In some ways this may be tied to the conversation around “digital natives”, because of the fact that some teachers tend to think two things when it comes to technology. One, that I should probably add some technology to my class to spice it up and two, the students already know what to do, they are just waiting for me. Most of you that have been teaching for some time realize that both of the above claims are false and…
First off, let me just state that I have always worked in higher education. Here tenure is a big deal and I think it is in k-12 as well. My question is – should we still have tenure at any level? I spent the last few days researching this topic and have read some good articles on both sides of the argument. I went in with the notion that this is not a good thing and is in fact doing…
This is post that has been in draft form for a couple of weeks. I keep coming back to it and rewording items. First off, let me say that I really like the Reeves article on generational differences in instructional design (I will actually use this article in my class along with the Prensky article). I would be lumped into the Generation X group based on being born in the 1960’s. I can remember buying my first computer for grad…
A number of years ago I saw Jane McGonigal speak at a conference. I came away with some new notions and thoughts. This in turn lead me to want to know more. I purchased her book “Reality is Broken” and read it, and while I still have some reservations I now look at games in a new light. Games are changing the way kids interact and think. As a parent I have often bemoaned the hours spent in front of…
So, last weekend I spent out in the middle of Montana near White Sulfur Springs at the annual Red Ants Pants Music Festival. I was there enjoying the music, the vibe, some good brews and was part of the recycling crew for the weekend, so doing my small part to help out. I had a amazing time and feel in love with two new bands that I had not heard of. One out of Ireland, was I Draw Slow. The other out…
So, just kind of tiptoeing into this new world of blogging. While I am excited about the opportunity to share some information with others I do realize that in this day and age a full disclosure is a good thing (plus it is required of my class). Here is my attempt at a full disclosure. While I am sure that I won’t cover everything this might give you a nice starting point about who I am, some interests, some background…
Ten Educational Technology tools and ideas that I will be focusing on for this coming school year to enhance teaching and learning. Not in any real order but all just good tools and ideas. Note, this is really my personal list, and while I hope some of the ideas and links inspire to you search for more, I am always happy to get feedback and more ideas. Breakout EDU – These are fun and engaging for kids of all ages….
Eight years ago I was doing classroom design, AV around campus, Teaching and running our Moodle LMS. As Moodle began to take off around campus, I realized two things. Number one, Moodle could do some amazing things, and secondly, I did not have the time or the expertise to really help our faculty do what they wanted. So, like most other Instructional Designers, I began to seek out help. I found a company who would be willing to come in…
I am in the final stages of getting my Master’s in Educational Technology (MET) from Boise State. While I have been in this program for over a year now and have had some random postings up here on my site, I am hoping that this current class (EDTECH 537 – blogging in the classroom) will finally give me the push I need to start blogging on semi-regular basis. So, over the next seven weeks for sure (and hopefully much longer)…
First off, I had this desire to go to ISTE, but like many schools that we all work in, PD funds are hard to come by. I was going to do ISTE on the cheap. I just happened to have some airline tickets from stepping off an oversold flight a while back. This got me to San Antonio. I hit up AirBnB and got a sweet little room at a semi-nearby home for $60 a night. Then I reached out…