First in the series, Hour of Code Ideas! “Falling in love with code means falling in love with problem solving and being a part of a forever ongoing conversation.” – Kathryn Barrett Throughout my 20 plus years of teaching I’ve integrated technology in the various subjects I’ve taught because the world needs all our learners […]
Snowflakes Are Hexagons Hi everybody. Let’s just put this out there right now. Snowflakes Are HEXAGONS In fact, I’m so adamant about that, that I’ve started a hashtag on Twitter and Facebook, and maybe now Instagram called #SnowflakesAreHexagons, where I post pictures of products that use non-hexagonal snowflakes on their materials or advertising. Here are […]
When you have to be gone from the classroom, it is often very stressful. Not only for you, but for the students. In my 1:1 iPad classroom, I found that my plans often would revolve around just managing behaviors because I was able to have my iPads lead the students through their day. Because of […]
contributed by Shireen Jaffer As educators, we have all had at least one student approach us with the question, “How will this help me in the real world?” Every year, teachers are reminded of the academic requirements they must help their students fulfill. These requirements typically involve students taking many tests throughout the year. Accordingly, […]
Thinking Frames are used to help students begin the thought process by providing a model for organizing their thinking. They should be used in any classroom K-12, regardless of level or content area. When to use: during class discussions when answering questions during quick writes as starter/exit ticket to show what they know about a […]
“There’s no such things as a small act of kindness. Every act creates a ripple with no logical end.” – Scott Adams October is National Bullying Prevention month. I like to focus on getting students to spread kindness and feel the benefits of being kind versus being mean to others. Many children play social games, […]
Genius Hour, a movement of inquiry-based and student-directed activity, allows students to choose and investigate a topic of their choosing. Lee Araoz began facilitating Genius Hour because he wanted to lessen the compliance mode of instruction and increase the energy and motivation of his students. Genius Hour is based on Google’s 20% policy, where employees […]
Baby Shark: Annoying Song or Gateway to Learning? If you haven’t seen this yet, you’re one of the last few people to be able to say that. But now you’re here, so: Well, now that Baby Shark is stuck in your head, it’s time to deal with it. Walk into a room and just […]
“At the end of the day, the most overwhelming key to a child’s success is the positive involvement of parents.” – Jane D. Hull A few weeks ago I sent my first parent newsletter to 400+ parents. The newsletter (a link and pdf) was emailed to every parent with a Spanish version as well! Next […]
Because I Can Yesterday at school, my wife spent the first fifteen minutes of the day hugging a colleague whose best friend had passed away the day before. Cancer had taken the life of her friend, a 30 year old woman with a 5 year old son. No words needed to be spoken between […]