Today my district ditched the Science Fair. We turned it into the Science and Engineering Expo. It was a blast. It took a whole crew of people to pull off, and it was a huge success. The part I was most involved in though was what we called Top Chef: Minecraft Edition, with a tipContinue reading “Top Chef: Minecraft Edition”
Category Archives: Student work
Why Maps?
We all know about maps, right? You know, Google Maps. We all use Maps to figure out how to get somewhere, what’s the best route, or how long it will take. I remember that first time, at a Cue Conference, when a collegue showed me that if you type “nearby pizza” into Google on a phone, youContinue reading “Why Maps?”
My Edu-Hero
This last week I was invited to attend some presentations in one of our elementary schools. The invitation was an opportunity to go and see how technology is being used in schools. On Tuesday morning I made my way over to the Primary Years Academy, pushed my way through a crowd of proud parents outside Ms.Continue reading “My Edu-Hero”
Learning is not quiet.
“It should be quiet in here. You should be studying for the quiz!” “Sit down and do your work, I want it quiet in here!” I have heard these directions, and others like them many, many times through the years, and I just do not get it. When I am trying to learn something, especiallyContinue reading “Learning is not quiet. “
Ditch the Points
This year I am doing it, I am ditching the points. After years of pretending that giving points for assignments was an objective way of giving grades, I am finally admitting that all those points really do is keep track of how many assignments a student does. Points do not measure what a student knowsContinue reading “Ditch the Points”
Showing Student Work in Public
I have long been a believer in students making their work public. When I started teaching my school was working with some of Ted Sizer’s ideas, and “public exhibition of mastery” was an important one of those ideas. I came to believe that when students control their learning and are expected to show the resultsContinue reading “Showing Student Work in Public”
Breaking Stuff and Other Problems
I have a problem. My students are doing great work. So great they are working on projects and doing things none of my classes have ever done before. They are taking the projects we do to places I have not seen high school students do before. It is a great problem to have, but IContinue reading “Breaking Stuff and Other Problems”
About those quizes…
Yesterday we held our annual SkillsUSA Regional Competition. For those that don’t know, SkillsUSA is a national student led career and technical organization. Students compete in career or leadership related events. Welding students, for example, are presented with materials and drawings and asked to produce the piece depicted in the drawing. Leadership students might present theirContinue reading “About those quizes…”
Is it Good Enough?
Something different is happening in my classroom this year. To start with my students are moving along faster, doing much more complicated work than I have ever had happen before. They are working through difficult technical issues with good, positive attitudes. Lots of “well that didn’t work, lets try this” types of things are happening.Continue reading “Is it Good Enough?”
Mom’s on the phone
This year our school district changed a policy concerning cell phones used by students. While there seems to be some contradictions, my understanding is that it is ok for students to have and use cell phones on campus, as long as they do not disrupt instruction. While some teachers are still taking phones from kidsContinue reading “Mom’s on the phone”
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