This Week’s #PTchat On Twitter

Guest Post by Joe Mazza

everythingesl.net
This week on #PTchat we will be sharing strategies on how to involve the diverse families of English language learners (ELL) in order to foster the partnership between the home and school. 

@JudieHaynes
Schools must constantly seek ways to improve the communication with ELL families and recognize how it parallels with the communication with non-ELL families.  How are schools reaching out to their ELL families?  Are traditional parental involvement approaches appropriate for ELL families?  

ESL Advocate and author of several books including The Essential Guide for Educating Beginning English Learners will join us this Wednesday at 9pm EDT on #PTchat to discuss how schools can effectively engage ELL families using both traditional and non-traditional approaches to increase family engagement.  Please join us!

This Week’s #PTchat On Twitter

Guest post by Joe Mazza

Image credit: stuvoice.org

This week’s chat hosted by Stuvoice.org Founder Zak Makamed

The Student Voice movement strives to create an international network of empowered students by providing them with the tools they need to use their voice in policy discussions. While we are students working for students, the support of adult stakeholders has enabled us to take our movement above and beyond what we could have ever anticipated. 

This chat will serve to unite the stakeholders, so that they can discuss with students ways to enhance and empower the student voice. It is time for the students not only have a voice, but also a seat at the table and we need you to help us make that happen. 

Join us on Wednesday at 9pm EDT / 6pm PST by using and following the #PTchat hashtag. Meanwhile, stand with students by joining the Student Voice movement here.

Key Twitter hashtags: #PTchat, #StuVoice

Key Twitter handles: @ZakMal, @Stu_Voice

“Connecting Parents and Schools Via Social Media Initiatives”

Joe Mazza is co-leading an upcoming Ed Week Webinar on Connecting Parents and Schools Via Social Media Initiatives. Here’s the description:

Connecting Parents and Schools Via Social Media Initiatives

This event takes place on Thursday, Feb. 28, 2013, 12 to 1 p.m. ET.

From using Skype to run parent-teacher conferences to live streaming PTA meetings, the variety of digital-outreach tactics employed by school leaders continues to grow. But socioeconomic disparities like access to technology and digital know-how are limiting participation. As a result, some districts are forging partnerships and providing resources to help parents become more digitally literate. Join this webinar, which will explore some promising practices being undertaken to engage parents digitally and address digital divides.
Presenters:

Joseph Mazza, principal, Knapp Elementary School, North Penn, Pa.

Elisabeth Stock, chief executive officer and co-founder, Computers For Youth

Register now for this free live webinar.

This Week’s #PTchat On Twitter

Guest post by Joe Mazza

This week on #PTchat (Wed., 2/20 9PM EDT) we’ll be working on our school websites and mobile app offerings.

Today, most schools have a website. Whether the website is useful to the specific family needs at the school is the real question. Does the site serve as simply an information storage bank or does it offer two-way communication and an opportunity to build a relationship with the school? How do you know? Have parents been part of the team creating the website? Has your school considered a mobile app for parents? For us, once we collected data identifying that 63% of our families were using a mobile device to access school communications, we ventured down the road to a mobile app. 

knappwiki.wikispaces.com

Referring back to the 6 Types of Involvement (Epstein 2011), does your school website/mobile app offer online support for every “type” detailed below?

TYPE 1–PARENTING: Assist families with parenting and child-rearing skills, understanding child and adolescent development, and setting home conditions that support children as students at each age and grade level. Assist schools in understanding families.

TYPE 2–COMMUNICATING: Communicate with families about school programs and student progress through effective school-to-home and home-to-school communications.

TYPE 3–VOLUNTEERING: Improve recruitment, training, work, and schedules to involve families as volunteers and audiences at the school or in other locations to support students and school programs.

TYPE 4–LEARNING AT HOME: Involve families with their children in learning activities at home, including homework and other curriculum-linked activities and decisions.

TYPE 5–DECISION MAKING: Include families as participants in school decisions, governance, and advocacy through PTA/PTO, school councils, committees, and other parent organizations.

TYPE 6–COLLABORATING WITH THE COMMUNITY: Coordinate resources and services for families, students, and the school with businesses, agencies, and other groups, and provide services to the community.

Join us this Wednesday, February 20th at 9PM EDT/6PST as together we’ll work to make our websites and mobile apps as comprehensive and two-way as possible. 

This Week’s #PTchat On Twitter

Guest Post by Joe Mazza

When: Wed., 2/13/13 – 9PM EDT/6PST


Image credit: http://edtechvision.org/

Oftentimes parents don’t ask questions about supporting academic initiatives in our schools because we haven’t provided them enough information on the who, what, when, where, how. It’s up to teachers and leaders to go the extra mile to engage them and show them how to support our work in the classroom.

During this week’s Parent-Teacher Chat (#ptchat) on Twitter, we’ll create a working Google doc glossary of terms for parents. Earlier this week, Washington Post ed writer Emma Browm posted “What the heck is your teacher talking about? Here’s a glossary.” Terms discussed in her informative post include self-regulation, scaffolding, play-based learning, authentic assessment, DIBELS, positive behavior interventions and supports, inclusion, Kagan structures and differentiated instruction. 

We’ll use Ms. Brown’s article as a starting point for our one hour discussion. Please join us as together we’ll create a working document applicable for your next school/classroom newsletter.

Join us Wednesday at 9PM EDT/6PST. If you not Twitter, you can still experience the conversation by visiting Tweetchat at the time of the chat.

This Week’s #PTchat On Twitter

Guest post by Joe Mazza

Image credit: digitallearningday.org

On Wednesday, February 6, 2013, educators, students, teachers, parents, and leaders across the country will celebrate the innovation in teaching and learning that digital learning provides by pledging to try something innovative with technology to improve the learning experience. Nearly a half million students will participate as their teachers innovate and apply best practices in teaching and learning to provide a more engaging and personalized experience for students.

During this Wednesday’s 9PM EDT/6PM PST Parent-Teacher Chat #PTchat on Twitter, we’ll share out the best Digital Learning Day 2013 resources and ideas shared during the day in schools around the world. Join us to share what YOUR SCHOOL did to celebrate.

What is Digital Learning?

Digital learning is any instructional practice that effectively uses technology to strengthen a student’s learning experience. Much more than “online learning,” digital learning encompasses a wide spectrum of tools and practice, digital learning emphasizes high-quality instruction and provides access to challenging content, feedback through formative assessment, opportunities for learning anytime and anywhere, and individualized instruction to ensure all students reach their full potential to succeed in college and a career.

Characteristics of Digital Learning in Schools

  • Personal and flexible.
  • Led by teachers with significant support.
  • Collaborative and aligned to a common vision.
  • Flexible and high-quality resources.
  • Data driven, transparent, and ongoing.

Parents Can Help Build The Wave Of Innovation

You have probably seen more technology in use in your children’s schools lately. Maybe your child’s class has an interactive whiteboard. Maybe your teacher uses email. Maybe they utilize Blackboard or some other platform so that students can learn anytime, anywhere. Technology has changed literally everything in our world. These developments have created jobs, made the world more connected, and changed the way we interact. They also have the power to change the way our children learn. Thanks to technology, teachers are able to offer learning experiences that are more personalized, accelerated, engaging, and connected to the world students live in.

The nation is finally at a point where the technology is available to keep up with the demands of student needs. And technology is getting more and more affordable every day. In fact, some schools are saving money by using more technology. But there is so much more that can be done, which is why the Alliance for Excellent Education hosts Digital Learning Day.

This Week’s #PTchat On Twitter

Guest post by Gwen Pescatore

This Week’s #PTchat on Twitter – 9PM EDT – Wed, Jan 30th

Tweetchat Link (for non-twitterers)

Image credit: 25.media.tumblr.com

Literacy is defined as the ability to read for knowledge and interest, write coherently, and think critically about the written word.  The importance of good reading and writing skills will never disappear, and they cannot be achieved at school alone. 

This week on #ptchat we’ll share ideas on how can we encourage kids to take the time to read beyond what’s required; for their own personal satisfaction, outside of school assignments, amidst busy schedules and technology distractions?  What are some ways to encourage deeper thought so students can make the connection between what they’ve read and their experiences (both in the past and future)?

Joining us for the chat are two great literacy minds: Aliscia Lee (@AlisciaLee), Title 1 Reading Specialist at Knapp Elementary in Lansdale PA; and Penny Kittle (@PennyKittle), author, English teacher and literacy coach at Kennett High School in Conway, NH and in the summer at University of New Hampshire Literacy Institutes in Durham, NH.

Thanks to moderator Gwen Pescatore for facilitating this week’s #ptchat!

This Week’s #PTchat On Twitter

Guest Post by Joe Mazza

Image credit: vle.bexley.ac.uk

 

 

1/23/13 #ptchat hosted by Dana Sirotiak

In order to monitor and scaffold a student’s growth progress, regular communication between the home and school is imperative to assure that students are appropriately developing academically, socially, and emotionally. Student Learning Plans (SLPs) should ensure strong adult-student relationships within the school whereby each student should have an adult mentor to assist them with accomplishing their goals.  Personalized Student Learning Plan is defined by the proposed New Jersey Administrative Code (N.J.A.C. 6A:8 – Standards and Assessment for Student Achievement) as “a formalized plan and process that involves students setting learning goals based on personal, academic and career interests, beginning in the middle school grades and continuing throughout high school with the close support of adult mentors that include teachers, counselors and parents”.  

What are the benefits of schools implementing individualized student learning plans for each student earlier in their academic careers?  What role does the child’s family plan in the development process?  

Join us this Wednesday, 1/23/13 on #PTchat at 9pm EDT as we discuss Student Learning Plans. Not on Twitter? Watch the LIVE Tweetchat link here

This Week’s #PTchat On Twitter

Guest post by Joe Mazza

Image credit: bibliovoracious.com

This Wednesday on #ptchat we’ll be discussing apps across all devices to support the best teaching, learning and home support for today’s students. To help with our conversation, we’ve invited several education technology gurus including Steven Anderson. Steven, (@web20classroom) on Twitter, has been a constant resources for instructional technology on so many levels. 

 

 

 

Steven is the Director of Instructional Technology for the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools in Winston-Salem, NC. He also regularly travels the country talking to schools and districts about the use of Social Media in the classroom. Steven has been a presenter at several educational technology conferences, including ISTE, ASCD and NCTIES, as well as served as a panelist at the #140 Conference in Los Angeles, New York and was a featured speaker at the first ever #140Edu Conference, focusing on the real-time web in education. He is also responsible in helping create #edchat, a weekly education discussion on Twitter that boasts over 500 weekly participants. Steven has been recognized with the NOW Award, highlighting the Movers And Shakers in the world of social media and the 2009 and 2011 Edublogs, Twitterer of The Year Award. In 2012 he was named an ASCD Emerging Leader, recognizing young, talented educational leaders in their field. Follow his blog here

Please join #ptchat this Wednesday, January 16th at 9PM EDT for a lively Parent-Teacher Appy Hour! 

This Week’s #PTchat On Twitter

 

Guest post by Dana Sirotiak

As children grow up in a digital society, their exposure to information is endless.  Whether it is information for a research report for school or connecting with their peers through social media.  How does social media influence the identity of our children and how can parents guide their child to use it appropriately? Gloria DeGartano, author of Parenting Well in a Media Age, found that there are six specific challenges of modern-day parenting that raise six important questions:

•   Whose messages do we want to be most influential in shaping the emerging identity of our children—the messages from an industry-generated culture or the messages from parents?

•   How do we help our children intentionally choose what is in their best interests when the corporate-controlled culture and social institutions in our communities persist in urging them to make choices not in their best interests?

•   How do we nurture our children’s and teens’ healthy autonomy within an industry-generated culture determined to undermine our authority and responsibility?

•   How do we parents get the relevant information we need to parent well when that information is not easily available through common mass media channels?

•   How can we stop the escalation of sensational, mindless content by the industry-generated culture if human brains are easily conditioned to seek it?

•   How can parents meet their children’s real human needs and their own human needs in a larger culture that avoids recognition of those needs?

Join us this Wednesday on #PTchat at 9pm EST/PST where we will be joined by special guest Gloria DeGartano @SpeakerGloria as we discuss Parenting Well in a Media Age.

This week’s #PTchat On Twitter

Guest post by Joe Mazza

On Wednesday, January 2, 2013, weekly #ptchat returns with a goal setting conversation. We’ll discuss short and long term family engagement goals from the classroom, administrative and parent leadership lens. How can we best involve student voice to maximize our engagement goals? Join us at 9PM EDT for our first conversation of 2013. Happy New Year!

New to Twitterchats?

After logging on to Twitter, visit Tweetchat and simply enter “ptchat” in the box at the top. Follow along, just watch and/or participate as you as much as you like to join others around the world in this weekly chat. We look forward to engaging your unique and important parent/teacher/student perspectives. 

Role of Parents & Teachers in Keeping Students Safe – This Wk’s #PTchat

Guest post by Joe Mazza

With the horrific events of last Friday, the conversation is how vulnerable our own schools are if an intruder would enter our own respective settings. During this week’s parent-teacher chat, we’ll share policies and protocol in place, as well as where parents and teachers feel President Obama should focus his efforts in terms of mental health and safe schools during the remainder of his term. It’s so important to engage our community members in seeing through all lenses of school safety. 

 

Join #PTchat this Wednesday night at 9PM EDT for a lively discussion on proactive school safety. Our heavy hearts are with all of those impacted in and around Newtown, CT.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This week’s #PTchat – Longer School Days

Guest Post by Joe Mazza

You may have heard the news that 5 states have approved adding 300 hours to school days in an effort to close achievement gaps and re-imagine the school day. Below is a video from @CNNschools which Sam Chaltain (@SamChaltain) talks about impacts on both sides from these changes to the school day.

This week, Melissa Taylor (@MelissaWrites) from Parenting Magazine (@Parenting) will join us to dig deeper on this topic. Melissa is an award-winning educational blogger at ImaginationSoup, an award-winning teacher with a M.A. in Education, and a mom of two children, ages 6 and 9. You can follow her on Twitter or find her on FacebookMelissa wrote a piece last week on the efforts that Colorado, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York & Tennessee will put in place for 20,000 of their students in which she shared some pros and cons from her parenting lens:

Pros

  • More time for enrichment activities and instruction. (If everything goes as planned.)
  • Easier for working parents.         

Cons

  • Not supported by research or anecdotal evidence. For example, South Korea, Finland and Japan perform better than American students and already spend less time in school than we do.
  • Teachers unions don’t want to work longer hours. Convincing them otherwise will be challenging.
  • Funding is an issue. The 5 states in this 3–year trial are getting money from federal, state, and district funds plus funding from the Ford Foundation and the National Center on Time and Learning.               

What do you think? Can we really add more time to school days without maximizing what happens within the time already allotted? Are we asking students to spend more time within a broken system? Join us this Wednesday, 12/12 at 9PM EDT for Parent-Teacher Chat (#ptchat)

This Week’s #PTchat On Twitter

Guest Post by Joe Mazza

Image credit: http://www.teachingthecore.com/
The information below has been linked from the National PTA
The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) is a joint effort led by the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and the Council of Chief State School Officers to develop a common core of K-12 standards in English language arts and Mathematics. The aim of this state-led initiative is to develop internationally-benchmarked standards that ensure all students are held to consistent expectations that will prepare them for college and career.  To date, over 45 states have adopted the standards, in addition to the District of Columbia, Guam, American Samoan Islands, US Virgin Islands and the Anchorage, AK School District.

The background, history and premise is important, but for our families, we need to break down exactly what these new CCSS look like for each grade level and how parents can support them in the home. The National PTA has recently published a Parents Guide to Student Success in PDF format in multiple languages. 

Included in the PTA’s Guide
  • Key items that children should be learning in English language arts and mathematics in each grade, once the standards are fully implemented.
  • Activities that parents can do at home to support their child’s learning. 
  • Methods for helping parents build stronger relationships with their child’s teacher. 
  • Tips for planning for college and career (high school only).
Join us this Wednesday, 12/5 at 9PM EDT / 6PM PST for #PTchat as we dig deeper on the common core work to develop a parent resource newsletter insert for schools.

New to Twitterchats?
After logging on to Twitter, visit Tweetchat and simply enter “ptchat” in the box at the top. Follow along, just watch and/or participate as you as much as you like to join others around the world in this weekly chat. We look forward to engaging your unique and important parent/teacher/student perspective.


This Week’s #PTchat – Recognizing Students for In & Out of School Accomplishments During the School Year

Guest post by Joe Mazza

Back in June, we spent an hour on #PTchat talking about whether Awards Assemblies were best for all kids. We agreed it was good to recognize students for all they do, but one takeaway highlighted how difficult it is for some students to be a part of the audience when year after year, their names are NOT the ones called, even if they made great strides during the school year.

Building natural recognitions for students “into the bricks” of the school is one of the goals many of us have for a healthy school culture. If we naturally recognize our students for what they do each day, whether for an in school or out of school happening, we can boost self-esteem and continue developing deep relationships with students. When our students feel valued and appreciated by their teachers, parents and peers, they are more likely to be happy and comfortable within their learning community.

This week on #PTchat, we’re asking you to bring your best ideas on how you recognize students throughout the course of the school year. Do you have something weekly on the announcements? Do you hand out character counts tickets? Post names and accomplishments in your school newsletter? Let’s develop a list of ideas to bring back to our schools. This is a great chat to have your own children sit in on to help answer the questions because in the end, we want to recognize students with their voice in mind.

Join us this Wednesday, 11/28 at 9PM EDT / 6PM PST for #PTchat.

New to Twitterchats?

After logging on to Twitter, visit Tweetchat and simply enter “ptchat” in the box at the top. Follow along, just watch and/or participate as you as much as you like to join others around the world in this weekly chat. We look forward to engaging your unique and important parent/teacher/student perspective.

This Week’s #PTchat On Twitter

Guest Post by Joe Mazza

Image credit: Great read! “Beyond the Bakesale”

Join us on this week’s #PTchat as we take a look at the research on creating and building a home-school partnership, while sharing examples what this looks like in today’s schools.

According to Henderson & Mapp (2006), four core beliefs must be firmly in place to have a true home-school partnership:


Core Belief 1: All Parents Have Dreams for Their Children and Want the Best for Them

Core Belief 2: All Parents Have the Capacity to Support Their Children’s Learning


Core Belief 3: Parents and School Staff Should Be Equal Partners

Core Belief 3: Parents and School Staff Should Be Equal Partners


This Wednesday at 9PM EDT / 6PM PST, on Twitter, we will create a shared gDOC for parents, teachers & leaders to help us turn the Core Beliefs into actions within the school. We’ll discuss what takes to get to the point of “partnership.” A great pre-read to this #PTchat comes from Parent Involvement Matters entitled “How Do You Know If You’re Open To Partnership?”

New to Twitterchats?
After logging on to Twitter, visit Tweetchat and simply enter “ptchat” in the box at the top. Follow along, just watch and/or participate as you as much as you like to join others around the world in this weekly chat. We look forward to engaging your unique and important parent and/or educator perspective.

This Week’s #PTchat On Twitter

Guest post by Gwen Pescatore

This week’s Parent-Teacher Chat (#ptchat) on Twitter – Creating a Positive Learning Environment at Home & at School

Maxine Shaw, Head of Hazelwood School in Surrey, England said in an article for the autumn issue of Attain Magazine, “The very best schools will set children on a journey.” She continues on to say, “…each child sees themselves as an octopus, in a string bag, on a zip wire. As the child travels along the zip wire they will be able to swing away from the central line, grabbing every opportunity that is offered to them.”

Learning is not limited to school. Children are in school for only a fraction of the day, meaning, in the best of situations, this statement carries over to the home. There is no secret formula to how children learn best, but do some techniques and situations set kids up to maximize the learning experience and leave them wanting to know more? How do parents and educators together create a positive learning environment and encourage kids to be lifelong learners?

Questions we’ll discuss this Wed., 11/14/12 at 9PM EDT/6 PM PST

• How do we balance allowing children the freedom to “swing away” while also protecting them from potential harm? Do we stifle their learning in the process of protecting them?
• What inspires students to learn about a subject they don’t consider their “favorite”?
• How can technology and social media play a role?
• What can we learn from the students who are creating companies that solve some of the world’s largest problems or being a regular contributor to the local newspaper?
• Does there need to be structure to maximize learning?
• Does a positive learning environment have to mean “fun”?
• Does socio-economic status play a role? If so, what are ways to overcome them?
• Does class/school size make a difference?

New to Twitterchats?
After logging on to Twitter, visit Tweetchat and simply enter “ptchat” in the box at the top. Follow along, just watch and/or participate as you as much as you like to join others around the world in this weekly chat. We look forward to engaging your unique and important parent and/or educator perspective.

This Week’s #PTchat On Twitter — Home Visits

Guest post by Joe Mazza

Image credit: media.mlive.com
This week’s Parent-Teacher Chat on Twitter focuses on “home visits” made by educators to engage families. Virginia Supt. Dr. Steve Constantino and Iowa Principal JimmyCasas will join us as experienced resources for this discussion.
When teachers build relationships with the families of the students they teach, those families become powerful advocates in their children’s education. Home visits can give teachers the insight they need to help all students succeed. Home visits are not a new idea, however, the practice has faded due to changing family and societal structures, increased responsibilities and demands placed on teachers and in some cases, trepidation over whether or not home visits will truly bring about positive change in student achievement. With training and correct implementation, however, home visits can have a lasting effect on the child, the parent and parent-teacher communication. 
Join us for this Wedneday’s PTchat focused on “Making Home Visits Successful” – 11/7/12 at 9PM EDT / 6 PM PST.
New to Twitterchats?
After logging on to Twitter, visit Tweetchat and simply enter “ptchat” in the box at the top. Follow along, just watch and/or participate as you as much as you like to join others around the world in this weekly chat. We look forward to engaging your unique and important parent and/or educator perspective.

This Week’s #PTchat

Guest post by Joe Mazza

Image credit: http://www.becoming1.org

On a typical Wednesday night, we hold a Parent-Teacher chat on an important and timely home-school topic. This week, we’re providing a special 60-day school year check-in and opening up the conversation to your individual and school needs. Think about the following. What does your class or school struggle with in engaging families? Need to throw an idea out there to the rest of the PTchat community? What would take your home-school efforts to the next level? What are others in a similar situation using to get the job done? 

To make sure your question(s) or challenge is shared, detail your situation in the comments section below or send an email to pennedtech@gmail.com before the chat. 

Looking forward to a differentiated chat based on your home-school needs this Wednesday, 10/31/12 at 9PM EDT / 6 PM PST. 


This Week’s #PTchat On Twitter

Guest post by Joe Mazza

Image credit: http://www.educationfuture.info

This Wednesday night at 9PM EDT/6PM PST, we’ll be talking politics and the future of U.S. Education on #PTchat (Parent-Teacher Chat). Nikhil Goyal (@nikhilgoya_l), a 17 year-old student and author of One Size Does Not Fit All: A Student’s Assessment of School will answer questions and offer ideas during our chat according to his lens as a student attending today’s schools. 

During the chat, we’ll discuss current local and national education policies in place, as well as any future plans and ideas our Presidential candidates plan to implement. Greg Toppo (@gtoppo) of USA Today recently wrote an article on the differing views on education our candidate possess. 

With the final Presidential debate in the books, Wednesday’s timely chat promises to be lively and full of perspectives from all areas of education. We encourage you to send sample questions for Nikhil to pennedtech@gmail.com by Tuesday, 10/23/12 5PM. 

New to Twitterchats?
After logging on to Twitter, visit Tweetchat and simply enter “ptchat” in the box at the top. Follow along, just watch and/or participate as you as much as you like to join others around the world in this weekly chat. We look forward to engaging your unique and important parent and/or educator perspective.