Oakland County Literacy Podcast

Berkley School District sent a group of 8 educators; Administrators and Teachers,  to the Teachers' College Individual and Small Group Conferring Institute. Five of these educators discuss what they learned, how they will use this information to improve student learning, and how they will share this with colleagues.   The five educators who discuss their learning on the podcast are: Stacie Angel. Instructional Support Specialist.  sangel@berkleyschools.org Scott Francis. Principal, Pattengill Elem. sfrancis@berkleyschools.org Prima Dailey. 1st Grade Teacher. pdailey@berkleyschools.org Lauren Wexler. 1st Grade Teacher. lwexler@berkleyschools.org Jennifer Griffith. 3rd Grade Teacher. jgriffith@berkleyschools.org Berkley Schools Website: Berkley Schools Berkley Schools Educators on Podcast

In this podcast, Dr. Lauren Childs talks with Ron Ritchhart about Cultures of Thinking.  They talk about how Ron’s research into areas such as intellectual character, mindfulness, thinking dispositions, teaching for understanding, creativity in teaching and communities of practice led to Cultures of Thinking. Lauren is deeply involved in this work and has worked, with Ron, implementing Cultures of Thinking in many Oakland County Schools.     Ron Ritchhart Website Cultures of Thinking Introductory Seminar Cultures of Thinking Strolling Dinner & Gallery Walk  

Dr. Cook-Robinson is the Superintendent of Oakland Schools. She is an experienced educator with roles from classroom teacher to District Superintendent. She has many awards recognizing her contributions to excellence in education. In 2013, she received  Michigan's  Superintendent of the Year award and this year, 2017, received the Courage Award for Educational Excellence and Development at the  Martin Luther King Jr Luncheon. Dr. Cook-Robinson is passionate about Public Schools and works tirelessly with the State and local school districts to provide the best possible education for Oakland County students. In this podcast, she shares her vision for education, how Oakland Schools works in collaboration with local school districts, and who she is as a person. Oakland Schools

Dylan Wiliam is a world renowned educational leader and researcher specializing in teacher development and formative assessment.  On today's podcast, Dylan shares the key aspects of formative assessment, thoughts on teacher development and formative assessment and some practical ideas to consider for your teaching.   In addition to hearing Dylan speak about formative assessment and learning, there are some useful links included. Dylan will also be speaking on embedding formative assessment into daily practice at Oakland Schools on Feb 1, 2017.  More information about this event and a registration link is provided below. Dylan Wiliam at Oakland Schools The Dylan Wiliam website Practical Ideas for Formative Assessment Classroom Assessment Minute by Minute

In July 2016, Oakland Schools had a significant reorganization. During this reorganization, smaller units were formed from the existing larger departments and some additional administrative roles were created. A number of these units are part of the District and School Services. Dr. Heidi Kattula is the Executive Director of District and School Services at Oakland Schools. In this podcast, Heidi talks about how the reorganization can support Oakland County educators, some of the exciting innovations in education and some of the challenges, as well as sharing some personal information as to who she is.

The ability to collect, and store, vast amounts of information about students is becoming increasingly easier and cheaper. At its best, this information can be used to support students, at its worst, the information can be used against students often without their knowledge. This information can be stored, and manipulated, forever. Chris Gilliard, Hugh Culik, Daniel Hoops and Jason Almerigi provide an insightful and interesting discussion on this issue. Some links to sites mentioned in the podcast: FERPA COPPA Data Quality Campaign A Parents Guide to Student Privacy Data Mining and Students: A Curated Resource

Jeff  Grabill is a Professor of Rhetoric and Professional Writing and Chair of the Department of Writing, Rhetoric, and American Cultures here at Michigan State University. He is  a senior researcher with WIDE Research (Writing in Digital Environments) and also a co-founder of Drawbridge Incorporated, an educational technology company. He studies how digital writing is associated with citizenship and learning. He has published two books on community literacy and articles in journals like College Composition and Communication, Technical Communication Quarterly, Computers and Composition, and English Education. Email Twitter MSU     Bill Hart-Davidson earned his Ph.D. in 1999 in Rhetoric & Composition from Purdue University. He is a Senior Researcher at Writing in Digital Environments Research at Matrix. In 2014, he will begin a three year appointment as Associate Dean of Graduate Studies in the College of Arts & Letters. He is a co-inventor of Eli Review, a software service that supports writing instruction. Eli is a system based on research and pedagogy developed with his colleagues at WIDE. Email Twitter MSU

Hugh Culik has been a high school English teacher, a novelist, a grant writer, an English Professor and Chair of the UDM English Department, Executive Director of the Upper Peninsula’s Bonifas Art Center, and has been an instructor at Macomb Community College for the past seven years. Throughout these lives, he has frequently published about the relationship of mathematics and literature. He credits Chris Gilliard for a large part of his skepticism of “digital culture.” Chris Gilliard has been a professor for 20 years, teaching writing, literature, and digital studies at a variety of institutions, including Purdue University, Michigan State University, the University of Detroit, and currently Macomb Community College. His students have gone on to graduate programs at a variety of schools: University of Colorado, University of Michigan, University of Illinois, Columbia, University of Chicago, and elsewhere. Chris is interested in questions of privacy, surveillance, data mining, and the rise in our algorithmically determined future. Chris and Hugh are part of a group of scholars and activists who are concerned with the ways ed tech companies have made their way into the classroom in ways that not only erode student privacy and make student data available to advertisers and other “third parties”, but also have the potential to create permanent profiles of students in the name of personalized learning. Contact Info: Chris Gilliard's email Hugh Culik email LINKS: Electronic Privacy Information Center Fordham University: Center for Law and Information Policy Dana Boyd The Black Box Society Audrey Watters

Most of Dr. Popham's teaching career took place at UCLA where, for nearly 30 years, he taught courses in instructional methods for prospective teachers as well as courses in evaluation and measurement for graduate students. At UCLA he won several distinguished teaching awards. In January 2000, he was recognized by UCLA Today as one of UCLA's top 20 professors of the 20th century. In 1992, he took early retirement from UCLA upon learning that emeritus professors received free parking. Click here to learn more about Dr. Popham On Feb 6, 2015 Dr. Popham will present Formative Assessment in Action at Oakland Schools, Waterford, Michigan. This presentation will focus on: The what and why of formative assessment in the classroom. The limitations of formative assessment. New updates and insights about formative assessment. The four levels of formative assessment will be defined using concrete examples with opportunities for engagement (Teacher Instructional Engagement, Students Learning Adjustments, Classroom Climate Shift, and School Wide Implementation). To register for presentation, please click on Formative Assessment in Action

Will Richardson is a world renowned speaker, presenter, and educator who focuses on rethinking and transforming education. Will shares his thoughts on how to support students' learning to maximize the opportunities that are available to students today. To learn more about Will Richardson check out his website: willrichardson.com The website has many resources, books, and TED talks. Modern Learners Website Will's Twitter is: https://twitter.com/willrich45

Join us for a discussion with a small group of Year 11 students who share their thoughts on what education means to them. They discuss what they find helpful and what they do not find helpful.

Dr. Douglas Fisher   Dr. Douglas Fisher joined the Department of Educational Leadership in 2011 having served as Professor of Language and Literacy Education in the Department of Teacher Education at San Diego State University since 1998. In addition, he is a teacher and administrator at Health Sciences High & Middle College. He has served as a teacher, language development specialist, and administrator in public schools and non-profit organizations, including 8 years as the Director of Professional Development for the City Heights Collaborative, a time of increased student achievement in some of San Diego's urban schools.   He is the recipient of an International Reading Association Celebrate Literacy Award, a member of the California Reading Hall of Fame, the Farmer award for excellence in writing from the National Council of Teachers of English, as well as a Christa McAuliffe award for excellence in teacher education. In 2011, his book Implementing RTI with English Learners, won the innovation award from the Academy of Educational Publishers.   Doug is a researcher who is interested in school improvement, especially in the area of quality instruction. Some of his many books are linked here:   Educational Books   His website is: www.fisherandfrey.com   Oakland Schools Presentation by Dr. Fisher, Oct 29, 2014: Using a Formative Assessment Action Plan to Impact More Successful Teaching and Learning

Bryan Dean, an Oakland Schools' Consultant, recently presented at Harvard University on Universal Design for Learning (UDL).  Bryan talks about what UDL is, why it is a powerful approach, how  it relates the the Common Core, how it differs from differentiation and resources to know more about it.   To learn more about UDL, Oakland Schools' has a Oakland Schools' UDL webpage There is also a Professional Learning Network Blog On November 6: Katie Novak Presentation on UDL at Oakland Schools For more information contact:  Bryan.Dean@oakland.k12.mi.us  

Michigan ASCD,  MEMSPA, and Oakland Schools collaborated to bring John Hattie to  Oakland Schools for a Visible Learning Institute.  Hear a number of participants share their thinking on the latest research on effective teaching, the  implications of effect size, and what contributes to powerful student learning. This podcast, and others, can be found on the Oakland Literacy Website and iTunes (Oakland Literacy Podcast) where you can subscribe to it.

Vince Gigliotti was the Principal of Anderson Middle School in Berkley, Michigan. In 2014 he will be the Principal of Angell Elementary, also in Berkley.  Vince shares his insights into the implementation of the workshop model at Anderson Middle School.  He is candid about this process, sharing reflections that will be helpful to any school considering such a move. If you wish to contact Vince his email is:  vgigliotti@berkleyschools.org  

Richard Koch is a respected educator and leader in the area of portfolios and writing. He shares what portfolios are, how they support student learning and the teaching of writing, as well as helpful ideas on how to effectively use portfolios. Richard is the Director of the Michigan Portfolios website. He is also the co-author of "The Portfolio Guidebook" and consults with educators in the area of teaching writing and writing assessment.   Michigan Portfolios The Portfolio Guidebook   Contact Richard at:  rkoch@adrian.edu  

On May 12, 2014, the School Quality Department of Oakland Schools, will sponsor a day with Dr.  Mary Helen Immordino-Yang as part of the "National Speaker" series. Dr. Immordino-Yang is an internationally recognized cognitive and educational psychologist who studies the brain base of emotion, social interaction and culture and their implications for development and education. In this podcast Dr. Immordino-Yang discusses her research linking neuroscience and education. She shares how cultural, social, and cognitive learning are interrelated. Links to her work and resources are listed below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RViuTHBIOq8  http://www-bcf.usc.edu/~immordin/ http://www.learner.org/courses/neuroscience/    

Margaret Heritage is a world renowned researcher and author in the area of Formative Assessment. In this podcast, Margaret explains what Formative Assessment is, how it differs from benchmark and interim assessment, the research behind it and key points and understandings for teachers who use, or are beginning to use, the Formative Assessment process.   Margaret has two books that focus on Formative Assessment: Formative Assessment: Making It Happen in the Classroom (Corwin, 2010) Formative Assessment in Practice: A Process of Inquiry and Action (Harvard Education Press, 2013)    

Jackie reflects on the writers'workshop approach. This podcast complements a video recording of Jackie teaching the writing workshop in her 2nd grade classroom. The video is on the new Oakland Literacy website. The website will be live toward the end of the 2014 school year. This message will be modified when the website is live, the link will be placed here.

Dr Yocum shares some of his background and reflections on his time as Director of Learning Services at Oakland Schools. Dr. Yocum discusses some of the changes he has seen in education as well as some of the challenges he believes education currently faces.