A point that I have tried to make before is going to be made again, we have to look at ways of using technology beyond the basics. There are ways that we can use the technology to really help the learning in the classroom but it helps to not just look at a device being…
As a student I would view snow days as a time to forget about school. As a teacher I would view them as a big disruptor that would cause me to lose the flow of learning and would delay the next activity, whether it was a test or a project. While students easily can see…
I am a big proponent of collaboration and any digital tool that allows collaboration to take place regardless of where or when everyone can use that tool. Using Google Docs with group projects seems like a no brainer and it has allowed me to let my students work with students who are not in the…
I think that an issue that many people have when viewing how to use technology use in the classroom is that they only look at the surface abilities of a tool. Take for example an Apple TV which can be connected to a projector or TV in the classroom. You can easily see that the…
One of the biggest reasons that I push Twitter on to ever teacher I meet is that I find that it has so many benefits in my own personal growth as an educator. One of the prime examples of that is when I want to be at an educational conference but can not go due…
*This is just a random number, did not feel like putting 1 there but also wanted to start a weird numbering sequence. While looking at action cameras the other day, think GoPro and the Sony Action Cam, I started thinking about how we could use these in education. If a gadget I buy can also…
This past weekend I spent a good portion of my Saturday cheering on the Ames High Science Bowl team as they competed at the state competition at Iowa State University. During my first three years of teaching I was the coach for our Science Bowl team at Jefferson High School in Cedar Rapids, IA. (Events…
One of my goals for this year, and for the future if I am not successful this year, is to be accepted into the Google Teacher Academy. The next academy has not been posted yet but I have already started working on my application. The key component of the application is a 1 minute video…
We had a successful technology integration professional development day the other day at Ames High. To read more about the setup for the day, check out my blog post about PD on the Inside. One very interesting observation that I made today as I was walking through the hallway was the increase in the use,…
At AHS we have a few teachers who were issued iPads to go along with some other tools in the classroom and many are still trying to find ways to make these tools more effective for the whole class. I think many would agree that we want to use focus on tools that have an…
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