...GIFTED CHILD TODAY Features Avenues to Professional Learning Online Technology Tips and Tools for Professional Development in Gifted Education Catherine A. Little1 and Brian C. Housand2 Abstract: The use of online methods for professional development activities is on the rise, with more schools exploring creative ways of providing teacher learning opportunities. Online professional development offers a promising direction for providing increased learning opportunities, promoting professional collaboration, and supporting teacher facility with technology resources. In gifted education, online activities may present effective ways of connecting gifted education professionals across multiple schools and districts and providing professional learning experiences in gifted education for colleagues in general education. In this article, the authors discuss key features of professional development and considerations for applying them in an online learning context. The authors emphasize the importance of coherence with the curriculum, active engagement, sustained attention, and administrative support. They then discuss five avenues or approaches for implementing online professional development, representing a range of interactive elements and opportunities for blending live and online components. Within each avenue presented, the authors share specific resources that would support implementation in the professional learning context. “ Online activities may present effective...
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...Self-regulated learning (SRL) is a social-cognitive model that conceptualizes effective learning as a cyclical process of evaluating cognitive and motivational processes during academic tasks.” (Ness and Middleton, 2011, p. 268). The three-phase cycle includes planning, performance, and self-evaluation. In SRL, learning is guided by metacognition, strategic action, and motivation to learn. “Self-regulated” describes a process of taking control of and evaluating one’s own learning and behavior. SRL emphasizes autonomy and control by the individual who monitors, directs, and regulates their actions toward goals of information acquisition, expanding knowledge, and self-improvement. Self-regulated learners are aware of their academic strengths and weaknesses, and have a collection of strategies they can apply to help with the day-to-day challenges of academic tasks. Article Overview The article titled, A Framework for Implementing Individualized Self-Regulated Learning Strategies in the Classroom, by Bryan M. Ness and Michael J. Middleton (2011), discussed one model for implementing self-regulated learning strategies. The article highlighted the instructional procedures, contextual application, and measurement of outcomes through the use of a single case study. By determining the SRL needs of the special education student, the special education teacher developed a strategy that would assist the student with the planning and self-evaluation aspects of SRL in the classroom...
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...disciplines to aid in the long term goal of a higher degree. I will have doors open which previously were not available because of the lack of a higher education. Opportunities not enjoyed prior will be multiple and open to be scrutinized by me and my achievement of a higher education. Salary, positions, and of course the ability to advance in the business arena are there for the taking. The tools and assessments which I have acquired in the course will benefit me greatly as I will now be able to use the knowledge in practical application. The tools which I feel will be especially helpful is fundamental writing techniques and methods. Prior to this class my knowledge of how to properly structure sentences using proper grammar and structure of sentences and paragraphs were limited and antiquated. The practice in the My Foundations Lab especially helped me realize the importance of the fundamentals in writing. The online learning experience has and is a benefit for me growing as a student and learning to study with others. This collaborative environment is interesting and helps me with the continued interaction with others sharing the same goal. This incorporates many new aspects and details in my pursuit of a higher education. Writing and communicating with my fellow classmates online has taught me to write briefly and specific in my ideas. The sharing of ideas and different backgrounds and ideas makes for a highly intense method of learning which I enjoy and it broadens...
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...|Syllabus | | |College of Humanities | | |GEN/105 Version 10 | | |Skills for Learning in an Information Age | Copyright © 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2007, 2006 by University of Phoenix. All rights reserved. Course Description This course introduces students to learning in an information-rich society. Students develop strategies for successful distance learning, time management, and for managing the abundance of information available in today’s society. Students also explore the appropriate use of information in an academic environment. Specific topics for the course include computing skills for distance learning, online library use, academic honesty, and the development of effective study skills. Policies Faculty and students will be held responsible for understanding and adhering to all policies contained within the following two documents: • University policies: You must be logged into the student website to view this document. • Instructor policies: This document is posted in the Course Materials forum. University policies are subject to change...
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...Reflection Exercise: Chapter 11 Goal: To expand your understanding of worldview and goals, from Chapter 11 of Breaking Ground: Keys for Successful Online Learning, by conducting a series of personal reflective exercises. Steps: 1. Complete 2 reflection exercises: Complete 1 reflection from group 1, or group 3 a. b. Complete 1 reflection from group 2 2. Upon completion of the appropriate exercises, save a copy of your answers to your computer, by clicking the Export as PDF button at the bottom of the page. 3. In Blackboard, access the submission link for the Chapter Reflection Activity 3. a. Upload your files. b. Submit your assignment. Your Name: Course Title: Chapter 11: Group 1 Group 1: Reflection 1 Fill out the following charts and answer the questions that follow each chart. 1.1 Original Goal Was this a short-term or long-term goal? Have you accomplished this goal? How? Is this goal still outstanding? Why? If not already met, how can you reach this target? Original Goal Was this a short-term or long-term goal? Have you accomplished this goal? How? Is this goal still outstanding? Why? If not already met, how can you reach this target? After completing this activity, reflect on what you have recorded. Then answer the following questions: 1.2 id you notice patterns that have developed that help you master your objectives? D 1.3 id you notice patterns of obstacles that...
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...Competency Goal 1 To establish and maintain a safe and healthy learning environment My goal is to establish and maintain a learning environment that is safe and healthy for children. This goal is important because children need a safe and healthy learning environment in order to get the best out of their experience at school. If they do not feel safe, or their families feel as if they are not safe, then they are in a non-suitable environment. A classroom should provide environments as safe as possible to reduce the inevitable situation of accidents Safety To meet my goal I will keep the playground as free from harmful objects and people as possible. I will also make sure that the classroom cleaning chemicals will be put out of children’s reach. I then will post fire drills and tornado drill directions clearly in the classroom and practice them frequently with the children. I will also provide a first aid kit readily available for adults to use and be knowledgeable of proper usage. On a regular basis I will check the toys in the classroom for broken objects and remove anything that poses a threat to the children and keep myself informed of any safety recalls or alerts on any toys or other equipment in the classroom. Healthy My goal is to have a classroom that encourages healthy practices to keep both the children and the teachers safe and free from disease as possible. Healthy children are always the best type of children. When they are...
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...Personal Goals Paper Success begins with goal-setting. Without goals, there is a lack of focus and direction. Many people will often avoid setting goals because it seems too hard. Goal setting is about more than just thinking about them, it is about putting thoughts down on paper to see them. This makes goal setting much easier, especially when writing the goals down is what motivates each individual person. Goal writing must be in time frames, and must be measurable, and at the very least, doable. Setting unrealistic goals can result in the abandonment of all goals; therefore, a good plan needs to be laid-out on paper. This leads to successful goals. Hence, successful goal setting begins with good time management, identifying early potential barriers, and acquiring the needed skills to accomplish each goal. Good time management is the key to successful goal setting and achievement. Taking the time to create, tweak, add, delete or reconstitute goals is the biggest deterrent, and also the largest component for success in goal setting. According to O’Neill (2000), goals need to be set. Writing goals down on a piece of paper can go a long way. Goals should be specific. This means knowing who is involved, what to accomplish, and where it would take place. Next, goals should be measurable. When time frames are met, milestones should be measured and celebrated or reconstructed with a new time frame in mind. Goals should also be timely. A time frame of when a goal should be accomplished...
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...BALANCED SCORECARD A balanced scorecard is a flexible framework for measuring and reporting performance while balancing financial and non-financial measures. The balanced scorecard links performance to rewards and gives recognition to the link between performance measures and organizational goals and objectives. The development of the balanced scorecard is accredited to Robert Kaplan and David Norton as they determined key performance indicators to include: Financial, customers, internal business processes, innovation and learning. With the flexibility of the balanced scorecard performance indicators are easily tailored to the organization using the BSC (Horgren, 2011). WHY THE CHANGE Historically our organization has measured success purely based on our financial perspectives. Financials are certainly a large concern for our organization however they are not our only concern. In order for our company to be truly successful other business characteristics should be in the forefront of all our minds. Several of these “other” business characteristics include non-financially focused items like customer satisfaction, employee satisfaction and retention rates, employee training, innovation and learning opportunities, as well as streamlining business processes (Horngren, 2011). These other activities have a large potential for generating profit for our company in the long run. By excelling within these categories there is better potential for our business to excel in profit and prestige...
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...Director of Human Resources, Central Region Job Description: Create and maintain an effective approach to recruiting and selection throughout the region. Support Central Region managers in proper hiring and orientation of new employees. Work with managers to retain and develop employees through effective performance planning and review, supported by appropriate training and development and appropriate Employee Relations (ER) support. Support managers in making appropriate promotion and transition decisions, in order to help assure the right person is in the right job. Manage regional HR staff to fulfill their responsibilities and develop professionally. Work as full member of the regional senior team to fulfill the business goals. Key Responsibilities: * Help managers identify personnel needs and create job descriptions for those needs. * Help managers select most appropriate candidates, based on interviews and experience. Support managers in creating clear performance agreements with new employees. * Work with managers and facilities to assure that new employees have all essential tools and resources when they begin work. * Support managers to make effective use of the performance review process. * Establish a system for employees to get needed training and or/coaching. * Support managers in identifying needs for change in employee status (promotion, firing, part-time to full-time, etc.). * Work with comp and benefits administrator...
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...I have three main personal and academic high school goals that will work to develop my personal interests and advance my academic career. Academically, I hope to build a foundation for success and take initiative in my learning. Personally, I hope to explore all opportunity offered. My first goal is to develop a foundation of learning and independence to prepare for college.Learning in a college preparatory environment is favorable to me due to better preparation in a mature environment and easier future transition. I hope to build this foundation by finding activities I am passionate about and developing a stronger sense of motivation to succeed in the curriculum and school environment. My second goal is to take initiative in my education....
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...employee morale was low. I have come to the conclusion that this stems from the fact that the previous principal did not communicate well at all with employees. People have something called a reference group. These are the people that are used to evaluate self worth (Adler, Proctor, & Rosenfeld, 2004). In a school setting, co-workers may serve as a kind of reference group. The evaluated actions of the previous principal explain the attitude of the current employees. If the teachers felt this way I can only imagine how the students acted and performed. Happiness breeds more happiness. This calls for a definite need to increase employee morale and make the school seem more like a group of individuals who are working together towards a common goal. According to the school demographics, Bill Clinton Middle definitely had a need for an understanding of diversity. The racial compositions of the students are: 30% White, 42% Black, 26% Hispanic, and 2% other. At least 90% of the students that attend this school are on free or reduced lunch with some upper class population...
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...university resources will you|In Center for Writing Excellence, I would use Write Point, | |use to strengthen your writing and |Get Live Assistance, and Step-by-Step Grammar Review. | |reading skills (refer to your Student | | |Resources Worksheet)? | | |What is your personal learning style |My personal learning style is to learn by example, and hand on. | |(refer to the Ch. 1 Aplia homework)? | | |What are two obstacles you might need |Focusing on subjects that are taught in a manner that do not fit my learning style. | |to overcome (refer to your Life |Being distracted by family and personal life. | |Factors and personality assessments)? |...
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...success, planning and goal setting is critical, without having a plan, and setting goals self-accountability for success is difficult. Maintaining a plan to succeed and to hold yourself accountable for both success and failure is the first step in personal responsibility. Students that plan for and take personal responsibility for their education have drastically improved success rate of achieving their educational goals. Personal responsibility is holding yourself accountable for the actions you choose or chose not to take in your pursuit of success. Students that do not take personal responsibility for their success are doomed to fail. Success is a choice and is attained by not only choosing to be successful but by making the correct choices along the way to ensure you are staying on the path to success. Students that take personal responsibility for their education have drastically improved success rate of achieving their academic goals. As a student, you must develop a plan for success and then be self-accountable to using this plan to ensure success. While there may be some outside influences such as Career Advisors, Financial Advisors, Parents, or Employers holding the student accountable to a certain extent, only the student is truly in control of the decisions they make on a day to day basis and lead to success or failure as a student. If a student looks at every decision they make and asks themselves "Will this decision move me toward my goals?" they are then making...
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...on Personal Responsibility My view of personal responsibility is the capability to take the initiative to follow necessary steps to insure personal goals in college and life in general. Personal responsibility is having a well-adjusted outlook of actions needed to achieve personal goals in life. Success is responsibility and responsibility is personal social management. Personal responsibility is the capability to take the initiative to follow necessary steps to insure personal goals and in life in general. Success is responsibility and responsibility is personal social management. Success by my own definition is consciously taking the initiative to excel in every goal I pursue. I see responsibility as social management related to how I perceive and treat others. Personal responsibility is a well-adjusted outlook of actions needed as I work and plan to achieve my own personal goals. My personal actions and interactions towards peers, family, friends and coworkers determine my liability towards others, and how their inner perceptions and attitudes toward me might correlate our ability to assist each other's achievements and goals. My having an objective consideration and adequate understanding the needs goals of others and how my peers can creatively use our unique differences to successfully complete any job, task or goal we as a group pursue. Taking personal responsibility for success in college My position is that taking personal responsibility in all aspects...
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...Organization Focus and Goals HRM/326 June 1st, 2014 Organization Focus and Goals Most companies have to have goals set in order for them to work properly and know where to fix problems. This paper will talk about focus, goals and how to get to each. This will also talk about types of training that can be used to make each focus and goal real. Organizational current focus Most companies focus on training to help them get employees where they need to be. Most will have a focus on training to develop the job you have. Having the training helps the performance and enhance skills more effectively. Making sure that your training is at the required changes will give the allowable changes for a better change. Knowing what the demands are, you can help with the focus and training within a company. Having the focus on training, allows for the best growth within a company. When working for most companies, the government requires companies to have some type of training in place. When a company does not have training in place then it can be held accountable within state, federal, or even sued. Organization’s overarching goals Having a goal for overarching will provide companies with the direct problem solving concepts. This will help for those short, long, personal goals or undertaking for achieving each task in the companies. Making sure there is a goal set for a good administration guideline within management along with the leadership. Overarching goals will help a company...
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