We can try to humanize school with help from students. Students provided feedback through student-centered discussions on humanizing schools. Students were more interested in foundational changes than they were in educational technology or systems. The 3 major categories students’ responses fall into are trusting students, valuing their knowledge, and providing meaningful feedback. Recently, in a training with a local non-profit, … Read More
Happy Holidays to you, Teacher.
As I was sitting here at my desk, in the midst of the Holiday Break, I started to reflect on this year and all that I’ve experienced. This isn’t a unique thing. I think we all do this around the New Year. We often think about the amazing things that happened this year, the challenges we faced, and what our … Read More
Still Not Sure How to Roll Out That New District Initiative?
Working on a new district initiative? One of the most common things we come across when talking with district administrators is the story of that last initiative that fell flat or blew up in their face. The truth is, rolling out a new district-wide initiative is not easy. It is complicated, stressful, and always presents the potential for push-back, frustration, … Read More
Create Your Own Breakout EDU or Escape Room Challenge
I love the concept of Escape Rooms and Breakout EDU challenges! I think escape rooms and breakout EDU challenges are great ways to encourage teamwork, build a strong and positive classroom culture, and engage students with challenging ideas in a low-stress (but high-fun!) way. Over the last year, I’ve created my own version of a hybrid-Escape/Breakout Challenge that is very … Read More
Digital Citizenship: Is Your School R.E.A.D.Y. to be Good Digital Citizens?
Are your students ready to be good digital citizens? Todays’ students are using technology to collaborate, learn, research, and communicate while at school. Blended and personalized learning with digital tools has flooded classrooms, but most teacher-prep programs do not incorporate digital citizenship as requirements for teacher certification. This leads to a cross roads of districts pushing digital learning into schools … Read More