The well-respected Mrs. Durff asked in Skype: Know any middle school classrooms that would like to be in a global project that would only take one or two weeks out of their lives ? Yes, maybe I do. Working in a K-12 environment, I know a few middle school teachers. Many of them are open to new ideas and new projects. She was talking about … Continue reading Never Mind
I’m trying to come up with a reasonable solution for shared calendars for the staff in my district. Administrators, especially, need to be able to find times when key people are available for meetings. It’s also useful for administrative assistants to be able to manage the calendars for the administrators, without having to check that person’s computer or paper calendar to determine availability. Most organizations … Continue reading The Missing Sync
The year is 2019. The world is afflicted with five major threats. Respiratory Distress Syndrome (REDS) is here to stay. Outbreaks are common, especially in tropical and subtropical cities. The disease, for which there is no cure, has become pandemic, affecting millions of people worldwide. At the same time, we find ourselves facing a global food crisis. We have continued to convert farmland into much … Continue reading SuperStruct
Here’s how education works: You determine what the students need to know. Part of that is identifying what they already know. You find the gap between what they already know and what they need to know. You provide instruction to fill that gap. Then, you use assessment tools to see whether the student has acquired the knowledge and skills you’ve identified. If necessary, remediation is … Continue reading The Test
When I started this job as technology coordinator, I realized that I had five years. I knew that after that, I would burn out on the technology gig, and it would be time to move on to something else. It’s not that I wouldn’t like the job. It’s not that I wouldn’t be good at it. It’s just that things change too quickly, and yet … Continue reading Incompetent
Yesterday, I had the opportunity to provide some feedback on grant proposals submitted by teachers. I’m on the Ohio education advisory council for FirstEnergy, and we were going through this year’s crop of mathematics, science, and technology education grants. I was impressed by the committee, which includes thirteen education professionals from across northern Ohio. These are teachers, curriculum specialists, technology people, and administrators. They were … Continue reading Evaluating Grants
One of our teachers came to me last year and asked about student portfolios. Currently, students use manilla folders to categorize and maintain examples of their writing as they move through high school. The folders get passed on from teacher to teacher, and items are added at several points throughout the year. Since this teacher uses Moodle to manage assignments, he would like to have … Continue reading Mahara
Is it just me, or is the story of Google turning in to a James Bond movie? Consider these developments: A few weeks ago, Google launched its own satellite to take high-resolution pictures of the Earth. They plan to sell the high-res pictures, and put lower-resolution ones into the Google Maps and Google Earth products. Remember, when looking up at the sky, to smile. Not … Continue reading Don't Be Evil
My favorite first grade teacher asked me last week if I knew of any good tech money available to teachers. She has iBooks in her room, but they’re definitely showing their age. Working in a school district where sustainability is a huge problem, there’s no plan for her school to replace them. So if she wants updated equipment, she’s on her own. I asked the … Continue reading Grant Opportunities
We’re just finishing up a major SMART Board installation in our district. In the last 15 months, we’ve installed more than 180 boards in our district. So far, the reception has been nothing less than astounding. These boards have had a transformational effect on how instruction is delivered in the classroom. Teachers who were fighting against them a year ago have now threatened to quit … Continue reading SMART Board Resources
I have to say I’m not all that excited about Google’s new browser. Sure, I downloaded it in the first 15 minutes after it was released. Three or four friends and I kicked the tires in that first half hour, and I already had a pretty well-formed opinion about by the time I got home that afternoon. But I’m not sure it’s living up to … Continue reading Chrome if You Want To
Each year, FirstEnergy awards competitive grants to educators and leaders of youth groups to fund math, science, and technology education projects. Teachers and youth leaders in areas where FirstEnergy has facilities or provides service are eligible to apply for up to $500. They’re specifically looking for projects that focus on electricity, but other math/science/technology projects are also eligible. Preference is given to one-time, one-year projects … Continue reading FirstEnergy Grants
