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Make School More Than Worksheets
When we think of the billions of dollars that have been spent on test-prep, I cringe. Not because it was my billions of dollars, but because when I was a kid I remember worksheets. I also remember...
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Her Words
As we drove home from school, on the crowded highway, zooming in and out of traffic, my daughter said these words to me. I was struck by how easily she thought of them, by how far she has come, and by...
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The Time and Space We Do Not Allow
Time to play. Time to throw caution to the window and try something new. Time to use duct tape and cardboard to build a prototype. Time to swing from the monkey bars while a friend counts how long you...
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Out of the Darkness
I have always loved a great sunrise. Something about it is so full of hope. As the darkness falls away and the rays light up the sky, dancing in the clouds, it’s like the world’s details start...
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Become the Training Grounds for Social Media
It’s blue and black. It’s gold and white. You’re wrong. I’m right. I’m right. You’re wrong. It was crazy to watch as Twitter, Facebook, and even the National News became all about that dress. That’s...
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STEM is the WORLD
All across America, science has been squeezed out of classrooms. “No time to teach Science,” many teachers say. Curriculum pressures, overpacked schedules, and testing have pushed science aside....
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The Power To Change the World
What if you could teach kids the standards, but also do something more? What if you could encourage students love of learning with high quality, engaging text fully integrated with projects that...
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Eviction Notice: The Perfectionist VS The Innovator
There are two worlds inside my head that can no longer co-exist. One of them is The Perfectionist. Everything has to be right, above and beyond, on the first try. Not because someone else expects...
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The Things We See
Do you see an ipad? Or do you see a device that becomes a tool in the collaboration of two students creating a movie together? Do you see a laptop? Or do you see a powerful tool that allows a student...
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Light Up Their World
**Disclaimer: This post may contain an embarrassing amount of “light” puns. You’ve been warned. I can’t help myself. Looking for a bright idea for that brings STEAM alive in your classroom? I’ve been...
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The Children Left Behind
I see a big divide in education. I’ve felt it at conferences. The entire field of education is taking off. Making, building, dreaming, designing. There is one area that is missing out. Gifted...
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The Dots Connected
I can still remember the last time I saw my grandpa. He was sick, frail, in the hospital. I walked in with my daughter and we sat and talked with him. He was himself, in just a frailer, smaller...
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This Isn’t 8Bit Mario Anymore
This isnt 8-bit Mario. Thank goodness. Because remember what happened? Everytime you died, you had to go all the way back to start. All that work. Struggle. Skill. Boom. Gone. And there was only one...
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We Are the Ones We Are Waiting For
This video is learning. Pure, simple, wonder. You can see it on her little face. The light in her eyes. The excitement that isn’t just a look on her face, but that moves her. All of her. Remember the...
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What’s Your Message?
I believe each of us has a message to the world. It’s not a brand. I’m not a Hershey bar or Nike. And my message is not chocolate or colorful shoes, although I love both. I suppose there are days...
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The Contagious Cycle of Engery
Passion. It’s that loud voice that sings inside your head and the sound of your heart beating when you are doing work that you love. It’s the thing that wakes you up at 4 in the morning with an idea...
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The Mess in the Moment
What a Learning Moment Looks Like In Our Plans: Organized. Clear. A Goal Attained. Birds Chirping and Breeze Blowing. Like this girl’s selfie with her beagle. Say Cheese. A single moment...
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Just That Simple
Maybe it is this simple. Uncomplicated. Beyond the complex standards and busy data charts, is raw learning. Cardboard tubes. Masking tape. Rulers. Stop Motion created with clay. Video reflections on...
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When All You Need is Cardboard
I used to have this perception that kids were so excited by devices that just the presence of a computer or an app would make the lesson more exciting. It was a dangerous thought. It’s hard, because I...
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Because we need to show them how to share…
As educators, we pour our hearts and souls into helping students thrive, into encouraging them to find their passions, into providing tools that will enable them to leave our classrooms and schools and...
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