January 2011 Blog Posts (60)

I was really excited to have another chance to hear Ernie Mendes speak, I truly get inspired while at the relieved when he presents his ideas.I think he gets kids and the classroom  environment and the perspective of the teacher.

At least we have his book to read and eachother to discuss our experiences and ideas with.…

I’m a very selective procrastinator. I only procrastinate with things I don’t want to do! Seriously though, we all have things we procrastinate with. (Why is it a called ‘pro’ anyway? There’s nothing ‘pro’ about it). I always wonder how people motivate themselves to do things that they’d rather not do. For me personally there are a few tricks I’ve learned which I’d like to share.

Pain & Pleasure – First of all, in simple terms, our motivations in life are the…

Voki makes it easy for educators to incorporate technology into lesson plans and assignments (and it’s advertisement free!).

A couple weeks ago in the post “3 Quick Lesson Plan Ideas That Utilize Technology”, we explored some ways in which animation web…

We all live in a world that is rapidly changing, and in particular, the advancements associated with technology. As society evolves and changes, schools are coming under increasing pressure to stay with the times. So often we hear that technology is a silver bullet in education, but we must remember that technology is merely a tool. A tool in the hands of a sub-par educator will continue to yield a sub-par education, while a tool in the hands of a great educator will only enhance and aid…

6 Solutions to the Most Common Teacher Problems...

How else would you title something that you want to post on a blog?  I often try to conceptualize that very thought and put it into writing.  Do you start with your interests and hope someone also shares with you?  Do you create and interesting story that may or may have not happened to you in order to get a response?

Social networking is one of those newer schools of thought when it comes to these questions also, yet there are those who know exactly how to answer those same…

Hello:

This is not really a blog post as a question. At my school we are looking for online browser based tools which allow students to markup a reading online. This might be an online textbook, e-journal, news article, ect. Basically I am looking to the digital equivalent to the high lighter and notes in the margin. What are people using for this purpose and if you would be so kind, what are the pros and cons to the tools you have found.

I appreciate any…

This is my first year teaching and I am experimenting with my Advanced Microsoft Integrations class that I teach.  I am trying to determine if giving them more homework and practice work will help them master the Microsoft Office Suite.  I find myself struggling to provide a balance for the students.  When working with computers I feel that the more you can do to become familiar with the program the better off the students will be.  

I would love to have some advice from some…

We are a School District of about 73,000 students. We have about 90 schools! We are in the process of moving to Google Apps. We realize NY Schools have already made this move. Can anyone provide some best practices for the roll out of a system this large?

IE: How did you prepare the students for this new responsibility, What training? New Policies? Did you roll it out with a lot of features all at once or are you phasing it in?Are you delegating admin to each school or…

As im sure a lot of you are aware, Phys Ed teachers are notorious for being dinosaurs, often stuck in the past and refusing to accept new ways of moving their craft forward. If you know someone who could benefit by reading the easy to follow eBook I have prepared, please forward them the info below.

"The book is titled ’100+ ways to use technology in Physical Education’ and is a compilation of articles and ideas which have yet to be published on this blog, as well as…

I have found that some students put little effort into their assignments because they feel like they will just fail anyway.  I am interested in increasing student effort on assignments and projects.  What is the best way to show them the correlation between their effort and their success? 

Also, do you think students at the elementary level can be accurate judges of the effort they've put into their work?

I'm always looking to find ways to incorporate technology, any ideas for…

5 Ways to Empower Your Students...

This 10 week online course provided an introduction to many Web 2.0 tools and ways in which they might be used in the classroom.

This past September through December, I had the good fortune of taking this online course, an offering from the University of Wisconsin – Stout.…

The “College and Career Ready” Farce

Teacher Evaluations: Presumption of Incompetence…