TRADE ROUTES and TECHNOLOGY: AN EDTECH AND MAKER LESSON PLAN

Students need to engage with the profound topics of the past in new and fresh ways. Gone are the days of dusty old tomes and boring old lectures. Thus, it is no mystery that many students hate History and think it is so dull. I want to be part of a movement that makes history […]

PHOTOSHOP PROJECT: PART 2 — REMOVING SOLID COLOR BACKGROUND IMAGES

(For Part 1, click here) Photoshop is overwhelming. When I first opened the application and uploaded my first picture, my eyes glazed over at the vast number of buttons and options. Like all new platforms, systems have their own logic and order. I had always been accustomed to specific technology platforms—MacOS, Windows, etc. This was […]

CREATING A BETTER PROFESSIONAL WORKFLOW: PART 1 — FANTASTICAL

My inbox, and by extension my mind, is a torrent of tasks, requests, and reminders. The fog of busy is blinding. Occasionally a moment of clarity emerges, and I am able to write categories of tasks and to-do lists on what seems to be an endless stream of sticky notes. Some of those tasks get […]

CREATING CREATORS: PERSONALIZED LEARNING AND TECHNOLOGY

Personalized learning and technology create creators. A personalized approach to learning dictates less and provides space for the authentic voices and choices of students. Moreover, this approach naturally lends itself to making. Richard Culatta argues that technology affords this possibility in the education system. If used correctly, technology can create a learning environment where students […]

Ed Tech Can be a Firehose! This will help.

Just a year ago the President of the Catholic High School at which I work suggested that another colleague and I attend CUE Conference in Palm Springs. He was an old school advocate for technology, working with Apple to bring computers into the classroom in the late 80s and 90s. While the tech has changed, […]

EdTech PLN Popplet

PLNs—Professional (Personal) Learning Networks catalyze broader development, education, and growth in all aspects of society. Whether personal or professional, developing a set of thoughts and skills in a community allows for more faster developments and breakthroughs in research, growth, and practice. Before the digital age, people would either learn in isolation—recreating the wheel as it […]

TRANSFORMING THAT DUSTY OLD MAP: CHIBITRONICS, PAPER CIRCUITS, AND INTERACTIVE MAPS

At Aquinas High School (the school at which I teach) has a saying: “turning today’s students into tomorrow’s leaders.” Yet I wonder, what world are our students stepping into? It seems like something out of a sci-fi flick, but this year’s freshman will graduate High School in 2022. Of that group, the four-year college-student will […]

OPERATION PHOTOSHOP: PART 1

I am a creative by nature. I love well-designed art in all forms. And I especially love when quality and care is crafted into the classroom content. Perhaps the students don’t care if the teacher uses clip art on their handout or powerpoint, but I do. I love media-rich presentations created with care and attention […]

Creating a Culture of Lasting Learning

Once again, Simon earned a perfect score on his weekly quiz. While other students struggled, this student thrived on the vocabulary and grammar chart quizzes. He outperformed most of his peers and had a perfect 100% in his quiz grade category. The trouble was that Simon was failing every test and most homework assignments. He […]

SUSHI REMIX

Context and Theory All cultures emerge from influence, mixing, and remixing. Food culture is rife with examples of regional influences and transformations. Indeed, like all human activity, people have a desire to make good food—not only for themselves but for those around them. If there ever were a more consistent type of “making culture,” it […]