tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61707478409729311332024-03-14T02:21:25.784-05:00#Vanmeter- Leading the Educational Transformation Personalized. Innovative. Global.
This is the place where I share ideas about how the educational system can change to meet the needs of today's learners as well as many of the happenings at Van Meter Schools.DeronDurflingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17215926033903403757noreply@blogger.comBlogger37125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6170747840972931133.post-43720926811251965822015-08-18T07:42:00.000-05:002015-08-18T09:09:51.789-05:00Things to Think About as A Van Meter CSD Resident<br />
We just finished up our August 2015 School Board Meeting. We covered our normal business, but there are three things citizens of Van Meter should be thinking about for the upcoming school year. They are all related topics and issues you might want to talk to Board members about.<br />
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September 8, 2015 is the School Board Election. There are two seats available and four individuals running. Jose' Angel, Brent Haynes, Dan Koster (incumbent,) and Sarah Moore have all decided to put their name in the hat to serve on the board for a four-year term. This is a huge commitment and important to our district. Board members are true servants to our community as they help shape the direction of our district by setting policy and provide input on our vision for what we want our students' learning experiences to be like. They help set our budget and determine where we spend district money. They do this, yet receive no pay for serving. Your input on who represents you is important. Please take the time to vote on Tuesday, September 8. More information about the candidates can be found <a href="http://www.vmbulldogs.com/district/2015candidates.cfm">here.</a> <br />
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Also, on the ballot September 8 is the continuation of the Voter Approved Physical Plant and Equipment Levy. If approved by a simple majority, the district can use the generated funds for the following purposes:<br />
<ul>
<li>purchase and improvement of grounds</li>
<li>construction of schoolhouses or buildings and opening roads to schoolhouses or buildings</li>
<li>purchase, lease, or lease-purchase of equipment or technology exceeding $500 per transaction</li>
<li>payment of debts contracted for the erection or construction of schoolhouses or buildings, not including interest on bonds</li>
<li>procuring or acquisition of library facilities</li>
<li>repairing, remodeling, reconstructing, improving, or expanding the schoolhouses or buildings and additions to existing schoolhouses</li>
<li>expenditures for energy conservation</li>
<li>rental of facilities</li>
<li>purchase of transportation equipment for transporting students</li>
<li>purchase or lease-purchase of school buildings</li>
<li>equipment purchases for recreational purposes</li>
<li>payments to a municipality or other entity as required under section 403.19, subsection 2 [TIF]; and demolition, clean up and other costs incurred within two years of a natural disaster. </li>
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Revenues may not be used for employee salaries or travel; supplies; printing costs or media services; or for any other purpose not expressly authorized by Iowa Code. More information from the Iowa Department of Education can be found <a href="https://www.educateiowa.gov/pk-12/school-facilities/funding/physical-plant-and-equipment-levy-ppel">here. </a><br />
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<b><span style="color: lime;">This is not a tax increase.</span></b> It is a continuation of a voter approved levy from 2008. The community has supported the PPEL since 1999. If you have questions contact a board member or the district office. The District has also created a flyer that has some information. It can be found <a href="http://www.vmbulldogs.com/district/PPEL%20FLYER%202015.pdf">here.</a> <br />
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Another topic of discussion was our increasing enrollment. Last year's student enrollment served was 675 with 23.9% of those students choosing to come here through open enrollment. We anticipated a growth this year of about 25 students. Though it is not official and enrollment can still change, we are anticipating being closer to 725 students for the 2015-16 school year. The estimated percentage of open enrolled in students is almost identical at 24%, but the District and the Board are having discussions on how to manage the open enrolled in population of students. In the past, the District has limited open enrollment for certain grade levels to help control the growth. We are having those discussions again. By October, we hope to have a plan in place to help manage our enrollment moving forward. Though the revenue open enrolled students provide helps increase opportunities for all of our students, we will need to make some decisions to help maintain our mission of personalizing learning for each students' success. <br />
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October 1, 2015 is the official count date, but as a point of reference, in 2003, we had 512 students, in 2009 we had 611, and as mentioned, it looks like in 2015 we are going to be closer to 725, so we need to continue to have discussions on the best way to manage our growth. If you have any questions, contact any of our Board members or the District Office.<br />
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As patrons of our community, we hope you are engaged in the conversation and participate in the election on September 8, 2015 to determine our Board members and the voter approved PPEL. Again, if you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact me. DeronDurflingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17215926033903403757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6170747840972931133.post-91090687516717750532015-08-17T07:12:00.000-05:002015-08-17T09:26:30.131-05:00Welcome Back!<br />
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Van Meter Teachers:</div>
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We are excited to have you back, or here for the 1st time as a new employee of Van Meter Schools. Our school is a special place and we are looking forward to another great year for our students and staff. As you think about the start of the year, there are a few things I hope you consider. I borrowed some of this from <a href="https://drjoeclarkblog.wordpress.com/2015/08/13/ride-the-train-and-other-advice-for-new-teachers/">Dr. Joe Clark</a>, a school administrator in Ohio.</div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-size: x-large;">Start With the Why</span></b></h2>
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We've talked a lot about <a href="https://youtu.be/qp0HIF3SfI4">Simon Sinek's</a> work. If you start with why, you'll make decisions that are best for kids, and you'll demonstrate the skills and dispositions we expect out of our graduates by being a learner who:</div>
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<li style="text-align: left;">Communicates</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Collaborates</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Creates and Innovates</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Adapts</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Solves Problems</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Thinks Globally</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Lives Ethically </li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Perseveres </li>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhcp3c6IJQVoUK6Qt8BzItee7QaByfKXkGzC17rFSxRoF6ld8taqWgRUNX8nmgg8fUUllBFaGIYNwlu6wqWjpX4aFhoPDKOJBmJrEaW0aFvVvT4NleR6doh9_vRmT6z47t0PgredUcGjQ/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-08-14+at+3.11.48+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhcp3c6IJQVoUK6Qt8BzItee7QaByfKXkGzC17rFSxRoF6ld8taqWgRUNX8nmgg8fUUllBFaGIYNwlu6wqWjpX4aFhoPDKOJBmJrEaW0aFvVvT4NleR6doh9_vRmT6z47t0PgredUcGjQ/s320/Screen+Shot+2015-08-14+at+3.11.48+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-size: x-large;">Dare to be Great</span></h2>
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Being a mediocre teacher can be the easiest job in the world. By treating kids well and not making waves, the mediocre can coast through a long career. But being a great teacher is the hardest job in the world. Great teachers differentiate instruction, put in long hours, worry about their students, facilitate awesome learning activities, give meaningful assessments and let the results of the assessments drive their instruction, and so much more. You can have a long career of mediocrity and never be noticed. But the great ones take risks, make mistakes, and keep trying.<br />
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Great teachers teach 35 years, not one year 35 times. Great teachers understand that kids change, technology changes, the research on quality instruction changes. Dusting off lesson plans year after year is a way to doom yourself to mediocrity. It is fine to continue practices that work. But great teachers reflect and adjust constantly. If you aren’t reflecting, you aren't improving.<br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-size: x-large;">Your Attitude is Contagious</span></h2>
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There will be some challenges this year. Things won't always go well or how you had hoped. What will your attitude be like? Will you find the positives and/or look for solutions? or, Will you complain and be a naysayer? Attitudes are contagious, is your's worth catching?<br />
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We can plan and be as proactive as we want, but it won't always go well. We just need to remember that life is 10% what happens and 90% how we respond to it. Others will be watching.<br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-size: x-large;">Relationships Matter Most</span></h2>
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Everyone will eventually have a retirement party, and everyone at the retirement party will be happy. Will they be happy FOR you retiring or BECAUSE you are retiring? Being a great teacher also means being a great colleague. Be professional and ethical and work collaboratively with your colleagues.<br />
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All of your students will one day tell stories about you. Maybe they will tell stories at their class<br />
reunion, or tell stories to their kids or spouse. And you will be a character in every one of your student’s story. What will they say about you? How will you be remembered? That is entirely up to you. Treat kids well. Make sure they describe you with adjectives that make you proud.</div>
DeronDurflingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17215926033903403757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6170747840972931133.post-56482633577863937732014-11-05T09:23:00.001-06:002014-11-05T09:28:02.820-06:00Giving Students More Control Over Their Time <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbLofbKZCWBDghfwucIH_WC-Rrcn-GVezxTrfEV5nCNETouRnNB8AwysLhs4ewdDd4oCCHANKGI4dZkjjCxSVeVMEH15MomzviVCo2o1q2QjFVLFZORqPBm1S3B85jdBViqd1ue61RKrM/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbLofbKZCWBDghfwucIH_WC-Rrcn-GVezxTrfEV5nCNETouRnNB8AwysLhs4ewdDd4oCCHANKGI4dZkjjCxSVeVMEH15MomzviVCo2o1q2QjFVLFZORqPBm1S3B85jdBViqd1ue61RKrM/s1600/images.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">One of the challenges most organizations struggle with is having enough time to accomplish the goals it has established. Van Meter Schools is no different. We are constantly looking at ways we can improve upon how we use the time we have with students to provide the most meaningful learning experience possible for each student.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Schools are tasked with a wide range of challenges and expectations. Not only are we an academic institution, we are trying to help develop people who will contribute as citizens in our communities. Our vision is to empower students to be learners who<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; line-height: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">:</span></span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">Communicate</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">Collaborate</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">Create</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">Innovate</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">Adapt</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">Solve Problems</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">Think Globally</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">Live Ethically</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">Persevere (GRIT)</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span>To help increase the opportunities for students to improve skills in these areas, we will be looking at other ways we can use our time more effectively. As a <a href="https://www.educateiowa.gov/pk-12/standards-and-curriculum/competency-based-pathways/iowa-cbe-collaborative" target="_blank">Competency Based Education (CBE)</a> pilot school for the state of Iowa, we have been tasked with developing a learning model that is more flexible and personalized for each student which is right in line with our mission. Our teachers use <a href="http://bie.org/about/what_pbl" target="_blank">project based learning (PBL)</a> as a framework to get students thinking at higher levels.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The challenge we run into is how time is distributed each day for students. Though we run a <a href="http://www.vmbulldogs.com/secondary/1415dailyschedule.cfm" target="_blank">flexible block schedule</a>, we still are constricted by our daily periods of meeting time. After winter break, we are going to implement a more flexible and project centered schedule based around what each individual student needs to complete a quality cross curricular project that demonstrates mastery of multiple standards and competencies. Students will have some classes that will meet each day, but the majority of their time will be around completing their project with their team. Students will decide how to use their time to meet their objectives instead of the system deciding for them.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We are excited about the potential, but know that this will be messy and it may not go as well as we hope. Getting students to think at the highest levels in a rich engaging learning environment is worth the risk. Even though we may have some challenges, we are confident that this will not be our last attempt to find a way to most effectively use our most precious resource, time. </span></div>
DeronDurflingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17215926033903403757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6170747840972931133.post-65337290227875446712014-03-03T12:57:00.002-06:002014-03-03T12:57:37.695-06:00Van Meter to Receive TLC Grant<div align="center" class="Body" style="text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Van Meter Community School
District to Receive Teacher Leadership Grant<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">I am pleased to announce today that the Van Meter Community School
District is in the first group of Iowa school districts selected to launch
teacher leadership systems next school year.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Teacher leadership systems
will allow teachers to work in greater collaboration with colleagues and school
administrators to improve instruction and increase student achievement. Out of
Iowa’s 346 school districts, 146 applied to start teacher leadership systems in
2014-15 and 39 were selected. Of those, two districts will share teacher
leadership systems. A list of all selected school districts is at the end of
this press release.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">We are excited for the
opportunity to continue the development of our teacher leadership system.
Increasing leadership capacity in our district is not only great for our
teachers, but will have a positive impact on student learning. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Teacher leadership systems
are the centerpiece of Iowa’s historic 2013 education reform package. They
stand to be the foundation for implementation of other state reforms, such as
high academic standards. With higher expectations for all students today, it is
critical to better support the complex work educators must do.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Teacher leadership systems
will be phased in over the next three years across Iowa, with the goal of all
districts participating by 2016-17, although whether to do so is a local
decision. The Commission on Teacher Leadership and Compensation recommended
which districts should be in the first group. Iowa Department of Education
Director Brad Buck made the final decision. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Our district’s <a href="https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B3s14AZ1PMtPZHljbWpsZWwyVEk&usp=sharing" target="_blank">teacher leadership model </a>includes instructional strategists, mentors, and PLC leaders
who will work closely with classroom teachers to better meet the individual instructional
needs of students. Teacher leaders will be paid stipends in exchange for taking
on extra responsibilities.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Districts that applied were
required to set a vision and goals for the teacher leadership system in their
community. Requirements include setting a minimum salary of $33,500 for
full-time teachers, providing intensive mentoring for new teachers, and adopting
a rigorous selection process for applicants for teacher leadership roles.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Districts selected will
receive about $309 per pupil next school year to implement their teacher
leadership systems. The annual cost statewide is nearly $50 million in FY15,
growing to about $150 million annually in the third year. After the initial
year of district implementation, their teacher leadership funding rolls into the
Iowa school finance formula.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">The next step for school
districts is selecting teacher leaders. Gov. Terry Branstad’s FY15 budget
recommendations include $4 million for the Iowa Department of Education,
working with Area Education Agencies, to provide technical assistance and
leadership development for the districts in the first group implementing
teacher leadership systems in 2014-15.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">We are very excited to be one of the first district in the state to receive support from this grant. It will support our work to personalize learning for each student's success today, and tomorrow.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">The selected districts,
enrolling about one-third of Iowa students, are: <a href="" name="_GoBack"></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Benton<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Bettendorf<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Burlington<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Cedar
Rapids<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Colo-NESCO<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Council
Bluffs<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Davenport<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Delwood
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Dubuque<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Earlham<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">East
Marshall <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">East
Union<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Gilbert
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Greene
County<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Hudson<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Humboldt
(in collaboration with Twin Rivers)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Johnston<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Le
Mars<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Linn-Mar<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Marshalltown
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Mount
Pleasant<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Oelwein<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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City<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Polk<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Van Meter<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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DeronDurflingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17215926033903403757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6170747840972931133.post-53832714874884319932014-01-27T06:50:00.001-06:002014-01-27T06:50:36.764-06:002014-2015 School Calendar Proposal As some of you may or may not know, legislation was passed last year
that allows schools to count 1080 hours instead of 180 days as the time
needed for a school year. This gives districts flexibility to meet the
needs of its students. With that being said we have worked with a
committee of teachers, administrators, and parents to develop a proposed
school calendar for next year that is similar, but slightly different
than the past few years' calendars. <br clear="all" />
<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Similarities include:<br /><ul>
<li>Early start date with semester ending prior to winter break</li>
<li>Some full days for professional development</li>
<li>Full week of spring break</li>
<li>End date in mid May</li>
</ul>
<br />
Basically the calendar is the same in regards to the number of
days, but the major difference being proposed is weekly professional
development time for teachers. Many schools in the metro area including,
West Des Moines, Des Moines, Johnston, Ankeny, Norwalk, and Carlisle
either have a weekly late start or early out to provide time for
professional development. In our proposal, the school day would start at
8:15 and end at 3:30 Monday through Thursday. Friday would start at
8:15 but dismissal for students would be at 1:30 p.m. Teachers would use
this time after students are dismissed until 3:30 p.m. to meet
professional development responsibilities outlined by the state,
district, and their individual and team plans. Time is valuable and
research indicates this added PD time will improve instruction and
student learning.<br />
<br />
We know the challenges this may cause for families and this was
considered when developing the calendar. Other communities have found
ways to make the time needed to improve the quality of instruction by
providing weekly PD for teachers work, so it is believed that our
community can as well. <br />
<br />
The calendar has been shared with staff, the school board, and
the VMEPC. Most of the feedback has been positive, but as with any
change, challenges have been presented and we will do our best to
address those concerns. Our School Improvement Advisory Committee
(SIAC) will review the calendar in early February. Board members will
have time to listen to patrons between now and February 17 when they
will decide whether to approve the calendar or not at the monthly
meeting.<br />
<br />
Linked is the proposed calendar and a letter with more information
for you to consider. As with anything, if you have any questions, don't
hesitate to ask.<br />
<br />
Thanks for taking the time to review the linked documents.<br />
<br />
Deron<br />
<br />
<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B3s14AZ1PMtPdnQxZk1Ec2x2UVk/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank">Letter</a><br />
<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B3s14AZ1PMtPbVpyTEhtNlVKWmM/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank">Proposed Calendar</a></div>
DeronDurflingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17215926033903403757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6170747840972931133.post-29209997435937210212013-10-14T17:24:00.001-05:002013-10-14T17:24:05.684-05:00Creating a Learning Space that Meets Student NeedsThe mission of Van Meter Schools is to personalize learning for each students' success today and tomorrow. When you think about truly personalizing learning for students, it is a daunting task. The current school system was not designed with individuals in mind, but rather the masses. The factory model educational system was created to standardize learning, not to customize it to each individual's needs. So creating a learning system to help all students learn at high levels in an efficient way that works for all students is hard work. <br />
<br />
We love what we have developed at Van Meter. Students are given more flexibility to demonstrate their learning here than in many other schools in the U.S., but we are far from where we hope to be in the future. <span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Our vision is <span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.15;">to empower students to be learners who:</span></span><br />
<ul style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<li dir="ltr" style="font-size: 15px; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Communicate</span></span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="font-size: 15px; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Collaborate</span></span></div>
</li>
</ul>
<ul style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<li dir="ltr" style="font-size: 15px; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Create</span></span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="font-size: 15px; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Innovate</span></span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="font-size: 15px; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Solve Problems</span></span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="font-size: 15px; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Adapt</span></span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="font-size: 15px; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Think Globally</span></span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="font-size: 15px; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Live Ethically </span></span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="font-size: 15px; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Persist (Grit)</span></span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px;">We believe we have the foundation established to continue to develop a system that encompasses our mission and makes our vision come to life, but we need a learning space that better enables our teachers to help our students learn in a system customized and personalized to meet each of their needs. That is why we have worked hard to design the type of building structure that is flexible, encourages collaboration, and allows students to create and innovate to solve problems in this ever changing world. </span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px;">With the support of our community backed bond issue in April of 2013, Van Meter Schools has started to transform the district's facilities. Work has already begun on moving the baseball and softball fields. As many people have noticed as they drive by our facilities, the fields are well on their way to being completed by next spring. Photos of the project can be viewed <a href="https://sites.google.com/a/vmbulldogs.com/2012-bond-issue/construction-updates" target="_blank">here</a>. As is viewable from the photos or by just driving by, the fields turf is in and the grass seed is planted. We plan on getting the sod put in and the fences installed later this week. By the end of October, we should be about two-thirds of the way done with the project.</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px;">While work on the East Athletic Complex needed to start prior to the school building renovations, we are most excited about the changes that will be taking place in the late winter and early spring to our secondary building. The project is expected to start shortly after the new year and will continue through the summer of 2015 with plans for completion by the start of the 2015-2016 school year. Though the building plans have not been formally approved by the Van Meter School Board, you can preview what has been developed by the design team below. </span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px;"><a href="https://docs.google.com/file/d/1hPvIaqJC6XNDqP4Dw2yNVmU_lNdauwb2c6GmAHfZMiPY0yjCVfufGws4Hdkk/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank">Main Floor</a>- Download as a PDF to zoom in </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="https://docs.google.com/file/d/1Enr9Dpzw-Xq1N3X5xeTuK93tc37QVpI6KFjAm7vk45Q1KAl7oaWnRNhrX-O0/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank">2nd Floor</a>- Download as a PDF to zoom in</span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px;">There are several key design features in these plans, but ultimately, we are hoping to create a learning space that matches our philosophy of learning. Students and teachers need spaces that are adaptable to the type of learning required for a personalized, innovative and global educational experience.</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px;">We are grateful for the support of our school. With one in five students open enrolled into our growing district, it is apparent that Van Meter Schools is a place that people want their kids to attend. Personalized, Innovative and Global is just not a phrase we put on our website or in promotional tools, but it is how we operate on a daily basis. We look forward to the continued progress of our facilities and we are confident when complete, the learning experiences of our students will only be improved.</span></span></div>
DeronDurflingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17215926033903403757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6170747840972931133.post-18703935053757222572013-05-17T07:50:00.001-05:002013-05-17T09:06:44.894-05:00Need to get Grittier about developing Grit in kidsAt the beginning of the school year, I gave a <a href="http://prezi.com/slzhvctsyfer/van-meter-1st-day-with-staff/?auth_key=eeaee41dae145f2c2cf3a85b8387b9d988a16630&kw=view-slzhvctsyfer&rc=ref-555846" target="_blank">presentation</a> to our students and staff discussing the three areas that I believe are critical to one's success. My message was that if you can be successful in developing students with the skills/characteristics/dispositions in two of the three categories, you can expect the student to be successful in their future endeavors. The categories are based on students having the academic skills/knowledge we expect of our graduates, developing students who have high character, and helping students develop a high level of toughness. At Van Meter, we describe those three areas as:<br />
<ol>
<li><b>90/1/25</b>- The stuff you need to know and be able to do. The numbers for us mean 90% of our students will be proficient, show one year's growth on Iowa Assessments, and we wanted 25% of each grade level to be at the advanced proficient level</li>
<li><b>Good People</b>- Being nice, polite, thoughtful of others, respectful, etc. </li>
<li><b>Grit</b>- Being able to persevere through challenges. Having a level of toughness that allows one to overcome obstacles.</li>
</ol>
We have worked hard to develop these three areas in our students during the year. The challenge is measuring categories 2 and 3. It is easy to see if we were successful in the first category. And quite frankly, we were successful as you can see on the chart below:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVhEBm-2OBkvZ2bdd7H7gGW6gZsYkjMf2HejYZ8Qc4VIgbWiSmDB_Dump2iJdcAzpn7F7cF_BHRo5HOW6-aYr3agJbsfA0JzhRhyBycxeyJijUB9F-uv_Xp8AjFOG9PoIX4-fZoGnY208/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-17+at+7.23.26+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVhEBm-2OBkvZ2bdd7H7gGW6gZsYkjMf2HejYZ8Qc4VIgbWiSmDB_Dump2iJdcAzpn7F7cF_BHRo5HOW6-aYr3agJbsfA0JzhRhyBycxeyJijUB9F-uv_Xp8AjFOG9PoIX4-fZoGnY208/s320/Screen+Shot+2013-05-17+at+7.23.26+AM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Like any other school, we want our students to be good people. We would like to think that they are, but it is a little more difficult to come up with data to support that thinking. We are working on some measures to validate our beliefs, but ultimately, we have no way to prove that our students are good people other than our regular observations of their actions. We have a lot of good people in our building.<br />
<br />
The one category I get most excited about is grit. To me it is the key to any person's success. If you think of any person that is considered successful, there usually is a level of <a href="http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stick-to-itiveness" target="_blank">stick-to-itiveness </a>that has helped them get to where they are. I have read some of <a href="http://www.sas.upenn.edu/~duckwort/images/Grit%20JPSP.pdf" target="_blank">Angela Duckworth's </a>work in the past, and I am encouraged by her findings, but the video below is the first time I have had the opportunity to hear her speak.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" mozallowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" src="http://embed.ted.com/talks/angela_lee_duckworth_the_key_to_success_grit.html" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="560"></iframe> <br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">You can get your own grit score <a href="https://sasupenn.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_06f6QSOS2pZW9qR" target="_blank">here</a>.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
We are working on developing the grit needed in our students to be successful. Creating a culture in which students push through the challenges in front of them with a commitment and desire that will help them find continuous success is what we are striving to accomplish at Van Meter. My favorite quote is from Charles R. Swindoll, "...life is 10% what happens and 90% how I react to it." This quote summarizes what determines one's success. How we respond to the highs and lows of life, defines who we are as people.<br />
<br />
Imagine developing a community of people that have a high level of skills, with high character, and the grit needed to persevere when the going gets tough. This community would guarantee the success of all of its students. We are by no means there yet, but we are making great strides to enacting our vision for Van Meter students.DeronDurflingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17215926033903403757noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6170747840972931133.post-52201239115215716432013-05-10T16:37:00.001-05:002013-05-10T16:37:37.683-05:00Putting Action to Words- Facility Renovations Will Help Van Meter Schools Reach Its VisionI am tired of all of the rhetoric around school reform. As educators, we can talk about changing the system all we want. We can discuss what needs tweaked, what needs to go, what needs added, etc. in multiple forums for years. However, until you put those words to action, it is for nothing. Talking about improving the system is just that, talking. At Van Meter, we try to limit the talking and focus on the the doing.<br />
<br />
On April 2, 2013, the residents of Van Meter Community School District showed their support for our school by voting to pass a bond referendum that will allow us to renovate and improve our facilities. Though there are obvious needs for the renovation including improvements to the HVAC, plumbing, fire safety, etc. another primary driver for our design, is to create a collaborative and flexible learning environment that will allow us to better personalize the learning for each of our students success today, and tomorrow. Our community is committed to implementing an action step that will truly impact our student learning. Facilities matter if we are going to improve our system.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTERcYgnCwoSmrEkIJM3MRhSANbu-6ICoWeSTqFqc2_OblDaik6_n-achyphenhyphenLOHudKEVr2VSOU4w3ldqON-O2Z3wQuaTGs7In7PuQ5aNZQz88958ehVwW1eWln53mmLOkWXwcjKt4mIpedg/s1600/031913-Second+Floor+North.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTERcYgnCwoSmrEkIJM3MRhSANbu-6ICoWeSTqFqc2_OblDaik6_n-achyphenhyphenLOHudKEVr2VSOU4w3ldqON-O2Z3wQuaTGs7In7PuQ5aNZQz88958ehVwW1eWln53mmLOkWXwcjKt4mIpedg/s320/031913-Second+Floor+North.jpg" /></a></div>
The vision for Van Meter Community School District is to empower students to be learners who:<br />
<ul>
<li>Communicate </li>
<li>Collaborate </li>
<li>Create </li>
<li>Innovate </li>
<li>Solve </li>
<li>Problems </li>
<li>Adapt </li>
<li>Think Globally </li>
<li>Live Ethically </li>
</ul>
<br />
These are some of the action steps that have been implemented to support our vision:<br />
<ul>
<li>Lead and mentor teachers at all levels</li>
<li>K-12 Spanish beginning 2013-2014</li>
<li>Competency/standards based grading system K-12</li>
<li>Hybrid class schedule with no bells</li>
<li>1:1 learning environment 6-12 moving to K-12 beginning 2013-2014</li>
<li>Regular global communications led by <a href="http://vanmeterlibraryvoice.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Shannon M Miller</a> </li>
<li>PLCs, AIW, IPI, PBIS, RTI, and other alphabet soup learning and teaching initiatives</li>
<li>VREP</li>
<li>Advisory </li>
<li>Partnerships with neighboring districts to provide learning academies</li>
<li>and many others </li>
</ul>
<br />
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One key ingredient we are missing is the space needed to effectively implement a truly collaborative and innovative competency-based learning system that is flexible and comfortable enough to allow for learning in a variety of ways. The space we work and learn in matters. If it didn't matter we wouldn't have people building $300,000 homes with all of the amenities known to man. McDonald's wouldn't be providing soft seating with free WiFi. The mall wouldn't have couches and comfy chairs in every nook and cranny. People want to be happy and comfortable when they work. Why do we think students are any different?<br />
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We are committed to enacting steps to provide the best environment to personalize learning for our students and staff. We strive to be a model for other districts to follow. We want to continue to be a school of choice. The people at Van Meter are what make our school such a great place. Visitors come to see how we grade, how we use technology, and how we are implementing a competency based learning system, but they always leave with an understanding that it is about the people in our building that makes it happen. The relationships our teachers have with our students is second to none. "There is something different about Van Meter" has been said to us on numerous occasions. We want to continue that tradition, and we truly appreciate all that our teachers do for our students. However, we are confident that we will be able to provide an even better learning and living experience for our students, teachers and community once we have finished our newest building project. Facilities matter, and we are thankful that our community feels the same way.<br />
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This blog will be updated regularly on our building project. Expect more information via mail this summer. Work will begin soon and all should be completed by the start of the 2015-2016 school year.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/4jh7dWCcuCA" width="560"></iframe>DeronDurflingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17215926033903403757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6170747840972931133.post-45428240810961710122012-06-06T08:19:00.000-05:002012-06-06T08:19:32.331-05:00Why Not Van Meter? Personalized. Innovative. Global.When thinking about raising your children in the Des Moines area, consider Van Meter. If you want a personalized education for your child with an emphasis on developing creative, innovative, digital, global, citizens who can think critically, Why not Van Meter? Check out the Prezi below and contact me if you have any questions.
<div class="prezi-player"><style type="text/css" media="screen">.prezi-player { width: 550px; } .prezi-player-links { text-align: center; }</style><object id="prezi_cjfm4knbqdfw" name="prezi_cjfm4knbqdfw" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" width="550" height="400"><param name="movie" value="http://prezi.com/bin/preziloader.swf"/><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"/><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"/><param name="bgcolor" value="#ffffff"/><param name="flashvars" value="prezi_id=cjfm4knbqdfw&lock_to_path=0&color=ffffff&autoplay=no&autohide_ctrls=0"/><embed id="preziEmbed_cjfm4knbqdfw" name="preziEmbed_cjfm4knbqdfw" src="http://prezi.com/bin/preziloader.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="550" height="400" bgcolor="#ffffff" flashvars="prezi_id=cjfm4knbqdfw&lock_to_path=0&color=ffffff&autoplay=no&autohide_ctrls=0"></embed></object><div class="prezi-player-links"><p><a title="Van Meter Schools" href="http://prezi.com/cjfm4knbqdfw/van-meter-schools/">Van Meter Schools</a> on <a href="http://prezi.com">Prezi</a></p></div></div>DeronDurflingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17215926033903403757noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6170747840972931133.post-7113828831344628692012-06-04T14:45:00.001-05:002012-06-05T13:49:31.030-05:00So you want to be a principal?Linked below is a great interview of <a href="http://ericsheninger.com/esheninger?sid=28" target="_blank">Eric Sheninger</a>, a colleague of mine from New Milford High School in New Jersey. He is interviewed by educationdegree.com about some of the intricacies of being a school administrator. It is a great resource for aspiring principals. Enjoy.<br />
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<a href="http://www.educationdegree.com/programs/school-administration/" target="_blank">Eric Sheninger Interview</a>DeronDurflingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17215926033903403757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6170747840972931133.post-83699167289232824442012-05-07T15:12:00.000-05:002012-05-07T15:39:44.766-05:00Superintendent Entry Plan- Looking Forward to the Opportunity!I recently was chosen to be the next Superintendent at Van Meter Schools. I am looking forward to the opportunity to lead the District as we continue to strive to provide the best learning opportunities for our students. Our goal is to develop students who are collaborative, innovative, global, digital citizens that have a passion for learning. I have added my entry plan for my first 100 days on the job below. I plan to Listen, Learn, and then Lead the District in a direction that is best for the students and community of Van Meter.<br />
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I look forward to working with you. Please feel free to contact me at <a href="mailto:deron.durflinger@vmbulldogs.com">deron.durflinger@vmbulldogs.com</a> if you have any questions or concerns.<br />
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GO DAWGS!<br />
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<iframe height="480" src="https://docs.google.com/a/vmbulldogs.com/viewer?authuser=0&srcid=0B3s14AZ1PMtPVjBrZUVvdjhxX3M&pid=explorer&a=v&chrome=false&embedded=true" width="640"></iframe>DeronDurflingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17215926033903403757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6170747840972931133.post-13536321271932696322012-04-24T07:28:00.000-05:002012-04-24T07:39:51.062-05:00Iowa 1:1 InstituteOn Wednesday, April 11, CASTLE and the 1:1 schools in Iowa organized another great opportunity for educators to learn more about how teaching and learning can be enhanced in a 1:1 environment. I was interviewed by EduVision about the conference and my presentation on Competency-Based Learning. The videos are below. It was a great event and the conference has been set for next year on Thursday, April 4, 2013. If you are interested in learning more about 1:1 schools, or many of the other great things going on in Iowa classrooms, you should be sure to attend.<br />
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<a href="https://educateiowa.eduvision.tv/Default.aspx?q=h%252bbv42DLMWzI8rNY3rbnbA%253d%253d#.T5aap1aZ-v8.google" target="_blank">Link to my presentation. I don't have the HTML Code.</a>DeronDurflingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17215926033903403757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6170747840972931133.post-37984979668555245472011-11-08T14:54:00.000-06:002011-11-08T14:54:33.282-06:00Make LEARNING the ConstantThere has been a lot of discussion lately about extending the school day or school year. The Des Moines Register seems to be pushing for <a href="http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20111106/NEWS/311060039/Iowa-education-plan-likely-feature-lengthening-school-day-year" target="_blank">more seat time a couple of times a week</a>. Is adding more minutes to the day or more days to the year going to have the impact on student learning that we need? I am not so sure.<br />
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It is true, that students in other countries who are performing better on standardized tests have more seat time than students in the United States. It's true that our school calendar is based on on agrarian society that no longer exists. It's true that seat time is how Carnegie Units are measured. Using this rationale, one could definitely argue that going to school for more hours will increase the likelihood of students learning more. I mean look at the impact of spending hours upon hours of free throw shooting over the years had on <a href="http://diigo.com/0kyvf" target="_blank">Shaquille O'Neal's free throw shooting percentage</a>:) If spending more time working on skills is the answer, as the Register proclaims, increasing the hours of instruction students receive will definitely increase our student achievement scores, <a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/columns/story?columnist=hollinger_john&page=ShaqFTs-081218" target="_blank">or will it</a>?<br />
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</div>The problem I see with the idea of only increasing the amount of time students go to school, or with only increasing the number of days students are required to attend school, is that there is little discussion on improving what is actually taking place in the classroom or during the school day. We have tons of <a href="http://educateiowa.gov/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2540:director-glass-iowas-naep-results-are-a-call-to-action&catid=242:news-releases" target="_blank">data suggesting that Iowa schools</a> are not doing as well as they once did on standardized tests. How can increasing the time in schools not performing up to par increase learning? It won't, but it might help schools better prepare students for a world that no longer exists and who can do really well on NAEP. That sounds exciting to me!<br />
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We need a system designed to allow students to learn what is expected in whatever amount of time that might take. For some students it could be an 8 hour day, for some students it might be going to school 200 days during the year, and yet for other students, it might mean going fewer hours and fewer days. Yes, I said some students could or should go to school for less time. We have students in schools throughout Iowa and the U.S. who are not challenged and who would gladly jump through any hoops we place in front of them, if it meant they didn't have to continue to go to school. We need a system designed in which learning is the constant, and time is the variable. We need a system that isn't based on doing well on NAEP and PISA, but in which students are able to actually develop a love for learning. Being able to adapt and learn more and newer skills is the world our students live in and will continue to live in.<br />
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This idea is based on the notion that what students are asked to know and be able to do will remain the same as they are now, and I haven't seen any increased expectations in this regard. Making the Common Core more clear and definitive isn't going to help students develop a love of learning, nor is it going to raise the level of expectations for students in Iowa. It will however, help adults measure how well students can fill out bubble sheets. <br />
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Is this the best we can do for kids in Iowa?DeronDurflingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17215926033903403757noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6170747840972931133.post-71379527206485000052011-09-07T16:29:00.001-05:002011-10-21T13:24:11.512-05:00Is This the Change We Have Been Waiting For?<div><br />
</div><div>If you read my blog, you probably already know that I feel schools need to change. I have written a number of posts about this very topic, so when I finally heard the l<a href="http://educateiowa.gov/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2333:new-report-shows-iowas-education-system-in-need-of-major-remodel&catid=242:news-releases">eaders of our state sharing the same sentiments</a>, I was excited about the possibilities. Would we once again be considered a leader in public education? Would we design a system that meets the needs of its students instead of the other way around? Would we provide students access to the best technology available to help foster their learning? Would we come up with a way to ensure that only the best teachers were working with the students of Iowa? Would we develop a curriculum that is challenging and encourages students to question, inquire, and think? The questions kept coming to my head, but there was no real guidance being provided. Then at our annual SAI conference, Jason Glass and Terry Brandstad outlined three factors they felt needed to be in place to transform Iowa schools:</div><div><br />
</div><div>1) Establishing clear expectations and measures for all Iowa students.</div><div>2) Developing great teachers and principals.</div><div>3) Promoting innovation to improve learning of students.</div><div><br />
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</div><div>After hearing these goals, I thought I could get on board, but there were still no details given. I really didn't know what this meant. I know that we need to be able to clearly identify what students need to know and are able to do, and that we need a way to effectively measure student learning. I also know that the Iowa Core and Common Core and the Iowa Assessments are not the answer. I know we need the best teachers and principals working with the students of Iowa. I also know that as long as we have our current system in place it would be difficult to provide the best to all students. Finally, I know that we needed some fresh ideas to improve our schools, but I questioned how this would be paid for and how these ideas would be scaled up.</div><div><br />
</div><div>After leaving the SAI conference in early August, I had more questions than answers. During the Iowa State Fair, Van Meter was fortunate enough to have senior, Dani Hubbard participate in the <a href="http://educateiowa.gov/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2461:governor-branstads-student-roundtable&catid=666:highlights">Governor's Education Summit Student Roundtable</a>. I was able to listen to the questions being asked to the panel of students. Questions about expectations of students, quality of instruction, and high school exit exams. It was clear that the student panel thought more could be asked of them as students. They also felt that the relationships with teachers, the teachers passion for their subject and for teaching, and their ability to meet the needs of all learners were critical to the students' success. They also were not too excited about the idea of an exit exam. The questions asked that day be Linda Fandel started to paint a picture of what the plan might look like. I even emailed my staff this:</div><div><br />
</div><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Teachers,<br />
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<span class="il">Change</span> <span class="il">is</span> <span class="il">hard</span>. More <span class="il">change</span> for all of us <span class="il">is</span> around the corner. Director Glass will be announcing the plan for Iowa late Sept. or early Oct. If you are paying attention at all, you have noticed there <span class="il">is</span> a chance that:<br />
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<ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">All Juniors will be required to take the ACT</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Teachers will be paid differently (probably more)</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Students may have to take an exit exam to graduate</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">The school day/year will be extended</span></li>
</ul><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"> And there are many more ideas floating around. The point <span class="il">is</span>, schools are going to be forced to look at doing things differently. With the changes we have made the last couple of years, I feel we are well positioned, but I am sure sometimes we find ourselves reminiscing about the "good ol' days." I am sure there have been a few things we have done as a District in which you have thought "Why are we doing this.? School was okay for me. It'll be okay for these kids. Why <span class="il">change</span>?" My question to you <span class="il">is</span> when was the "good ol' days?" <br />
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I shared with you the website <a href="http://www.iowafuture.org/" target="_blank">www.iowafuture.org</a> prior to the start of the year. On that site, I recently read about Jamie Vollmer. He <span class="il">is</span> an advocate for <span class="il">change</span> in schools, but understands the dilema and the history of how what we are asked to do in schools today <span class="il">is</span> significantly different than what they were designed for. He has a lot of great information that you should take the time to read. I have attached three documents, but there <span class="il">is</span> more on these two sites:<br />
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<a href="http://www.iowafuture.org/2011/08/19/vollmer-reform-a-systems-problem/" target="_blank">http://www.iowafuture.org/<wbr></wbr>2011/08/19/vollmer-reform-a-<wbr></wbr>systems-problem/</a><br />
<a href="http://www.jamievollmer.com/" target="_blank">http://www.jamievollmer.com/</a><br />
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The system <span class="il">is</span> flawed. There never was a "good ol' days," so get used to doing things in new ways. The current system we have forces us to do more than what it was designed for. We do so many great things. Teachers do a better job today with more challenges than ever before. Don't let anyone tell you differently. However, we have to get better, so what are you doing today to improve?<br />
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Keep up the good fight.<br />
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Go Dawgs!</span></blockquote>We have an excellent staff of wonderful people teaching at Van Meter. We do so many great things. This email was really me reminding our teachers that we can do better. Then on Tuesday, Sept. 7, John Carver, Van Meter Superintendent, asked me to go to a press conference. <a href="http://iowaeducation.iowa.gov/">Linda Fandel</a> and <a href="http://educationelements.wordpress.com/">Jason Glass</a> were going to share some of their ideas on what needs to change in Iowa. I thought this would be a great way for me to have a head start on what was down the pike for schools in Iowa. I wanted to hear it straight from the horses mouth instead of the filter of local media. I am including my <a href="https://www.evernote.com/shard/s16/sh/ae289cc1-b522-4a0a-bf7f-98326f320017/d2081dc537d5ccc7f47e78cf902f7e5e">notes</a> (yes, I know they are difficult to follow, I was using my phone), but as I have reflected about what I heard, I don't know if I have a clearer picture or if the water has been muddied even more.<br />
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Though I am not against all students taking the ACT or having exit exams in theory, I am against having more hoops for students to jump through. From what I have seen so far, higher expectations sounds like more tests. It also seemed as if Jason Glass is much more in favor of having students take the ACT than students taking exit exams to graduate. It appeared to me that Jason and Linda Fandel were not on the same page with this topic. It will be interesting to see how it plays out on October 3.<br />
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There was little discussion about how to help teachers improve their instruction, but there was a lot of discussion about how the old step and lane system needs to be replaced. I agree whole-heartedly with this. Though I don't know the ins and outs of the compensation system Dr. Glass described, it was apparent that there will be a push for a system that pays teacher for their effectiveness instead of how long they have been teaching. This is a step in the right direction, but will not improve the overall quality of instruction students are receiving. I am anxious to hear what is proposed to help provide only the highest quality of instruction to all of our students.<br />
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The aspect of the plan I am most intrigued about is the funding for innovation. We need to reward schools districts that are willing to take a chance to improve learning opportunities for students. Doing things the way we have always done them is not effective. How will this work exactly? I know we don't need a repeat of the RTTT, but I know we need to support schools that are being successful. I am anxious to learn more about this part of the plan.<br />
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I know we need a flexible system that is focused on student learning. Time should not be a part of the equation. Why should all students be expected to be at the same place at the same age, while in the classroom for the same amount of time for the same number of days? How does this ensure students are learning what is expected? I don't think extending the amount of time in classes will improve learning for all. It will help for some, but instead of focusing on the amount of time a student is in school, I hope to see a component focused on what the student knows and is able to do. I know there has been some discussion of competency based grading. I will be anxious to see what happens with this.<br />
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If we can design a system that clearly identifies what students need to know and do, students should be able to progress through their learning at their own rate. We have the technology, the human capital, and the capacity to design this type of system. Do we have the courage? I look forward to October 3 when the official plan for making Iowa the world's leading educational system is shared. Will our leaders have the courage to truly create something different?<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><b><a href="https://sites.google.com/a/vmbulldogs.com/learning-with-technology-9-21-11/">We are hosting a conference focused on teaching and learning with technology on September 21</a>. We have a great menu of sessions for participants to choose to attend. However, we are most fortunate to have Jason Glass speaking to the entire group. I look forward to his message and anticipate more information being shared about the future of education in Iowa. If you are interested in attending, be sure to register soon.</b></span><br />
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</div>DeronDurflingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17215926033903403757noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6170747840972931133.post-83208311598407768262011-04-22T15:07:00.004-05:002011-10-21T14:28:56.725-05:00IT'S NOT ABOUT THE TECHNOLOGY!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt2vkAdw0_a74hGXAqEdLioYRwvr2LWy9naCdlMYfeLCRR8qwaaS-Nc7D_egygvM6A1lByvmJ7NIfVjVQAXHr32hS4R-UqwjzMZREFfUI67QZVSJfnc0YnkPL70nTFLEhtCESCCen-ujc/s1600/no-computer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt2vkAdw0_a74hGXAqEdLioYRwvr2LWy9naCdlMYfeLCRR8qwaaS-Nc7D_egygvM6A1lByvmJ7NIfVjVQAXHr32hS4R-UqwjzMZREFfUI67QZVSJfnc0YnkPL70nTFLEhtCESCCen-ujc/s1600/no-computer.jpg" /></a></div><br />
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On Wednesday, the entire secondary staff at Van Meter attended the 2nd Annual Iowa 1:1 Institute. It was a great opportunity for our teachers to learn, collaborate, and share about their experiences teaching and learning in a 1:1 environment. Over 1,200 educators participated in the conference this year. Many are there to learn what it takes to implement a 1:1 technology initiative. Many are there to ask questions about different web 2.0 tools, software, and other technologies that will help make them a more effective teacher. Still others are there to find out what all of the fuss is about when it comes to kids having access to technology. I have news for you, IT IS NOT ABOUT THE TECHNOLOGY! Though the technology can help teachers more effectively:<br />
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<ul><li>Teach for Understanding</li>
<li>Provide Rigorous and Relevant Curriculum</li>
<li>Assess FOR Learning</li>
<li>Differentiate Instruction</li>
<li>Center the Classroom Around Students Needs</li>
</ul><div>Providing students a laptop will not magically improve the quality of instruction provided to students. </div><div><br />
</div><div> Our focus as move forward as a state needs to be on ensuring all teachers are providing meaningful learning opportunities for students. The focus should be on LEARNING! Don't get me wrong, there were many great sessions at the 1:1 Institute. Many focused on quality instruction, but there were too many sessions talking about cool tools, and not nearly enough about one or any of the 5 Characteristics of Instruction outlined in the Iowa Core. </div><div><br />
</div><div> Next year, we need more sessions like Matt Townsley and Russ Goerend's <a href="http://mctownsley.blogspot.com/2011/03/rethink-assessment.html">Rethink Assessment</a>. We need more sessions that help teachers see how effectively implementing quality instructional strategies like the five outlined in the Iowa Core is what will truly improve learning opportunities for our students. We need more sessions focusing on how to not only teach students the universal constructs, but how we as educators need to model these skills as well. </div><div><br />
</div><div> We need to take the next step in our journey to transform the educational system in Iowa into a system that meets that is flexible enough to adjust to each student's needs instead of trying to cram all students through the one-size fits all model we have now. We need to help people realize that it is not about providing every kid a laptop, but it is about providing students the best instruction from the most qualified educators. The sooner we are able to ensure that all students have access to the best teachers, the sooner we will see the system transform into what it needs to be. </div>DeronDurflingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17215926033903403757noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6170747840972931133.post-76368649007480805372010-10-06T09:11:00.004-05:002010-10-06T13:08:33.247-05:00Do Walkthroughs Make a Difference?During last night's #edchat, educators from around the world discussed how teachers are observed by their administrators. The chat led to a discussion on walkthroughs. I have been a principal for seven years now, and each year I have tried to design a walkthrough template that was meaningful to me as an administrator, but more importantly meaningful to the teacher. It has been a challenge. Finding the right balance between collecting data and providing feedback to teachers is difficult.<br />
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Last year at Van Meter, we used the whole year to design a template that allowed us to focus on the <a href="https://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0B7VrFzk8oMKCMWI5ODM2MjktNzkwYS00M2U4LWIyMmItNTIwMWM3ZGJmN2E0&hl=en">5 Characteristics of Effective Instruction</a> found in the Iowa Core. Teachers and administrators had input in its design. The template we came up with is used to collect data for us to determine how often each characteristic is observed. The program we use is called ewalk. Our walkthrough data is collected on this <a href="https://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0B7VrFzk8oMKCZTBlMGQzZGUtZDkyMC00OTFhLTlhNzgtMWFkN2U5NmU5ODFj&hl=en">template</a> by using our iPod touches. The data is then used to analyze what we are doing as a building. The results of our first couple of weeks of walkthroughs are <a href="https://docs.google.com/fileview?id=1AJxl_fspqsXJj_bxPQM-NjdYYmJnueV4O4qO8bAVcXYVbtqxQbnxDwgTiKvR&hl=en">here</a>. The data is great for analyzing our building data, but does little for feedback to individual teachers.<br />
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I really wanted to come up with something that is more meaningful for teachers than the 5 Characteristics of Effective Instruction template. One of the challenges of walkthroughs is that they are so short in nature, so I wanted a template that would be easy to use, but also provide feedback to our teachers in a hybrid walkthrough model. Teachers that on our evaluation schedule are required to have a formal observation. We will still do the formal observations using the documents established by the district. But now I am also doing 10-15 minute walkthroughs using a template I designed similar to <a href="http://practicaltheory.org/serendipity/index.php?/archives/1261-Daily-Walkthroughs-with-GoogleApps-and-the-iPad.html">Chris Lehmann's from SLA in Philadelphia.</a> This template allows for more meaningful feedback to teachers and enable us to have a more open dialogue about what effective instruction looks like. <br />
<iframe frameborder="0" height="1852" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="https://spreadsheets.google.com/a/vmbulldogs.com/embeddedform?formkey=dFJ0WEh2UnJRa3hsN1Q3dlRDMFZwVmc6MQ" width="760"><p><p><p><p>Loading...</p></p></p></p></iframe><br />
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To further enhance the discussion, in early October, we did group walkthroughs that included an administrator, a secondary teacher, an elementary teacher, and students. Yes, I said students. We want to empower our teachers and our students to have a voice in what takes place in our classes. I would have to say the discussions that followed the walkthroughs were as powerful and meaningful to the teachers involved as almost any conversation I have ever had with them. Listening to their peers is meaningful, but listening to students talk about what works for them in classes is priceless. We plan on doing these types of walkthroughs monthly to help increase the learning of our students by improving the quality of instruction they receive.<br />
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It will be our first year of using these walkthrough templates. I believe the process we have in place will allow us to collect a lot of data which will help us improve as a building. However, more importantly, using the 10 minute walkthrough, we will be able to have meaningful conversations on how to improve the quality of instruction for each of our teachers. I look forward to the journey in helping our teachers be the best they can be, because I for one believe walkthroughs do make a difference.<br />
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</div>DeronDurflingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17215926033903403757noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6170747840972931133.post-79309923007781903952010-09-06T10:41:00.009-05:002010-09-07T11:12:47.979-05:00What Are You Doing To Threaten The Status Quo?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT_ey7eI2eS_HQQTBLcwdO9Y5bmSElxcsHzLwGf1n9iZHKAF2J5MbFQAPsK0QjUKi7UJwLbcrnVyLPLJlvx9KU4a7SueodmUStoqN-y0vPo9Iu9BiUhVnp1omxE2TMe0USiUS70vzZrGA/s1600/images.jpeg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 216px; height: 234px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT_ey7eI2eS_HQQTBLcwdO9Y5bmSElxcsHzLwGf1n9iZHKAF2J5MbFQAPsK0QjUKi7UJwLbcrnVyLPLJlvx9KU4a7SueodmUStoqN-y0vPo9Iu9BiUhVnp1omxE2TMe0USiUS70vzZrGA/s320/images.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514205194943368962" /></a><br /><div><div>Recently <a href="http://weblogg-ed.com/">Will Richardson</a> shared an <a href="http://nymag.com/print/?/news/features/67966">article</a> about an upcoming movie called <i>Waiting for “Superman.” </i> This article from New York Magazine really made me think about what I am doing as a building principal to threaten the status quo in public education. I am fortunate that I work in a district in which the first time I met our Board President, he told me he would be disappointed if I didn't take any risks or didn't try to create something new and different. I know not everyone works in a district like <a href="http://vmbulldogs.com/se3bin/clientschool.cgi?schoolname=school640">Van Meter</a>, but we all have the ability to threaten the status quo.<div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>What are we doing at Van Meter to threaten the status quo?</div><div><br /></div><div>Some would say this:</div><div><br /></div><div><ul><li>Providing laptops to students in grades 6-12</li><li>Embedding technology in most lessons</li><li>Providing meaningful PD through development of Professional Learning Communities</li><li>Time for teachers to collaborate by changing start and end time of school day</li><li>Focusing teacher learning on the 5 characteristics of effective instruction</li><li>Skyping with people all over the world including the creators of <a href="http://www.sweetsearch.com/">Sweet Search</a>, <a href="http://youtellyou.com/zine.php">YouTellYou</a>, and <a href="http://www.diigo.com/buzz/hot">Diigo</a></li></ul><div><br /></div></div></div></div><div>All of these suggestions are great things we have going on as a district, and it will improve the quality of teaching by our teachers. But how much is it really changing the status quo of our school? I would suggest really not that much.</div><div><br /></div><div>Wait a minute. Did I just say that what we are doing at Van Meter is not a threat to the status quo? I did for these examples that I just gave. Technologies have always been a part of education, teachers have always had some level of PD and prep time, we all know some strategies are more effective than others, and students have had guest speakers at school for years. So really, none of these changes are really that different from what we have always done.</div><div><br /></div><div>If we are going to change the status quo, we must truly challenge what schools were designed to do, educate the masses to be relatively the same at relatively the same time. How are we doing this at Van Meter? We are:</div><div><ul><li>creating an environment in which everyone is a learner.</li><li>empowering our students and teachers to control their own learning.</li><li>ensuring opportunities for students to learn within their own passion.</li><li>providing the support needed for our students/staff to be life-long learners.</li><li>allowing students/staff to demonstrate their learning in multiple ways.</li><li>becoming creators of content instead of consumers of content.</li><li>taking risks to challenge students/staff to not always do it like its always been done.</li><li>trusting our students and staff to learn the necessary skills when they see fit.</li><li>being flexible with our time.</li><li>Allowing students to show mastery and moving on instead of waiting for the rest of the class.</li><li>developing a system that puts the learners needs in the middle and adjusts everything else about school around those needs</li></ul><div>I am sure there are more things going on than what is listed, but our end goal is to create a school that empowers our students/staff to THINK, LEAD, & SERVE as global, digital citizens in this ever changing world. We must be willing to take the risks necessary to challenge the status quo, or we will never have the lasting impact necessary to change what "school" looks like.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">What are you doing to threaten the status quo of your school?</span></i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>DeronDurflingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17215926033903403757noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6170747840972931133.post-84809608256223228102010-06-27T09:09:00.004-05:002010-06-27T09:14:00.044-05:00It's Not Just the Relationship, But the Shared Experiences<span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Verdana;"><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">I just read <a href="http://twitter.com/web20classroom" id="y9k3" title="@webclassroom20's" style="color: rgb(85, 26, 139); ">@web20classroom's</a> blog post about relationships formed from his PLN. It really is about the relationships. It doesn't matter if those relationships are with family and friends, or people we only know through twitter, the relationships we form are the foundation for our existence as a people. But there is more to it than that, it is about the shared experiences we have with people. These shared experiences are what make having relationships worthwhile.</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "> </div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><br /></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">The <a href="http://twitter.com/#search?q=%23vanmeter" id="utjw" title="#vanmeter" style="color: rgb(85, 26, 139); ">#vanmeter</a> team is at <a href="http://twitter.com/#search?q=%23ISTE10" id="l-9-" title="#iste10" style="color: rgb(85, 26, 139); ">#iste10</a> for the first time. So far it has been a great experience. We have reconnected with people from our past, and met for the first time <a href="http://twitter.com/markemoran" id="fwqm" title="Mark Moran" style="color: rgb(85, 26, 139); ">Mark Moran</a>,his assistant Shannon, and <a href="http://twitter.com/kylepace" id="rm.4" title="Kyle Pace" style="color: rgb(85, 26, 139); ">Kyle Pace</a>. These are individuals from my PLN, so it is cool to finally meet followers with whom I had connected with virtually over the last year. Many members of the <a href="http://twitter.com/#search?q=%23vanmeter" id="rgat" title="#vanmeter" style="color: rgb(85, 26, 139); ">#vanmeter</a> team had a fun night on our inaugural evening in Denver for ISTE. Ask <a href="http://twitter.com/johnccarver" id="w-5h" title="@johnccarver" style="color: rgb(85, 26, 139); ">@johnccarver</a> about <a href="http://www.hamburgermarys.com/" id="cq50" title="Hamburger Mary's" style="color: rgb(85, 26, 139); ">Hamburger Mary's</a>. Last night was really the first time I had socialized with some member of our group, and the experiences we had from last evening helped our relationships grow. </div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Verdana;"><br /></span></div><br /><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">We all have a personal learning network. Our family, our friends, our colleagues, our neighbors, are all members of our PLN. This concept has existed since the beginning of mankind. People have reached out to others for guidance and support long before twitter. However, even though we can post ideas on twitter and our followers can read them, it doesn't mean anything until we have an opportunity to share in an experience. </div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Verdana;"><br /></span></div><br /><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">For example, yesterday, I observed a discussion at edublogger about the term Personal Learning Network. The question was, "Is PLN really an appropriate name for the relationships we build." It was interesting listening to the various points made. The conversation started before I got there, about a topic that I really didn't care to discuss, however because I was a witness to the discussion, I now have a better understanding of <a href="http://twitter.com/jonbecker" id="e4io" title="@jonbecker" style="color: rgb(85, 26, 139); ">@jonbecker</a>, <a href="http://twitter.com/budtheteacher" id="dovh" title="@budtheteacher" style="color: rgb(85, 26, 139); ">@budtheteacher</a>, and <a href="http://twitter.com/mctownsley" id="sglx" title="@mctownsley's" style="color: rgb(85, 26, 139); ">@mctownsley's</a> thinking. But I didn't contribute to the conversation, so they don't know my thoughts. All of those individuals are people I follow on twitter, but there wasn't much sharing on my part, so our relationship had no opportunity to grow. It wasn't really a shared experience. I was more of a passive observer of the conversation.<br /></div><br /><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">If we want to build relationships with people virtually, locally, or within our own families and friends, we must be willing to share in the experiences by contributing to the discussion, by sharing our thoughts, by letting people know how we think and feel. This is what is most important about the PLN. If you want to develop a relationship with people, you must be willing to contribute. So as we continue to move forward, join the conversation, contribute to the discussion, and enjoy the shared experiences of your PLN.</div></span>DeronDurflingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17215926033903403757noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6170747840972931133.post-82822972178416970042010-06-01T09:48:00.002-05:002010-06-01T09:51:42.917-05:00Student Post- "It is Exciting to Come to School Again"<!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><i>Below is guest post from Van Meter junior Katie B. This post has not been edited or tweaked by me in anyway. Please read and post your comments below. Katie looks forward to your responses. Enjoy.</i></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">I still remember my very first day of school at Van Meter. Coincidentally, it was my very first day of kindergarten. I had barretts in my hair and a backpack decorated with cat stickers slung over my shoulders. Most memorably though were the butterflies that were flying around my stomach at what felt like 65 miles per hour, give or take. I skipped, not walked, into my very first classroom so excited to be there that not even the kid beside me who insisted on flinging his boogers could wipe the smile off my face. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">That was almost 12 years ago and somewhere during that time the allure of school wore off. Maybe it was the removal of nap time or the awkward stage known only as junior high. Either way, attending school turned into a thing that we students HAD to do instead of something we wanted to do; much like taking out the trash or staying home on a Friday night. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">But this year, my junior year, that all changed. No, Van Meter Community High School didn’t get a new lunch menu. It began the one to one program and entrusted its students with their own personal MAC laptops. More importantly though, our teachers and administrators gave us the opportunity to be apart of what has become the beginning of an educational movement! Similar to a tidal wave to the face or a nice cold Coca Cola on a hot, Iowa summer day, students at Van Meter felt the refreshing impact that the computers had on us. Suddenly, I was excited to come to school again. I wanted to see what our teachers could do with the new technology handed to them and I was eager to learn something. What a crazy thought! No longer was I dragging my feet and wondering when oh when would that bell finally ring to signal it was 3:15.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The opinions concerning the laptops vary, but one thing is for sure: these laptops have made us students more responsible then ever. If you miss a day of class, there is really no excuse for not having the homework assigned the day before turned in since all the teachers at Van Meter have a very simplistic email address already programmed into your contact book. In addition, the laptops are not indestructible and no one wants to bring their damage report (complete with charges) home to the parents. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The introduction of the one to one program has made students regard time management in a whole new way. With the Internet and the games it provides just a click away, students have been forced to make the decision between homework and mind-numbing video games. It is now our decision as to what we accomplish during the spare time that we have.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>With so many distractions, said decision can be tough for some.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">In the same way that a casino dealer hands out poker chips to the player, the administrators and teachers at Van Meter have given us the tools needed to be successful. What we do with our chips is up to us. We can play them wisely or frivolously. We can think our actions threw or make decisions on gut feeling alone. Or we can be smart or just downright stupid. Our future is in our hands and the impact it is felt now more then ever! The teachers at Van Meter Community High School have always been and always will be here to guide, support, and teach us, but now more then ever our chances for success lie solely on our decisions and work ethic. We only have ourselves to applaud for our success or to blame for our failures. It’s a scary thought but also an exciting one, just like the introduction of the computers themselves.</p> <!--EndFragment-->DeronDurflingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17215926033903403757noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6170747840972931133.post-33303740668336488002010-04-13T16:28:00.003-05:002010-04-13T16:33:12.853-05:00Judy Jeffrey Interviewing Van Meter StudentsToday, Judy Jeffrey, Executive Director of the Iowa Department of Education visited with several randomly selected students from Van Meter. The Van Meter kids did a great job answering her questions and sharing their personal viewpoints on how school and learning has changed for them. One of our students Josh P. livestreamed the conversation. Here is the recorded version. It is about 20 minutes long. It is definitely worth viewing. Once our students got comfortable with Director Jeffrey, their passion for learning became very evident. Enjoy.<div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><br /><object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" width="480" height="386" id="utv913461" name="utv_n_654748"><param name="flashvars" value="loc=%2F&autoplay=false&vid=6158637"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><param name="src" value="http://www.ustream.tv/flash/video/6158637"><embed flashvars="loc=%2F&autoplay=false&vid=6158637" width="480" height="386" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" id="utv913461" name="utv_n_654748" src="http://www.ustream.tv/flash/video/6158637" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></object>DeronDurflingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17215926033903403757noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6170747840972931133.post-63628271194840849242010-04-08T07:25:00.007-05:002010-04-12T07:32:07.016-05:00Iowa 1 to 1 Institute- A Great SuccessI want to thank <a href="http://schooltechleadership.org/">CASTLE</a> and <a href="http://twitter.com/mcleod">Scott McLeod</a> along with <a href="http://twitter.com/njsauers">Nick Sauers</a>, <a href="http://twitter.com/jamiefath">Jamie Fath</a>, and <a href="http://twitter.com/jnash">John Nash</a> for supporting and organizing a wonderful <a href="http://1to1schools.wikispaces.com/iowa2010institute">event yesterday in Des Moines</a>. It was a great opportunity to connect, share, and learn. I think we would all be hard pressed to find a better conference for educators interested in a 1:1 learning environment. And the thing that still amazes me, is it was free for all participants. Great job CASTLE!<div><br /></div><div>It was a great opportunity for me to connect with other Iowa educators. I particularly liked the reflection time at the end with other principals including, <a href="http://twitter.com/giegerich">Dominic Giegerich</a>, <a href="http://twitter.com/jeffekirby">Jeff Kirby</a>, and <a href="http://twitter.com/downing413">Brian Downing</a>. However, the best part of the conference for me was the opportunity to meet in person, <a href="http://twitter.com/bhsprincipal">Patrck Larkin</a>. We have talked a few times and tweeted a lot, but to actually get the opportunity to meet someone from my PLN that I hadn't yet met face to face was very enriching for me. I want to thank Patrick for taking the time to come to Iowa and learn with us. He was able to help me in my session about <a href="http://www.diigo.com/list/derondurflinger/twitter">Twitter and PLNs</a>. It was great because <a href="http://twitter.com/NMHS_Principal">Eric Sheninger</a> also Skyped in with us earlier in my session. I tried to show people in my session the power of Twitter and developing a PLN that allows you to connect with great educators through out the world. I think having Eric and Partrick participate in my presentation was an enriching opportunity for all of those which attended, but it was especially enriching for me because both of these guys have helped me grow as an administrator.</div><div><br /></div><div>Unfortunately, we did not livestream or record our session so I am going to follow <a href="http://twitter.com/Russgoerend">Russ Goerend's</a> lead and try to record my own reflections about Iowa 1 to 1 Institute. I believe there is a great power in networking. We can lead the change we want to see in schools. We are gaining momentum. The Iowa 1:1 Institute was one more step in facilitating the transformation of our educational system.</div><div><br /></div><div>Don't make too much fun of me:) </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><br /><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/X1r0UA_yzIg&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/X1r0UA_yzIg&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>DeronDurflingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17215926033903403757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6170747840972931133.post-28508602145645251902010-02-24T10:07:00.005-06:002010-02-25T12:37:12.873-06:00Passion for Learning- What Are We Waiting For?<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">On February 23, 2010, I was able to participate in the evening #edchat discussion through Twitter. I have participated a few times, but this was one of the few occasions I stayed on for most of the hour. It was a great conversation about learning within your passion. There was much debate and discussion about the role of passion within the current school system. #edchat made me think and I like that.</span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"> I usually arrive at "work" around 6:00 a.m. CST, and on a day with no evening activities I leave around 5:30 p.m. CST. So if talking about school stuff until 7:00 p.m. on a Tuesday night is "work", I worked for about 13 hours on Tuesday. I tell you this only because I feel that if I really felt what I do everyday was really "work", I would probably get here around 8:00 a.m. and leave around 4:00 p.m. However, I am one of the lucky ones, I am one of the people that truly works within my passion. And if you don't have a job that is within your passion, then I feel sorry for you because your days have to drag on. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">Passion can be described as </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">an intense desire or </span></span><span apple_mouseover_highlight="1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">enthusiasm</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"> for </span></span><span apple_mouseover_highlight="1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">something. Why can't we design student learning around this intense desire or enthusiasm? Too many educators think it is not possible, the system won't allow it, or all kids need to learn the same thing, hence our factory system. I do think all students need to have similar basic skills, what I don't agree with is that all students have to learn these skills the same way or within the same topics. I believe all learning can take place within your passion. We don't have to have a curriculum for that, we have to have a system that allows for the flexibility needed for teachers to design learning opportunities for all learners within the system. Our current model is too rigid, outdated, etc., so why don't we change it?</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">Think about the experiences you have had in school in which you truly learned something you still use today. I would guess you could think of a way in which you could have learned this skill within your passion. For example, one of my passions today is golf. I love everything about golf. I love the individual accountability you have for counting your own strokes. I love practicing my skills to improve the angles and club speed needed for various shots. I love that you play outside. I love that you can compete against your self, other individuals, or with teams against other teams. Golf is a great game. Now if you were to ask me some questions about geometry, math, science, or many other topics, I can think of many ways in which you could intrigue or spark my learning by applying it to golf. But if you asked me to do the odd problems 1-51 on page 172 or something of that nature, I would get it done, but would I "learn" it? I can answer it for you. No. I would understand it well enough for my test, but I wouldn't have anything to tie it to because it wouldn't be meaningful to me.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">Passion is the key component to true learning. We need to design learning experiences around students' passions. It is our duty as educators to develop life long learners. As adults, who wants to learn about things you could care less about or that are not applicable to your life? Nobody that I know of, so why do we make students learn about things outside of their passion or irrelevant to their world. Schools need to change.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">If you have a passion for learning (I assume all teachers do) you will commit yourself to designing learning experiences around student passions, and if all educators do this, our system will change. It will become relevant to all students, and we will be able to develop global, digital citizens, who understand their passion and who can THINK, LEAD, & SERVE. What are we waiting for?</span></span></div>DeronDurflingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17215926033903403757noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6170747840972931133.post-64644830176079237982010-01-29T18:04:00.014-06:002010-02-01T07:31:29.033-06:00I Witnessed History Today<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">On Thursday, January 28, 2010, members of the Van Meter School community participated in a testimonial to the Iowa House/Senate Education Appropriations Committee. It was an eye opening experience for many of the members of the committee as well as the other members of the audience that day. </span></span><a href="http://nextgenschools.wordpress.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">As Sandra Dop from the Iowa Department of Education said, "I witnessed history today."</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> Powerful words from someone that had been exposed to what schools should be like for learners of the 21st century.</span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">What she witnessed that day, was a diverse group of Van Meter students displaying how they learn best and describing what they think school can and should become. She saw and heard testimonials from seven students ranging in grades 5-12. These students were a microcosm of students from most Iowa schools with varying degrees of "ability", from various socio-economic backgrounds, and households. This group of students was not selected because they were the "best" students, they were selected because they had shown a passion for learning in a new modality, and they wanted to share it with the world. They are students that fit our mantra of creating global citizens, who can </span></span><a href="http://thinkleadserve.wikispaces.com/Student+Work"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">THINK, LEAD & SERVE. </span></span></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">What she witnessed was hundreds of people participating in a backchannel discussion via Twitter and the </span></span><a href="http://twitter.com/#search?q=%23vanmeter"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">#vanmeter</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> hashtag. It was a great display of how connected we are with other learners throughout the world. Over </span></span><a href="https://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0Ans14AZ1PMtPdHFuNFQ3djQ2Q2pVdjdvMWIwemhHOVE&hl=en"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">600 tweets</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> were made with the </span></span><a href="http://twitter.com/#search?q=%23vanmeter"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">#vanmeter</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> hashtag that day, and it opened the eyes of our policy makers to the possibilities technology can provide for students in the state of Iowa.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">What she witnessed was our students live streaming the entire presentation via JustinTV. Be patient the audi</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">o and video get better:)</span></span> <object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" height="263" width="320" id="clip_embed_player_flash" data="http://www.justin.tv/widgets/clip_embed_player.swf" bgcolor="#000000"><param name="movie" value="http://www.justin.tv/widgets/clip_embed_player.swf"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><param name="allowNetworking" value="all"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="flashvars" value="auto_play=false&start_volume=25&title=Transforming Education #VanMeter Students Speak at the Capitol 1/3&start_time=1264697363000&end_time=1264698263000&channel=derondurflinger&tip_id=2534416"></object><br /><a href="http://www.justin.tv/s/em/Jirf5S4/derondurflinger" class="trk" style="padding:2px 0px 4px; display:block; width:320px; font-weight:normal; font-size:10px; text-decoration:underline; text-align:center;">Watch live video from derondurflinger on Justin.tv</a> <object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" height="263" width="320" id="clip_embed_player_flash" data="http://www.justin.tv/widgets/clip_embed_player.swf" bgcolor="#000000"><param name="movie" value="http://www.justin.tv/widgets/clip_embed_player.swf"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><param name="allowNetworking" value="all"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="flashvars" value="auto_play=false&start_volume=25&title=Transforming Education #VanMeter Students Speak at the Capitol 2/3&start_time=1264698263000&end_time=1264699163000&channel=derondurflinger&tip_id=2534417"></object><br /><a href="http://www.justin.tv/s/em/Jirf5S4/derondurflinger" class="trk" style="padding:2px 0px 4px; display:block; width:320px; font-weight:normal; font-size:10px; text-decoration:underline; text-align:center;">Watch live video from derondurflinger on Justin.tv</a> <object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" height="263" width="320" id="clip_embed_player_flash" data="http://www.justin.tv/widgets/clip_embed_player.swf" bgcolor="#000000"><param name="movie" value="http://www.justin.tv/widgets/clip_embed_player.swf"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><param name="allowNetworking" value="all"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="flashvars" value="auto_play=false&start_volume=25&title=Transforming Education #VanMeter Students Speak at the Capitol 3/3&start_time=1264699163000&end_time=1264700056000&channel=derondurflinger&tip_id=2534419"></object><br /><a href="http://www.justin.tv/s/em/Jirf5S4/derondurflinger" class="trk" style="padding:2px 0px 4px; display:block; width:320px; font-weight:normal; font-size:10px; text-decoration:underline; text-align:center;">Watch live video from derondurflinger on Justin.tv</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> The opportunity for the rest of the world to share in this event was very powerful and again supports our belief that our students now have the opportunity to learn with, and from learners everywhere.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">It truly was a great chance for </span></span><a href="http://twitter.com/#search?q=%23vanmeter"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">#vanmeter</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> students to share how teaching and learning has changed for them. Hopefully, our visit to the Capitol will lead to policy changes needed to make our educational system more sensitive to the needs of students in the rest of the state as well.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">However, the magic didn't stop at the Capitol. Upon arriving back at the school, </span></span><a href="http://vanmeterlibraryvoice.blogspot.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Shannon Miller</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">, our district librarian asked me to come to the library so we could see what was going on. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">What we saw was </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 20px; "><a href="http://twitter.com/rujero"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Ruggero Domenichine</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: normal; "><a href="http://twitter.com/rujero"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">from New Zealand teaching our students how to share photos on his website</span></span><a href="http://youtellyou.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> youtellyou.com</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">. Not only was this a cool learning opportunity for our students, this was also more verification for us that learning is not restricted to our own classrooms and buildings</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">. </span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Our learning did not stop there. Later that afternoon, </span></span><a href="http://twitter.com/shannonmmiller"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Shannon Miller</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">, </span></span><a href="http://johnccarver.blogspot.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">John Carver</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">, and I were able to share our experience from the day with </span></span><a href="http://twitter.com/tomwhitby"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Tom Whitby</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> and </span></span><a href="http://twitter.com/web20classroom"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Steven Anderson</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">. Great leaders whom have expanded my learning via Twitter and other means. It was nice to finally put voices with the tweets, and the enriching conversation put a wonderful cap on an eventful day.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Sandra Dop hopes that what she witnessed on 1/28/10 was the beginning of the beginning for educational transformation in the state of Iowa. I can tell you that the lead-learners of Van Meter Schools believe we have positioned ourselves to help lead the transformation needed in the state of Iowa to improve schools and increase meaningful learning for students everywhere. For all of those who helped make 1/28/10 a great day, your help is appreciated. For those who missed out, hopefully by reading through some of the </span></span><a href="https://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0Ans14AZ1PMtPdHFuNFQ3djQ2Q2pVdjdvMWIwemhHOVE&hl=en"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">tweets</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> and watching some of our students' presentations, you can share in the experience we had the day educational transformation began in the state of Iowa.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div>DeronDurflingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17215926033903403757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6170747840972931133.post-30437278601951759852010-01-25T07:33:00.002-06:002010-01-25T07:48:18.527-06:00<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium; "><div style="margin-top: 6px; margin-right: 6px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-left: 6px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); color: rgb(0, 0, 0); min-height: 1100px; counter-reset: __goog_page__ 0; line-height: normal; "><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0in; "><b><span style="font-size:180%;">Be Part of the Education Transformation Proclamation!</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0in; "><span style="font-size:100%;">With the “roll out” of our 1:1 laptop program last August, and bringing our Virtual Reality system “on line”, the rate of change for teaching and learning at <a id="xo48" href="http://sites.google.com/site/vanmetercommunityschool/" title="Van Meter" style="color: rgb(85, 26, 139); ">Van Meter</a> is accelerating exponentially.</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span><span style="font-size:100%;">Our thinking has forever been changed. We are now connecting and networking in the classroom, with the other schools not only in Iowa, but nationally and globally as well. </span><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span><span style="font-size:100%;">We have had over 130 visitors “come to see” and more are on the way.</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span><span style="font-size:100%;">This is an exciting time!</span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; "><b><span style="font-size:130%;">#vanmeter goes to the State Capital!</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0in; "><span style="font-size:100%;">Iowa State Senator <a id="svhj" href="http://www3.legis.state.ia.us/ga/member.do;jsessionid=DE8D53008662EF62CD8C163FAF93B597?id=791&ga=83" title="Brian Schoenjahn">Brian Schoenjahn</a>, co-chair of the joint House/Senate <a id="ofv4" href="http://www3.legis.state.ia.us/ga/committee.do?id=35" title="Education Appropriation Committee">Education Appropriation Committee</a>, has invited <a href="http://sites.google.com/site/vanmetercommunityschool/home">Van Meter</a> and Superintendent Allen Nelson from <a id="ll4j" href="http://www.claytonridge.k12.ia.us/" title="Clayton Ridge Community Schools (IA)">Clayton Ridge Community Schools (IA)</a>, to give testimony before the entire committee. The focus will be on “educational transformation.”</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span><span style="font-size:100%;">Iowa Legislators truly care about Iowa youth however many are “digital immigrants.”</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span><span style="font-size:100%;">Our mission is to show them the connectedness of learning and give them a glimpse of what could be (or perhaps of what is).</span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; "><b><span style="font-size:130%;">Be a part of the presentation!</span></b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; "><span style="font-size:100%;">We are scheduled for THURSDAY, January 28 with testimony beginning at 10:00 am Iowa time.</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span><span style="font-size:100%;">(That is 11:00 am New Jersey time and 8:00 am California time) Our plan is for the presentation be interactive, with Twitter “shout outs” being displayed, video streaming and a “back channel.” </span><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span><span style="font-size:100%;">We want to include as many people as possible and are hoping for 500+ tweets! </span><span style="font-size:100%;"> The <a id="jazl" href="http://thinkleadserve.wikispaces.com/" title="ThinkLeadServe Wiki" style="color: rgb(85, 26, 139); ">ThinkLeadServe Wiki</a> </span><span style="font-size:100%;">h</span><span style="font-size:100%;">a</span><span style="font-size:100%;">s</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span><span style="font-size:100%;">b</span><span style="font-size:100%;">e</span><span style="font-size:100%;">e</span><span style="font-size:100%;">n</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span><span style="font-size:100%;">c</span><span style="font-size:100%;">r</span><span style="font-size:100%;">e</span><span style="font-size:100%;">a</span><span style="font-size:100%;">t</span><span style="font-size:100%;">e</span><span style="font-size:100%;">d</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> and we invite you to post ideas and artifacts.</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span><span style="font-size:100%;">The intent is that the ThinkLeadServe Wiki will give committee members and their staff a starting point for carrying the conversation forward into action!</span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; "><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; "><b><span style="font-size:130%;">What is our core message: We need to transform education!</span></b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; "><span style="font-size:100%;">We have before us an opportunity to rethink and redesign teaching and learning. Leadership and dialogue need be established so as to build consensus and direction for education in Iowa.</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span><span style="font-size:100%;">Our current educational structure has served us well for 100 years, but the World has changed.</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span><span style="font-size:100%;">It is crucial to our State, and to our Nation, that a new educational system emerge so as to empower our youth to THINK, LEAD, and SERVE.</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; "><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; "><span style="font-size:100%;"><b>Please join us on Thursday, January 28, 2010 at 10:00 am (CST).</b></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; "><span style="font-size:100%;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "> We would like our network of friends to contribute to the conversation. There are two ways you can participate:</span></b></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; "></p><ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; ">just use the hashtag <a href="http://twitter.com/#search?q=%23vanmeter">#vanmeter</a> to contribute and follow the conversation or</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; ">be a part of the conversation on the <a href="http://derondurflinger.blogspot.com/">coveritlive</a> link on this page</span></li></ul><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; ">We appreciate your help and we look forward to hundreds of people contributing to our efforts to transform the educational system. See you Thursday! </span><p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">If you have any questions contact <a href="http://twitter.com/johnccarver">@johnccarver</a>, <a href="http://twitter.com/shannonmmiller">@shannonmmiller</a>, <a href="http://twitter.com/DeronDurflinger">@derondurflinger</a> via twitter or email us at john.carver@vmbulldogs.com, shannon.miller@vmbulldogs.com, or deron.durflinger@vmbulldogs.com</span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; "><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span></p><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div></div></span>DeronDurflingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17215926033903403757noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6170747840972931133.post-9978176828682660042010-01-20T15:29:00.009-06:002010-01-22T17:44:33.940-06:00We Have a Teacher for ThatI have received a lot of feedback through posted comments, email, and face to face conversations from my most recent blog post about paying the best teachers $100,000. Though I think all teachers feel they could be paid more, many teachers are concerned about what "best" actually means. This has led to some interesting conversations and it has helped me reflect on what I think it means as well.<div> </div><div><br /></div><div>Defining "best" can be a challenge, but I think I may have a plausible solution. "Best" is different for every student. What works for one student may not work for the next. However, I believe we can create a system that enables us to match the most appropriate teacher for each respective student's learning style. Everyone has a certain modality in which they learn best. It is possible their preferred mode of learning varies from subject to subject. For example, I love listening to a great history lecture, but a math teacher lecturing doesn't do much for me. However, with technology, we are able to quickly and easily match our students with the teacher that most meets their individual needs for every subject. </div><div><br /></div><div>In the system I hope to help create, students will have a menu of teacher options to choose from for each subject. Each teacher will provide a bio that includes how they teach, what types of assignments/projects they assign, and data that supports learning of students that learned "best" in the modality described by each teacher. So if a student learns more by listening to a lecture and taking notes for an essay test for social studies, a teacher can be found that meets those needs. But if the same student needs to use manipulatives and do projects in math, a teacher can be found to meet those needs as well. Whatever the learner needs, the learner can get if we provide multiple options from around the state, country, or world.</div><div><br /></div><div>To help kids find the "best" teachers, I envision a system in which a student goes to a webpage and enters information for how he or she wants to be taught, and more importantly for which he/she best LEARNS. In this model, the system adapts to the student by providing the most ideal teacher possible for every learner based on teaching and learning preferences.</div><div><br /></div><div>Maybe the student is a visual learner, learns best by doing hands on projects, likes to collaborate in small groups, and doesn't feel the need to have to meet with the teacher everyday as determined by past learning experiences, surveys and other tools used to help determine the best way for an individual student to learn. Data could be collected from multiple learning experiences each student has had and essentially help develop and individualized plan for every student. Periodic exposure to other teaching methods as the child progresses through school would help determine if the plan needs to be altered. This information plus more would be entered into a database and all available teachers from across the region, state, nation , or even world that meets these criteria would be recognized and displayed to the student. The student and parent would then have a menu of choices of teachers for which to choose from to identify the teacher that best meets the learning needs of the student. </div><div><br /></div><div>To help determine the "best" teacher for each student, this database would also provide resources for the parent and student such as the following:</div><div><ul><li>References from Students/Parents/Teachers/Principals</li><li>Achievement data from standardized assessments of students from the teachers' previous classes</li><li>Learning data of students from the teachers' previous classes</li><li>Videos of the teacher actually teaching and helping kids learn</li></ul></div><div>This process would help ensure the likelihood of learning for the student because the selected teacher would teach in a modality that was ideal for this particular student.</div><div><br /></div><div>In this system, teachers would be paid $1,000 of per pupil funding for every student effectively taught. Thus, if a teacher taught 100 students well they would earn $100,000. This would increase teacher pay, but more importantly more students would learn at a higher rate. It is the best of both worlds. </div><div><br /></div><div>I know this isn't the perfect system. I understand there are other factors that impact student learning. But I also believe the most important factor in determining student success is the quality of instruction the student receives. Why not expose every student to the very best teachers throughout the nation instead of just exposing them to the teachers in the building the student happens to attend.</div><div><br /></div><div>Skeptics will say that we can never find the ideal partnerships using this system because there will be students that don't care no matter who the teacher is, or there are parents out there that won't provide the support needed, or students won't take my class because I make them work to hard, or whatever other reason we have all heard before. Don't we already deal with issues now that make educating some of the kids we see difficult. No matter what system we have, there are going to be challenges. Some teachers give in to these hurdles, but great teachers are able to overcome those challenges.</div><div> </div><div><br /></div><div>The database helps the student say, "I learn best by____________, ____________, __________"(fill in the blanks), and I say, "We have a teacher for that."</div>DeronDurflingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17215926033903403757noreply@blogger.com16