Meadowbrook

==== **Welcome to Team Polaris! ** **Meadowbrook School - Northbrook, IL** ====

[[image:http://fs.meadowbrook28.net/%7Edandre/MB_PLP.jpg width="656" height="149"]] Our team members:
Kindergarten Teacher Team Leader Web Site ||= Courtney Nordstrom Assistant Principal ||= Jessica Mann EXCEL (Extended Learning) Math and Language Arts Coordinator [|Web Site] || Monica Benz Media Specialist [|Web Site] || Jeremy Shea 3rd grade Teacher Fellow [|Web Site] || Technology Support Specialist [|Web Site] ||= Maria Scott 1st grade Teacher [|Web Site] ||= Tom Rosenbaum Physical Education Teacher || Darlene Andre 5th grade Teacher [|Web Site] TEAM POLARIS ||
 * = Deb Klarfeld
 * = Sue Ryder
 * [|Westward Ho! Project]
 * [|What Students Say...] || [[image:northstar.jpg width="84" height="84"]]

=Project Overview:=

What change were we hoping to create?

 * Enhance communication and collaboration between staff members (school wide goal)
 * Introduce staff to 21st Century Teaching/Learning skills to increase the use of technology with the eventual goal being that they will utilize them with their students

What goals did we have?

 * Extend our face to face dialogues in an asynchronous forum
 * Create ubiquitous access to information
 * Create an environment where teachers embrace 21st Century thinking as essential to student growth and success

What did we do?

 * Created an online environment where staff extended discussions such as: book study groups, professional development, useful technology links, etc. A Ning was utilized to meet this goal.

Results?

 * Increased use of tech by team members and other staff
 * Embedded tech projects on a more frequent basis into the curriculum. Teachers are creating more engaging, student-centered activities utilizing technology
 * Improved the dialogue and awareness of 21st Century Learning

How will we evaluate if we accomplished our goals?

 * People are beginning to participate in the Ning both at school and outside of school hours
 * Staff members have an understanding of the Ning environment as a place to collaborate and communicate with their colleagues
 * There is much evidence of 21st Century thinking: collaboration with other schools (Westward Ho project, Monster project, Postcard Geography, French extension activities), publish for a global audience (Rebecca Caudill blog, problem-based learning wiki, environmental issue podcasts, polar animal voicethreads), online student collaboration (reading response letters in Moodle and on wikis), creating a two-way communication portal between parents, students, and teacher (wiki, moodles)

Changes for students?

 * Increased participation in online learning
 * Increased engagement in online learning; at school and at home
 * New modes for students to show what they know; previously shy students are now participating

Future steps?

 * How do we prepare kids for success?
 * Make 21st Century teaching and learning commonplace ~ the way we do business (as appropriate)