Last year I attended the Magic Gardens’ Teacher Night and had a blast. If you have never visited the Magic Gardens (1020 South St in Philadelphia) then you have missed out on a Philly masterpiece. The great thing about the Gardens is that they are not only a beautiful attraction, but they also provide educational…
Tonight’s #edchat conversation was varied, but I was particularly struck by my conversation with Steven Anderson and Lyn Hilt about the word authentic. I often hear people use the term when talking about student-centered, project-based, real world learning. All of these things, I like. However, upon closer scrutiny, I think the word authentic does not…
OK, I’ll admit it. I’m not always the best listener. During conversations with others I have to remind myself to sit back and listen before I jump in. Often, I get so excited about an idea in my head that I can’t wait to get out that I can be impatient. As I’ve gotten older,…
Today I was lucky enough to catch a fascinating conversation with the CEOs of both KIPP and Mastery Charter Schools here in Philadelphia. As someone who was directly impacted by the Philadelphia School District’s Renaissance School Initiative, I have some deep seated mistrust of Mastery Charter. They campaigned to take over my former school in…
I just learned about a wonderful event here in Philly this weekend, the 1st Annual Philadelphia Education Conference. It is a day of conversations and panel discussions with the ultimate goal of hashing out some tangible steps toward positive reform of education here in Philadelphia. While some of you may be aware that Education Nation,…
photo courtesy of Clover_1 on Flickr I have been thinking a lot recently about video gaming and what we can learn from it as educators. This is not a new concept or a new discussion. I’ve been seeing things happen in my classroom that really make me think there’s something to this idea. My recent…
I have had this book sitting on my shelf for about 6 months now and, due to it’s over-simplistic title have avoided picking it up. I’m happy I changed my mind. Meeting Students Where They Live: Motivation in Urban Schools, by Richard L. Curwin, has turned out to be a gem. On labeling students Try…
photo courtesy of K. Sawyer on Flickr Just last week I had the first serious observation I’ve had in a long time. I was observed during the first time my 3rd graders used the computers all year (no pressure!). I was nervous because this is my first year in the school, but I was also…
As most of you know, I am at a new school this year with a new twist on my former position. I still teach technology but now I have time to plan my lessons around what students are learning in the classroom. I did write a technology curriculum, but will only need to fall back…
Tonight my feathers have been rustling over the soon to be released documentary, Waiting for Superman. Before I go on, take a look at the trailer. Okay, here we go. So when I first watched the trailer I immediately felt doom and gloom come swarming down from above. I knew exactly where the movie was…