Alan November

In an economy where global outsourcing is commonplace, students must be prepared to participate in an increasingly competitive job market. In many ways they are in competition with bright, energetic, hardworking students from all over the world. In this workshop Alan discusses some of the ways we can empower our students, help them build a strong work ethic and develop self-directed learning skills. We should not underestimate what our students are capable of achieving.

From Alan's work as an educator on an island reform school to directing and alternative high school, much of his experience has focused on motivating at-risk students. Online communication can be a powerful tool for engaging students to be active learners. For example, students who never raise their hand in class can become eager to participate online. Many at-risk students are also more willing to accept criticism from an anonymous reviewer over the Internet. This workshop presents some creative ideas for using technological tools to help improve student motivation and focus on learning.

This workshop outlines essential skills for leadership and offers practical guidelines and creative solutions for building accountability into the planning process. Articulating vision and mission, managing change and aligning technology to primary goals are emphasized. A shift in planning from technology to the quality and application of information and communication is a critical next step.

This workshop targets the challenges beginning teachers and teacher educators often face. It explores critical skills teachers should know, such as information literacy. Practical ideas of moving curriculum and assessment to the Web are reviewed, along with suggestions on how to link students to primary sources, create authentic assessments and strengthen community support.

Empower your students to create and access powerful audio content on the Web. Students can listen to experts or present their work to authentic audiences. Tap into technologies that many students are already using. In this workshop learn how to create a podcast, plus find out how teachers are using them in creative ways.

Effective grant writing is a powerful tool that can turn your concepts into programmatic reality. This workshop will explain the differences in winning corporate, foundation, state and federal grants. The session is designed for both the novice and seasoned grant writer. It presents an overview of how to develop concepts into the tight language of grant writing and provides hands-on instruction of how to make your ideas become reality.

Data driven Web-based technologies can be a powerful tool to help manage and support standards. Technology can provide online-assessment, links to content-specific resources and activities, simulations, real time reporting to families, extensive portfolios of student work and much more. This workshop is designed to show how technologies can be aligned to support standards and how we can move beyond the standards.

Writing is an essential skill and a key to academic success. Technology can be harnessed to provide student writers with inspiration, boundless resource and an authentic audience. Students can publish their work or peer edit with anyone around the world. They can share ideas and projects in a global forum. Tapping into authentic audience can improve writing skills and motivation to write. This workshop is filled with hands on suggestions, websites and exercieses to get your students excited about writing.

This popular workshop provides a provocative and humorous look at ways to use technology to improve learning. Alan challenges participants to examine basic assumptions about how to move beyond flushing curriculum faster, to creating visions that provide students and communities with survival skills for a global economy. This workshop leads to a shift in thinking from technology to a focus on the quality of information and communication technology can offer.

Learning from primary resources can be far more meaningful than reading a textbook. Technology provides a mountain of primary resources, be it documents, museums or scientists at NASA. Learn how to effectively use these primary resources in your classroom and establish links to the outside community. Empower your students to become active participants in their learning and engaged researchers.

With the Internet, we can now connect students to a world of careers while they are in school. By doing so, we reinforce everything from basic skills to complex problem-solving. For example, middle school students can write police and fire reports, and high school students can present their physics labs to retired military admirals. Kindergarten students can fax questions about their community to neighborhood resources such as the florist shop. This workshop focuses on linking students to their community in meaningful ways.

A keynote from one of the November Learning team members is a springboard for transformation. Our exciting presentations, available in a range of topics customizable for your needs and audience, will reframe the challenges and opportunities of your school(s) by asking the hard questions that make change possible. Think of it as the wake-up call you’ve been waiting for.

During our keynote presentations, we strive to challenge and inspire teachers and administrators to think beyond the classroom and prepare students for today’s global marketplace. We believe that it is not the technology itself that’s important to learning; instead, it’s the way we use it. Our ideas about global communication, collaboration, creativity and critical thinking have inspired schools, governments and corporations around the world to rethink and redefine their approach to education and technology. Are you ready for change?

Key concepts:

-Web literacy, critical thinking and the grammar of the Internet

-21st century learning skills and objectives

-Authentic student collaboration and assessment

-Motivating students and fostering a powerful work ethic

-Cultivating a new culture of teaching and learning

Reaching today’s Common Core State Standards requires complete understanding of these challenging requirements and classroom implementation of rigorous assignments to meet these objective. Our Common Core State Standards services help teachers and administrators define their goals, focus their teaching, and then find the appropriate technology to enhance learning.

Through our focused professional development service, November Learning experts guide curriculum design that draws on students’ abilities to think critically, communicate globally, express creativity and collaborate across several types of media—aligning classroom learning experiences with Common Core State Standards.

November Learning education workshops for educators offer focused instruction on specific topics. Powerful and direct, workshops are flexible in format and tailored by our expert team just for your district or school so the materials and themes suit your audience and needs. Your organization will leave with a new mindset towards transforming education, teaching strategies to motivate learners of all abilities and the knowledge to supporting authentic technology use across the curriculum. More hands-on than a keynote presentation, this professional development service offers a 25:1 participant-to-instructor ratio to maximize your November Learning experience. We invite you to book a workshop in conjunction with a keynote presentation or on its own.

Key concepts:

-Web literacy, critical thinking and the grammar of the Internet

-21st century learning skills and objectives

-Authentic student collaboration and assessment

-Motivating students and fostering a powerful work ethic

-Cultivating a new culture of teaching and learning