Thanks to all the people who have left comments for students on blogs around the world. You are providing an authentic audience for students who are learning to express themselves. Getting people to know about your blog and provide feedback to students can be a struggle. This is especially true for new blogs. It takes [...]
Posts under ‘Reflections’
Why I Like My Mac
I have been an Apple/Mac person for a long time. I owned an Apple IIe, and several other Mac’s and Apple Computers over the years. I don’t want to start an argument about which is better, but I would like to share a recent experience that illustrates why I like my Mac. I was working [...]
Firing Teachers is not the Answer
The firing of all of the teachers Central Falls High School in Rhode Island has really upset me. It bothers me a great deal because I think it is a sham. The stated reason for the firing was that the teachers wouldn’t spend more time with students without being compensated for the time. Would more [...]
Choice – Drive: Time, Technique and Team
I am fascinated by Daniel Pink’s new book Drive: The Surprising Truth about What Motivates Us. The book is about what motivates people to improve the quality and quantity of their work. I won’t do justice to the concepts and the big picture that Pink paints in his book, but I would encourage you to [...]
Choices
Last summer, I had the opportunity to work with a lovely group of educators from the Montcalm School District. They invited me to lead a two-day teacher workshop on using technology in the classroom. Recently I had a chance to visit their schools and talk to a few of the teachers that participated in the [...]
What We Might Learn form Best Buy
First, thanks to Clarence Fisher for posting this video on his blog. I think it has a lot to say to us as educators. My challenge to you is to watch the video and keep and open mind. Don’t think about what technologies they have implemented. Instead think about the goals and what they are [...]
Why Do I Twitter My Time Away?
I’ve asked myself that question several times. At one point, I even said that Twitter is the biggest waste of time and technology I have ever seen. I’ve talked to several other Twitter users that felt the same way when they started using Twitter. My attitude about Twitter has changed. I now like, enjoy and [...]
Maybe I’m the Slow Kid
On the CAST web site they introduce Differentiated Instruction by stating: Not all students are alike. Based on this knowledge, differentiated instruction applies an approach to teaching and learning so that students have multiple options for taking in information and making sense of ideas. Teachers some times think they are being asked to “water” down [...]
Transparency and Change
President Obama’s first day in office has been one of change and transparency. The Whitehouse web site that was completely reformatted the day Obama took office promises communication, transparency, and participation. School administrators should look closely at the new Whitehouse site to see how they could change their districts web presence to include those three [...]
Looking for a Job?
I was doing a workshop in the Chicago area and two of the participants asked me how they find people who are aware of new technologies and teaching strategies. I said the best place is online and that I would be wiling to share the application. So I am posting this to my blog and [...]