Next week I begin teaching LEGO Robotics for the first time. I was lucky enough to be able to borrow a kit for the weekend to play around with. Here is short video I quickly pulled together (I apologize for the quality!) of my day. I spent about 45 minutes building the first robot, but…
This post is way overdue, but it’s been on my mind for a while. I wrote a post for my mother a month or so ago and it’s only fair that I express my gratitude for my father as well. I have been blessed with two wonderful parents, and each have played a large role…
This past year I had the opportunity to write my own tech curriculum. I was starting at a new school with a new set of students and two labs I’d never taught in before. It was a shot in the dark. I used the ISTE NETS framework to build the curriculum, mapping out a schedule…
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,…
In my most recent Edutopia post I challenged my readers to make a list of at least 5 things they’ve done better this year. Here are mine: 1) Assessment I have taken a lot of time this year to work on my methods and purposes for assessment. While I am still stuck with a numerical gradebook…
keyboard photo from Flickr So I’ve been talking with my former college professor about keyboarding skills, how kids learn them and whether we should still be teaching them. Part of me looks down at my swiftly moving fingers (I don’t look down that often) and thinks “Yeah!” being able to type fast is awesome! Another…
Pennsylvania’s new Governor, Tom Corbett, ran on a platform of school vouchers. He and his neighbor, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie have been pushing for legislation to bring more of them to their respective states. Most of the arguments I have heard supporting school vouchers is that they support school choice. This idea that being…
I’m not usually one for Hallmark holidays, but I felt the urge to celebrate my Mother, Nancy, in all of her awesomeness. My Mom and I at The Barnes Foundation April 2011 I am thankful for having a Mother who never told me what I had to do or who I had to be as…
The Barnes Foundation Yesterday my mother and I visited the Barnes Foundation, a wonderful museum outside of Philadelphia. Unlike a traditional museum, this house-school-museum was curated by Dr. Barnes, its founder and remains in its original design according to the rules set forth by him in his will and through his Foundation. In addition, rather…
I just finished this fabulous book by Ken Washburn that really has me thinking about instructional design. The Architecture of Learning has also made me more concerned about the direction that education is headed in this country. My main takeaway is embodied in this quote: Instructional design differs from lesson planning. I have been lesson…