Save Thousands on professional development!

Professional Staff Development and  Curriculum Design   Maybe the summer heat finally got to us here in Texas!  You will think so when you see our new specials - Professional Development and Needs Assessment Package, and the Austin Cool Down! But you only have a short time to take advantage of these two phenomenal specials - click links for deadlines and other information.

Professional Development and Needs Assessment Package What is the most effective way to plan and implement quality Professional Development?  You begin by wanting to know where you are going, knowing where you are now, then designing a custom plan to get there!  How do you find out where you are in relation to where you want to be in terms of having a truly 21st century school?  Answer:  you conduct a Needs Assessment!       Who has the time or money to do that?  You do!  For more details read here.  Find out how to save thousands on this 3-day package consisting of a 1-day On-Site Needs Assessment and 2 days of university accredited professional development for up to 50 teachers!  That is a cost of $16/teacher/day to bring Anne Shaw, a renowned international consultant, to your campus for 3 days!* In order to receive this special price you must reserve your dates (any time during the 2012-2013 school year) and submit your deposit no later than September 28, 2012.  *This price is contingent upon 50 people attending, and does not include travel expenses for consultants.    Austin Cool Down! Save a cool $299! Designing the 21st Century Classroom Come to Austin, Texas for our most popular workshop, Designing the 21st Century Classroom.  Prices for this workshop only - in Austin on October 4 and 5  - have been reduced to $299 per person - this is a 50% savings!  In order to receive this price your paid registrations must be received by our office no later than September 28.  This price will still include a light continental breakfast, mid-morning and mid-afternoon snack breaks and materials! This workshop is university accredited.  Register Here.   Austin Cool Down Info

Tread Softly on the Dreams of Our Students!

HAD I the heavens’ embroidered cloths,
Enwrought with golden and silver light,
The blue and the dim and the dark cloths
Of night and light and the half light,
I would spread the cloths under your feet:
But I, being poor, have only my dreams;
I have spread my dreams under your feet;
Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.

W.B. Yeats (1865–1939)

Ken Robinson read this quote at the end of his last talk at TED. He reminds us that we should not tread on the dreams of our students. And we surely have been doing that, collectively, as part of the national educational system.

Please see the next post related to the state of education today.

Race to Nowhere

2010-11 Workshop Schedule and back-to-school discounts

Our 2010-11 Regional Workshop Schedule is online! We have some cities back on the schedule that we haven't visited for while - San Francisco and Washington, DC.

Our first city this school year is Las Vegas where we will hold the following workshops:

Media Literacy - an In-depth Investigation on Oct. 20 and 21.

Designing the 21st Century Classroom on Oct. 22 and 23.

And to sweeten the deal for you we are (for a very limited time) offering huge discounts on paid registrations received by August 30!

The regular fee for each two-day workshop we offer is $525. But you will pay only $425 for any two-day workshop on the schedule - provided we receive it on or before August 30!

The regular fee for each one-day workshop we offer is $299. You will pay only $225 for any one-day workshop on the schedule - provided we receive it on or before August 30!

21st Century Schools Wallwisher by anneshaw21

21st Century Schools Wallwisher by anneshaw21

Voki

Hi, everyone. Visiting some other blogs today - as a result of my becoming a group member at Classroom 2.0 - I discovered a fun tool called Voki. It's the character you see to the right in a cowboy hat. You can create your own character using your own voice. A nice way to make your blog or web page more personal. Try it!

Check out the Baby Mail, too!

A Salute to Some Special Educators

It's been a busy summer, and school will be starting before we know it. I've enjoyed some travel this summer to work with educators in fantastic Paducah, Kentucky, fabulous Upper St. Clair, PA, and awesome Newaygo County in Fremont, MI. I'm looking forward to my trip to Elyria, OH next month! And it looks like I will be making some international trips this year, as well - India, England and maybe others!

Additionally, I greatly enjoyed the opportunity to meet and work with some very dedicated educators from three residential schools attending our Summer Institute on the River Walk in San Antonio. We had teams from Girard College in Pennsylvania, from Boys Ranch ISD in Texas, and from Virginia Episcopal School! But let's not forget one incredible math teacher from Manitoba, Canada! It was one great week of building community, learning together and teaching each other, and creative collaboration! Thanks to all of you who were there for making July 12-16 a wonderful experience for me and everyone else!