Educator, Researcher, & Speaker
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 …
Google Slides is one of my favorite G Suite programs since it is so versatile. I have shared many times that my favorite hack or use of Slides is to build your own app with it (see "Create your own "My School App" in Google Slides for mobile devices"). When using this app process with …
Continue reading "How to stop Google Slides from auto-advancing when you click on them"
bit.ly/EllisIslandMicah As educators, we are constantly seeking to engage our students in the most meaningful ways. Not engage, like simply hooking them in with entertaining or trending toys, rather we work to engage our students in meaningful learning. Parallel with the constantly evolving world of emergent technology the most meaningful, and most engaging strategies …
Continue reading "Gaming, VR Exploring, and App Building: The Ellis Island Hack-A-Thon"
“We awaken in others the same attitude of mind we hold toward them.” Elbert Hubbard As a second year teacher, I remember being very excited about leading my students to participate in a project-based learning activity. With great enthusiasm, I ran down the hall to see a teacher, much my senior, that I …
Continue reading "Helping Others Along – Motivation Theory and the SAMR Model"
"Courage is contagious. When a brave man takes a stand, the spines of others are often stiffened." - Billy Graham Think: Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, or Star Wars, every good quest-adventure story has a team of contributors, each with a special skill set that contributes to the team’s successes. They fumble about lampooning …
Continue reading "Teacher: Know Thyself – School Culture Shift is about the people"
