Something became clear to me at AISA Conference 2017 when keynote speaker, Dr. Sonny Magana, asked the educators in the audience to raise their hands if they felt content about the state of educational technology in their schools. For a brief moment a room full of educators from a variety of schools, backgrounds, and teaching positions was … Continue reading Top Barriers for Not Using Tech in The Classroom
My Learning Tale
Just a few weeks ago, EducationRickshaw hit its 100th post milestone with the article After 100 Years of the Same Teaching Model It’s Time to Throw Out the Playbook. While we didn't think it was a very controversial post when we wrote it, it spawned a huge Twitter war across multiple threads that you can join … Continue reading My Learning Tale
How Can 13+ Social Media be Leveraged for Elementary Students?
I've always instinctively felt that educators are missing out on a goldmine of learning opportunities by avoiding or banning social media use in the classroom. Do a quick Google search and you'll find a large variety of opinions on social media in the classroom, ranging from "It's cool, but how to use it?" to "It … Continue reading How Can 13+ Social Media be Leveraged for Elementary Students?
10 Year Olds Ask You to Play Their Games for #HourofCode
The #HourofCode is a special time that is meant to demystify the skill of coding for all ages of learners. In previous years, my students have created a Caine's Arcade-style event for the community where the frames of the arcade machines were made out of cardboard and the screens were the students' iPads. You can … Continue reading 10 Year Olds Ask You to Play Their Games for #HourofCode
After 100 Years of the Same Teaching Model It’s Time to Throw Out the Playbook
In looking back at my parents' education in the 1950s and 60s, and my own education in the 1990s and 2000s, I worry sometimes that despite the huge advances that we've seen in technology, not much has changed when it comes to how we view learning and how we design learning environments. The transmission model … Continue reading After 100 Years of the Same Teaching Model It’s Time to Throw Out the Playbook
5 Ways Expat Teachers Try to Cope With Christmas Overseas
With Mathsgiving behind us and winter break in striking distance, many international school teachers are considering buying an expensive ticket back "home" to spend the holidays with our families. While there are many luxuries associated with teaching overseas (See: 5 Luxuries Bestowed Upon Thee As An International Teacher), missing out on family events is definitely a … Continue reading 5 Ways Expat Teachers Try to Cope With Christmas Overseas
Why Would Anyone Want to Become a Teacher – My Interview with a Newly Qualified Teacher
Lorraine is a newly qualified teacher of middle school math and science at Khartoum International Community School. She was actually a teaching assistant/student teaching intern in my Year 5 classroom for a year while she worked towards her certification. We recently sat down and talked about her thoughts and feelings about the profession as part … Continue reading Why Would Anyone Want to Become a Teacher – My Interview with a Newly Qualified Teacher
Evaluating Blended Learning Classroom Design
At this year's AISA Educator's Conference in Nairobi, Kenya, I had the opportunity to present some of the models that I have used and created to evaluate blended learning classroom design. Much of this work was done alongside Brad Arnold (@leybradly), and was previously discussed in my article, That digital program your school bought will never … Continue reading Evaluating Blended Learning Classroom Design
That digital program your school bought will never transform learning
It seems like most teachers and students have access to a paid-for digital learning program. You know the kind - RAZ kids, IXL, Spelling City, any one of those listed in the featured image of this article - and they all promise to raise achievement while making learning "fun". These CAI (computer assisted instruction) programs … Continue reading That digital program your school bought will never transform learning
When it Comes to PD, Teachers Need Differentiation
In a week or so, I will be presenting at AEC 2017 about blended learning design and evaluation, so I thought I'd take this opportunity to give my thoughts on the enormous responsibility that we have as trainers and presenters to differentiate for the various levels of teachers that exist in our schools. I am lucky … Continue reading When it Comes to PD, Teachers Need Differentiation
