When the Soft Skills Become the Hard Skills
At the International Conference on Thinking in Miami this year, over and over again the speakers mentioned how important it is for our students to master the soft skills. Employers care less bout the academic content a student has memorized and more about things like flexibility, creativity, and productivity. Focusing on the soft skills just […]
Teachers vs. Tech
What has the biggest impact on student achievement? The teacher or the tech? In an article titled, “Why the Teachers vs Tech Narrative Must Go” Matthew Lynch argues that tech is never going to replace the teacher. He says, “Research studies consistently have shown that the single most significant indicator of student success is the […]
Edtech Tools to Try This School Year
Not everyone likes to think about the school year over the summer, but if you are planning ahead like I am, you may be researching ways to leverage technology in your classroom. Luckily, in an article titled, 38 Amazing Edtech Tools for Student Creation and Innovation, Mathew Lynch has done some of the work for […]
The Coworking Classroom for the 21st Century
I don’t teach students in a classroom, I facilitate the learning of students in a coworking space. Maybe don’t tell my principle, but my main goal as an educator is not to drill the content into the kids’ heads. My focus is to help prepare them for the 21stcentury and life beyond the classroom. I […]
Make Thinking Visible
So many of the most exciting trends in education right now are coming from Project Zero at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. One of those is the idea of Visible Thinking. Visible Thinking aims to document student thinking, help students understand thinking routines, and help students and teachers with their reflective practice. In an article […]
ISTE 2018 Day 2 Highlights
On Tuesday I attended a session called Leveraging Innovation: The Classroom Startup. I picked this one over so many others because it sounded like it was right in line with what I try to do in the classroom. Amanda Lanicek, Andi McNair and Don Wettrick were the presenters. It turned out to be mostly about […]
ISTE 2018 Day 1 Highlights
Reporting live from ISTE 2018 in Chicago! Earlier today, I was able to see Kasey Bell, author of Shake Up Learning, talk about how to create a more dynamic learning environment (engaging) – compared to a static learning environment (boring). Of course, technology can play a huge role in that. Kasey says, “Dynamic learning is […]
What a Good Digital Citizen Curriculum Needs
A good teacher has never just been concerned with imparting subject matter to students. A good teacher also aims to improve the students’ interpersonal skills such as listening and negotiating. However, in today’s world, a third thing is important for students to master: the skills needed to be a good digital citizen. In the article, […]
Leveraging Technology to Increase the Number of College Graduates
In the United States, many high school students opt for higher education. This is a good thing considering so many of the desirable jobs require a college degree. However, the number of students that actually graduate with a four-year degree is staggering: a mere 32% who enroll get their diploma within six years. In the […]
How Virtual Social Learning Can Happen
Teaching and learning online is becoming more and more common. One concern for students under 18 is the missing social education component from a tradition classroom. However, in the article How Can Teachers Increase Social Learning While Teaching Online, Jacqui Murray argues, “Traditional classrooms were a conduit for social learning where students could sit together and […]