What’s the goal of differentiation? Mastery of a curriculum? Inquiry-based life-long learning? Relationship building?
Can we ask the question another way: what is school?
Is it 1:1 learning? Is it 1:1 curriculum? Is it 1:1 access to “the best of what’s been thought and said?” Is it the 1:1:1:1:1… replication of workers or citizens?
We have the tools [...]
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Posted 31 January 2010
† Chad
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Tagged: 1:1 curriculum, 1:1 learning, All But Graduated, Authentic engagement, Authentic learning, Authentic work, Blended, Charter school, Cloud-based learning, CTE, Differentiation, Dual-enrollment, Education reform, F2F, Hybrid, Magnet school, Specialty center, Student-sourced curriculum
This Monday we dedicated a station to analyzing our data from last week’s small-group gaming.
Students used a formula to determine each group’s live lost to levels won ratio.
Students analyzed the differences in observed and noted behaviors between the groups with the highest and lowest ratios.
Students analyzed their own behavior to see if it aligned more [...]
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Posted 29 January 2010
† Chad
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Tagged: Authentic engagement, Authentic learning, Authentic work, Collaboration, Game-based learning, Instructional technology, Learning with games, Lives lost: levels won metric, Relevance, Small-group gaming, Strategic thinking, Video games
Here are two quotes I’ve been thinking about all day:
“All I ask of you is one thing: please don’t be cynical. I hate cynicism – it’s my least favorite quality and it doesn’t lead anywhere.”
-Conan O’Brien
“The tension between what I’m actually doing in my classroom and what I think I should be doing in my [...]
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Posted 25 January 2010
† Chad
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Tagged: Bill Ferriter, Coco, Community involvement, Community outreach, Community partnerships, Conan O'Brien, Education leadership, Education reform, Parental involvement, Red team, Standardized tests, Student involvement, Teacher leadership
Here’s a quick post on an imperfect start to using video games in the classroom for teaching the soft-skills necessary for collaboration in a manner (hopefully) authentic and relevant to students’ media experience.
Teams of 3-4 students played New Super Mario Bros. Wii at a classroom station.
Teams were asked to win the most levels possible with [...]
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Posted 25 January 2010
† Chad
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Anecdote
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Tagged: Authentic engagement, Authentic learning, Authentic work, Collaboration, Communication, Game-based learning, Instructional technology, Leadership, Learning with games, Lives lost: levels won metric, Meaning making, Relevance, Small-group gaming, Social learning, Social stories, Soft skills, Strategic thinking, Video games
The explosion of Web 2.0 and social media has given us and our students a prodigious number of tools to use for collaboration. We have an exponentially growing number of Plans B-Z to use when something doesn’t work. This week, our end of the Skype book club we’ve created with Karin Perry’s (@kperry) students fell [...]
Many school systems, mine included, face unprecedented budget challenges this year. I imagine that in addition to implementing or continuing pay freezes, many divisions also have to consider eliminating teacher leadership stipends. I worry that we’re going to lose great teacher leaders. Why take on more work without more compensation? With [...]
You know that song, “The Gambler?” I love that song. I loved listening to it in between G’n’R and Alice in Chains before high school football games. I love it when Kenny Rogers sings it. I love it when Mike Doughty sings it. Please comment below and tell me who [...]
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Posted 18 January 2010
† Chad
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Tagged: Alice in Chains, CATEC, Crozet Elementary School, CTE, Digital fabrication, Education reform, G'n'R, Glee, Innovation, Kenny Rogers, Lab school, Masonry, Mike Doughty, School art, School budget, School mural, STEM, Student mentoring, Sue Sylvester, Summer school, The Gambler, The Muppets
[Author's note: I love Foyble.com and its potential to add relevance and voice to students' community service. I greatly appreciate the opportunities I have to work with Foyble.com, but I am in no way compensated by the site.]
Monday night I Skyped with Brian Foy (@Foyble_org), a co-founder of Foyble.com, and Jack King (@drjackking), founder [...]
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Posted 14 January 2010
† Chad
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Tagged: Authentic learning, Authentic work, Brian Foy, charity: water, Community service, Digital citizenship, DoGood, Education reform, Educators give, FaceBook, Foyble.com, Haiti earthquake 2010, Innovation, Instructional technology, Jack King, Meaning making, Northfork Center for Servant Leadership, Relevance, Service learning curriculum, Skype, Social media curriculum, Student blogging
[Author's note: Thanks for this post's inspiration go to Shelley Blake-Plock (@teachpaperless) of Teach Paperless fame for his crazy stuff challenge, as well as to those who have already commented!]
Invert & Green the School Calendar
First, let’s invert the school calendar to promote sustainable food projects and maintain alternatives to food monocultures. If [...]
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Posted 09 January 2010
† Chad
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Tagged: Alternative certification, Alternative licensure, Crazy pedagogy, Education reform, Innovation, Local authority, School art, School calendar, Shelly Blake-Plock, STEM, STEM & agriculture, STEM & the arts, Teach Paperless, Teacher certification, Teacher licensure
Today we had a great time introducing ourselves to Laura Oldham’s (@engltchrleo) new reading classes via Edmodo; our small-group Skyping cohort also happily reconnected with Karin Perry’s (@kperry) students to discuss James Dashner’s The Maze Runner. We used 1:1 iPods Touch and m.Edmodo.com for our introductions; we gathered around Skype on a MacBook for our book [...]
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Posted 08 January 2010
† Chad
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Tagged: 1:1 access; 1:1 learning, 1:1 computing, Book club, Edmodo, Instructional technology, James Dashner, Karin Perry, Laura Oldham, Peer accountability, Personal accountability, Scott Westerfeld, Skype, Small-group Skyping, The Maze Runner, Uglies
