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 […]
notability
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Educational Apps, Elementary School, High School, Instruction & Curriculum, Instructional Strategies, Kindergarten, Social Studies, Technology
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 […]
Posted inEducational Apps, Instruction & Curriculum, Technology
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 […]
Posted inEducational Apps, From the Front Lines, Instruction & Curriculum
Pioneering 1:1 iPads Meets Resistance?
It is risky business, changing everything you teach and control in order to move towards a tech heavy classroom. I am one week into a 1:1 iPad rollout for all of the juniors and seniors at our rural high school. We are the last assigned group in our school wide transition to 1:1 iPads that […]