I’m one of those crazies that actually enjoy professional development workshops, at least the ones that we don’t have to do every single year like blood-borne pathogens and diabetes. Recently, I had the opportunity to attend the best professional development: Minecraft EDU. This session was based on the popular game Minecraft but with an educational […]
gaming
Pokemon Go Learn
I have always let my kids do things and play games that I wouldn’t generally suggest for other children-but it’s with a guided purpose. In fact I encourage my children to get into those games and discover what happens when you push conventions, rules, and the boundaries of those virtual worlds. So when my daughters […]
Breaking out of the Norm with Breakout Edu
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 […]
Keep Digital Devices in the Hands of Youngsters
Just as 1:1 technology gains ubiquity in classroom education the movement against its success is populating social media, straining to establish evidence that digital devices are harmful. There is an irony to the viral backlash that circulates discussion boards and the social media tools that are the very target. I for one remain unconvinced that digital technologies are […]
A Teacher’s Summer Schedule
Educators often find it difficult to unwind from the accelerated pace of the end of the school year. I wonder what to do once summer becomes a reality. Non-educators pose this question in a different tone, what do you do all day while the rest of us work? I thought I’d actually present an insider’s look into […]
Last week of 1:1 iPad classroom
I have two block classes left for the school year, and I’m wrapping up some successes and challenges in the 1:1 iPad classroom. I learned that I love some educational transformations resulting from that ubiquitous access for all students. No one at our school was left out of an experience or left behind. No students lost […]
Gaming and Education: They are not Enemies [Part 3]
In Part 1 and Part 2 of this series, I discussed the bigger picture of gaming in our students’ and children’s lives and how gaming can connect to education. In this article, I discuss how gaming has affected my own son’s education. I’ve written previously about how my son began unschooling a year ago. As […]
Disruptive Innovation: Gaming and Education [Part 2]
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, […]