What can a map tell us?

What can a map tell us?

Over the past two weeks I’ve been working with our 3rd grade teachers on a social studies project to introduce the students to some mapping skills. Of course the USSR no longer exists, yet many atlases in schools and even school encyclopedia talk about the USSR as though you should be able to find it on a map. The left […]

When or do we teach typing?

When or do we teach typing?

I have had a few conversations the past couple of days on what is the thinking on typing skills and teaching typing to students. Most schools that I know of do not have a typing curriculum like we would have a writing curriculum. If you do….that is fantastic and I’d love to see it, but to my knowledge most schools […]

Netvibes.com in the classroom

Netvibes.com in the classroom

Netvibes.com has been my aggregator of choice for years now. So much so that thinking of changing to another platform at this point makes my head spin. I’ve tried Pageflakes.com for a time and even Google Reader/ iGoogle. To each their own and I’m obviously a netvibes guy. Last summer I wrote a post comparing different aggregators as I was […]

Looking for EduSoftware? We've got your Wiki

Looking for EduSoftware? We've got your Wiki

This is what I love about wikis. You start a site, create the structure for collaboration, invite a community and then stand back and watch as the community helps you create a site that you could never have done on your own. As a new school year begins I want to draw your attention once again to the U Tech […]

Wetpaint.com ends free ad-free wikis for education program

Wetpaint.com ends free ad-free wikis for education program

It was fun while it lasted but as of August 11th Wetpaint.com will no longer be offering a free upgrade to ad-free status for educators. The news is as much a shock to me as it is to many of you. I was notified by the Director of Publishing at Wetpaint on August 4th about the change. Since that time […]

Digital Literacy vs Networked Literacy

Digital Literacy vs Networked Literacy

I woke up this morning to find the following Tweet from Jeremy Brueck: This line between digital literacy and networked literacy is a fine one…but one I think for ed tech people is worth exploring. I first started thinking about the distinction between digital literacy and networked literacy after reading the Writing in the 21st Century document produced by the […]

From BLC to Bangkok

From BLC to Bangkok

What a whirlwind end to my summer. Seattle – St. Louis – Boston – Back to Seattle – then on to Bangkok. I landed at 11pm on Sunday night and started work at 7am Monday morning. Take three days to make sure all computers are working, all Smartboards and projectors are plugged in and that new teachers are up to […]

A Great Day in St. Louis

A Great Day in St. Louis

A big thank you to Elizabeth Helfant for inviting me into St. Louis for a chance to spend a day with the staff of Mary Institute Country Day School. I was the last in a string of one day workshops that Elizabeth put together for her staff. Being the last of the summer was nice as it allowed us to […]

It takes time to focus a back channel chat

It takes time to focus a back channel chat

In my last post about the purpose of a back channel we explored the different ways live chat can be used in the classroom or at a conference presentation. As I’ve thought about this and my experience using a back channel with both students and adults for the first time, I’ve started thinking about the process a back channel goes […]