Educator, Researcher, & Speaker
Both Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) are emergent technologies primed to make a real impact on learning and training. The excitement around them is great for quickly engaging an audience on a topic or theme, but the challenge for fields focused on learning and training is to leverage these technologies to achieve meaningful …
Continue reading "Building VR experiences to view in the Oculus Go App @oculus @cospaces_edu"
What is a paradigm shift? The simple dictionary definition is that a paradigm shift is an important change that happens when the usual way of thinking about or doing something is replaced by a new and different way. Emergent technology is not in and of itself a paradigm shift. We can, in fact, continue to …
Teaching students to recognize both sides of an argument, and/or have structured conversations centered around class content, regularly finds its place in our classrooms. We teach argumentative essay writing, debate protocols, conversational cues (in all languages), etc… These lessons can be completed through traditional classroom strategies, through podcasting…. and perhaps through texting. There are a …
For whatever reason I've always thought of podcast is being relatively passe. The idea of audio-only didn't seem super appealing to my students who are driven by YouTube content. Lately, I have been listening to a podcast from places like Stuff You Should Know and I absolutely love it! So I've been trying to think …
There are times in a school year when we are able to try things out with students with less risk (meaning failure is ok). For me, one of those times is often found at the end of the school year and final exams are finished for the content goals and objectives are complete, it's at …
Continue reading "Augmented Reality – The Art of BYOD in the Classroom"
During classes, workshops, and talks, I regularly find myself needing to mirror my iPad or iPhone (iOS devices) for demonstration purposes. Mirroring your device means everything you do on your device will be reflected somewhere else: your laptop, a projector, tv, etc... You can wirelessly connect via Airplay, Chromecast, Reflector, or Vysor. Sometimes we find …
Continue reading "How to mirror your iOS device (iPhone & iPad) with a USB charging cable"
Micah Shippee, PhD - Social Studies Teacher Ray Finney - Technology Teacher Kate Walsh - School Librarian The game design project described here was an interdisciplinary lesson between our eighth-grade social studies, technology, and library classes. With insight and support from Jon Spike, professor of Game Design and Learning at the University of Wisconsin - …
Continue reading "Game Design: World War 1 Student Design Team Game Building Project"
I love maps. There are tons of great mapping resources out there: Google Earth, Maps, and Streetview to name a few. Google MyMaps is another one that allows us to annotate pretty significantly. When I first rolled out MyMaps to my middle school social studies classes, one student went home and immediately traced out the 50 …
I have been working with my Social Studies students to create critically sourced and clearly written work related to our course content. Research has always been near and dear to my heart, but I recognize the same enthusiasm does not always exist for my students… it turns out they have minds of their own. In …
“The productivity of a work group seems to depend on how the group members see their own goals in relation to the goals of the organization.” - Ken Blanchard Schools are a funny thing. No really. Have you ever stood in front of a class of students and thought, “I am glad they do not …
