Like most boys his age, my 11 year-old son is a gamer. He plays a myriad of video games, and together, he and I are avid tabletop gamers. His gaming life is full of colorful characters, mysterious landscapes, adventure, challenge, triumphs, and, yes, lots of failure. But no matter how much failure he encounters, […]
Technology
Posted inEducational Apps, School Improvement, Social Studies, Technology
Generating Work Flow in 1:1 iPad Classroom
I’m finishing this first full quarter with the 1:1 iPad classroom but apps do not hold attention spans this time of year. With April, love springs to life in all of its awkward forms. Attention spans are diverted towards prom invitations and long looks out windows; lacrosse, melting snows on the softball diamond hold great appeal. Thus […]
Posted inClassroom Management, Instruction & Curriculum, Middle School, Technology
How I Flipped My Classroom
It was just over a year ago when I first heard the term “flipped classroom,” and I recall wondering what part of the classroom was flipped. I saw pictures of desks and books upside down, but never thought much about the concept. I never thought this theory would lead to a new approach to the […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum, Technology
Teachers Lead In-Service… Unthinkable Possibilities!
The unthinkable happened. Our faculty provided expertise for a recent In-service. Incentive to turn the reigns over to in-house professionals result from either our successful embrace of the PLC model or because the budget is frozen. Whatever the reason, the opportunity to explore the Ed Camp model of professional collaboration is a turning point in […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum, School Improvement, Social Studies, Technology
The Absent Educator in a 1:1 iGen Classroom
Every once in a while, I have to take a sick day as a result of my own human frailty. A foot surgery scheduled for April was suddenly bumped up to last week, leaving me three days to prepare. As an educator, I hate missing school and I despise writing sub plans. Even with the […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum, Social Studies, Technology
Week 5/6: iPad Rollout- Differentiation
Living in Vermont means making amends for educational productivity when a perfect snowstorm blankets the state. Students and teachers embrace the cold powder while it lasts. We ski, we snowboard, we play hard. No wonder Vermont supplies a proportionate number of Olympians. At school we gained one actual snow day and then a week of […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Instruction & Curriculum, Technology
Google Conference Shows Power of Tech in Education
Technology can greatly enhance instruction by encouraging meaningful collaboration, creation, and developing 21st-century skills. This was the main message of last weekend’s conference in Roseville, Calif. (near Sacramento). Known as a “GAFE” Summit (Google Apps for Education), this two-day event provided inspiration and technical know-how for integrating the use of Chromebooks and other Google technologies […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum, Technology
Week 4, 1:1 iPad Rollout – Digital Learning Day
Did you know about Digital Learning Day nationwide? I stepped up my enthusiasm for digital learning by telling students to SMASH APPS! and tweeted class totals (#dlday). Smashing immediately connotes images of destruction but according to my Twitter community it simply means using more than one app to create something digital. My students had opportunities […]