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We are living in one of the most exciting times in the history of humankind. Our world is now filled with information abundance, surplus, and access. The result is synergy whereby the human mind plus our current technologies far exceed the sum of these individual parts.
(Gerstein, Jackie The Educator as a Maker Educator) See Maker Educator Thinglink below.
COVID-19 SUPPORT PROVIDED BY THE CITE FOUNDATION
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To meet these goals, The CITE Foundation is seeking funding to design "The Teacher Entrepreneur Project", both a group pedagogical study and self-paced technology infusion training program, available to dedicated teachers. Click on image for details. See resouces for the project below.
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The Teacher Entrepreneur Project seeks to achieve the highest TPACK (Technological, Pedagogical And Content Knowledge) standards, through "...pragmatic leverage... the use of technology to enhance key cognitive skills such as higher order thinking skills, critical thinking skills, and problem solving to mention a few. Technology integration in this sense is not an end in and by itself by a means, a road map to facilitate teaching and learning." tpak.org |
Corporations and industry are uniquely designed to robustly respond to dizzying cultural changes and adapt to emerging technologies. Education, however, burdened by bureaucracy and financial constraints, in many cases, is incapable of leveraging freely available tools to maximize teacher workflow, student learning and enhanced productivity for both.
In the 21st Century, a teacher's role is no longer the "Sage on the Stage," but the "Guide on the Side." "Teaching students by example to be self-starters and to continuously evaluate how they might improve their education helps them learn how to effectively learn. When we stop simply telling students how to learn, and, rather, act as a “guide on the side,” we can support them in a way that encourages them to find their own solutions.” George Courous Innovator's Mindset Teachers must lead all learners to not only develop digital literacy skills but at the same time, inspire a new generation of intellectual risk takers, critical thinkers, communicators, collaborators and innovators who will ensure America's future prosperity and tackle the pressing problems facing this planet. Despite a boundless supply of both compelling digital resources and hands-on, "unplugged" materials that promote engineering, creativity and collaboration, the lack of substantive staff development to both train and provide teachers adequate time to internalize new learning, has created a crises-gap between what teachers should know and can do to promote 21st Century Skills. Every child must have daily access to rigorous, responsive and relevant instruction, the hallmark of the Common Core. Unfortunately, the digital tools and easily accessible "maker" and innovation activities are accelerating at such a startling rate, teachers are no longer “climbing the learning curve,” they are “flat lining.” To fill this teacher-knowledge gap, communities and all stake holders, need to work together to ensure all teachers have the tools, training and adequate time to effectively process and implement their new learning, so they can empower students to become change agents of the future. Stanford's "You Cubed" website titled 'Everyone Can Do Math", provides evidence that learning is the inalienable right of every child. It asserts that it is a result of engagement, a positive mindset, and believing in the "power of failure". Technology-engagement provides a safe place to fail and try again until mastery.
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Well trained computer user educators understand the utter "Simplexity" of school districts' abilities to generate a "butterfly effect" of pedagogical and technological transformations in every classroom. If systematically infused into every classroom, this would create a critical mass of highly effective teachers who would positively alter school cultures, amplify visible learning and guarantee enhanced student achievement. To achieve this vision, it will require a radical mind-shift on ensuring quality staff development, a model built upon implementation and accountability systems. A true innovative shift in staff development needs to re-think the pressures of time its negative impact on teacher wellness, and as such, offer teacher stipends and/or incentives to motivate and reward new learning. After teaching 48 years, taking risks alone, with no help, thus stumbling and falling all over the technology learning curve, I am passionately committed toward designing a better, more efficient system to ensure that teachers effectively implement new methodologies and technologies to positively impact student learning. For those who join this learning adventure, you are helping inspire a positive teaching culture, an educational "climate change" rooted in respecting teachers. Until schools districts and corporate donors realign budgeting toward improved teaching and learning, this website seeks to "Envision the 21st Century", by providing free staff development links. This website includes an abundance of curated "staff development videos" and resources for both teachers and students, empowering both to discover their unlimited capacity to "learn without walls." These resources are designed to transform teaching and learning and assist administrators, ed tech coaches, teachers and students in their quest to meet the 21st Century challenges facing them. Claire Ratfield-President: CITE Foundation cratfield@gmail.com Ryan Ratfield-Teacher Training Coordinator THANK YOU VIDEO TO DONORShttps://wke.lt/w/s/RuoB7-
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