Sustainably Digital

Communities of reformers Some posts hit you exactly when and where you need to be hit. Dina over at The Line wrote a post that did just that recently. In a new school where I’m not exactly enthralled with the existing culture, I’ve found myself frustrated often. I haven’t been posting as much in part [...]

I keep waiting for that day when I look at my curriculum and am happy with what I see. You know, that point where it’s really good and perhaps only needs a few minor changes each year.  After years of constant tweaking, improving, and overhaul it seems like that day should be right around the [...]

Teachers are the key. To be more precise, highly effective teachers are the key. Putting high quality educators in every classroom would increase student performance more than any other reform movements. This isn’t just my opinion, it’s also the opinion of Professor Edward L. Glaeser according to his op-ed in the Boston Globe. Dr. Glaeser [...]

My last school required that all teachers have web pages in order to (at minimum) communicate the daily schedule to students and parents. I used it for my schedule, but also as a jump-off for online assignments. My new school does not require all teachers to have web pages. Yet I enjoyed the benefits of [...]

It’s been a frustrating week or so. Since misery loves company, I found it interesting to read a post by Darren Draper in which he says: Google 2001 is nice, but what some teachers really need is more like Google 1983. That way their experience on the Internet would better coincide with the experience they [...]

The NEA recently posted an article about teachers who have been unknowingly taped digitally recorded by their students who then posted the videos online. The article mentions some cases where teachers are clearly acting inappropriately. However, it also mentions a few cases in which the video clip was taken out of context or edited in [...]

A recent education-related post from an unlikely source was pushed my way this week regarding new touchscreen desks designed to be used in educational settings. “Multi-touch smart desks” could be used to authentically improve instruction. However, is it the best way? The most cost-effective method? The most relevant to our students’ future technology usage? Some [...]

New school, new district, new state, new region. I was hired at the end of May and moved to Connecticut the end of June. In mid to late July, I started my attempts to contact my new high school to get information about my new position. What is the curriculum? Who am I teaching it [...]

I’m going to attempt to post interesting bits I’ve found recently, both as a way to share with the community things I’ve found, and as a way to reflect upon items I’ve found. I won’t go as far to guarantee I’ll do this weekly (I’d like to), but whenever I get together 5-10 interesting items, [...]

Do you remember your first day in high school? Perhaps you were in a new building- more likely than not surrounded by many new, unfamiliar, and large faces? I vaguely remember being excited, yet apprehensive and anxious. Would I be able to hack it? Would I make some good friends? Would it be a fun [...]