Igniting Awe in Learning

Photo from 10News: http://goo.gl/HcKI4E I shared the below information with my management team today as Burn Book seems to be the latest and greatest way for high school students to cyber bully. Feel free to modify and use if needed. But more importantly, I encourage you to read this blog post by a high school student about the impact these types of apps have on people:  http://goo.gl/Ls4Tv8 By now, most of you have probably heard of an app called BurnBook. Burn book allows students to anonymously post comments about anything. They choose their school, and then start posting. There are a lot of mean comments about other students and teachers being posted on the app, and occasionally threats to the safety of the school’s campus. I began monitoring the app the other day, and so far, it seems to be focused on high schools.  The high school district personnel have started a campaign to talk to students on all their campuses about the seriousness of posting threats

High School Student's FB this morning On #CAEdChat Sunday night, we discussed ways to "pimp" our lessons so that students walk in the door jazzed to learn. Dave Burgess, author of Teach Like a Pirate , shared that he always asks, " Here's my lesson...now how can I make this come ALIVE?! How can I create an EXPERIENCE?"   So often, I see teachers who drag the technology out of the cupboard and expect the students to start the ticker tape parade.  But students are bored, just like the high school student who posted the above FB pic this morning from his class.  Technology is not a ticker tape parade for them. But learning should be! As student Alex Bockert explained during #CAEdChat, " Don't start with all the actual work/research to be done - start with why this project will rock." So how will you make learning rock today?

I love Angela Maiers. I think I love her because she values what should be valued: the person. Yes, technology is fabulous, and it allows us to do fabulous things, but if we aren't valuing the person, then it's all for naught. I first started following Angela when I saw her "You Matter" manifesto. It resonated. Deeply. Who we are to others doesn't matter until we realize that we have to matter to ourselves. It is a powerfully simple concept. But one which many of us don't take the time to own. Recently I came across another one of Angela's blog posts that also resonated with me. The Heart: An Underused Tool for Digital Learning discusses the need to challenge students to "work together to solve problems that break their heart." Can you imagine the impact this approach to education would have? Not only would students find meaning in the work they were doing, but they'd be making an impact on the world. They'd be saying, "Hey, I

My daughter, a high school junior, recently keynoted an ed tech fest. Because I feel odd talking up my progeny, I'm going to copy/paste a write-up shared in her district Superintendent's newsletter : "she shared her school experiences with technology and challenged the teachers in the theater to provide a wide array of technology-driven opportunities. She emphasized that students need to be prepared for a digital world and our schools are an essential part in that development." There was a lot of great feedback from the teachers that participated, but in an effort to make the conversation global, I'd love to hear what you have to say as well.

I came across this posting on a school's Facebook page the other day. Am I the only one who is sad by this photo, and the accompanying caption? I don't see a single engaged student in this photo. On the contrary, I see a lot of body language that denotes the complete opposite of engagement. What message does this post send to students, parents, community members? What message does it send to you?

Come mothers and fathers,  Throughout the land And don’t criticize What you can’t understand Your sons and your daughters Are beyond your command Your old road is rapidly agin’ Please get out of the new one if you can’t lend your hand For the times they are a-changin’ - Bob Dylan My daughter is dual enrolled in high school and college. Today was her first day of the Spring term for her college class. I'm jealous, because she chose "History of Rock Music" for her history elective. To spend time learning about Jimmy Plant, Ringo Starr, and Janis Joplin instead of reading the Louisiana Purchase agreement? Heck yea, sign me up! In my mind, I pictured her walking in to an eclectic environment hosted by an aging wannabe rock star, or perhaps even Jack Black. I expected to walk home to a daughter spouting off about hidden messages in lyrics, or sharing about the seedy underworld of the British rock movement. Or perhaps we'd argue if the Beatles h

Have students who  struggle reading? The iPad can help with that. Text to speech is  built in to iOS 8. Go to Settings > General > Accessibility > Speech