Sitting In Class
When we talk about definition we are implying its opposite. I find that to be a comforting idea. We are never so far away from our antithesis that we can’t see it. We understand that everything is new...
View ArticleChange in the L.A. Department.
I’m trying to create an atmosphere of change in my Language Arts department. Now, I knew that there would be resistance from a few teachers, but I thought that the passion and purpose of what we (my...
View ArticleI’m not sure if this is a good idea.
I was reading some of the articles on Karl Fisch’s del.icio.us account. I found this one and I was caught by some strange version of inspiration. It basically talks about how kids can be so innovative...
View ArticleAuthentic Writing (concise new ideas)
I have spent a great deal of time over the last year talking about Authentic Writing in the classroom. I have written a few papers on this subject, but I am most interested in the practical application...
View ArticleThe Perfect Online Professional Development Community
I have really been thinking a lot about how to create an online community for all of the teachers in my school district who are as passionate about technology integration, reflection and collaboration...
View ArticleConsider me surprised.
I have never been so convinced that our political leanings dictate our pedagogical leanings as when I read the comments from “The 95 Theses of Progressive Teaching.” As I was posting it, I thought it...
View ArticleWhat a man is…
A former male 8th grade student of mine has been e-mailing me consistently ever since he figured out that I really love to read my students writing. He has been sending me a few stories a month for...
View ArticleAnother Take on Blogging Rules
Like Jeanne Simpson, Karl Fisch, Anne Davis, and Darren Kuropatwa before me, I decided it was important to flesh out blogging rules for my classes. I took much guidance from these four fantastic...
View ArticleTeacher 2.0
A lot of edubloggers are focusing on what School 2.0 should look like. I really like the idea of looking ahead (and hopefully planning ahead) for the inevitable progression of modern education. But the...
View ArticlePaper is outdated.
Paper is: • Static. • Linear. • Finite. • Singular. Digital Writing is: • Dynamic. • Multi-dimensional. • Infinite. • Pluralistic. With these things in mind, all writing should be:...
View ArticleThoughts to get me through the Colorado Student Assessment Program
CSAP can do weird things to you. It kind of goes to work on your head. There is nothing unique about your test. It is the same as everyone else’s. And so you crave to do something original, to snap the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Value of Amateurs
I was at a wedding this past weekend and I had a sort of epiphany. I’m not really sure why it was at a wedding rather than anywhere else, but I immediately took the white paper napkin clinging to the...
View ArticleWhat’s in a name?
I hate to resort to cliche, but I’m afraid that there isn’t much that I can do about that now. I have already committed way too too much of my time to choosing a name for a podcast that doesn’t even...
View ArticleHow do you explain change?
When I try to explain to people, even the most highly educated and interested people, what I am doing in my classroom, I get two distinct reactions. 1. This is way too technical for me. It is fine if...
View ArticleNever a Prophet in Your Own Town
Many edubloggers (only the most recent one I have found) and podcasters have noticed this phenomenon that it is terribly difficult to receive recognition for doing great work outside your most logical...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Ripe Environment
I am tired of talking about the tools. Many of us have been talking about the tools for a long time now. We have said that using technology for technology’s sake is counterproductive. We want to use...
View ArticleThe Ripe Environment: Connection
This is the first in a series of posts about The Ripe Environment, my thoughts on how to create a space for educators and learners to want to become better educators and learners (although, one could...
View ArticleYpulse: Now and Now
I am now at the Ypulse Mashup 2007. It is all about Teens and Tweens and how they react to marketing, media, and education. The reason why I am here is put better on this post, but I think that there...
View ArticleConvergence Culture
The Ypulse Mashup has turned into a much better event than I had previously thought. I think that it makes sense to continually question the theory of why kids are so drawn to online, mobile, and...
View ArticleScriptovia
There is a panel here at the Ypulse mashup of teenage entrepreneurs including Aseem Badshah, creator of Scriptovia.com. Scriptovia is an amazing website for sharing school papers and essays. During the...
View ArticleMaking Content Your Own
“Our philosophy is that we want everyone to take our content and make it their own.” – Dixie Feldman (I couldn’t find the actual article, so this is cached.) This woman really gets the kinds of...
View Article$5.00 of Effort
“Why are you willing to pay $5.00 for a low quality 30-second clip of music but you aren’t willing to pay 99 cents for a good quality complete recording of the same song on iTunes?” “Honestly… because...
View ArticleThe Ripe Environment: The Living Examples
Today I drove nearly four hours (round-trip) in order to talk with 8 teachers from rural school districts in Colorado about blogging in the classroom. The meeting was in one of the most out of the way...
View ArticleThe Ripe Environment: It’s the content, stupid.
It has taken me quite a while to figure out how to come back to The Ripe Environment with all of the things that I am doing within my school. It came to me when my students were finally ready to work...
View ArticleThe Niche
My students are amazing bloggers, but they mostly blog in class. They write about authentic topics (ones that they care about), but they don’t seem to transfer into their home life. Originally, I had...
View ArticleWithout Community…
This is my first time blogging from in on an airplane. My daughter, Isabelle, may be the cause of that. She is cleverly intriguing, so much so that it is difficult to be very reflective when she is...
View ArticleWhy should students come to class?
If my students can do the majority of their work with writing and reading online…If my students can receive all of their assignments online…If my students can maintain constant contact with their...
View Article
