Interested in blogs? Check out what I'm fishin' for.
As a fisherman, I'm not picky when it comes to what's on the other end of the line. As long as it's a fun fight, the line doesn't snap, and I can lift it out of the water, I'll call it a good day. When it comes to blogging, the same mentality holds true. Whether it's something about a 1 iPad classroom, a project I've done, or some professional development, my mind just wanders. I hope you enjoy the blog posts that I've contributed to. If you have any questions, please email me.
Being One With the Sword
Samurai swords come in all different shapes, sizes, styles, and weights. The design has evolved over time, but the passion and honor that accompanies a true samurai word will never fade. Being able to use the tools of the trade and mastering the true meaning of being a samurai involves the acceptance and appreciation of the sword in the samurai’s hand. Without the faith of the tool in his hand, the samurai is at an extreme disadvantage entering conflict.
Keep Calm and Teach On
I've accepted the fact that the "no homework" wave has swept through the popular modes of media and influenced the minds of the best and most influential people in education. After all, if there is high quality instruction taking place during the course of the school day, do the kids really need to go home and spend dubious amounts of time practicing something that they already know. If they don't know the material, is the homework going to make them understand it if there's another 6-10 problems that they still don't understand?
ShowMe a Way to Differentiate
I'll be the first one to admit that differentiating a lesson is my biggest challenge within a lesson. Having a class of 39 students and planning for a smorgasbord of learning styles and readiness levels can be incredibly overwhelming. It would be great to say that I have it all figured out and lessons are diversified to meet the specific needs of every type of learner. In reality, things couldn't be further from the truth.
The Life of a 1 iPad Classroom
"I can't do anything with just one iPad in my classroom" - NOT ME
This quote can be heard on almost any campus from any teacher whose school is slowly being infused with technology. The message is very clear- if I don't have a class set, there just isn't a very good reason for me to have any at all. But wait- I could do something incredible with a set of 20 (in our district, that's a 2:1 student:iPad ration. If we really start to boil it down to brass tacks, I might be able to make things work with a small set of 5-10 iPads and do my best to have my students use them at the end of a unit.
This quote can be heard on almost any campus from any teacher whose school is slowly being infused with technology. The message is very clear- if I don't have a class set, there just isn't a very good reason for me to have any at all. But wait- I could do something incredible with a set of 20 (in our district, that's a 2:1 student:iPad ration. If we really start to boil it down to brass tacks, I might be able to make things work with a small set of 5-10 iPads and do my best to have my students use them at the end of a unit.
Appeasing Gardner's "Multiple Intelligences"
This Veteran's Day weekend in America, it is important to remember the people who have served in the military as well as the individuals who have made this country an incredible place to live. Being in education, we also have theorists, sociologists, and researchers who have paved the way for the current model of teaching and, more importantly, learning.
Runnin' Down a Dream
"I felt so good, like anything was possible. Hit cruise control, then rubbed my eyes..." -- Tom Petty
This quote is the way that life has been the past few months. The opportunities being presented in educational technology are beyond impressive. Being in a district that promotes the progressive mindset of promoting the proper and faithful use of technology has been a blessing that is certainly not taken for granted by anyone on our incredible team. We have worked very hard to get where we are today, making it all the more worthwhile when opportunities present themselves.
This quote is the way that life has been the past few months. The opportunities being presented in educational technology are beyond impressive. Being in a district that promotes the progressive mindset of promoting the proper and faithful use of technology has been a blessing that is certainly not taken for granted by anyone on our incredible team. We have worked very hard to get where we are today, making it all the more worthwhile when opportunities present themselves.
Fishing For Technology
Going fishing is all about having the right gear. You need to do your homework, understanding what kind of fish are biting and what they like to eat. Is it the sardine? Could it be the anchovie? For all you know, it might just be the yo-yo jig. You get out into the open ocean with all of your research and the proper gear for the trip. At this point, you have invested so much time, money, and effort into this trip that it would be a shame if you didn't have a great story to tell at the end. Little did you know, this was about to be the biggest "hookup" of your life!
The Haunted Classroom
This time of year, spooky things happen. Some can be explained, but many others can't. Maybe it's the full moon, the change of the seasons, the weather, or the flu season to blame. Or maybe, just maybe, it's the student buy-in piece that all of a sudden creates an incredible desire to create incredible products using the tools that they have. We may never be able to explain the transition as we watch our little Frankensteins become the Mozarts of Multimedia. In all honesty, we don't really need to.
If You Give a School an iPad
If you give a school a principal with a technology vision, technology will become a priority.
If you make technology a priority, you will find a way to fund the new technology.
If you find a way to fund the new technology, every student at your school will have access to the newest, most efficient and dynamic technology available.
If you give every student at the school access to the most dynamic technology out there, it is bound to fail.
If you make technology a priority, you will find a way to fund the new technology.
If you find a way to fund the new technology, every student at your school will have access to the newest, most efficient and dynamic technology available.
If you give every student at the school access to the most dynamic technology out there, it is bound to fail.
The Pumpkin Patch Problem
After reading through some of Dan Meyer's blog posts, I became inspired. Dan is a genius when it comes to mathematics education and integrating real-world scenarios into his lessons. As a way to challenge myself and my groups of 8th grade Algebra students, I took the approach of "Be less helpful" and ran with it.
BYOD to the Biggest Party of the Year
My district just opened up a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) network and they are allowing us to voluntarily bring in our iPads, laptops, cell phones, and other devices that connect to the district wi-fi network. We are not the only district rolling this out to the eager staff, so it would be helpful to share the experiences of a 1 iPad classroom.
Cue This Common Core Wave
As a group, we recently had an opportunity to be a part of an incredible wave of information coming forward about the Common Core Standards and how they would be implemented in the classroom. As iPad advocates and users, we were thinking that this would be the perfect way to get a ton of apps for our website that we could share with everyone. However, something more happened - we learned.
