Pinterest. Love, love, love this site! And who doesn’t? Especially those of us who began teaching with toilet paper rolls and baby food jars or those teachers who need to supplement their current curriculum without spending a fortune doing so. But just like with any great resource, being able to benefit from using it is […]
Educational Apps
20% Time is a Common Practice
Recently I mashed a world history unit on 19th century industry with student discussions on the history of change in education. A TED Talk illustrating Sir Ken Robinson’s reflections on transforming education away from standardized practice prompted student discussion and agreement on the need for time spent on creativity and artistic expression in all classes. However, the […]
The Treasure Trove of Language: In Praise of the Thesaurus
All hail.…extol.…laud the mighty Roget’s Thesaurus! Any one struggling with trying to find the right word can attest to the support that he or she may have found in the pages of Roget’s Thesaurus, a reference book that celebrates its birthday every April 29th. Writers pour through its pages in the hunt to find an alternate to “said” (articulated, […]
Field Trips are Better with iPads
Every year I collaborate with colleagues to host a high school field trip to a local college campus. We explore art collections, tour the campus and give students time to explore the nearby downtown for a brief respite. The goal of connecting artistic perspective to their interpretations of world history is tangential to the elation students enjoy with a […]
Teachers Need #Edcamps
Yesterday marks another celebratory moment at our public school. Our administration approved hosting a second annual inservice edcamp organized by our school tech integrationist. He scheduled workshops designed and run by educational expertise right here on our campus and helped host requested workshops for specific professional development. No outsiders involved, no forced learning. Personalized learning (PLP) works from the […]
Outdated Practices With Google Docs
It is a relief to find a few digital tools that continuously serve learners despite the accelerated nature of change in technology. Google Docs allows me to meet the varied needs and writing levels of almost all students. It gives me wings, allowing me to reach past classroom walls and time constraints, to converse and edit […]
#SATCHAT’s Coalition of the Willing Should Be in Teacher Ed Programs
Rather than sleep in, hundreds of educators spend Saturday mornings (7:30 EST) tweeting away on Twitter in discussions with other educators worldwide about current issues in education. The hashtag #satchat takes educators to the discussion selected for that morning. The topics are usually posted by one of the coordinators so that educators can prepare in advance for […]
Net Neutrality and Educational Technology
On February 26th, 2015, the FCC approved new rules involving net neutrality. This means that the neither government nor Internet service providers can inhibit access to and/or creation of online content. According to NPR, “the Open Internet Order helps to decide an essential question about how the Internet works, requiring service providers to be a […]
