For some, it may be as simple as turning off the wifi and escaping this mess, but as educators we cannot. The students under our care live and breathe in digital spaces, and despite the belief held by some that they are digital natives and have it all sorted, they are in fact roaming in an unprecedented space.
A Podcast: The Maker Hour
This is a podcast created for a curriculum leadership as a part of my Master’s in Education course work. It describes a curriculum in action project I’ve been working on. References ***Correction: At 4:17 in the podcast the speaker refers to Prensky (2007). This should state Prensky (2014).
Transformational Change in our Education Paradigm: What is Stopping Us?
This is an outline of a research proposal for my research methods course for my MEd at UPEI.
Amplifying Student Passion: An interview with two connected kids
This post is the the final project for An Introduction to 21st Century Teaching and Learning for my MEd at UPEI in Leadership and Learning. Introduction There is a constant concern as an educator and a parent as to whether or not we are managing the internet generation’s use of technology effectively. We are worried…
Bedtime Conversations with a Minecraft Expert
Cross posted on Holtspeak’s COETAIL Advenure This evening as I was putting my son to bed I had a question for him. “Did you know there are horses in Minecraft and you can ride them?” “Yes”, he says. “But I need a saddle to ride one and I can’t craft one.” He then proceeds to…
On the Way to Work…Thoughts on Students Needs
Carpooling to work this morning teacher talk ensued. It came down to this. No matter how much we talk about what we’d like to be doing, it always comes down to this: The needs of teachers and administrators-vs-what teacher’s feel students really need. We had been discussing that the most effective approach one colleague could pursue, to improve…
Blogger and Google Apps in the Classroom – Some examples
Why Blog? (the short version) How can a blog enhance and redefine learning? Blogging and other online applications can be used to create learning opportunities for students in which they are able to build autonomy, mastery, and purpose within the context of school and their lives. Research has shown that when people are given these three opportunities (autonomy,…
First Day
It’s amazing how leadership and vision can shape a school culture. This year my wife have moved our family from Asia to the Middle East. We’re are in a new school and a new environment. The outside world is hot and dusty, and in a perpetual state of construction. In a sense so is the…
Shift: A Final Reflection
As I sit and reflect after reading the final chapter of Alan November’s Digital Learning Farm, one thing comes to mind: paradigm shift. November gives a lot examples of teachers using forms of technology to reshape their classrooms, but really what is happening is that teachers are shifting from a traditional approach to a new hands…
HoltSpeak 