How do you facilitate learning in your classroom?  Is work done in desks, tables, up moving around, in bean bag chairs, on the floor, at the board, or in explorations?  The space in which a child learns is important.  If a school gets it wrong, learning can be constrained or even completely stifled.  Some learning rooms are unique learning spaces ...

I finally got around to setting up a class blog this summer, and I have it running pretty efficiently right now. Check it out:  nrenglish.wordpress.com On the first day of school, I showed kids the blog and asked them to take a Google docs survey that I created and embedded into wordpress–yes, it sounds complicated, but it was much easier than ...

Free Technology for Teachers: Ten Common Challenges We’ll Face This Fall – Challenge #6: Cell Phones. We can wage an endless battle that is bound to get worse in the future, or we can engage those devices and make them work for us. How many of us have used the money excuse to avoid using technology in our classrooms?  Now there is no excuse.  ...

Educational Leadership:Best of Educational Leadership 2010–2011:Teaching the iGeneration. You should read this article. Did you read it?  If you’re skimming, you should really go back and read it. As a part of the “Net Generation,” I agree there is a clear difference between those of us born in the 1980′s and those born in the 1990′s (what ...

Over the last few weeks I have been investigating Master’s degree programs because I decided it’s time to get started. After quite a bit of researching I found a program I am really excited about – a Master’s in Technology in Schools. So now begins the paperwork process I’m sure we’re all familiar with. My chosen university needs: a (long) ...

At the end of this week, my summer break if half over. Hard to believe, I know, but I am starting to get myself back into school mode and make some plans. One of the first things, actually THE first thing I like to have for my new students is some sort of “get to know me” activity. I don’t choose to make this a time to discuss classroom ...

I was scanning videos on Youtube and ran across the one below. Watch now and come back, or read on and watch when you’re done – it doesn’t really matter. Made in 2007, the creator says it was meant to “inspire teachers to use technology in engaging ways to help students develop higher level thinking skills” and it’s pretty good at its job. Many ...

photo by Ed Yourdon My children (1 and 5 years old) are often the most thought-provoking people I know. On the way to get ice cream last night I asked my 5-year-old son whether he wanted chocolate or vanilla. His reply? “It’s hard to decide. Let’s do an online poll… it was all even until the last person clicked vanilla. The winner is ...

Interactive whiteboards-SMARTboards, starboards, and the like-are the symbol of a new tech savvy age in teaching. Its a new level of interactive learning and teaching. It all sounds great, but man there is...

Funny post about a school employee who was looking for Aliens.  He got fired.