Have you signed up for The Educator’s Room Daily Newsletter? Click here and support independent journalism! As a young teacher, I spent a lot of time bemoaning the fact that my students didn’t follow even the smallest instructions. I told them how to format their papers using careful MLA guidelines, and they would turn in […]
Google docs
Teaching Writing With Hyperdocs
If you’re looking for a new approach to teaching writing, you’ve got to try teaching with hyperdocs. What are hyperdocs? According to their creators, Lisa Highfill, Kelly Hilton and Sarah Landis, hyperdocs are “a transformative, interactive, personalized engaging too to help facilitate student creativity and collaboration” (The Hyperdoc Handbook). And I can testify that hyperdocs […]
Emergency Preparedness Distance Learning
I was sitting in my apartment in the Dominican Republic for the third “hurricane day” in a row. School was still closed and we faced a full week of closure. Working to establish a distance learning culture our school sent a broadcast to parents and teachers; an expectation for students to utilize the online platform […]
The Techno-Sceptic’s Guide To Using Technology in the Classroom
I am not usually a big fan of technology in the classroom. To quote a former colleague on the subject, it’s often just “window dressing.” Just because students are using computers or smart boards or document projectors doesn’t mean that they are learning 21st century skills. If all that they are doing is coloring in […]
Transformative Moments in Student Centered Learning
There is no one I know who wants to be made aware of faults on a daily basis. Intentions to provide students with good guidance often become part of a litany of continuous criticism for students moving through several classes each day. The growing list of changes, edits and scores less than satisfactory seldom diminish and frequently are left untouched. My […]
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Outdated Practices With Google Docs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 […]
Using Technology in the English/Language Arts Classroom for "Sophisticated Responses"
The headline in The New York Times (6/13/2013) was a little misleading: “Study Gauges Value of Technology in Schools.” The topic of gauging the value of technology is particularly significant given the investment by school districts everywhere in laptops, tablets, computer labs, Smartboards, whiteboards and projectors; but the article only referred to the use of technology in math […]