We got lots of praise after releasing new visual editor last week and we want to make it even better with ability to embed any online multimedia object directly to Eliademy course. You can access this new functionality by clicking … Continue reading →

Revolution- described as a change in power or organizational structures that takes place in a relatively short period of time- happens not just for political or economic purpose but also for any desired change in our everyday lives. In the revolution … Continue reading →

Today we welcome to Eliademy Tallinn Upper Secondary School for Adults. They are the largest adult gymnasium in the Republic of Estonia which offers opportunities for learners to continue their interrupted road of general education from 8th to 12th grade. Their … Continue reading →

Past papers are a useful tool to use with students, both in class and for homework  - but almost always they come as a PDF file from the exam board, which makes them difficult to use online. Thankfully Google Drive can convert them and then Google Classroom can assign them to your class. 1. Upload the paper to Google Drive. 2. Right click then open with Google Docs (which converts it to a Google Doc Format) 3. To avoid confusion at this stage I suggest renaming the file (otherwise you will have two identical files with .pdf at the end, one of which is not a PDF) 4. Now over in Google Classroom - this file can be assigned to a class (I suggest you select "Make a Copy for Each Student")

In this episode, I talk to Sammie Cervantez. Here is some insider information:  Current school: Shell Beach Elementary School-Home of the Sharks! First generation college studentEd.D. Educational Leadership from Univ of the PacificNational Board Certified Teacher-Early Adolescent Language Arts (NBCT)Blog:  principalinheels.wordpress.comGrandmother of five beautiful grand babies And of course--Favorite shoe designer: Jimmy Choo (Lol) We talk about Collectiveness, how to listen, and revisiting conversations.    <p>Please take a moment to rate this podcast in <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/transformative-principal/id770942472?mt=2">iTunes</a> or on <a href="http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/jethro-jones/transformative-principals?refid=stpr">Stitcher</a>. </p> <p>Please follow me on Twitter: <a href="http://twitter.com/jethrojones">@jethrojones </a>for the host and <a href="http://twitter.com/trnfrmprincipal">@TrnFrmPrincipal</a> for the show.</p> <p><a href="http://www.jethrojones.com/new-products/communication-cards"><Strong>Buy Communication Cards</strong></a></p> <p>Show notes on <a href="http://jethrojones.com/sammie-cervantez">TransformativePrincipal.com</a></p> <p>Download <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/paperless-principal/id558201943?ls=1">Paperless Principal</a>.  </p>New Episode of @TrnFrmPrincipal

This is a video podcast, on my feed. Just a little experiment to try something new. Send me a tweet to tell me what you think. @jethrojones   http://bit.ly/tp-socialmedia <- This is the post that the video references.  Please take a moment to rate this podcast in iTunes or on Stitcher.  Please follow me on Twitter: @jethrojones for the host and @TrnFrmPrincipal for the show. Buy Communication Cards Show notes on TransformativePrincipal.com Download Paperless Principal.  New Episode of @TrnFrmPrincipal

This week I am continuing my conversation with Sammie Cervantez. I hope you enjoy it. We talk about revisiting conversations.    Please take a moment to rate this podcast in iTunes or on Stitcher.  Please follow me on Twitter: @jethrojones for the host and @TrnFrmPrincipal for the show. Buy Communication Cards Show notes on TransformativePrincipal.com Download Paperless Principal.  New Episode of @TrnFrmPrincipal

Mr. Gregory Leavitt is the principal of Draper Park Middle School in Draper, UT. Draper Park has experienced some great success recently as a top-scoring school in the state in Math, ELA, and Science. He was the 2013 Canyons District Administrator of the Year Award Winner. In this episode we talk about the following: Cross Curricular Teaming and PLCs. Agenda consists of activities, common vocabulary, student problem solving, and team activities and celebrations Vocabulary is a powerful way to connect content areas. How he reviews all 9 PLC teams’ notes. Consistency as key to long-term success. How they use a Friday late start collaboration time. Subject Area Teaming and PLCs Large focus on data Common Formative Assessments Bringing everybody up, instead of comparing for comparison sake. Easy to take big end-of-year test when you are assessing for mastery to the standards all throughout the year. No need for a big push at the end. Nothing fancy, just some Google Docs that are shared between the team. Standards-Based Grading 100% of grades are based on assessments, what the kids can actually demonstrate as mastery. Rick Wormeli - "Fair Isn’t Always Equal" Objective Tracker, student-reported grades, and success. How you can be a transformative principal: Pick one thing that you can sustain for the next 5-7 years and stick with it. Please take a moment to rate this podcast in iTunes or on Stitcher.  Please follow me on Twitter: @jethrojones for the host and @TrnFrmPrincipal for the show. Buy Communication Cards Show notes on TransformativePrincipal.com Download Paperless Principal.  New Episode of @TrnFrmPrincipal

Mr. Gregory Leavitt is the principal of Draper Park Middle School in Draper, UT. Draper Park has experienced some great success recently as a top-scoring school in the state in Math, ELA, and Science. He was the 2013 Canyons District Administrator of the Year Award Winner. In this episode we talk about the following: Cross Curricular Teaming and PLCs. Agenda consists of activities, common vocabulary, student problem solving, and team activities and celebrations Vocabulary is a powerful way to connect content areas. How he reviews all 9 PLC teams’ notes. Consistency as key to long-term success. How they use a Friday late start collaboration time. Subject Area Teaming and PLCs Large focus on data Common Formative Assessments Bringing everybody up, instead of comparing for comparison sake. Easy to take big end-of-year test when you are assessing for mastery to the standards all throughout the year. No need for a big push at the end. Nothing fancy, just some Google Docs that are shared between the team. Standards-Based Grading 100% of grades are based on assessments, what the kids can actually demonstrate as mastery. Rick Wormeli - "Fair Isn’t Always Equal" Objective Tracker, student-reported grades, and success. How you can be a transformative principal: Pick one thing that you can sustain for the next 5-7 years and stick with it. Please take a moment to rate this podcast in iTunes or on Stitcher.  Please follow me on Twitter: @jethrojones for the host and @TrnFrmPrincipal for the show. Buy Communication Cards Show notes on TransformativePrincipal.com Download Paperless Principal.  New Episode of @TrnFrmPrincipal

I had the great opportunity to interview Michael Santos this week. He is a former convict who spent 26 years in prison for running drugs. He says he never touched the drugs, but organized other people to do it. Pretty amazing story. Michael has a podcast out, now as well. He pipes it into the prison system to help people learn to change. You can learn a little bit more about Michael here: • PBS NewsHour (7-minute profile) • NBC Bay Area Proud (5-minute profile) • San Francisco Chronicle (Front-page profile) We talk about the following: How Michael became incarcerated. How he had a change of heart. Philosophy and Socrates. Tweet: I needed a string to lead me out of the labyrinth. via @MichaelGSantos @TrnFrmPrincipal http://ctt.ec/B0z64+ Our system of corrections is designed to extinguish hope. Michael’s 3 pronged plan: Educate myself Contribute to Society Build a Support Network Tweet: Every human being has the potential to become something amazing. Students may see you and tune out the message because you are an authority figure. Tweet: People thought they were insulting me by saying I wasn’t hard enough. Using the socratic method. Define the values students need. Tweet: If they can define success, we can ask what we do to get you there. There’s a path to a better life and it doesn’t happen by accident. Click to Tweet Establishing values vs. defining values Straight A Guide: Attitude, Aspiration, Action, Accountability, Awareness, Achievement, Appreciation When people feel like they have no control, they are less likely to become the best they can be. The Scandinavian system provides a panel to help acclimate the offender to society after a prison sentence. We need an innovative disruptive approach to change things. People want a better life, but don’t know how to get there. New Episode of @TrnFrmPrincipal