Social Media has enhanced my conference experiences and learning. It seems pretty clear that would be the case. Before social media I attended lots of educational conferences and even some fun conventions (Star Trek and Comic). I attended as an individual, read the program after arrival and tried my best to make the most of it. I left with a bag of notes and a few contacts; but those connections tended to fade away as snail mail and later e-mail were the only means…
I am blessed to be the mom of two nerdfighter teens. The nerdfighter community celebrates curiosity, learning, creativity and compassion. It is primarily made up of teens, young adults and some older folks like me, a nerdfighter mom. Nerdfighters epitomize what I as a parent and educator want for my children and students: a love a learning and participation in a supportive community that encourages exploration of ones passions and sharing the joy of knowing and learning. Nerdfighters participate in…
I work as a technology integration specialist, an instructional coach if you will. Every year my role is different. The focus keeps changing and it takes on different dimensions. At times I am evangelist, troubleshooter, tinker, researcher, dreamer, clerk, record keeper, obstacle and teacher. As the summer begins I look back on the past year and the work I have done within my district and with educators outside the district. I am beginning to reflect on the highs and lows, strengths and weaknesses,…
Its been cool and damp on Cape Cod the last few days so I thought I would take the opportunity to work on material for a workshop, Web Literacy: Researching the Web for a Different Perspective, I am facilitating in July. There is a section of the workshop that covers how search engines work. This was pretty straightforward a few years back, before social media and behavioral advertising became main stream. At a basic level search engines ranked material on the…
Public education is a schizophrenic system. On one hand we talk about differentiating instruction and personalizing learning and on the other we group and target our non-readers, poor math students, those at risk for not passing the state tests. We speak of individualism but act on collectivism. These words carry a variety of meanings, but I want to use them in terms of education. We, for the most part, agree that people have different skills and talents and learn at…
The end of the school year tends to cause me to reflect on where I have been and where I am going. This year it seems to be more about where my fellow public school educators are going. I have been to several weekend educational events recently and chatting with friends and colleagues from across the country. Many are leaving public education or considering it. Some are retiring early, others moving to private education or a career change. These are…
We are at the end of April vacation in Massachusetts and Maine. April vacation always occurs the week of April 19th, Patriot’s Day around here. A remembrance of the battle of Lexington and Concord, the start of the war that set us firmly on the road to independence from England. I have always been fascinated by the time period 1600 -1820. There was a change in thinking which resulted in a change in governance, power and the world map. …