I am not a technically savvy person. At. All. I’d rather use a dry erase board than my smartboard. I’d rather hand write notes than type them. How a land line phone works fascinates me. My smart phone freaks me out. I have two iPads and several laptops available to my class to use on […]
Technology
Posted inFeatured, Parents, Technology
Protecting Our Digital Kids
My mom grew up in the 1950’s. I remember her telling me a story of her and a friend seeing a word spray painted on a building. They did not understand the word, had not heard it before, and so they got a dictionary and looked it up. Their confusion continued as the literal definition […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
They’re Not Digital Natives, They’re Digital Tourists!
To all those who claim that all students today are digital “natives,” I beg to disagree. Digital natives are defined as those people who have grown up using technology daily beginning in the 1960s, but the term is more commonly used to describe those born in the 21st Century. According to the PBS Frontline Website, Digital Natives […]
Posted inFrom the Front Lines, Instruction & Curriculum, Literacy, Technology
Assessments: Pen Pals Part Two
Read Part I “Assessments: Upgrading the Age Old Practice of Letter Writing” here. In this time when school securities are threatened by unmitigated attacks, technology in education serves to open campuses between distant communities. A recent pen pal project entered a second phase of practice with letter writing and Skype. It has served to distract […]
Posted inLiteracy
Assessments: Upgrading the Age Old Practice of Letter Writing
Letter Writing: I was excited when my Hungarian pen pal’s letter arrived. The Cold War had ended, and I was curious to know more than textbooks could share about life under communist rule. I savored each letter as if it were a dessert and took great care in sending back a response. My pen pal’s […]
Posted inClassroom Management, Instruction & Curriculum, Technology
"No," Cico said, "it’s just a game." Bringing Gaming to Education
The spear whistled through the air, but the aim was low. The huge tail swished and contemptuously flipped it aside. Then the black form dropped into the foaming waters. “Missed,” Cico groaned. He retrieved his line slowly… “Are you sorry you missed?” I asked as we slid our feet into the cool water. “No,” Cico […]
Posted inFeatured, From the Front Lines, Technology, Uncategorized
Blended Classroom Learning, Virtual and Real Classrooms
The Flat Daddy Diaries Many nights ago, my daughter (KF) sighed and said to her dad,”It’s been such a long time since I was able to lay my head on your shoulder.” She snuggled against him while he held her tight and finished the bedtime story. Flat Daddy flew out to New Mexico to present […]
Posted inFeatured, Instruction & Curriculum, Technology
Distance Learning, IPads and E-Literacy
My husband is separated from me and my daughter by 2,000 miles during my sabbatical here in Santa Fe, New Mexico. We are determined to continue our traditional family time despite the distances. How we engage in meaningful dialogues leads to less loneliness and motivation to appreciate all that we can from life in a […]