the United States Department of Education announced an initiative identified as # GoOpen . The goal was to provide a coordinated effort to catalog and share resources in one central area called the Learning Registry . The state of California joined as a # GoOpen State in Fall 2016 with the goal to promote Open Education Resources ( OER ). Districts can also join the movement with a commitment to replace one textbook with an openly licensed book .
Professional development
Unconferences and flipped staff meetings are replacing traditional professional development . Edcamps are a model for professional learning , bringing together educators in an “ unconference ” format . Those in attendance brainstorm , vet , and identify topics for discussion and break-out sessions , choosing what they want to learn as the event informally unfolds .
Flipped learning provides great opportunities when trainings are required and a basic level of background knowledge is required for staff to participate productively in conversations .
Additionally , Twitter chats connect educators in engaging conversations on topics like technology , leadership , resiliency , social justice , physical education , learning disabilities , and more . Anyone can participate in Twitter ’ s # edchat discussions , and the professional learning communities that emerge can certainly help innovate instruction and leadership .
Edcamps are a model for professional learning , bringing together educators in an “ unconference ” format .
which can become the best personal practices our young people need to begin their quest to live healthy lives .
Our classrooms are filled with 21st century learners who are ready to explore , create , design and repurpose . Resources focusing on transforming their mindsets will lay the foundation for the powerful and integrative technology that our educators provide . Students are prepared to take the next leap and will . The question is , will education leap with them ?
Lisa Gonzales , ACSA ’ s President Elect and Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services in the Dublin Unified School District , is a # FutureReady Superintendent , selected by the US Department of Education . Geoff Belleau , long time educator at both primary and secondary levels , is an Education Program Consultant with the California Department
of Education . Both are cadre members of TICAL , the Technology Information Center for Administrative Leadership .
Personal growth
Technology and health apps now bring a center location to track our projects and progress . Just try using the health app from iPhones to Fitbit connections on our watches , where we can effortlessly monitor how far we walk and how many flights of stairs traversed .
Similarly , an app like Weather Bug and its radar can help educators make those calls on rainy days , as well as days when allergens are high . Other notable apps include guided meditation , sleep apps , and heart rate monitors . In the hands of students , these same apps offer many learning opportunities with the data they can readily access , much of
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