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Branding Your Classroom

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School / Work Affiliation: Calloway Co. High School

About Me: Education in our culture has earned a bad image, and students are paying the price. If we don't change the image of education, we will continue to graduate unmotivated, unengaged, and uncreative students. And image begins with the classroom.

Jarrod Martin's Blog

Blog Moved

Posted on April 7, 2008 at 8:32pm 0 Comments 0 Likes

I moved my blog to http://thejmartbrand.wordpress.com.

The Third Place

Posted on March 27, 2008 at 7:03pm 0 Comments 0 Likes

I read The Starbucks Experience last year, and I was amazed at the principles this company uses to connect with their customers. They want to become the "third place" in a person's life, right after home and work. They aren't selling coffee -- they're selling an experience. Yes, the coffee is good, but there's great music, comfortable seating, environmentally-conscious cups, and trained baristas, as they're called.

Which makes me wonder -- What place is school? Are we… Continue

Classroom Decor

Posted on March 24, 2008 at 8:30pm 3 Comments 0 Likes

Has anyone experimented with the physical classroom environment to increase student learning and interest in the content? If school was more like Starbucks, would students learn more? If I could create a comfortable, inviting space, would the students be more likely to learn or goof off? Everything I've looked at is mostly for elementary-age students and doesn't even consider the fact that we are dealing with real human beings who may not enjoy sitting in a cold, hard chair for a 90-minute… Continue

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At 6:36pm on March 27, 2008, Jarrod Martin said…: Jim: I use all kinds of apps: Word, Power Point, Movie Maker, PhotoStory, Publisher -- whatever we have available. I incorporate what I can into my English class without having to take too many days to also teach the software (but that is sometimes necessary). Am I answering your question?

Mostly, I teach 15-18 year olds. Problem is, I don't have my own classroom full of computers. I have to share 2 labs with the 50+ faculty in the school. So, availability and access become a "treat" rather than a "routine." That makes lessons feel very inauthentic and contrived, regardless of the planning or creativity I put into it.

At 3:14pm on March 27, 2008, Brian said…: I liked the suggestions below so much that I included them on a blog post. I gave you credit, so who knows, you may be getting lots of hits!

At 8:07pm on March 25, 2008, Jane Krauss said…: Hi Jerrod: I expect you went to the Springboard Web site? It gives a pretty good rundown of what we do. Biggest thing lately-- teaching a second cohort in Local Agenda, our signature program, and sending our CEO and staff writer to the Skoll World Forum. Sadly, I couldn't go this year. It is a life-changing "programme".

At 12:56pm on March 23, 2008, Ellen said…: Technology as an authentic tool for learning is what it's all about. Please keep me up-to-date on your discoveries and if there are ways in which I might lend assistance, just ask.

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