Viewing: Educational Technology
PBL Secret Sauce #4: Tips for Collaboration
esearch has shown that collaboration is one of the most effective strategies in student achievement. But to be really successful, a classroom needs to use collaboration techniques beyond the time period alotted for a any one project. It has to
Digital Revision Stations
have been using revision stations for a few years now in one way or another. Revision stations are a way to structure learning that allows a student to rotate to different locations and/or activities that each serve a different purpose.
PBL Secret Sauce #3: Aligning the Standards to Your PBL Unit
Here’s my new screencast showing two ways I ensure that any unit I design or adapt is aligned to our required standards. In a nutshell: Plan around a particular standard and design with that standard(s) in mind from the
Abstract Concept to Concrete Awareness: 3DPrinting to Teach Growth Mindset
One of the things I like about 3d Printing in middle school is that it makes the abstract more concrete. Middle schoolers need that because of where their brain is at developmentally. They straddle the threshold from concrete thinking to
The Ultimate Screencasting Guide for Teachers and Students
Lately, I’ve been getting really deep into Screencasting, in particular for my English Language Learners and special ed students. I know it’s been around, and we’ve all heard about it, but finding resources out there that make it concrete can
The Internet Research Game & 3D Printing: No Whammies!
So in an attempt to broaden the use of the 3D printers in my room, beyond that of my Maker-themed ELA class, I thought I’d leverage the curiosity for the devices as an incentive for my additional classes. That way,
7 Steps to Help Students Succeed on Assessments
This year, I was given a class of LTELs (long-term English Language Learners) and recently exited SPED students with the goal of focusing my lesson implementation on engagement and more social-emotional learning. So we’re leading up to our first grade-level
Gotta Catch ‘Em All: Using Pokemon Go in my 3D Printing/ELA Class
I’ve written before about the power of using pop culture in the classroom, and this fall will be no different in Room 1. Admittedly, I can’t say I’m a huge Pokemon fan. It’s one of the cartoons I limit in my
Lessons to Share: 3D Printing and Design to Learn Reading & Writing
So I just finished my first week with my Make Writing class. This class, as I’ve written about in the past, is intended to help those long-term EL students who have become disengaged with school and with learning. These kids
The Argh Wall! Celebrating Failure in the Classroom: A Lesson For Writing & Making
So, I’ve been writing lately about my new class that I’m developing for next year called Make Writing. I’ve been writing curriculum for this class that leverages 3D printing in order to teach Literacy and Writing. The class itself is
Pencils to 3D-Printers: A New Kind of Language Arts Class
“The printers have been ordered. Fingers crossed. Here we go…..” This was the email I received two weeks ago from my principal who is working with me to develop a whole new kind of Language Arts class. The plan
Eeny, Meeny, Mino, Moe: Which 3D Printer Should We Own?
A couple weeks ago, I wrote about the start of my journey to create a Language Arts and ELD class that leveraged 3D printing as a means to initiate a more purposeful curriculum for reading and writing. I will be
Making, Writing, & Leaving My Wheelhouse: How This Relates to ELD Students (UPDATED)
I first began blogging to reflect on what I was learning during my summer with the Writing Project. After each day, I returned home, head spinning, needing to simply process. Finally, my husband said, “Why don’t you try starting one
The Invisible Strategies of Teaching: #whatpeopledontsee
hen you walk onto a middle school campus and even into the rooms themselves, it can look like chaos. After all, middle schoolers are wired to be active and wired to be loud. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t learning
Connect With Me
Latest Tweets
-
RT @ELmagazine: "Too many schools push reading outside the school day & then use reading logs, incentive programs, & comprehension… https://t.co/ebrj1UP35T
-
RT @edutopia: Do you have students for whom even a small setback is a catastrophe? Try these simple strategies to reduce negativi… https://t.co/oIQsl7Y7Xu
