Recently, a first-grade teacher wanted to have her students use coding to create a summary. Her goal was to have students share a story and include how the main character developed as well as how the setting changed. She sought… Read More ›
collaborative culture
Inquiry Framework: What Makes Sense?
I’m on a quest to refine my teaching to be both student-centered and relevant. This has evolved over time to mean that I talk a lot less now, and put more effort into the design of the learning experience. How… Read More ›
Popcorn and the Power of a Great Book Trailer
There’s nothing like seeing a great movie in a theater. First of all, there’s the popcorn. Movie-theater popcorn is unlike anything you can microwave or cook on the stove. There’s the anticipation of a great film and spending 2 hours… Read More ›
Diverse Perspectives Book Club
I love it when inspiration comes at just the right moment, and I also love how great ideas build on each other. I was catching up on some KQ reading this past summer when I stumbled upon the post by… Read More ›
Genrefication: Removing Barriers to Access
Small Steps? Or Giant Leap? I am always up for a new challenge and don’t often shy away because something might be “too hard” or “too much work.” In fact, those are my least favorite words to hear in a… Read More ›
Thinking about Space: Remembering Its Purpose
My school is currently in a transition period. We are in the process of building a new school so for this coming school year we have moved to a temporary location. Since I needed to redesign the space to work for my… Read More ›
Surviving the Wild of Middle School by Making It FUN
Supporting Curriculum and Adding FUN Each year seventh-grade students in my school read two class novels that focus on survival skills and wild terrain. Students read Call of the Wild by Jack London and Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen… Read More ›
Not Your Mother’s School Library: Transformational Thinking and Innovation to Impact Learning for the School Community.
Five years ago, I began my new position as head librarian in a large public high school located in the Midwest. Needless to say, I was excited about all the opportunities and possibilities it would offer. My previous experiences at… Read More ›
Developing a MakerCare Program
Although I was super excited about the makerspace movement, my enthusiasm quickly faded as I realized expectations and reality can be very different. What started as a $50,000 educational shopping spree (thanks, TeacherPreneur Grant), had all but ended with two… Read More ›
Growing Your #PLN: Search. Follow. Connect.
Throughout our #ConnectedEducator blog posts, we have taken a look what it means to be a connected educator; what a hashtag is and how to use them through Twitter chats; and most recently, how to build your social media profile… Read More ›