For the 21st Century Educator

21st Century

Communication/

Collaboration

This was our agenda for our PD break-out session.  What a great day of learning and excitement, as they discovered the power of the PLN!

• From PLC to PLN: http://www.edutopia.org/blog/how-do-i-get-a-pln-tom-whitby

• Starting a PLN:

How do I Build a PLN?

Spend 20 minutes a day interacting and collaborating (it’s not just about the technology, it’s a new way to form professional relationships). Here's how:

• Start a Twitter account that focuses on following educators.

• Build a circle of connected educators on Google+.

• Follow education blogs (read and comment).

• Follow education chats that are specific to your content area.

• Join and participate in education groups on Facebook and LinkedIn.

• Accept invitations to collaborate.

• PLN potentials: http://cybraryman.com/plnstars.html

• To do: Follow 5, Find 5, Take 5*

1. Identify 5 new educators to follow that will help you learn, grow and evolve as a connected educator.

2. Add 5 new resources or tools to add to your toolbox.

3. Develop 5 action steps that will get you started, or help you continue your journey, on your path to becoming a connected educator!

* From, “What Connected Educators Do Differently”

“In a technology-driven society, things change at a faster rate than ever before in history. Educators who are connected use that technology to maintain relevance in the fast-paced, changing world of education. Being connected is not an add-on or a luxury for educators; it has become a necessity. We must have digitally literate educators, if we want digitally literate students.”-Tom Whitby @tomwhitby

Summer Love of Learning

Another successful school year has come and gone and it time for kids to relax, unwind and put their brains in neutral for the summer…or is it? If you look at any research regarding student learning you will see that there is an achievement gap present. This is true in all schools, including ours. A recent study out of Johns Hopkins University states that a significant contributor to the achievement gap in reading is the lack of access to summer learning opportunities. Additional research demonstrates that this problem actually compounds over time, and that attempts to remediate this learning loss during the school year is both frustrating and unsuccessful for students, parents and teachers!

In order to help combat what is deemed the “summer slide”, my school offering a FREE summer reading program during the month of July. Children will receive breakfast, lunch and reading instruction, all at no charge! I guess you can say we are feeding the mind and body! Last summer our program was incredibly successful, as every child who attended our four week program not only avoided learning loss, but actually improved their reading skills!

There are learning opportunities outside of the school, as well. For example, The Library Company of Burlington is offering a reading program titled, “Every Hero Has a Story”. It's good to take some time to relax and enjoy the “dog days” of summer, but please don’t forget to get your children involved in a summer learning opportunity, ”dog gone it”!

It's been awhile...for any newcomers, here's a bit about me...

My name is Robert Shappell, and for those of you who do not know me, I am pursuing a doctorate in Organizational Leadership with a focus in Special Educations and earned my Master of Science from Drexel University in Education Administration. My Bachelor of Science is from Rowan University in Biology/Secondary Education and I have an Associates in Applied Sciences in Ophthalmic Science from Camden County College. I was a licensed optician for a number of years before leaving the optical shop for a classroom.



I fashion myself to be a bit of a tech-nerd. I am on multiple social media forums, like Twitter, Facebook and Linked In (please feel free to hit me up). I am now in my seventeenth year as an educator, which includes ten years as a high school science and technology teacher, three years as a curriculum director for mathematics, science and integrated studies, two years as an assistant principal and now as an intermediate school principal (grades three through six). I have been blessed to work with and learn from some amazing people. Each new experience has provided me opportunities to grow and evolve as a professional, and a person.



This past St. Patrick’s Day marked my fourteen year anniversary with my amazing wife, Bridget. We have two high-energy and fun-loving boys (Nathan, age ten and Spencer, twelve) and live in southern New Jersey. We spend summers down the Jersey shore, and no, it is nothing like the annoying television show. Proudly, I have never met “Snookie”! In all seriousness, I credit my wife and my youngest son for inspiring me to concentrate in Special Education, as they both struggle with learning disabilities. My goal is to help struggling learners find success in the classroom so that they have the opportunity and desire to further their education as life-long learners.

Please feel free to collaborate through this site, any one of the social media outlets listed above, or via e-mail at robshappell@gmail.com. I welcome any blog posts, articles, You Tube or Ted Talk videos, or any other interesting learning resources. My dissertation will focus on narrowing the achievement gap between regular and special education students, so feel free to send information my way! Also, I welcome all suggestions for future posts.

Thanks for checking in!
Rob