These are NOT resolutions. I don’t do resolutions. But I was cleaning out my head the other night, and started making some lists. One of them was a list of things I want to do differently in the new year. So I might as well share them here. Stop printing so much. Last month, I was in a meeting with four school district employees and … Continue reading 5 Changes for 2014
About a year ago, I started carrying around an old-fashioned paper notebook. Whenever the mood strikes me, I jot down notes and ideas in it. They’re generally not very well reasoned. Sometimes, they’re little diagrams or lists or mind maps. Occasionally, they turn into blog posts or other work. This low-tech solution allows me to focus on the idea at hand without the distractions of … Continue reading Best Bits from the Notebook
Peace, peace, peace on Earth and good will to all That’s all all. That’s where we live together in a world where we’re not judging people. It’s an Earth where we wish good will to our friends and our enemies. It’s a world where we forgive those who have oppressed us. It’s a place where we try to set aside our differences and live in a … Continue reading Missing Mandela
“We’re an educational organization. Learning is the heart of everything we do.” I was talking to my staff, explaining the purpose behind the TPS reports they’re required to complete each week. “We need to take a few minutes at the end of the week to reflect on what we’ve accomplished, what has challenged us, and what we have learned. If we’re not learning, we’re not … Continue reading Supporting the Mission
Nothing makes me worry more about technology in education than looking at it through my parent lens. I understand many of the issues. I know the backstory. I get the support issues, the irregular funding, the lack of time, the unfunded mandates, the pressures from outside sources. I also recognize my personal bias. I’m generally very jaded when it comes to new school technologies. We … Continue reading So Right, So Wrong
This is the finale of a three-part series chronicling my family’s experience with a potential child predator. You may want to start with Part 1: It’s Someone You Know and Part 2: Warning Signs. For us, the story is over. The neighbor has been sentenced. While he still lives behind us, I expect that his tenure in the neighborhood is probably drawing to a close. … Continue reading Part 3: Lessons Learned
This is the second installment of a three-part series about my family’s experience with a potential child predator. If you haven’t read it yet, you may want to start with Part 1: It’s Someone You Know. The concluding chapter is Part 3: Lessons Learned. It must have been around the time that our children were born, around the year 2000 or so. We were attending … Continue reading Part 2: Warning Signs
This is the first part of a three part series chronicling my family’s experience with a potential child predator. Parts two and three will be posted within the next few days. It was late on a Friday afternoon in February, and I was packing. We were set to leave on a vacation to Disney World the following morning, and there was still a lot to … Continue reading Part 1: It’s Someone You Know
I think I first became aware of the school game in middle school, though I was certainly playing it long before that. Do what the teacher expects of you. Don’t cause trouble. Complete the work that’s given to you. It doesn’t have to be your best work, but it has to be on time and “good enough” for the grade you want. Do your homework, … Continue reading The School Game
It’s been a grand couple of weeks. Our pilgrimage to Grand Canyon has been filled with mind-numbingly grand values of time and space. We traveled by train — our first time doing so — taking Amtrak from Cleveland to Chicago to Williams, Arizona. The journey, 1,944 miles from home to hotel, took 44 hours counting delays and layovers. From the Grand Canyon to home, the … Continue reading The Grand Picture
After a successful EdCamp Cleveland 2013 and a very hectic end to a challenging school year, the last thing I want to think about is hosting another big event at my school. But last week, four separate people mentioned that they’re interested in starting their own EdCamps, and it’s probably better to get some ideas down now while they’re fresh in my mind. It’s really … Continue reading So You Want to Host an EdCamp
It’s a funny thing about social media. Sometimes, it can be kind of social. That’s fantastic. It’s great for democracy. It’s a monumental shift in how information is managed. It changes the structure of power. Everyone has the means to widely disseminate ideas. Everyone has the ability to engage in the conversation. Everyone can reach a global audience. The gatekeepers are gone. No one is … Continue reading Listen: We Need a Community
Taste of Tech 