Is my ED not as meaningful as an MD or JD?

A colleague has diplomas up in his classroom. It looks great. And not just diplomas, but awards, accolades, and certificates as well. A former administrator of his said, "if doctors and lawyers do it, why shouldn't teachers?"

Great point, got me thinking...

... all of my stuff is in boxes in the basement. I think. Honestly, I'm not sure. Maybe I don't care. Maybe that's the point...

My snow day. And a new perspective

I had a snow day today. What makes this somewhat different from past snow days is that I no longer teach in the district in which I live. That means while I had a snow day, my kids did not.

http://media.nbcnewyork.com/

It got me thinking. Thinking about what today afforded me that I rarely, if ever, get to experience.

Where's Jack?

I loved "On the Road"

It was a definitive tome for me. It was the first book that ended up folded from days spent in my back pocket. It was the story to made me want to wander. I never did wander the way Jack and the boys did, but I was never inspired to, or since, to wander in the way they did.

It was months on a bus.

It was a typewriter.

Chrome's multiple users update

Yesterday Google updated Chrome.

One of the best features of Chrome is the ability to multiple Google accounts logged in simultaneously (previous tutorial post here)

The feature is still there, Google just tweaked the visual...

You no longer see the icons like this:

It now looks like this:

iMovies on paper with Aurasma

One of my pet peeves is the traditional bulletin board. As a technology teacher I feel the traditional paper stapled to cork board is counter intuitive to what students do in the lab.

Paper bulletin board are fine for certain things, but if students are creating animations or layered presentations or movies how do you do their work justice by printing a still image and putting it on a board. How do you honor and celebrate their work beyond simply unloading to YouTube or blogging about it? How do you showcase their work in the hallway without losing any of their awesome?

Augmented reality...

The only 2 things on the internet

I have long told my students there are only 2 things on the internet.

Two.

Nothing more, nothing less.

I use this, especially with elementary school students, as a way to explain, simply, the tenets of safe web use.

The only two things on the internet are

The best part of #edscape? It's an excuse...

Today is Saturday.

A weekend.

A day off.

I just spent the day in New Jersey at the Edscape Conference.

Yes, you can say I'm a dedicated educator. I'm committed to my craft. I'm a lifelong learner. I willingly give up my weekend for professional development... blah blah blah.

But after today I think that's all a lie...

Fear is not an option when it comes to social media in schools

By Chris Casal + Lisa Nielsen

Cross posted at http://theinnovativeeducator.blogspot.com

Innovative educators know first hand that social media like Twitter, Facebook, Google, and Instagram can be a powerful tool for teaching, learning, leading, and strengthening the home-school connection. In many cases though, others may need to be brought on board. Especially when parents are expressing concerns and unsure of how a platform can be used successfully.

It is the job of innovative educators to ensure parents, colleagues, and administrators know how to embrace the power of social media and also how to address their concerns.  

Here are suggestions for parents, teachers, and administrators in schools embracing social media.

Year 12 is under way. And it's looking great...

Tomorrow may be the first Monday of my 12th year as a teacher, but last week's four days mark a number of new beginnings. It's year twelve. It's a new school. It's a new district. It's a new town. And I'm more excited than ever.

A new school year, a new adventure

So begins the 2014-2015 school year. And so ends my time as a New York City Department of Education teacher.

I am leaving the friendly confines of the NYCDOE after 11 years. It's been a great run. I've taught in a computer lab the entire time, everything from Kindergarten through 8th grade. We've researched, presented, blogged, tweeted, and most everything in between. The DOE has provided me with invaluable experiences and amazing memories. But, alas, other opportunities and adventures await...