Today I was telling my wife about my previous blog post on an article I was reading called Compensating for Computers. As a social scientist and something of an expert on social learning she immediately cut to the chase with this great quote: You have to give them roots before you give them wings. This … [Read more…]
I’m reading an essay by Lowell Monke from the Alliance for Childhood called Compensating for Computers and it is making me think. Here are some of the bits I’m going to be mulling over for a while: Preparation does not necessarily warrant early participation….quite often preparation involves strengthening inner resources – self-discipline, emotional control, moral … [Read more…]
A while back I was asked to write a blog post for the TLITE blog about my experiences leading a class of grade 9 students through a Global Collaborative Project called the Digiteen Project. This post has been bouncing around in my head for a while and in the process has taken a slightly different … [Read more…]
I have been struggling all week to figure out how to frame an answer to this question that doesn’t get bogged down in fancy words and jargon. I am feeling the need for some clarity regarding the skills that I need to make sure I am teaching my students, the classroom structures and processes that … [Read more…]
I have just finished listening to the interview with Thomas Friedman over Skype at the Flat Classroom Conference in Doha, Quatar. I kept having to stop the podcast to jot down something he said because he has got a great way with words and most of his answers contained little gems that really got me … [Read more…]
The truth is I’m not sure what the inauguration and math have in common, but I decided this morning that it was important for my grade 7 math class to watch this historic occasion. As we sat in the computer lab watching streaming video live from Washington it occurred to me that this was an … [Read more…]
I’ve done it. I finally stood up in front of a group of people and put voice to all the ideas that have been bouncing around in my head and on this blog recently. It was quite cathartic and I actually felt like I knew what I was talking about. I gave my presentation after … [Read more…]
In a few days I am going to have a chance to present to our parent body on the subject of Digital Literacy. My presentation is going to be on the heels of a longer presentation about Literacy in general. I am excited about this opportunity and feel like the timing couldn’t be better. We … [Read more…]
I have just finished marking my student’s reflections from last years Digiteen project and am feeling a need to write my own reflection on the project. In general I was happy with how the project went in my class. My students learned a lot about web 2.0 communication and collaboration skills, and in some areas … [Read more…]
I was tagged by Cindy Martin (and Errin Gregory too) with the 7 Things Meme. I was quite pleasantly surprised to be tagged as I think it means that at least one person is reading my blog and is interested in learning a little more about the person behind the often wandering thoughts. On the … [Read more…]
