep the connection going between those on Twitter and those on the panel. 

We hope you'll join us for this exciting hour of learning and sharing! 

#NCed Chat Reaches Beyond State Line

Last night's #NCed chat was full of powerful insights and useful resources from educators from across North Carolina, the United States, and around the world.  For our fifth consecutive chat, #NCed chat trended on Twitter, and educators from seven states, Canada, and New Zealand shared their perspectives on PLCs - what makes them work, what makes educators buy in, and how to improve their quality. 

Dr. David Stegall, Associate Superintendent in Newton-Conover City Schools, and Amber Humphrey, Instructional Coach in Newton-Conover City Schools posed questions an honest and knowledgeable group of stakeholders who shared some of the following sentiments:

"PLCs are not meetings. They are communities of educators working together consistently to help students and educators alike. " - @WPrettyman

"The difference to me between PLC & other meetings revolve around action research/improving your craft while helping teammates improve." - @davidstegall

"PLCs should make practice public. #nced teachers should move beyond polite chat about teaching & dig into what happens inside black box." - @doccarpenter

"More than I can say, PLC have made me a better educator, I learn new ideas all the time - My best PLC is #nced and #21stedchat." - @EduThompson

"PLCs provide a place and time to say 'I need help.'" - @WilfongBrittany

"All begins with people & not programs. Spend time building trust so everyone views the Ss as everyone's responsibility to succeed." - @mattwachel

Our chats are becoming richer each week, and we are so excited to build our PLN with so many educators from around our state and beyond.

Get the #NCed mobile app!

Heather Mullins, one of the co-founders of #NCed, has developed an app to make staying connected with NC educators even easier! Use the app to view topics for upcoming chats, access the mobile version of the #NCed blog, provide feedback to the #NCed team, and more. You can download the app by visiting myapp.is/NCed on your mobile device. We'd love to hear your feedback on the app. Feel free to leave a comment below or send us a message through the app by clicking on "More" and "Feedback".

If you're interested in suggesting topics for #NCed chats or moderating a future chat, please visit the Get Involved page to connect with us. Be sure to stop by the Guest Book to let us know you were here. Thanks for your interest in North Carolina education!