Middle School

Sometimes it is hard to shift your brain from Lower School to Middle School.  After spending the past two days creating calendar based maps for Lower School, I realize that I need to revamp the process for Middle School at least to start.  Ideally, it would be great to also tack the student's technology journey through middle school to a calendar so that teachers were aware of the skills students had when they walked into the classroom.  Also knowing which tools other teachers are using would help streamline the process of user name and password if teachers felt comfortable settling on one blogging tool, wiki site, etc.  Students could become proficient with one interface and teachers could emphasize the use of the tools for learning as opposed to reteaching how to use the interface. The larger goal of using the tools is to support the growth of 21st Century Skills.
Another way the maps vary from lower school is my lack of understanding of really how they were used, which speaks as much to the tool I used to collect the information as it does my inability to get into the classrooms.  Working between two divisions leaves me little time to connect well with many teachers on a regular basis, so unless they need support actually showing and using the tool with the students, I am not in the class to experience the use of the tool.  This means I can't speak to the 21st Century skills, or align the use of the tools with ISTE Standards for students.  This does NOT mean that the skills are not there or that the standards are not in play.
Working on this curriculum over the summer for three weeks also restricts and highly structures the time I have available to meet with teachers.  But I knew this would remain a work in progress and that if I could get an idea of where we are, I can continue to work with teachers throughout the school year to define where we want to go and how to get there. Curricular maps by nature are dynamic and in flux reflective of continuous growth.
So the maps to start are different.
Here are the links:
Seventh Grade Map
Eighth Grade Map
As always, please feel free to comment or give feedback. Also, some people have been emailing comments which I do appreciate but would love to see them on the blog so a larger conversation has the opportunity to ensue.