2-25

Present: Doug, Trish, Dan, Paula, Lara

1. Doug re: school visits on trip and Learning and the Brain Conference.

Seattle Academy of Arts and Sciences: Gr. 6-12 (A. Watson teaches here as a Learning Support Specialist)
 * Learning Support Program
 * Traditional+project-based
 * Emphasis on arts

Soundview School (C. Watson to be MS Head next year)
 * PreK-8, 10 years old.
 * Examining 1:1 curriculum.
 * International Baccalaureate curriculum
 * Progressive, entrepreneurial

Google: Mountain View, CA
 * Entrepreneurial structure: not top-down, decentralized. Constant evaluation of employees, who're expected to see need and come up w/ good ideas to address it.
 * Whimsical
 * Innovation+creativity everywhere
 * Open forum for ideas
 * Empowered employees: 20% time: do something important to you in small groups, e.g. sustainability group.
 * Lots of free food
 * Toilet Times: projects tech news in the bathrooms.

The Urban School, San Francisco
 * Gr. 6-12
 * Block system: longer classes, less switching.
 * No passing time
 * No grades: all narrative
 * PD via paid summer fellowships, not during year
 * Anti-distraction software and use of tech to keep you on task: Doug would like to have this placed on image next year. E.g. blocking out rest of screen in Pages, turning off Airport, Self-Control free software where you can use the Internet and block access to certain sites, e.g. Facebook. At this school, it's put on the HD, but up to kids to discover.
 * Sliding-track SmartBoard, so whiteboard space reclaimed.

Ormondale/Corte Madera School, San Jose (public school)
 * PreK-3; Gr. 4-8.
 * IDEO facilitated, faculty-designed progressive curriculum
 * Early W release for PD
 * Cart-based 1:1
 * TOSA: Teachers of Special Projects: faculty paid stipend to investigate project and train other faculty in 15 minute presentations.
 * iPads in classrooms.

Harker School, Silicon Valley
 * K-12
 * Tuition: $32K
 * High academic achievers: lots of National Merit Semi-finalists; Doug notes lots of 1st generation immigrant kids.
 * Platform agnostic: kids purchase own laptops
 * Moodle Management: every teacher has Moodle page for course, w/ groups for multiple sections. All teachers are hidden, non-editing teachers for other teachers' pages for same courses. Adopting this type of system @ Punahou would save us time.
 * Homework Manager System

Nueva School:
 * PreK-8
 * Super restrictive privacy policy
 * Well-thought out tech program
 * Gr. 5 on: 1:1
 * Lots of parent ed
 * Tech integration= core expectation for teachers
 * Sustainabiity: Green roofs, hormone-free, antibiotic free food; low-flush toilets.

-Dan asks any technology evaluation at these schools? -Tech-buy in and PD models are what seem most different re: these school and Punahou.

Learning and the Brain Conference:
 * Multi-tasking (possible to have music that elevates mood; multi-tasking will work if one, but not both tasks, are cognitively demanding) vs. task-switching (when task is interrupted by something else, e.g. switching to FB, chat from another activity. Recommended minimum of 20 minutes on single task.)
 * The skinny on the conference:
 * Bad: task switching, video games, stress.
 * Good: Exercise, video games, school reform (e.g. switching from standards to more holistic-based assessment, focus on engagement)