The following was written back in June, but I’ve been sitting on it until now because I wanted to be able to take a step back and look at my writing first before posting. One would think that sleeping until noon would be one of life’s simple pleasures afforded to teachers during the summer months. While I’ve nothing against prolonged inspection of the backs of my eyelids, I’m still dragging myself out of bed at 5:30 AM at least three days a week to help…Continue Reading “Academic Aesthetic 163: Communication”
Written during last Wednesday’s thunderstorm-induced power outage (which gave us off on Thursday…), and recorded during tonight’s thunderstorm, I talk a bit about how the “old” should not always be replaced by the “new.”
A while back David Warlick expressed some regret about his daughter deciding to not follow in his footsteps as a teacher. I’m not sure how that feels (I’m a 4th generation teacher m’self…), but I find his musings on why she came to that decision (and who is to blame) to be very interesting. My favorite quote: Again, no blame to a system that’s worked for years. The blame goes to those who remain satisfied with a system that’s worked for years. We need to…Continue Reading ““We need to hack that system.””
Back when I taught high school, I was often in buildings that were fed by middle and elementary schools that did not hold art education in high esteem. This meant that I had to tailor my lessons to cover things most students learn in their K-8 years but make them interesting for a high school audience. It also meant that I was able to make a list of things that, once I eventually taught elementary, would be able to drill into my students to prevent…Continue Reading “5 Essential Learner Outcomes in Art and Technology”
(The following post has been the hardest thing I’ve had to write in the past 8 years.) I am a teacher. Every time I walk into a classroom, I walk out knowing that the people in that room have learned something new. Words cannot describe the feeling of accomplishment that gives. For a teacher, that’s incredibly addictive. It’s why we put up with low pay, budget cuts, No Child Left Behind, piles of paperwork, security checks, and much more. Unfortunately, there are a lot of…Continue Reading “Spare some Change?”
This story, as horrible as it is, ends with a very misleading quote at the end. Herrera said the violence could have been prevented if the school had enforced its cell phone ban. I think this quote points at the wrong issue. Yes, the student used her cell phone to call her mom into the school and solve her issues with violence, but she could have also told her mom once she got home from school. The cell phone only sped up the process. I…Continue Reading “Wrong Issue”
I’ve been a fan of Mr. Pettis’ work for a while now, mostly because of stuff like this. I can’t wait to see the rest of this series. Hm, perhaps I should break out my old digital video camera again? I’ve been focusing on text and audio so much of late…
Academic Aesthetic 159: Podcasting Tips and Tricks [ 44:03 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (1521)I promised to have this uploaded before I crashed for the night – looks like I got to keep my promise. This is the audio from my presentation at this year’s MICCA conference. Forgive me if I keep things brief as I’m quite wiped by the experience of these past two days. A pdf version of my PowerPoint, including a special bonus slide at the end, is available here. Yes, I really do mention David Warlick that often. It’s only because he does so much…Continue Reading “Academic Aesthetic 159: Podcasting Tips and Tricks”
My presentation went very well – perhaps too well, since I kept answering questions and helping people out until the session after mine was over – along with half of lunch. As I said before, that’s not exactly a complaint. I’m happy to help. I was a few minutes late coming to Will Richardson‘s last session of the day, which I’ve (sort of) seen before. I say “sort of” because like any good presenter he revises his presentations to keep them current. Last year, Ustream.tv…Continue Reading “Podcasting and more with Will Richardson”
When I saw that FableVision was the keynote for today, I admit I was a little worried – but only as much as I’m always worried when I see a presentation by someone running a commercial business. I suppose the idea that a company involved in education is more interested in the business than the education runs deep in me. Goodness knows, I’ve had my share of bad experiences in this area… But every now and then, I find a glaring exception. The DEN, usually,…Continue Reading “MICCA Keynote Day 2: FableVision”