I have spent quite a bit of time in the past week helping teachers set up their Google Classrooms and in the process have: (a) discovered some good resources and, (b) started to understand which tips & tricks are the most useful to share. Tips and tricks first: Spend less time in the Stream … [Read more…]
It has always struck me as unrealistic to pat ourselves on the back for saving paper because we are using computers instead. There is clearly an environmental cost to having and using computers, but it is a hidden cost so trying to quantify it is difficult. There is of course the E-Waste problem, but that … [Read more…]
The first story Ken Shelton tells in his DitchSummit Day 1 video really resonated with me. He describes the common classroom scenario where students are asked to raise their hands as part of a class discussion, and students who do not raise their hands are (often in report card comments) labeled as poor communicators. This … [Read more…]
This is the last part of a series I am writing about using Badges and Hyperdocs in my ICT class. See Part 1 for the Why, Part 2 for the What and Part 3 for the Details. After running my first ICT unit using Hyperdocs and Badges I asked my students for feedback. Specifically, I … [Read more…]
This is the 3rd part of a series I am writing about using Badges and Hyperdocs in my ICT class. For the Why behind this project see Blog Post 1, and for an overview of What I used to set things up see Blog Post 2. The plan for this post is to describe in … [Read more…]
I love the idea of Makerspaces. But I am still struggling a bit with the ‘what’, the ‘why’ and the ‘how’. To figure things out I am listening to this excellent Cult of Pedagogy podcast: What is the Point of a Makerspace? In it I think John Spencer gives the best description I have heard … [Read more…]
My school is moving to BYOD next year and we are suggesting parents get their child a Chromebook. One of the questions I am being asked by parents is what are their options are for parental controls on a Chromebook. Our school owned Chromebooks are all on our management console, so we can push out … [Read more…]
This is the second part of a series I am writing about using Badges and Hyperdocs in my ICT class. Part 1 can be found here. Initially, I was convinced that Google Slides was the best platform for a BadgeDoc. I liked that multiple kinds of media could go on a slide and that I … [Read more…]
For the past few months, I have been trying to figure out how to use Badging effectively in my classroom to empower my ICT students and differentiate learning. This is part of a larger attempt to understand Open Badging, and the work being done to date on using Badges with adults to facilitate meaningful professional learning. … [Read more…]
In August I had the privilege of attending the Google Certified Innovator Academy in Sydney. It was a crazy trip: two red eye flights, an ‘amazing race’ in downtown Sydney, lots of design and moonshot thinking, encouragement to think big but start small, and an expectation that I would spend the year working on an … [Read more…]
