Kentucky Academy of Technology Education

Celebrate National Arts and Humanities Month

Core Connections

Each year since October 1993, National Arts and Humanities Month has given millions of Americans the opportunity to explore new facets of the arts and humanities in their lives and has encouraged them to begin a lifelong appreciation for the arts. As teachers we have the responsibility to encourage our students to develop an active participation in the arts and humanities.

In towns and communities across America, arts organizations are planning and developing events, celebrations and innovative programming to highlight National Arts and Humanities Month. Throughout the month of October, special events will capture the spirit that the arts and humanities bring to everyday life.

Try some of the following with your students to peak their interest in National Arts and Humanities Month: Read a book aloud, engage students in a project like a play or mural, arrange a student art exhibition to be displayed at the school, a local business, the public library or city hall, arrange a field trip to a local arts events or choose from many other creative ideas.

Fitness Testing

Core Connections

Written by, Jeff Riley, Caldwell County Middle School

Fitness testing is an important part of any exercise program. Testing serves two purposes for the student beginning or participating in an exercise program. Fitness testing provides the tested with a beginning point. They know what their relative fitness level is based how they perform on certain criteria. The results can also be a very important measuring tool. Results can be used to set goals and determine success or making adjustment to exercise programs.

Fitness test should cover the 5 components of Physical Fitness. I recommend the Presidential Challenge standards.

Sample: Component Test

• Muscle Strength         90 degree Push-Ups
• Muscle Endurance      # of Crunches without stopping
• Cardio Endurance       Mile Run time
• Flexibility                   Sit-n-Reach
• Body Composition       Electronic Body Fat Analyze

Fitness testing is very important it establishes a beginning point and is a key measuring tool. Many people give up on their fitness plans because they lose motivation, good goal setting with achievable goals can help combat that. Fitness testing gives a person the ability to set realistic goals so they can see their progress. Positive results could result in continued motivation, and further participation in exercise programs.

Health and Physical Education Teachers can use many online sites to help them setup, complete and record results of student testing. check out the following links.

Leaders Make a Difference

Instructional Illuminations

Can the many challenges of the 21st Century be met by "good teachers" who are simply encouraged to "get the job done" on their own? With the pressures of accountability and the need to help every child achieve at very high levels, most educators (and politicians) feel that it takes a great deal more than leaders who keep the schools running, the technology going, etc. and then stay out of the way to meet national, state and local goals. Just like our world, the children we teach are changing. The Visions 2020 Report, used to provide background information for the national technology plan, heard the "voices of students" say very emphatically that they want to learn but they want learning to be anywhere, anytime and they want it to be real. Mark Prensky in a recent ASCD article described students as being fluent in the language of computers, comfortable with cutting-edge technologies and interested in learning through gameplay. Accountability has brought increased pressure to meet national and state standards as well as school achievement goals, greater demands for data, and a sense of urgency. Kentucky placed a great deal of emphasis on technology in the Reform Act passed in the early 1990s and is now placing an even greater focus by including three key ideas that frame the minimum technology competencies required of Kentucky students within the Program of Studies. Key components of the initial implementation included district and school leadership. An added emphasis has been placed on technology resource teachers who actively support instruction and on developing cadres of teacher leaders to provide models of best practice, as well as on building and district level administrators. The Kentucky Society of Technology in Education (formerly Kentucky Association of Technology Coordinators), the Kentucky Leadership Academy, the Gates Grant, and other ongoing initiatives provide valuable information and skills for administrators that enable them to review data and react appropriately to support student learning. Kentucky's Education Secretary, Virginia Fox, speaks passionately about the need for more leadership and suggests that teachers must become leaders.

What instructional-leadership practices make a difference? In Education Week's 2005 study, funded by the Wallace Foundation, training for teachers and principals on using performance data was ranked as the practice that superintendent's feel is most important. The Kentucky Department of Education list of essential conditions required to implement the new Program of Studies and ensure that effective use of technology for student achievement includes several areas that will require skilled leaders:

• Leadership with vision and support of technology
• Educators skilled in technology integration and the use of digital content for teaching and learning
• Student-centered approaches to lifelong learning
• Professional development that supports standards-based instruction
• Varied assessments on the effectiveness of technology for learning
• Anywhere, anytime access to contemporary technologies, e-learning, robust data systems and networks
• Technical assistance for maintaining and using technology resources
• Community partners who provide expertise, support, and real-life interactions
• Ongoing financial support for sustained technology use
• Policies and standards supporting enriched learning environments

There are many examples across the nation and in Kentucky of successes such as improved scores, decreasing dropout rates, etc. in schools/districts that can be attributed to the hard-working leaders--superintendents, chief information officers/district technology coordinators, instructional supervisors, principals, school technology coordinators, technology resource teachers, classroom teachers/teacher cadre leaders, community and parent volunteers, etc.