You don’t need to be a Dickens scholar to understand that for many teachers it is both the best of times and the worst of times.
Let’s start with the good stuff. Digital innovation is inspiring imagination. Educators from all over the world are learning how to responsibly blend technology into their teaching, while sharing resource suggestions and best practices with colleagues and their growing professional learning networks.
The freedom to choose an assortment of apps, videos and open educational resources that can augment – if not replace – traditional curriculum for any given unit or lesson plan is empowering. Learning how other teachers put these tools into their own practice via Twitter Chats, EdCamps and other collaborative environments is exhilarating.
Digital tools can help give students a platform to demonstrate their honesty, courage, and integrity in the classroom on a regular basis. Source: 4 Digital Tools That Help Students Practice Integrity | MindShift | KQED News I like three out of four of these tools. I’m not a fan of Turnitin. This past year I…
\Recognize this language? ¿Cual es su nombre? How about this one? { console.log(“Name: “ + myString); } The first one is Spanish. The next, although those are English words, is JavaScript, a computer language. Computers are everywhere, from microwaves to phones, from cars to the international space station. They may have different functions, but they…
A few years ago, during a media interview for one of my books, my interviewer said something I still ponder often. Ranting about the level of distraction in his open office, he said, “That’s why I have a membership at the coworking space across the street — so I can focus.” While I fully support the backlash…
Classrooms around the world have been the equivalent of open offices almost since their inception. Is this the best way? Some new research shows that schools may want to think about how the classroom affects their students. Open offices are as bad as they seem—they reduce face-to-face time by 70%: Employees at two Fortune 500…
You and a coworker step into an elevator. As you descend in the tiny metal box, the silence between you grows awkward. Suddenly your coworker blurts out, “Such a shame that we’re stuck in the office on a beautiful day like this!” You mumble, “It sure is.” As an introvert, you despise making small talk; it feels like your brain was literally…
Google is celebrating 10 years of Chromebooks this month. This year marks the 10th year of the life of Chromebooks, and what a journey it’s been. Although the Google CR-48 was released before 2011, it wasn’t until 2011 Acer and Samsung shipped the first models. Most people were not sold on the idea of a…