| What It Takes To Graduate |
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| Wednesday, May 22, 2013 9:14 AM -0400 | By: DarkeCounty ESC |
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| What were the requirements for you to get a high school diploma? The answer to that question varies quite dramatically depending on when you graduated. Since we all attended a K-12 school, we think we all pretty much know how it works and what th |
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| Constantly Raising the Bar |
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| Monday, May 6, 2013 11:59 AM -0400 | By: DarkeCounty ESC |
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| As a kid growing up, did your parents ever set a standard and then change it on you? Something like, “If you clean up your room then you can have your friend over”. After you cleaned your room, the rule suddenly changed when your mother said |
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| Ohio's New Assessments |
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| Monday, April 29, 2013 10:18 AM -0400 | By: DarkeCounty ESC |
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| Along with the newly adopted standards, Ohio will also be implementing a new wave of assessments. I'll not argue in this writing about the pros and cons of standardized testing. That is a complex issue with facts and strong emotions on both sides. |
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| Common Core State Standards |
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| Friday, April 12, 2013 2:16 PM -0400 | By: DarkeCounty ESC |
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| On June 18, 2010 the Ohio Department of Education adopted the Common Core State Standards in Mathematics and English Language Arts. These standards were written by a small team of authors (about 3), that was assisted by a much larger team (about 60) |
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| National Digital Literacy Day Message |
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| Friday, March 22, 2013 10:38 AM -0400 | By: DarkeCounty ESC |
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| Yesterday was National Digital Literacy Day. Below is a message I received from Tom Ferree, President and COO, Connected Nation: [Image:32213_105429_0.png] Friend, Today is Digital Literacy Day and we’re excited to be joining others in celebr |
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| Public WiFi - What You Should Know Before You Connect |
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| Tuesday, February 5, 2013 2:41 PM -0500 | By: DarkeCounty ESC |
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| Public WiFi access is convenient for those of us with mobile devices . It means I can take my iPad, that has no data plan, with me to a restaurant and surf the web, check email and search for answers to those nagging questions that come up in conver |
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| November Digital Learning Calendar |
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| Tuesday, November 6, 2012 1:20 PM -0500 | By: DarkeCounty ESC |
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| This entry is being posted on Election Day 2012! By the time you are reading this, I hope you have voted or have to time vote yet today. Afterwards, take time to watch the November 6th TED-Ed video, The Oddities of the First American Election. |
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| October Digital Learning Calendar |
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| Monday, October 1, 2012 1:14 PM -0400 | By: DarkeCounty ESC |
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| It is indeed October 1st (where did September go?) and below is this month's Digital Learning calendar. I want to thank Mike Goubeaux, Tech Coordinator at Versailles, for links to Thursdays' educational video sites! Sundays feature blog entries for |
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| September Digital Learning Calendar |
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| Thursday, September 6, 2012 12:30 PM -0400 | By: DarkeCounty ESC |
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| Stop by each day for your daily dose of technology! September's Digital Learning Calendar offers a diverse selection of web resources for the 21st Century educator. Enjoy!! September 2012 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Sat |
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| August Digital Learning Calendar |
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| Monday, August 27, 2012 3:56 PM -0400 | By: DarkeCounty ESC |
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| Welcome Back to School!! Whether it's your first day back or you have a week (or two) under your belt, this seems a good time to ease back into our Digital Learning Calendar resources. From blogs to current events, take it one day at a time and exp |
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| Dealing with Text Complexity |
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| Monday, March 19, 2012 1:43 PM -0400 | By: DarkeCounty ESC |
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| The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) include an entire appendix related to the complexity of text that students are expected to read. The standards were written on the premise that the texts that students are reading have gotten easier in the pas |
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| Trying Something Different for a Change |
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| Tuesday, June 19, 2012 9:11 AM -0400 | By: DarkeCounty ESC |
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| Not long after John Kasich was elected governor of Ohio, I attended a meeting of superintendents from around the state that was led by the executive director of the educational organization to which we all belonged. During our meeting he apprised us |
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| Add This Contact to Your Cell Phone |
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| Wednesday, June 6, 2012 9:58 AM -0400 | By: DarkeCounty ESC |
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| Take some time today and add a new contact to your mobile devices address book: ICE, which is an acronym for In Case of Emergency. If an emergency occurs and you were unconscious, there is no way for you to tell emergency personnel important inform |
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| Supporting Public Education |
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| Friday, May 25, 2012 12:15 PM -0400 | By: DarkeCounty ESC |
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| The current state of education might be best classified as an upper level disturbance (to borrow some weather terminology) with the air being unstable and conducive to stormy conditions. • Schools are weighing the reality of the governor's budge |
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| The More Things Change The More They Stay The Same |
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| Monday, May 14, 2012 11:40 AM -0400 | By: DarkeCounty ESC |
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| Last fall, I wrote a letter to all the members of the State Board of Education after reading a synopsis of a meeting they held during which they complained that too many school districts were being labeled as "Excellent" or "Excellent |
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| The US Education System - More Food for Thought |
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| Monday, May 7, 2012 1:49 PM -0400 | By: DarkeCounty ESC |
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| Currently many voices are echoing the same refrain regarding education in the United States, with the message being clearly stated that we appear to be acting in direct opposition to leading education programs around the globe. In a [ http://blogs.e |
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| Why Not Learn From the Best? |
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| Tuesday, May 1, 2012 11:45 AM -0400 | By: DarkeCounty ESC |
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| As everyone is well aware, education in America has been under a constant barrage of criticism since at least the 1960's, at which time President Kennedy decided it was best that politicians drive educational policy in this country. That trend has es |
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| Mentoring to Improve Self-Esteem in Girls |
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| Wednesday, April 18, 2012 3:22 PM -0400 | By: DarkeCounty ESC |
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| For the second year, the Darke County ESC has partnered with 2 local elementary schools to provide a self-esteem building program to 4th grade girls. According to clinical psychologist Robin F. Goodman “Girls' self-esteem peaks when they are 9 year |
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| April Digital Learning Calendar |
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| Monday, April 2, 2012 3:32 PM -0400 | By: DarkeCounty ESC |
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| This month's activities and links revolve around specific events listed for each day! Explore these web resources or use as a jumping off point and find your own related websites! April Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturd |
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| March Digital Learning Calendar |
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| Monday, March 12, 2012 12:36 PM -0400 | By: DarkeCounty ESC |
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| After receiving some positive comments on the February Digital Learning calendar, I decided to create one for March! There is a blend of professional development type sites and student interest sites, so be sure to check back each day for a new adve |
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| Darke County Career Mentorship Program |
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| Tuesday, February 21, 2012 3:05 PM -0500 | By: DarkeCounty ESC |
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| I would like to encourage all administrators, teachers, staff and parents to talk to their students/children about participating in the Career Mentorship Program. The Darke County Educational Services offers this program, which provides two days of |
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| | Who Do You Work For? | | | | | Tuesday, December 20, 2011 2:26 PM -0500 | By: DarkeCounty ESC |
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I don't mean this question the way you probably first interpret it. Maybe it would be more accurate to say, "For Whose Benefit Do You Work"? It seems to me that I find people in two extremes concerning this issue. Those who work for their own benefit and those who work for the benefit of others. Let me describe these two behaviors as I see them.
Those who work for their own benefit.
These people, as I observe them, work to make their own experience easier, more profitable, or more glorious. I'm sure these people exist in almost any work environment but let me cite some examples from education where I am most familiar.
The Teacher:
This teacher has plans that are set in stone. They never waiver in their instruction, timeline, student interaction, or content. This makes their job much easier. No need to differentiate their instruction or consider extenuating circumstances or reasons to speed up or slow down instruction. The class will be run on THEIR schedule and with THEIR rules come hell or high water. This makes it so much easier to plan. They basically plan one year of work and then repeat that plan every year until retirement. By now I'm guessing every person reading this has pictured and/or named a teacher from their past fitting this description.
The Technology Coordinator:
This is a newer position to the educational organization. Some of these people believe their job is to protect those glowing machines at all costs. If people (teachers, students, and administrators) would just not touch these precious machines then their world would be glorious. So instead of training others on how to use, fix, and access information appropriately, we lock them up as tight as possible so that no damage (and no constructive work) will happen. We once had an employee working part time for a university. They provided her a laptop to help support the work she was doing with the university. The laptop was so locked up (protected) she could do nothing of value with the machine. She returned it the next day. BUT, I'm sure the technology person didn't care much because their
objective had been met. Namely, they did not have to fix the machine or help train anyone to use it properly.
The Custodian:
If people would just stay out of the building then I wouldn't have to clean, repair, or worry about keeping people comfortable in this place. Some custodians consider their work to be the most important in the building. Why else would I mow the grass right outside the classroom window during school instead of waiting until after school is out. After all, my job of maintaining the building and grounds is more important than student learning, isn't it? If you need that desk fixed in your room it shouldn't matter if you in the middle of a lesson should it? And so what if the furnace isn't working properly, can't students wearing coats and gloves learn just as much as those who are comfortable and have good lighting? It makes the custodian's job much more difficult to put everyone else's needs ahead of
his/her own.
The Administrator:
If teachers, students, and parents would just accept my rules and take care of their own problems, I could sit in this office and actually enjoy my job. Instead of asking for input and reaching consensus among my staff, it is so much easier (and better in my opinion) if they would just do what I told them to do. I like to start new programs in the district because it will get "good press" and add to my resume. After all, my end goal is to do enough flashy things so that I can get the next great job. I don't really care to inform or even include parents about the education we do here. The more parents stay away from the building, the easier my job is. I say we want parents involved in their child's education but its easier if they just trust me. I say I want students actively learning,
finding, arguing, and discovering new information but its easier if they just sit in rows quietly while being lectured to. I say I'll support teachers but I would rather they solve their own problems, schedules, and discipline issues. It just makes my life easier.
Those who work for the benefit of others.
These people work to make the experiences of the people around them easier, more profitable, or more glorious.
The Teacher:
They are constantly looking for ways to increase the abilities of their students. When you ask them about why they have such great results in the classroom they divert attention from themselves and say they are just lucky to have good students, good parents, good colleagues, etc. They work to recreate themselves, their lessons, and their own learning every year. It's hard work!
The Technology Coordinator:
Of course there must be guidelines on using technology but this person always looks for the least restrictive environment. This means they have to fix machines when the teacher or student tries to do something on the computer that didn't work as expected. It means getting out in the classroom and listening to the needs of the users instead of sitting in a remote closet and issuing email commands. This person can fix the silly things (you forgot to plug it in) without demeaning a teacher or student.
The Custodian:
This person is so good at their job they seem to disappear. This is a misconception of course, because they are working so hard at maintaining a healthy, comfortable, and pleasing environment that you begin to take it for granted. You see, if you quietly go about your job and don't make a fuss, you may feel a loss of appreciation (glory). It takes a lot of patience to work for the benefit of others.
The Administrator:
You first begin to understand if an administrator is working for the benefit of others by listening to them speak and secondly by watching their actions. An administrator working for others will deflect any compliments they get and say the people working under them deserve the credit for the great things that are happening. Their actions will show they understand how what they ask others to do may affect the work environment and are careful and sensitive to how their actions and words affect those around them
Now of course I understand that the people I describe at the beginning are a small minority. We all spend a lot of time complaining and worrying, and trying to fix the few people who irritate us. And truthfully, all of us are on a scale somewhere between the two extremes. But each of us need to reflect about how we think and how we act while performing our job.
Are we working to just make our life easier/better or are we working to truly benefit others? Working for the benefit of others requires a little more effort on our part but I think it is infinitely more rewarding.
Carl Jones, Director of Curriculum
If you would like to comment on this blog, click here to send an email!
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| Suggestion - Digital Learning Month! |
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| Wednesday, February 1, 2012 3:58 PM -0500 | By: DarkeCounty ESC |
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| Today is Digital Learning Day! This day is all about, as Garfield says, empowering teachers and promoting innovation. [Image:2112_121054_0.jpg] If you didn't get the memo in time to plan digital learning activities for today, I encourage you to tak |
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| Playing the Accountability Game |
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| Tuesday, November 29, 2011 10:05 AM -0500 | By: DarkeCounty ESC |
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| Everyone in education knows that accountability is the main focus for most school districts. No Child Left Behind (NCLB) along with individual states have set forth the expectations and performance goals that schools must meet to determine they are |
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| A Working Model for Shared Services |
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| Thursday, November 17, 2011 1:46 PM -0500 | By: DarkeCounty ESC |
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| The Darke County ESC Administrative Team presented a session at the Capital Conference earlier this week. It was titled "A Working Model for Shared Services" and looked at ways Educational Service Centers and the districts they serve can c |
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| What Now? |
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| Thursday, November 10, 2011 10:48 AM -0500 | By: DarkeCounty ESC |
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| With the defeat of Issue 2, SB 5 will not become effective. But the law has changed through HB 153 (Ohio's Budget Bill). So what does all this mean, as of now, for education. As prepared by OSBA legal services division, the following will now be i |
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| REAL Success Luncheon |
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| Wednesday, October 19, 2011 11:20 AM -0400 | By: DarkeCounty ESC |
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| Today we celebrated the 4th annual REAL Success Luncheon. REAL means Raising Expectations for All Learners but maybe we should change the title to Reaching BEYOND Expectations for All Learners because that is what 45 students with disabilities from |
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| A Humble Tribute To Steve Jobs |
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| Thursday, October 6, 2011 11:03 AM -0400 | By: DarkeCounty ESC |
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| [Image:10611_95944_1.png][Image:10611_95944_1.png][Image:10611_95944_1.png][Image:10611_95944_1.png][Image:10611_95944_1.png][Image:10611_95944_1.png][Image:10611_95944_1.png][Image:10611_95944_1.png][Image:10611_95944_1.png][Image:10611_95944_1.pn |
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| What Do You Expect? |
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| Tuesday, October 4, 2011 11:01 AM -0400 | By: DarkeCounty ESC |
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| For the past couple of weeks, I have been reading the book, Teach Like a Champion. This book's tagline is: "49 Techniques That Put Students on the Path to College," but it is really all about how teachers' expectations and classroom climat |
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| The School District Report Card |
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| Wednesday, September 21, 2011 8:54 AM -0400 | By: DarkeCounty ESC |
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| I find it interesting when District Local Report Cards come out in August and newspaper writers and local citizens try to interpret all the information contained in the eight page document. Education is a complex business and when you over simplify |
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| Welcome Back! |
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| Wednesday, August 17, 2011 1:02 PM -0400 | By: DarkeCounty ESC |
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| You can tell it is almost time to begin the 2011-2012 school year. With excitement building and teachers returning to prepare their rooms for another school year, we all look forward to a great 2011-2012. You know it is close with the Great Darke C |
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| Are There Bullies in Your School? |
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| Tuesday, July 5, 2011 5:35 PM -0400 | By: DarkeCounty ESC |
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| Of course there are! Surveys indicate that bullying is a common experience for children with over half of all students reporting some instance of bullying during their school years. Bullying is a hot topic in the media these days. We hear about som |
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| Keeping Education Reform In Perspective |
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| Thursday, June 9, 2011 10:59 AM -0400 | By: DarkeCounty ESC |
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| In today's politically-charged debate regarding public education, I came across a well written article expressing one parent's perspective of what really matters when it comes to her children's education. You can read the full article below: Ref |
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| Budget Speculation |
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| Tuesday, January 25, 2011 9:44 AM -0500 | By: DarkeCounty ESC |
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| As we wait for some budget news from Columbus, we can only speculate from what we hear now. We know there will be some cuts, adjustments, "shared services" and probably a change in STRS contributions. What we don't know is how much and to |
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| GRADUATION & HOPE |
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| Thursday, May 26, 2011 12:48 PM -0400 | By: DarkeCounty ESC |
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| I was planning on writing about the Budget Bill, but with the Senate still deliberating the bill I will wait. This is a bill we will watch closely because of the announced cuts. Hopefully we can address the bill at a later time. For now, I want to |
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| Where Education Is Going and How We're Going To Get There |
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| Friday, May 13, 2011 2:14 PM -0400 | By: DarkeCounty ESC |
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| It is difficult to create a clear picture of what public schools might look like in the next five to ten years. Let's be honest and acknowledge that politics and state budgets will have a hand in sculpting education along the way. Now, more than ev |
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| Creating True Continuity of Learning, Part I |
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| Thursday, February 17, 2011 12:24 PM -0500 | By: DarkeCounty ESC |
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| As Darke County thaws and digs out from the latest storms that dumped ice and then snow, area schools are working on plans to make up missed days. This school year, Ohio schools were allotted 3 calamity days (down from 5 days allowed in past years) |
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| Why Merit Pay in Education Doesn't Work |
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| Thursday, May 5, 2011 9:24 AM -0400 | By: DarkeCounty ESC |
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| Ever had one of those situations when common sense seems to lead you down the wrong path? "The harder I work the more I will get done", but then you observe people who are more relaxed, and take power naps getting more things accomplished |
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| But I'm Not the Writing Teacher |
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| Friday, April 15, 2011 2:34 PM -0400 | By: DarkeCounty ESC |
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| I've been reading through the common core standards for English Language Arts a lot lately. I've also been discussing them with various groups of teachers and the consensus is that there isn't a whole lot of difference - yes, there are a few changes |
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| Do Gifted Students Need Special Classes? |
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| Friday, April 1, 2011 9:51 AM -0400 | By: DarkeCounty ESC |
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| Gifted students have unique learning and instructional needs. They are expected to learn the same facts, skills, concepts and issues as other students but they make connections faster and work well with abstractions. While the average learner typic |
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| 21st Century Education |
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| Monday, October 18, 2010 3:03 PM -0400 | By: DarkeCounty ESC |
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| Below is an interesting video on 21st Century education. I hope it makes you think.....I hope it makes you want to change!! <iframe title="YouTube video player" width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube |
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| Standards-based Education and Creativity...Can They Coexist? |
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| Friday, March 4, 2011 11:54 AM -0500 | By: DarkeCounty ESC |
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| We live in an educational culture of standards-based education and a strict focus on test scores. There has been a marked improvement in student learning gains as a result but some are worried at what costs. Many people are concerned about the frig |
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| Curriculum and Standards |
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| Tuesday, January 18, 2011 11:37 AM -0500 | By: DarkeCounty ESC |
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| Standard: An idea or thing used as a measure, norm, or model in comparative evaluations The standards movement in the United States has been interesting. Before standards, what was taught in a particular course was determined by each individual sc |
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| Christmas - Technology Style! |
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| Wednesday, December 15, 2010 3:41 PM -0500 | By: DarkeCounty ESC |
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| It's almost Christmas! Just a minute while I check Facebook where one of my "friends" has been posting the countdown......yes, it is official, only 10 days until Santa visits!! I find online shopping to be extremely beneficial and darn co |
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| Darke County Pupil Service Update |
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| Monday, November 15, 2010 8:22 AM -0500 | By: DarkeCounty ESC |
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| The Pupil Service department has been very busy these first months of the school year. To start out the new school year our High School Special Education Supervisor/Work Study Coordinator and several of our district high school special education tea |
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| Consolidation |
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| Wednesday, November 10, 2010 8:24 AM -0500 | By: DarkeCounty ESC |
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| The Brookings Institution and Greater Ohio Policy Center published a study on: "Restoring Prosperity: Transforming Ohio's Communities for the Next Economy." "The Brookings Institution has a great track record for offering sound rese |
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| In Search of the Silver Bullet |
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| Monday, November 1, 2010 3:24 PM -0400 | By: DarkeCounty ESC |
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| It seems education is constantly on the never ending search of the Silver Bullet to improve education. We latch onto things such as new textbooks, new schedules, new computers, or the newest interactive software. A multitude of vendors stand at the |
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| New Wave Music Appreciation?? |
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| Tuesday, October 19, 2010 10:27 AM -0400 | By: DarkeCounty ESC |
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| Okay....I couldn't resist :) Below are two music videos that I've come across and wanted to share! Both include "instruments" that are iPhone apps. After viewing these movies, a co-worker commented on how much the world has changed; and |
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| What Is Your Level of Technology Engagement? |
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| Wednesday, October 13, 2010 11:27 AM -0400 | By: DarkeCounty ESC |
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| First, let me state that I am not technology illiterate, nor do I lack exposure to technology gadgets and resources. My job requires working with all levels of technology, from troubleshooting hardware problems to creating software solutions to help |
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| Special Ed News |
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| Tuesday, September 14, 2010 1:54 PM -0400 | By: DarkeCounty ESC |
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| Well this year quickly zoomed in upon us and is quickly zooming by...I can't believe it is mid September already. Things in the land of special education have been eerily quiet. Last year it was new forms and a new computer program to learn, this y |
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