It has been a long time since I started my high school class with this opening, “Today I’m going to tell you a story… and only you have the power to save the world…” My gaming team of devoted educators advised me to take a plunge into an all-out game experience with Breakout EDU. While […]
Technology
Posted inClassroom Management, Common Core, Elementary School, English Language Learners, ESOL, Instruction & Curriculum, Instructional Strategies, Kindergarten, Literacy, Special Education, Technology
5 Ways to Use Emojis in the Classroom
I realized almost immediately that I wasn’t getting through to my Kindergartners… again. I asked a class full of 5-year-olds to identify feeling words, and I got the same generic responses – happy, sad, mad. Year after year, I struggle with how to teach my primary students, especially my English Language Learners, to use precise […]
Posted inEducational Apps, Technology
Using Web 2.0 Tools to Increase Student Engagement
“I couldn’t come up with an idea.” “I didn’t have a chance to talk to my group!” “What was the homework?” “I was confused…” “I’m not sure if my students understood the lesson today.” “Where can my students best showcase their work?” These are all questions and excuses I’ve heard from students and teachers, and […]
Posted inAsk a Teacher, Common Core, Educational Apps, From the Front Lines, Instruction & Curriculum, Technology
Creating Excitement In The Classroom With Hyperdocs
Have you explored using hyperdocs in your classroom? I hadn’t either, until I attended the CUE Conference in Palm Springs, California. The CUE Conference is the largest (this year topped 7,000 attendees) and oldest (35 years and still going strong) conference for educators interested in using technology to make a positive impact in their classrooms […]
Posted inElementary School, Featured, How to Fix Education, Instruction & Curriculum, Technology
Skype Connections to Learning
One of our fourth grade standards in Kansas is US states. Students learn about the regions including their geography, climate, economy and cultures. We spend time researching and learning about the various states while comparing them to Kansas. Students become travel agents to different places. While it would be wonderful to have the funds to fly […]
Posted inHigh School, Instructional Strategies, Literacy, Social Studies, Technology
The Sensibilities of Mind Mapping
I was in attendance at a social studies department meeting reviewing how current curricula addresses Proficiency Based Graduation Requirements (PBGR). A disagreement occurred over the requirement of mental mapping as a performance indicator. Teachers accustomed to multiple choice and essay writing for common assessment could not discern what constituted a mental map. The recall of Venn diagrams, illustrated maps with inset boxes and character […]
Posted inGoing Paperless, Instructional Strategies, Social Studies, Technology, Uncategorized
Pioneering Nearpod
The 1:1 digital classroom is no different from any classroom in terms of management challenges. The excitement of technological change and student attention span tends to wane at the same speed and undivided attentions seek distractions if a system of motivation and inquiry is not put in place. This is true for all teaching because I remember […]
Posted inCommon Core, Instruction & Curriculum, Literacy, Technology
Math, Patterns, and MLK's "I Have a Dream" Speech
The third Monday in January is a national holiday commemorating Martin Luther King, and February is Black History Month. If you’re an educator, and you have not already seen Nancy Duarte’s visualization of Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, then here it is below on YouTube (or the Vimeo link here): [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column […]