So there I was, watching my colleagues present their amazing work, scrambling to give feedback between each presentation, and all the while thinking – why didn’t I make notes??? Oh well – into the line of fire! People say I look confident when I present, but it surprises me every time I hear that. The…
Less than two weeks till the EARCOS cohort meets in Bangkok. During our CoETaIL preconference slot, all participants will present our final project to each other, and to Jeff and Kim. I’ve done all the prep & leg work, students have finished the unit, and I’ve accumulated the evidence of my tech integration in neat…
I wish I had 1:1 laptop problems to report – because that would mean we had 1:1 laptop classes. At SSIS, the lucky teachers dealing with those issues are in the MS and HS. I should point out that the MS students have tablets – nice light, portable and cheap but very functional tablets. In…
My dad, a teacher for 33 years, told me he remembers going to a PD conference and hearing this joke: “If you ever had to thaw out a person that was cryogenically frozen 100 years ago, but you didn’t want to give them a big shock, you should bring them around inside a classroom.” I laughed and…
I avoid giving homework – like the plague. I’m an ESL teacher and I know my students have enough on their plate just keeping up with the homework given by their classroom teachers. This is why I don’t give homework on top of their regular homework. In fact, I spend the first quarter of each…
Jeff is tired of the word ‘integrate’ and I don’t blame him. It’s all I’ve been focusing on for the past month and it’s starting to ‘grate’ on my nerves too. (Oh that’s bad.) I agree with Jeff that the word is so overused, it seems to have lost a proper meaning. However, when Jeff…
…You better not cry. You better not pout; I’m telling you why… So you’ve been teaching math, grade 4, or [insert specialty here] for many years, keeping up with best practices and trying your best to make your lessons relevant to your students’ lives. You’ve been considered a good, caring and hard working teacher; kids…
Is it me or could every other image of kids using an iPad be used for a PSA on bad posture? Kindergartners hunched over screens on their lap, necks hyper-flexed, totally absorbed in that position for long periods of time… Actually, it doesn’t matter how old the ‘kid’ is, I rarely see anyone modeling ergonomic ideals…
I had a great time making infographics. I love the genre because it is simple yet effective. I had a great time, but it was more challenging that I had expected. When it came time to apply what I had learned to a student project, my love affair hit a rough patch. How was I…
How do you get fourth grade students to understand the perils of sea voyages back in the early days of exploration? These students who hop on airplanes and cross oceans sometimes three or four times a year without a second thought. How do you pull them back in time? I chose the image for this…