Archive for August, 2013

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Arts Education: Leading the Way Conference

August 20, 2013

October 24, 2013, UMaine, Orono, Collins Center for the Performing Arts

After last weeks “dry-run” for the Maine Arts Assessment Initiative Teacher Leaders to present their workshops for each other and an invited group of “critical friends” at USM, I got to thinking about how fortunate we are in Maine. Not only are Arts educators willing to share their teaching practices but they are sharing formally at the statewide conference Arts Education: Leading the Way.

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Teacher leaders and critical friends at USM for dry-run of workshops that will be included in the statewide Arts Education: Leading the Way conference being held October 24, 2013, UMaine

I am excited that the conference will be held on the UMaine campus, Orono, Collins Center for the Performing Arts. Our last conferences were very exciting. In 2007 it was held at the Samoset in Rockport, 2009 at Point Lookout in Northport, 2011 at USM, Portland campus, and this year we travel a little farther north to the University’s flagship campus. Each year the workshop offerings have become more varied and go deeper into teaching and learning. You can read the topics and short descriptions of the 35 workshops being offered by downloading the .pdf of the workshops at  https://mainearts.maine.gov/Pages/Media-and-Performing/conference-education-workshops. You can even see photos of the workshop presenters.

In addition to the 35 workshops being offered during three sessions the Opening Session will include performances by the UMaine Symphonic band, a welcome from the Dean of Arts and Sciences, Jeff Hecker, and an informative presentation by Lynn Tuttle, the Director of Arts Education at the Arizona Department of Education. Lynn has been leading the National Coalition for Core Arts Standards and will provide a history of the national standards development. Read more about Lynn and her presentation at this link https://mainearts.maine.gov/Pages/Media-and-Performing/Conference-Keynotes#. As many of you know the draft of the PreK-grade 8 standards was released in June for feedback. The draft of the high school standards are scheduled for release in September so we are really fortunate to have Lynn join us to share information as well as answer questions. We are fortunate to have the University Singers perform during the afternoon closing session.

The conference registration is located at . Cost for the conference which includes lunch is $75.00 until September 15 when it goes up to $80.00. (Please note: school purchase orders will not be accepted this year). In addition conference attendees receive 6 contact hours at no extra cost.

On Friday, October 25 and Saturday, October 26 the Maine International Conference on the Arts will take place in the same location. The conference will offer keynotes, showcasing artists and over 25 workshop sessions, including workshops at the new U Maine Innovative Media Research and Commercialization Center. You can read about both conferences at https://mainearts.maine.gov/Pages/Media-and-Performing/MICA-LANDING.

To register for each conference please go to https://mainearts.maine.gov/Pages/Media-and-Performing/Conference-Register#. There are scholarships available and you will find information and details on the registration page.

I suggest that you take a few minutes and check out the information from page to page on the Maine Arts Commission site where all the details are included. I hope to see you there!

Posted in assessment, Communication, Community, Creativity, Curriculum and Instruction, Dance, Food for thought, Leadership, Media Arts, Music, Opportunity, Professional Development, Research, Standards Based Education, Technology, Theater, Visual Arts, YAHOO | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

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Touchscreen

August 19, 2013

By Marshall Davis Jones – WOWZER!

You won’t want to miss this 3 minutes and 12 seconds of  YouTube.

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Eels and Art

August 18, 2013

New Zealand’s Longfin eel

An interesting project has been underway for some time around trying to save eels through artwork. New Zealand’s longfin eel is in danger of becoming extinct and that has been the motivation behind this project. We know that many artists have a cause and that is what motivates them as well as providing ideas for their artwork.

Stephanie Jo Bowman has created artwork, eel appliqué tapestry, to raise awareness about the longfin eel. The tapestry was scheduled for display in 2011 however, it is still traveling as seen in this blog post from April 2013.

If nothing else you might want to check out this site to learn about the eels. Some females live over 100 years before they travel to mate and release their up to 20 million eggs.

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STEAM/STEM Funding

August 17, 2013

The Perloff Family Foundation, in partnership with the Maine Community Foundation and the Maine Space Grant Consortium, is offering grants focused on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and the integration of STEM with the arts and humanities, or STEAM.  STEM4ME aims to increase the opportunities for student-driven STEM and STEAM projects at publicly-funded Maine middle schools, high schools, and academies.

Grants of up to $5,000 will be made available to small teams of students, mentored by an experienced educator, that create real-world solutions to problems in areas such as renewable energy, ecology, automation, space science and engineering, and sustainable food production, integrating wherever possible the arts and humanities. Preference will be given to two-year projects that involve substantial innovation and collaboration with existing programs at Maine’s colleges and universities, and/or nonprofit research and educational organizations.

Educators interested in applying for a STEM4ME grant must submit a one-page letter of interest describing project objectives and key completion milestones by September 15, 2013. Successful candidates will be asked to submit a formal application. For information on where and how to submit letters of interest, visit http://www.stem4me.org/grants/.

Over the past 13 years, David and Sandy Perloff have provided more than $200,000 in STEM-related grants for K-12 programs throughout Maine. Through a competitive grant process, these programs are intended to develop and reinforce student interest in science and mathematics, especially at Maine’s smaller rural schools, which are often lacking in such opportunities.

With offices in Ellsworth and Portland, the Maine Community Foundation works with donors and other partners to improve the quality of life for all Maine people. To learn more about the foundation, visit http://www.mainecf.org<http://www.mainecf.org>.

The Maine Space Grant Consortium is an affiliate-based 501(c)(3) corporation and a member of the national network of NASA Consortia in all 50 states plus Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia. The network is funded by NASA’s National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program, which was established by Congress in 1988 to contribute to the nation’s science and engineering enterprise.  To learn more about the Consortium, visit http://www.msgc.org<http://www.msgc.org>.

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In Today’s News

August 16, 2013

Commissioner of Education Stephen Bowen stepping down

Friday, Aug. 16

Dear Colleagues,

It has been a great honor to serve students and schools as the Commissioner of the Maine Department of Education for the past two and a half years. In that time, we’ve made incredible progress in moving from plan to practice our Education Evolving strategic plan to restructure Maine’s education system around our students.

School accountability and support has been advanced with the launch of A-F performance grading system and our successful application for flexibility from the federal No Child Left Behind Act; student choice has been strengthened with the authorization of five charter schools and the expansion of early college opportunities; and Governor LePage’s landmark legislation has been enacted requiring all schools to adopt educator evaluation systems and ensuring all high school diplomas will be awarded based on student mastery of college and career ready standards starting in 2018.

I am extraordinarily proud of what we have accomplished. Maine is a state the nation is now looking to as a leader in meaningful education reform.

The good work we’ve done, in collaboration with so many of you, also led to the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) approaching me about becoming their Director of Innovation, working to take Maine’s transformation nationwide.

The offer was not one I took lightly, but ultimately the opportunity to take what is working here in Maine to scale was one I could not refuse. Earlier today and with mixed emotion, I gave Governor LePage my resignation, and thanked him for the support he has given me and this Department since I first joined his team during its transition into office in 2010. It has been an honor to work for a Governor with such a passion for education. His personal story is a testament to the importance of our work in schools and an incredible inspiration to all of our students about what they can achieve regardless of where they begin.

My last day at the Department will be Thursday, Sept. 12. In my remaining four weeks here, I will be working with my senior leadership team including Deputy Commissioner Jim Rier and Chief Academic Officer Rachelle Tome to develop a plan that will ensure the Department’s momentum is maintained throughout the transition, including our commitment to supporting schools improvement.   An Acting Commissioner will be named in the coming weeks.

As I told the Governor in my letter to him, I firmly believe in the reform work we are doing here in Maine and I am confident that the reforms we have advanced, both in terms of education policy and in terms of how the Department does its work to support schools and students, will lead to improved student outcomes. I encourage you to continue that transformational work on behalf of Maine’s kids, and I look forward to seeing and supporting those efforts in my new role.

Many of you are already familiar with the great work of CCSSO, a nonpartisan, national association of state commissioners of education, which provides leadership, advocacy and technical assistance on major education issues. As their Director of Innovation,  I’ll be based in Maine but working across the country supporting states in implementing policy and practices changes to transform their public education systems, largely through CCSSO’s Innovation Lab Network. The network is comprised of a group of states – including Maine – taking action to support student-centered instructional approaches and to spur system-level change by scaling locally-led innovation to widespread implementation, both within and across states. I hope and trust that in that work, I will cross paths with many of you again.

I thank you for your incredible efforts each day to meet the needs of learners of all ages all across our great State of Maine. Please keep up this extraordinarily important work and I wish you the very best.

Sincerely,
Stephen Bowen

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Picturing Jazz for Children

August 16, 2013

The Big Read

So very cool to see this blog post devoted to “exploring how jazz has been approached in children’s literature.” That language is taken directly from the post that is located at http://bigreadblog.arts.gov/?p=6226.

The blog post includes a listing of picture books that include wonderful illustrations and information that showcase “the sounds, history, and personalities of jazz.” Whether you teach young children, middle school students, or even high school picture books are a valuable teaching tool.  I suggest that you check out the blog post and see if there is a book or two that you’d like to include in your teaching this school year!

Posted in Curriculum and Instruction, Music | Tagged , , | Leave a Comment »

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Graduate Arts Ed Assessment Courses

August 15, 2013

Screen shot 2013-08-14 at 8.32.36 PM Screen shot 2013-08-14 at 8.33.19 PM

Posted in assessment, Curriculum and Instruction, Leadership, Music, Professional Development, Standards Based Education, Visual Arts | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

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Critical Friends Help Out!

August 14, 2013

Feedback for the MAAI Teacher Leaders

Yesterday 25 teacher leaders from the Maine Arts Assessment Initiative had the opportunity to present their arts education workshops for an audience of “critical friends” at the University of Southern Maine, Portland. The friends were colleagues of the teacher leaders , administrators, Department of Education personnel, and a combination of others. The days feedback clearly shows that the day was very useful, informative, and filled with energy and a commitment to providing top notch workshops. The critical friends provided feedback to the teacher leaders who presented, good questions were posed and a community of constructive criticism was the day’s mode.

Next step? The teacher leaders will take the feedback, make changes if they choose and polish off their presentations before the statewide conference on October 24, UMaine, Collins Center for the Arts. The Arts Education: Leading the Way conference will be an all day event featuring 35 workshops providing by the MAAI Teacher Leaders.

In addition the teacher leaders will be providing their workshops at one of the Mega-regional sessions (5 being scheduled across Maine) and the regional workshops that are being planned by the teacher leaders in their region of the state.

We hope you’ll join us at one of these professional development opportunities. Watch the blog for details of the regional or mega-regional workshops and visit the link above for the Arts Education: Leading the Way conference registration information and click here for workshop details. You won’t want to miss the once every two years conference.

Thanks to all the critical friends for helping out and congrats to the teacher leaders who have put together outstanding workshops!

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Early childhood educator Judy Fricke presenting and getting ready to use a parachute with participants.

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Woodside Elementary Art teacher Brian McPherson presenting workshop called Thirty Eight Years of Teaching and Still a Rubric Virgin

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Critical Friends: Department of Ed Social Studies Specialist Christy Littlefield, Easton Schools Music teacher Pamela Kinsey, Nokomis High School Performing Arts Teacher Lisa Neal, and ETEP graduate Meghan Rivis listen intently

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Brunswick High School Art teacher Jennie Driscoll and Music teacher Ashley Smith co-present: Including Reflection in Formative Assessment

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Edward Little High School Music teacher (who is also teaching a visual art course there) makes notes as the critical friends provide him with feedback.

Posted in assessment, Communication, Community, Curriculum and Instruction, Opportunity, Professional Development, Standards Based Education, Technology, VPA | Tagged , , , , | Leave a Comment »

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Sweet Tree Arts

August 13, 2013

HopeFestfree

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Back from Vacation

August 12, 2013

Loving Maine!

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Libby Camps

There is nothing like being able to take time to enjoy beautiful weather. I know that we’ve had a lot of rain this summer in Maine but it hasn’t hampered enjoying the great weather that we’ve had in between. And, the intensity of the green grass in (almost) the middle of August is a clear sign of the amount of rain that we’ve had. My flower bed (and weeds) are showing the impact of the rain and sunshine. And, as many don’t care to admit the cooler nights are a sign that summer won’t last forever. And, yes, school starting is just around the corner!

Before you jump back into the routine of teaching and school I hope you have the opportunity to “play” this summer! I had a chance to travel to North Maine Woods for a couple of days to Libby Camps, one of my favorite places. It doesn’t matter what season I travel to the set of camps that have been in the Libby family for 5 generations, it is always a treat. And, no matter how difficult work days seem, traveling to Libby Camps washes the challenges away. We took a day trip away from base camp to one of the remote camps to do a little fishing and reading. On our way to the camp we came upon a spot that had been clear cut and provided a wonderful view of Mt. Katahdin (picture doesn’t do it justice). As we went to leave the spot there was a very young coyote coming towards us. At first the critter didn’t see us, busy hunting, so we got a pretty good look at about 20 yards. That was the first of critter sitings. We no sooner got in the canoe to paddle off and there was a moose (cow) with her young one.

My husband caught some nice native brook trout, I finished the book I was reading, Dinner With the Smileys by Sarah Smiley, and, of course, the best part was the silence!  Nothing like a day just hanging out and watching the day go by. It provided the opportunity to breathe and stare. Yes, a “starey” kind a day! We are so fortunate to live in a beautiful state that has so much to offer, especially in the way of “getting away”!

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