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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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,…
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,…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
“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…
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…
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…
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,…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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….
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%…
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…
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…
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…
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…
“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…
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…
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…
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!…
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…
“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,…
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…
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…
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…
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,…
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…
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…
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…
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,…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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….
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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,…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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!…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
“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…
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…
It’s fall. The mornings are cool, the nights are brisk, and the days pop with color. It reminds me, always, of football. I played for seven years and then coached…
Michael Port shares a story (in his book) about a donkey, an old man, and a boy: An old man, a boy and a donkey were going to town. The…
Want to start Genius Hour in your classroom but not sure where and how to begin? Already started Genius Hour and need a bit more guidance? I hosted this 25…
I’m asking because I recently asked myself this question. Do I really (truly) believe in the power of technology to transform education? It’s easy to come back with a quick…
Here in Philadelphia we spent the weekend watching and listening to the Pope during his visit. People were glued to their televisions and devices when the Pope gave a talk…
A 2001 study found that 92 percent of teachers believe classroom design has a strong impact on students’ learning and achievement. The study goes on to state the following: These statistics demonstrate…
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…
My son Tucker seems to be growing up too fast. He’s almost four years old and getting ready to play in his first soccer league, going to pre-school, and we…
My daughter lowered her eyes, looked at me, and said, “I can’t do it.” I looked back and asked her again to put one foot on the board, push off with…
It is a new school year and I’m so excited to see many teachers and schools starting Genius Hour or 20% Projects for the first time! As I mentioned to…
Last year over 2000 educators signed up to learn more about classroom design, as we launched the first ever Classroom Cribs challenge! We had four amazing grand finalist winners and…
This is the third post in a three-part series on “Intentional Innovation.” Check out the other two posts here (#1 and #2). I know, I know. You’re saying, “AJ, why…
