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As part of my action plan associated with becoming a Google Certified Teacher, I decided to focus on training other educators about integrating these powerful web 2.0 applications into their instruction. Outside of my role as Principal of New Milford High School, I am the Director of Program Development for Project ABLE International. This is an organization committed to assisting teachers develop authentic-based learning environments in order to provide students with essential 21st Century problem-solving and critical thinking skills. Currently teachers from four different school districts in northern NJ are part of the Project ABLE consortium and have been receiving intense, hands-on training during the course of the 2009-2010 school year. This training has focused on the philosophy, development, and implementation of authentic-based learning activities that are meaningful and relevant to the learner.

As a culminating activity after months of training we decided to illustrate how easily Google Docs and Apps could be integrated into ABLE's in order to foster collaboration and interactivity between the participants. I worked on and develivered the presentation with Keith Devereaux, a science teacher at NMHS who has embraced the use of Google Docs and Apps in my school. We also included Dr. Brian Chinni, Founder and CEO of the Madison Institute that developed Project ABLE. In our development of the presentation we worked collaboratively over the course of a few weeks using the very tools that we would be providing training on. While Keith and I had some face to face contact time, all of Brian's pieces were submitted using Google Docs and Sites. The final result was the creation of a Google Site that included a simple agenda, presentation, and an authentic jigsaw activity where the participants have to create a informative presentation to their home districts using Google Doc and Apps.

Overall we were very satisfied by our presentation and feel that we met all of the objectives that we set. After reflecting we discovered many ways in which to improve the delivery of the conent and have already begun to make adjustments that will make the presentation even more powerful. One thing is certain, all of the educators present experienced the limitless potential that comes with these tools once they investigated each piece and then put them all together. Please take time to visit the Google Site (Project ABLE and Docs) we created and provide us with some feedback!

As a Principal I place an emphasis on student engagement and learning activities that are meaningful and relevant to my students.  There is no learning experience more authentic than our Holocaust Study Tour where NMHS students travel to Europe with their peers from another NJ high school as well as students from Kansas.  This rigorous learning experience begins with advanced preparation on the Holocaust prior to the trip including Skype sessions with an Israeli historian, application of knowledge in multiple European countries over the course of 10 days, intense reflection (essays, video documentary) upon returning, and numerous student-driven presentations to local and state organizations.  For the first time during the existence of the trip the teachers and students have been blogging each day about their experiences.  I encourage you to read the Holocaust Study Tour 2010 blog and see firsthand how a group of committed students explore a difficult topic in a way that will leave a lasting impression. Upon reading their analysis and reflections you will probably learn something new yourself.  Now that is powerful learning!

This past Friday an exciting event took place at my high school due to the efforts of Colleen Tambuscio, who is a fantastic Holocaust teacher. The U.S. Department of Education visited with a group of Polish educators to learn more about how our school teaches the Holocaust and genocide. The nine educators who visited New Milford were part of the International Leadership Program of the U.S. Department of Education. They spent 10 days in the United States traveling between New York and Washington, DC specifically for the teachers to learn more about the American approach to teaching the Holocaust and genocide.

The morning began with Collen providing an overview of our school's comprehensive Holocaust education program; highlighting the course curriculum, the study seminar to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum and the overseas trip to Germany, Czech Republic, and Poland. Three NMHS students each spoke about an experience from the trip that left an impression upon them which they aligned with a video clip from trip documentaries. These educators had many questions for us regarding our approach that led us into great discussions about content and pedagogy. We soon discovered that our approaches are not worlds apart and that we share many common themes in our teaching of the subjects. These educators offered to partner with NMHS during future trips to create student exchanges when we visit Poland. Jenny Eisenberg, from the Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs arranged for the teachers to visit our school. She was very impressed with our students and offered to encourage our students to apply for student leadership and exchange programs sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education. Cindy Hsu, a CBS Correspondent, interviewed the students and teachers during this visit. The news video aired on the evening of Friday March, 25 2010 and a corresponding article was published as well.

So where does the building connections come into play? On Colleen's end she is an exemplary educator who has created one of the best high school Holocaust education programs in the country. Through her many years of work experiences she has gained the trust and respect of experts in the field of Holocaust education from all over the world. She works tirelessly to to fund the trip through private donations. During this process she comes across influential people who are also passionate about helping students learn from this dark event in history. This passion then translates into opportunities for our school and students like the ones listed above.

As Principal, it is my job to share with the community the great things occurring within the walls of my building. Social media outlets like Twitter have enabled me to reach not only my community, but stakeholders in education around the country, state, and world. One particular connection I built through Twitter was the one with CBS News, NYC. They heard about how we were utilizing this social networking tool and ran a story entitled "Students at a NJ School Learn to Tweet". This led to a connection being formed with a major media outlet. The end result, since November the students and staff of NMHS have been featured on CBS News NYC three times, as well as many other media outlets. I challenge all teachers and administrators to build connections in order to provide meaningful learning opportunities to your students and share the incredible accomplishments occurring in all of your schools. If you are not utilizing social media and networking tools to accomplish this goal then you are really missing out!