The LAUNCH Academy: A Design Thinking Institute We still have a few more spots available for this summer’s live two-day design thinking institute in Philadelphia, PA (down on UPenn campus)!…
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Three of my favorite Project-Based Learning experiences took shape in completely different ways and circumstances. My students and I created “Project: Global Inform” together, after tweaking the original assignment. My students…
Three different schools, in three different states, in a matter of two weeks. I got the same question. “How can I use Flipgrid in my class?” “Have you tried this…
Imagine you’ve been in education for 7, 11, 15 or even 25 years. In each of those years, you have grown as a professional, learned new technologies, shifted with the…
I’m someone who constantly uses new technology and tries out new tools to see what will work for me, and for my teachers. Yet, there are often times that I…
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…
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,…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
This quote, from John Quincy Adams, speaks to me on many different levels. The son of a great man, John Quincy realized that leadership is about actions. And how those…
The police were on strike, yet we were still walking through the streets of Tembisa. It was the middle of July, but it wasn’t hot. We were in the southern…
It’s been five years since I joined Twitter. To be honest, I didn’t know what Twitter was all about when I joined. I knew that I wanted to share what…
Last week I asked you to fill out a survey about professional development. Many of you (342 to be exact) took time to fill out this survey and share your…
Ahh, in service. Whether it is at the beginning of the school year, end of the school year, or smack dab in the middle of the school year…it seems like…
It’s summer time! At least, it feels that way. In Philadelphia it is hot and muggy already, Seniors are getting ready to graduate, and school is almost out (and I…
I want to build an app. And I need your help in creating it. I know you may think, “He’s not talking about me”, but yes, I am talking about…
Professional development is needed now more than any other time. With the change of pace in learning, and the changing lives of our learners, we must teach different to meet…
“Is this real, Mr. J?” The question came from the back of the room. Todd rarely spoke up in class, but today he seemed visibly upset. “Yes, it is real….
It’s official! Our new educational podcast, “Classroom Questions”, is live on iTunes. You can listen and subscribe on iTunes here (or check out our site ClassroomQuestions.com). John Spencer asked me…
And just like that…it was over. I’d pitched the 20% time project to my students with only a few days of planning, but it turned out to be the project…
Imagine you’ve been teaching for 15 years. In those 15 years you have grown as a professional, learned new technologies, shifted with the standards, had new initiative after new initiative…
I’ve heard this question in various forms many different times: How is technology going to save education? Radio and TV were going to save education, but of course they didn’t. They…
It’s been almost a full three years since I told my students they would have 20% of their class time to work on whatever project they were inspired to create….
Teaching has changed forever (and will continue to change). Want to know why? It’s not because of new standards. It’s not because the state is telling us to do something differently….
I’m the new guy at our school district, and this is my first administrative role in a school. Let me first say that it is a lot of hard work,…
I recently lead a team of six Middle School teachers and our Middle School Principal on a school visit. We are just starting a Chromebook pilot with our 6th, 7th,…
On August 23, 2007 Chris Messina started something so small, he would never know how it might change the world. how do you feel about using # (pound) for groups….
Sometimes we act like professional development is hard. It doesn’t have to be. Sometimes we treat professional development like a chore. It should be fun, engaging, and wanted. As a…
I’m a big fan of WordPress. I believe it is the best option for blogging and content creation on the web. And I’m not alone. WordPress now powers almost 19%…
I get it. Twitter is an amazing place for educators to connect with each other, collaborate, and share new ideas. It’s also a place where educators can make new friendships…
