A.J. JULIANI
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Jan 12
135
SHARES

A Complete Guide to Project Based Learning (in 10 Easy Steps)

By AJ Juliani | Design, Education, PBL | No Comments

Hacking Project Based Learning: 10 Easy Steps to PBL and Inquiry in the Classroom Last year I had a teacher in my district come up and ask me if I…

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Jan 09
293
SHARES

10 Habits Worth Starting in the Classroom

By AJ Juliani | Decision Making, Education, Learning Models, Practical Strategies | 12 Comments

When we look at what research says about becoming better at something, two pieces of evidence stand out. First, we must have clarity on what our goals are, and where…

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Jan 03
194
SHARES

Fighting the Fear and Anxiety of Sharing Your Work with the World

By AJ Juliani | Education, Lessons in Leadership, Writing | 3 Comments

The crowd roared. Everyone stood up and clapped with deep enthusiasm. I saw a couple in front of us crying. I looked at my wife and smiled wide. “Amazing,” she…

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Jan 02
192
SHARES

30 Days of Blogging Challenge (are you in?)

By AJ Juliani | Education, Practical Strategies, Publishing, Writing | 284 Comments

Blogging can be a lot of things. It can be reflecting, it can be sharing, it can be planning, it can be a how-to, it can be a call to…

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Dec 23
310
SHARES
#marschallenge

2016 #MARSchallenge Maker Project Winners

By AJ Juliani | Maker, Technology | No Comments

Over 10,000 students from 329 schools officially signed up to participate in this year’s MARS Challenge project. The videos, advertisements, and projects that were submitted are unbelievable. Students designing their…

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Dec 20
184
SHARES

How to Improve Your Writing in 10 Quick Lessons

By AJ Juliani | Practical Strategies, Writing | 9 Comments

Each year after holiday break I told my students their writing would change forever. It was a simple statement, but most of them did not take it seriously. What ensued was…

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Dec 13
183
SHARES

10 Simple Rules for Learning

By AJ Juliani | Design, Education, Engagement, Inspiration, Intentional Innovation, Learning Models | 6 Comments

1. Learning starts with attention. It’s almost impossible to learn if you aren’t paying attention. And whatever you are giving attention has the ability to turn into learning. 2. Attention…

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Dec 07
145
SHARES

The Best Books of 2016 for Teachers (and Learners)

By AJ Juliani | Future of Learning, Learning Models, Research to Practice | 10 Comments

Maybe you are a bibliophile like me and love reading a new book each week or month. Or maybe you are thinking about 2017 and want to read a book…

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Dec 01
133
SHARES

Join the #MARSchallenge With Your Class (FREE Maker Project)

By AJ Juliani | Design, Design Thinking, Launch Cycle, Maker | 2 Comments

Last April, we had over 50,000 students participate in the Global Day of Design (and next year’s GDD is slated for May 2nd). It was powerful to watch students embrace design thinking…

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Nov 28
147
SHARES

Creating a School (on Mars) From Scratch

By AJ Juliani | Design, Design Thinking, Education, Future of Learning, Launch Cycle, Maker | 36 Comments

A fresh start. Isn’t that what so many want in education? Whether you are a student, parent, teacher, administrator, or community member, we all have our opinions on what school…

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Nov 26
196
SHARES

What I Feed My Brain (10 things to read and watch this week)

By AJ Juliani | Decision Making, Education, Inspiration, Podcast, reading, Writing | 5 Comments

Ahh, the day after Thanksgiving, and I’m seriously regretting that last piece of pie last night. But, I’ve got something today that’s been on my mind for a while. I…

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Nov 19
323
SHARES

10 Risks Every Teacher Should Take with Their Students

By AJ Juliani | Design, Education, Innovative Teaching Challenge, Technology | 4 Comments

As I work with students and teachers there is one common thread that the “stand-out” classrooms share: They take risks. Not only do these students and teachers take learning risks,…

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Nov 15
97
SHARES

Magic Is Something You Make

By AJ Juliani | A Culture of Innovation, Design, Education, Lessons in Leadership, Maker | 2 Comments

A week ago at this time my family and I were packing our bags to head home from Disney World. As the kids played in the pool, my wife and I…

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Nov 01
166
SHARES

What are our students doing 400 minutes a day?

By AJ Juliani | Education, Empower vs Engage, Innovative Teaching Challenge, Inspiration, Launch Cycle, Passion | One Comment

Raise your hand if you have spent over 14,000 hours in school during your lifetime. If you grew up in the Unites States, or a country with similar education philosophy,…

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Oct 20
114
SHARES

How to Make Your Own Chatbot

By AJ Juliani | Design, Education, Engagement, Launch Cycle | 13 Comments

When I was in sixth grade we were tasked with one of my favorite school projects of all time. We were allowed to choose a book to read and then,…

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Oct 14
1.4k
SHARES

Why We Need Libraries In a World Filled With Noise

By AJ Juliani | Education, Empower vs Engage, Future of Learning, Inspiration, Maker, reading | 22 Comments

I could hear my oldest daughter come rushing down the stairs last week as I arrived home from work. My two youngest pulled and gripped on me as I picked…

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Oct 10
82
SHARES

The Complete Starter Guide to Makerspaces

By AJ Juliani | Design, Education | 5 Comments

This is the most fun I’ve ever had reading a “professional” education book. I’m serious. Maybe you are just thinking about getting started with a makerspace at your school. Maybe…

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Sep 28
154
SHARES

The Logical Fallacies of Time Magazine’s “Technology Hoax” Article

By AJ Juliani | Decision Making, Education, Future of Learning | 17 Comments

Before I begin, let me make a very clear statement: I don’t believe that technology in our classrooms is a silver bullet. Adding technology cannot alone increase engagement, empower our…

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Sep 22
161
SHARES

We Don’t Want a Virtual Reality Learning Program

By AJ Juliani | Education, Empower vs Engage, Future of Learning | 11 Comments

You know what makes the internet awesome? You get to explore it. You get to use it for your own learning, making, communicating, collaborating, researching, and thinking purposes. When I…

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Sep 19
1.1k
SHARES

Relationships > Everything Else in Education

By AJ Juliani | A Culture of Innovation, Design, Education, Empower vs Engage, Inspiration, Lessons in Leadership | 28 Comments

My grandmom is wise. And at 91 years old, she’s still as curious as ever. Yesterday we were having a discussion about the work we are doing in my school…

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Sep 14
168
SHARES
Why Teachers Teach

You wonder why teachers teach? This. A thousand times THIS.

By AJ Juliani | 20% Time, Genius Hour, Inspiration | 8 Comments

We’ve all had our “aha” moments as teachers. Those days where everything clicks, the students are not only engaged but also empowered, and for a minute we remember why we…

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Sep 13
144
SHARES

The Beginner’s Guide to Artificial Intelligence For Educators

By AJ Juliani | Education, Future of Learning | 4 Comments

This is the second in a 7-part series on the Future of Learning. You can read the first post here, and join the discussion on our Facebook page: The Future…

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Sep 09
72
SHARES

The #InnovatorsMindset MOOC Starting Soon! #IMMOOC

By AJ Juliani | Education, Innovative Teaching Challenge, Intentional Innovation | One Comment

Have you heard of “The Innovator’s Mindset” MOOC, happening over a six week period? This awesome opportunity will begin on September 17, 2016 and finish at the end of October…

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Sep 04
250
SHARES

7 Reasons You Should Be Excited About the Future of Learning

By AJ Juliani | Design, Education, Future of Learning | 9 Comments

In the year 1820, a person could expect to live less than 35 years, 94% of the global population lived in extreme poverty, and less that 20% of the population…

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Sep 02
111
SHARES

How to Tell Your Classroom’s Story

By AJ Juliani | Design, Education, Empower vs Engage | No Comments

You may have missed it along the way, but your class has a story. You might have been caught up in the everyday grind, or overwhelmed, or possibly just enjoying…

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Aug 29
150
SHARES

Seven Mantras to Start the School Year

By AJ Juliani | Uncategorized | 17 Comments

On Monday of last week, I officially started my new job as Director of Technology and Innovation for Centennial School District (Warminster, PA). While I’m really excited to get started…

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Aug 22
135
SHARES

Daily Innovation: A Snapchat Account to Showcase Your Classroom and School

By AJ Juliani | Education | 3 Comments

I’ve been writing a lot about Snapchat recently, as I’ve seen it take over my phone as one of the top apps I use to connect with my family and…

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Aug 10
285
SHARES
How Genius Hour Benefits The Entire School Community

How Genius Hour Benefits The Entire School Community

By AJ Juliani | 20% Time, Education, Genius Hour | One Comment

Have you ever met an adult who doesn’t really love what they do, but just goes through the motions in their job and everyday life? Have you spoken with men…

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Jul 30
1.2k
SHARES
Genius Hour Kid

10 Reasons to Try Genius Hour This School Year

By AJ Juliani | 20% Time, Genius Hour | 47 Comments

If you haven’t heard of Genius Hour or 20% time in the classroom, the premise is simple: Give your students 20% of their class time (or an hour each week) to…

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Jul 25
134
SHARES

Teaching Our Kids to Scratch Their Itch

By AJ Juliani | 20% Time, Education, Passion, Scratch Your Itch | 7 Comments

“Let me ask you a question,” she said. “Ok,” I offered back, not too sure where this was headed. “This whole Genius Hour and 20% project thing…isn’t that how we…

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Jul 21
65
SHARES

Interested in Redesigning Your Classroom?

By AJ Juliani | Design, Education | No Comments

A few years ago a group of educators started talking about one of the biggest issues we continued to see in school after school, classroom after classroom: The classroom still…

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Jul 19
160
SHARES

In Defense of Computers in the Classroom

By AJ Juliani | A Culture of Innovation, Education, Future of Learning | 18 Comments

I didn’t think I would have to write this post. But apparently someone needs to write it. This past week a highly acclaimed organization (NPR) put out a story where a…

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Jul 15
172
SHARES

Last Call: Take an online course at UPenn centered on using Technology With a Purpose

By AJ Juliani | Education | No Comments
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Jul 11
114
SHARES

Virtual Reality Classroom Walkthroughs #vrlesson

By AJ Juliani | Design, Education, Launch Cycle | One Comment

It’s the morning of Edcamp Leadership, and all around the world educational leaders will be learning from each other, sharing ideas, and talking about how to better their schools, classrooms,…

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Jul 10
123
SHARES

5 Rules I’m Using to Simplify Life

By AJ Juliani | Education, Lessons in Leadership, Passion | No Comments

For some of my friends, it seems so simple. They can go to work, hang out with their family, spend time with their friends on the weekends, have a vacation…

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Jul 07
157
SHARES

Millennials Aren’t “Going” to Change the World, They Already Are Changing It

By AJ Juliani | Empower vs Engage, Lessons in Leadership, Uncategorized | 2 Comments

The Millennial Generation is said to start with those born in 1980 and ends with those born in 1995. If those dates hold up, then I’m a proud member of…

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Jul 06
159
SHARES

The Future of Learning is Going to Be Empowering (and Scary)

By AJ Juliani | Education, Future of Learning, Technology | 4 Comments

Lately, I’ve been obsessing over the future of learning. That has included a lot of research and time spent analyzing trends in technology, especially those that will impact the education…

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Jul 05
121
SHARES

How teachers can find work-life balance (and be highly effective)

By AJ Juliani | Education | No Comments

Note: The 40-hour teacher workweek club has been massively successful in the past few months. Angela Watson (the creator) is holding one last webinar before the club closes on July…

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Jun 30
148
SHARES

The Einstein Project: Genius Hour Meets Makerspace

By AJ Juliani | 20% Time, A Culture of Innovation, Design, Education, Empower vs Engage, Genius Hour, Launch Cycle, Maker, PBL, Practical Strategies | 4 Comments

I failed a lot this year (you can read about them all here in my failure report), but also had some amazing successes with teachers and students at our school….

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Jun 27
162
SHARES

Misconceptions About Genius Hour

By AJ Juliani | 20% Time, Genius Hour | 3 Comments

In the five years since doing the 20% Project in my class, I’ve connected with amazing educators doing the same type of inquiry-based learning, whether it be Genius Hour, 20%…

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Jun 21
84
SHARES

Learning Like You’ve Got Nothing to Lose

By AJ Juliani | Education, Empower vs Engage, Engagement | 2 Comments

My first game ever as a head football coach had us losing 13-6 with one quarter to play in the game. My team was young, but extremely talented. I realized…

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Jun 20
139
SHARES

LAUNCH into Design Thinking (book clubs, chats, contests) this summer!

By AJ Juliani | Design, Design Thinking, Education, Launch Cycle, Maker, reading | 3 Comments

Our new book, LAUNCH: Using Design Thinking to Boost Creativity and Bring Out the Maker in Every Student, has been out for almost a month now and the response has…

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Jun 17
270
SHARES

7 Simple Ways to Use Technology With Purpose

By AJ Juliani | Design, Education, Practical Strategies, Tech, Technology | 7 Comments

Why are you using technology? Or more importantly, how are you using technology to better the learning in your classroom and/or school? If you are like me, then you’ve had…

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Jun 14
63
SHARES

My 2016 Failing Report

By AJ Juliani | 20% Time, Decision Making, Design, Design Thinking, Education, Launch Cycle, Lessons in Leadership | 16 Comments

When my students were doing the 20% Project (Genius Hour) in my class we had an “Epic Failure Board” (inspired by a number of people) where they would pin up…

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Jun 12
106
SHARES

Inquiry. It’s not a new idea.

By AJ Juliani | Design, Education | 2 Comments

“What do you want to do today?” “Where do you want to go for dinner?” “What song should I put on?” “Who said what???” It seems all day long we…

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Jun 08
222
SHARES

8 Books That Will Challenge You As a Teacher (and Learner) This Summer

By AJ Juliani | Education | 91 Comments

Last year I wrote a post titled, 100 Books Every Teacher Should Read. I’ve since updated that post once, but wanted to write a separate piece about 10 books I’ve…

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Jun 04
101
SHARES

The Surprising Research About Students and Listening Skills

By AJ Juliani | Design, Education, Launch Cycle, Learning Models, Maker, Research to Practice | One Comment

In the widely known “invisible gorilla” experiment, volunteers watched a video of different groups tossing a ball and were asked to count the number of times the ball was tossed.  In a surprising…

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May 30
141
SHARES

How to Get Started Using Design Thinking in the Classroom

By AJ Juliani | Design, Design Thinking, Engagement, Practical Strategies | No Comments

Thanks to everyone for making our new book, LAUNCH: Using Design Thinking to Boost Creativity and Bring Out the Maker in Every Student, a #1 bestseller on Amazon this weekend!…

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May 27
164
SHARES

LAUNCH (our new book) is finally available!

By AJ Juliani | Design Thinking, Uncategorized | 3 Comments

LAUNCH is here!!! Get your copy on Amazon (click here). It’s here! My new book, LAUNCH: Using Design Thinking to Boost Creativity and Bring Out the Maker in Every Student…

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May 24
120
SHARES

Poking Holes in Your Pockets of Innovation

By AJ Juliani | A Culture of Innovation, Education | 4 Comments

“Our job, sometimes, is simply to be the spark, help build confidence, and then get out of the way. If innovation in any school is solely dependent upon one person,…

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May 20
103
SHARES

Why I’m scared to release our new book

By AJ Juliani | Design Thinking, Inspiration, Launch Cycle, Lessons in Leadership, Maker | 5 Comments

My daughter had her first “lip sync” performance tonight at a school event. Her and a bunch of first-grade friends had been practicing a routine for “Call Me Maybe” for…

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May 18
114
SHARES

Making the Jump From Engaging Students to Empowering Makers

By AJ Juliani | Design, Design Thinking, Empower vs Engage | No Comments

This is the fourth post in the “Design Thinking in the Classroom” series leading up to the release of our new book LAUNCH: Using Design Thinking to Boost Creativity and Bring…

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May 10
305
SHARES

5 Ways Design Thinking Can Empower Your Students

By AJ Juliani | Design, Design Thinking, Education, Launch Cycle, Maker | 2 Comments

This is the third post in the “Design Thinking in the Classroom” series. Read the first and second post here. In David and Tom Kelley’s book, Creative Confidence, the authors…

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May 05
349
SHARES

The Beginner’s Guide to Design Thinking in the Classroom

By AJ Juliani | Design, Design Thinking, Launch Cycle, Maker | 27 Comments

In the first post of this series, I shared my biggest fear as an educator (being ineffective and my students not caring about learning). We looked at the role choice, inquiry,…

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Apr 30
157
SHARES

My biggest fear as a teacher…

By AJ Juliani | Education | 7 Comments

It would happen every year. It seemed, without fail, that every August I’d have the same restless night of sleep. Tossing and turning, I’d often have to move to the…

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Apr 27
154
SHARES

450 Schools and 40,000 Students Celebrated the Global Day of Design! #GDD16

By AJ Juliani | Design Thinking, Uncategorized | 12 Comments

Wow! It was an amazing rush to see so many students making, designing, building, and creating yesterday for the first ever Global Day of Design. Students and teachers did a…

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Apr 25
153
SHARES

Unleash the Power of Design Thinking During the Global Day of Design #GDD16

By AJ Juliani | Design, Launch Cycle, Maker | No Comments

It is almost time! Tomorrow, on April 26th, 2016, thousands of students from around the world will participate in the very first Global Day of Design. Over 350 schools from…

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Apr 21
300
SHARES

Why We Need Creative Classrooms (A Manifesto)

By AJ Juliani | A Culture of Innovation, Design, Design Thinking, Education, Inspiration, Launch Cycle, Maker | 7 Comments

A little over a year ago, John Spencer and I tossed around an idea for a book called The Creative Classroom.  Given our combined experience with design thinking (as educators, leaders,…

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Apr 18
218
SHARES

Why Innovation Often Starts With “Don’t You Dare…”

By AJ Juliani | A Culture of Innovation, Education, equity, Inspiration | 6 Comments

I’ve seen this short commercial on TV a few times, and when I’m watching it I can’t help but smile and think about all of the students and teachers out…

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Apr 15
153
SHARES

Are you ready for The Global Day of Design on 4/26? #GDD16

By AJ Juliani | Design | One Comment

Over 300 schools and 20,000 students are now signed up to participate in the Global Day of Design! Any new challenges for Elementary students? Yes, we’ve got new challenges listed for…

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Apr 12
162
SHARES

How to Create a Custom Snapchat Geo-Filter for Your School Event

By AJ Juliani | Design, Education, snapchat | 4 Comments

Ok, this is my third article in a series of posts on Snapchat. If you don’t know much about Snapchat, you can learn more by reading “The Complete Guide to…

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Apr 11
151
SHARES

Why We Let Our Six Year-Old Use Snapchat

By AJ Juliani | Education, Engagement, Lessons in Leadership, snapchat | 5 Comments

This post originally appeared on Edsurge. My daughter is six years old. She loves Snapchat. She’s been using the app for the past two years, and it is her favorite…

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Apr 06
126
SHARES

Do We View Teachers as Architects or Masons?

By AJ Juliani | Education, Engagement, Inspiration, Intentional Innovation | 9 Comments

Architects design, master their craft while planning, and collaborate at a high level. Masons work in the moment, communicate and problem solve on the fly, and master their craft as…

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Apr 04
272
SHARES
Genius Hour Questions

The 10 Most Asked Questions About Genius Hour and 20% Time Projects

By AJ Juliani | 20% Time, Genius Hour, Technology | 7 Comments

How do I get started? Lucky for you there are many teachers who have already jumped into Genius Hour and 20% Time Projects. Even luckier is that they have shared…

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Apr 02
640
SHARES

Fighting Student Anxiety and Lack of Engagement with Free Play and Inquiry-Based Learning

By AJ Juliani | Education, Research to Practice | 9 Comments

In a recent paper written by Jean Twenge, a professor of psychology at San Diego State University, she dives into the mental health of our current students: In her paper, Twenge…

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Mar 29
142
SHARES

The Connection Between Innovation and Engagement

By AJ Juliani | A Culture of Innovation, Education, Empower vs Engage, Engagement, Intentional Innovation | 11 Comments

In 1939 audiences around the United States were delighted when the black and white scenery of The Wizard of Oz completely transformed into full technicolor in the blink of an…

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Mar 22
208
SHARES

10 Practical Ways to Innovate in Your Classroom

By AJ Juliani | A Culture of Innovation, Education, Intentional Innovation, Practical Strategies, Writing | 9 Comments

I recently wrote a post (ok, it was kind of a rant) about “innovation” in education and who get’s to decide what is innovative. The bottom line of my argument…

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Mar 21
247
SHARES

The Hidden Importance of Teaching With Stories

By AJ Juliani | Decision Making, Education, Learning Models, Lessons in Leadership, Research to Practice | No Comments

A few years ago I was lucky enough to teach the book, Things Fall Apart, to my 10th grade English class. It’s a great book…but that’s not why I was…

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Mar 17
230
SHARES

Who gets to decide what’s innovative in education?

By AJ Juliani | A Culture of Innovation, Education, Intentional Innovation | 21 Comments

I was talking with a teacher in my school district yesterday who said, “I just don’t know if we should try this again in class. It seems like lots of…

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Mar 14
164
SHARES

The SAMR Model is Missing a Level

By AJ Juliani | Education, Learning Models, Tech, Technology | 29 Comments

One of the most often used models for technology integration in education is the SAMR Model. Here is a quick overview for those that may not be familiar: [footnote] Source: http://www.schrockguide.net/uploads/3/9/2/2/392267/5805548.jpg?579…

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Mar 10
145
SHARES

You Don’t Need A Makerspace to Be a Maker

By AJ Juliani | Design, Design Thinking, Education, Launch Cycle, Maker | 2 Comments

When I was in 3rd grade my best friend Mark and I built a treehouse out of wood scraps we found in the forest behind his house. We were makers….

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Mar 04
168
SHARES
Global Day of Design #GDD16

Everything You Need to Know about the Global Day of Design #GDD16

By AJ Juliani | Design | 3 Comments

What is the Global Day of Design all about? Students need to make, build, and tinker. The Global Day of Design is one-day that focuses on using the Design Thinking…

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Mar 01
399
SHARES

7 Lessons We Fail to Teach in School

By AJ Juliani | Design, Education, Maker, Passion | 20 Comments

Joanne’s mother had died a few years earlier, and now she was a single parent (recently divorced) with no job, living off welfare benefits so she could provide for her…

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Feb 25
195
SHARES

What Teachers Can Learn About Failure From Elon Musk

By AJ Juliani | A Culture of Innovation, Decision Making, Design, Design Thinking, Education, Intentional Innovation, Passion | 5 Comments

While John Spencer and I were developing the LAUNCH Cycle, we came up with a few areas that were likely stumbling blocks in the creative (design-thinking inspired) process. One of…

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Feb 21
171
SHARES

How Long Will We Wait to Give Students Choice?

By AJ Juliani | 20% Time, Education, Engagement, Genius Hour, Launch Cycle, Maker, Research to Practice | 6 Comments

Mohini was a regal white tiger who lived for many years at the Washington DC National Zoo. For most of those years her home was in the old lion house—a…

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Feb 19
288
SHARES
The LAUNCH Cycle by John Spencer and A.J. Juliani

5 Ways to Launch Your Genius Hour Projects to the World

By AJ Juliani | 20% Time, Education, Engagement, Genius Hour, Launch Cycle, Maker, Practical Strategies | 6 Comments

In the past couple of weeks, I’ve been asked the same question multiple times after speaking, “Do you still believe Genius Hour and 20% Projects are the best way to engage…

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Feb 16
447
SHARES
The LAUNCH Cycle by John Spencer and A.J. Juliani

The LAUNCH Cycle: A Design Thinking Framework for K-12 Students

By AJ Juliani | Design, Design Thinking, Education, Launch Cycle | 7 Comments

Design thinking is a flexible framework for getting the most out of the creative process. It is used in the arts, in engineering, in the corporate world, and in social…

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Feb 15
291
SHARES

What Happens When We Let Students Work the Problem

By AJ Juliani | A Culture of Innovation, Design, Design Thinking, Inspiration, Launch Cycle, Learning Models, Technology | 14 Comments

In the movie, The Martian, there was a quote in the last scene that really hit home, when thinking about my role as a teacher and leader. It comes from…

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Feb 11
1k
SHARES
Snapchat Is Here to Stay - What teachers should know

The Complete Guide to Snapchat for Teachers and Parents

By AJ Juliani | Education | 34 Comments

Snapchat is a video messaging application created by Evan Spiegel, Bobby Murphy, and Reggie Brown when they were students at Stanford University (and then when living at Venice Beach not…

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Feb 08
161
SHARES

What’s next for educators after Twitter?

By AJ Juliani | Education, Technology | 23 Comments

Ahh Twitter. You have a place in my heart. But if you were on the platform this weekend and saw the #RIPTwitter hashtag trending, it has never been more apparent…

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Feb 06
93
SHARES

The Key to Full Engagement is Energy

By AJ Juliani | Education, Engagement, Lessons in Leadership | 4 Comments

When I heard the news that Phil Schlechty had passed away it was sudden and I felt sadness. I’ve never met Phil but I’ve been deeply impacted by his work…

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Feb 02
291
SHARES

Creating the Conditions for Innovative Teaching and Learning

By AJ Juliani | A Culture of Innovation, Innovative Teaching Challenge | 13 Comments

Last weekend, as we were digging out of the twenty inches of snow, my kids were sledding in the backyard and hiding out in their igloo. My 4-yr old son…

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Jan 31
72
SHARES

Equity is Everything in Education

By AJ Juliani | Education, Engagement, equity, Inspiration, Learning Models, Lessons in Leadership | 3 Comments

Equity. It means many different things to many different people in many different situations. To me, equity is everything in education. I believe education is the bridge to opportunity and…

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Jan 28
132
SHARES
Upper Perk Learns

Why We Went Multi-Device, Multi-Platform For Our 1:1 Initiative

By AJ Juliani | Decision Making, Education, Lessons in Leadership, Tech, Technology | 8 Comments

I’ve been around a lot of 1:1 initiatives in schools. As a teacher, I was around when Classrooms for the Future started, and when my former district went 1:1 laptops…

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Jan 22
117
SHARES

Why Creativity Begins With Purpose (Not Passion)

By AJ Juliani | 20% Time, Decision Making, Education, Empower vs Engage, Learning Models | 5 Comments

I used to think all I needed to create something that mattered was passion…I was wrong. It turns out passion might start the engine and get the creative process moving,…

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Jan 14
181
SHARES

Are we preparing students to be chefs or cooks?

By AJ Juliani | A Culture of Innovation, Decision Making, Education, Empower vs Engage, Inspiration, Learning Models, Lessons in Leadership, Scratch Your Itch, Technology | 22 Comments

Usually, when I write a blog post it is because I want to dig deeper into a topic and explore its merit. The post then becomes my way of explaining…

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Jan 11
250
SHARES

How To Make Writing a Habit in 2016

By AJ Juliani | Publishing, Writing | 4 Comments

I had dreams. I had goals. I think we all do. But the same thing kept happening to me. Big idea after big idea…new goal after new goal. I didn’t…

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Jan 09
354
SHARES
How to Read More Books in 2016

How to Read More Books in 2016

By AJ Juliani | Design, Education, Intentional Innovation, reading, Writing | 10 Comments

After writing my post on “100 books every teacher should read” I received a number of emails about finding the time to read all of those books (without going broke…

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Jan 06
568
SHARES

10 Ways Teachers Can Inspire a Generation of Innovators

By AJ Juliani | Education, Innovative Teaching Challenge, Inspiration, Intentional Innovation, Maker, Passion, Practical Strategies, Research to Practice, Teach Above the Test, Technology, The Science of Learning | 18 Comments

Note: This is the final article in a four-part series answering the question, “Does education really need to change?“. You can read the first, second, and third posts here. It…

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Dec 22
377
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The Science of Learning (and technology’s impact on how we learn)

By AJ Juliani | Design, Education, Inspiration, Maker, Tech, Technology, The Science of Learning, Writing | 26 Comments

I leaned over the shoulder of a student in the library. She was quietly working with headphones in, and completely focused. What caught my attention is that she would continually…

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Dec 17
52
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Creative Classroom Academy

The Creative Classroom Academy

By AJ Juliani | Design, Education, Intentional Innovation, Maker, Passion, Tech, Writing | No Comments

Note: I’m halfway through a series of blog posts answering the question, “Does education really need to change?” This is like a half-time post. It is hopefully an unexpected surprise!…

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Dec 13
827
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The Unlearning Cycle (why we learn and how it’s changing)

By AJ Juliani | Education, Passion, Research to Practice, The Science of Learning | 12 Comments

My parents took our family on a trip to Maine to ski when I was in my early teens. The mountains there are really big, and I was not ready…

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Dec 08
114
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Quote from A.J. Juliani in Learning By Choice

Does education really need to change?

By AJ Juliani | Design, Education, Inspiration, Intentional Innovation, Learning Models, Lessons in Leadership, Tech, The Science of Learning | 19 Comments

Note: This is the first post in a four-part series. You can read the second, third, and fourth articles in the series here. The year was 2007. I was a relatively…

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Dec 04
184
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The real influence we have on students

The Real Influence We Have on Students

By AJ Juliani | A Culture of Innovation, Education, Inspiration, Research to Practice | 5 Comments

In 1936 Dale Carnegie wrote a book called How to Win Friends and Influence People. It went on to sell over 30 million copies. It still sells today and is…

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Nov 27
92
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Innovative teaching toolbox via @ajjuliani

The Innovative Teaching Toolbox (what will you build?)

By AJ Juliani | Education, Innovative Teaching Challenge, Intentional Innovation, Passion | No Comments

Two years ago I launched “The Innovative Teaching Toolbox” as a free download for all of my email subscribers. You see, as an email subscriber you get my best articles…

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Nov 23
159
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Let’s change the world WITH our students (here’s how)

By AJ Juliani | Design, Education, Empower vs Engage, Inspiration, Intentional Innovation, Practical Strategies, Tech | 10 Comments

You ever have one of those moments where you wonder what you are doing with your life? I mean, at the very least, you are like me and have had…

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Nov 19
135
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How to Teach the On Demand Generation

How to Teach the “On Demand” Generation

By AJ Juliani | 20% Time, Education, Empower vs Engage, Passion, Practical Strategies, Teach Above the Test | 5 Comments

Remember waiting? We used to wait for our favorite song on the radio. We used to wait for a TV show to come on and watch simultaneously with millions of…

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Nov 16
99
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Creating A “Choose Your Own Adventure” Education

By AJ Juliani | 20% Time, Decision Making, Education, Inspiration | 18 Comments

I remember devouring “Choose Your Own Adventure” books as a kid. I’m sure many of you had the same experience as the “hero of your own story” making choices that…

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Nov 11
211
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How to Develop An Innovator’s Mindset At Your School

By AJ Juliani | A Culture of Innovation, Education, Inspiration, Intentional Innovation | 5 Comments

“Mindset change is not about picking up a few pointers here and there. It’s about seeing things in a new way. When people…change to a growth mindset, they change from…

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Nov 09
301
SHARES

6 Truths About Technology in Education

By AJ Juliani | Design, Education, Lessons in Leadership, Tech, Technology | 10 Comments

I recently had the opportunity to Keynote the University of Pennsylvania Literacy Network’s Winter Symposium. Penn Literacy Network founder Mort Botel (who was also a former President of the International Reading…

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AJ Juliani

I am the Director of Technology & Innovation for Centennial School District. I believe we need to be intentional about innovation in our schools…

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