Best of the Web - A Great FREE Resource for Websites, Apps, and More

CIMC has just completed the eighth edition of their free web book, a resource which has been popular with educators for many years. This edition incorporates many firsts. It is the first edition to include apps for both instructors and students, and the first to be offered on CD as well as in print. As always, CIMC provides a variety of websites to enhance the classroom experience, offers avenues for professional development, and assists instructors with student engagement and enhancement activities. With this version, they have included sections of websites for:

• Common Core
• Teacher Resources
• eLearning
• General Interest
• Careers
• And websites listed by cluster

CIMC is offering the complete Websites, Apps, and More as a FREE DOWNLOAD. Print and CD versions are also available at no cost at many state and national conferences (see CIMC's exhibit schedule).

If you'd like to purchase multiple copies of either the print or CD versions of the web book, contact CIMC's Customer Service Department at 800.654.4502.

Language Arts Activities - A New Product from CIMC

I wanted to let you know that CIMC has created a new CD of printable activities provides practice and reinforcement for one or more of the State Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects (Common Core). Skills include punctuation, capitalization, parts of speech, correct word choice, sentence structure, and writing. The writing activities require using research techniques as well as writing creatively, and are appropriate for students from middle school age and older.

Free: Language Arts Activities sample

You can order this great new product by contacting CIMC online, by phone, or by fax:

http://www.okcareertech.org/educators/cimc

800.654.4502

405.743.5154 (fax)

Blended Learning and Career and Technical Education

Blended learning is continuing its rapid growth through our educational system. There are numerous articles and reports on how technology has affected or "disrupted" both K-12 and Higher Education, but what about career and technology education? It seems that CTE is almost an afterthought, but I believe this form of education is best suited for a quick adoption to the blended learning approach.

So how do you best define blended learning? 

According to the Clayton Christensen Institute for Disruptive Innovation, blended learning is a formal education program in which a student learns:

1. at least in part through online learning, with some element of student control over time, place, path, and/or pace;
2. at least in part in a supervised brick-and-mortar location away from home;
3. and the modalities along each student’s learning path within a course or subject are connected to provide an integrated learning experience.

The majority of blended-learning programs resemble one of four models: Rotation, Flex, A La Carte, and Enriched Virtual. The Rotation model includes four sub-models: Station Rotation, Lab Rotation, Flipped Classroom, and Individual Rotation. This taxonomy will evolve as the practice of blended learning matures.

I had the pleasure of meeting Michael Horn who coauthored "Disrupting Class" with Clayton Christensen and Curtis Johnson a couple of years ago and I have been intrigued by their work ever since. The four models of blended learning they describe have application within the CTE system which I believe there implementation and use is dependent upon the program area and type of student (i.e. traditional or business and industry services clients).

Blended learning could have a tremendous impact on how CTE students learn and on their success in school, in the workplace and as lifelong learners. I hope you will review the links/resources that I have provided and begin a discussion on the impact and delivery of blended learning in CTE.

Additional resources:

• Classifying K-12 Blended Learning by Heather Staker and Michael B. Horn
• The Rise of K-12 Blended Learning: Profiles of Emerging Models by Heather Staker
• The Clayton Christensen Institute maintains a Blended Learning Universe, a rapidly growing, searchable database of K-12 blended-learning programs. This blended-learning resource and more are available here.

Every Kid Needs A Champion

I thought I would share Rita Pierson's recent TED talk as your semester winds down. A little motivation at the end of a school year is always a good thing, isn't it?

Rita has been a teacher, counselor, testing coordinator and an assistant principal for 40 years. Unbelievably, she once heard a colleague say, "They don't pay me to like the kids." Her response was, "Kids don't learn from people they don’t like.” Her TED talk is an inspiring challenge to educators to believe in their students and to actually connect with them on a real, human, personal level. As she quotes James Comer, "No significant learning can occur without a significant relationship."

Please watch the video below or click HERE: