Nocking the Arrow

Being a proponent of daily growth, I think that great lessons and learning can take place anywhere and at anytime.  This was completely evident about a month ago when my family and I toured the Mayan ruins at Chacchoben , which is near Costa Maya, Mexico.  Our tour guide, Sergio, incorporated several techniques and practices that make up a great teaching / learning lesson. He flipped the lesson by providing a pre-tour planner to our cruise ship cabin.  This guide included a map of the Quintana Roo province, a brief history and cultural description of Chacchoben, a Mayan calendar , and an architect's diagram of the surviving ruins. During the 45 minute bus ride to the site, Sergio established a rapport by telling a story about a Mayan family living in ancient Chacchoben .  He reviewed the supporting documents, and set the collaborative tone for the tour by admitting his English language deficiency, and that we would be learning from each other as we recorded an...

Keith Sorensen and I spent a few hours in the PHS Media Center interviewing students. The focus of our  questioning was to find out what students were expecting from their educational experiences, particularly relating to instructional technologies. We interviewed several dozen students attempting to get a heterogeneous representation of our student population. We naturally gravitated towards students that were either using or obviously possessing their own mobile technology (cell phones or tablets) . Some of the student responses were surprisingly honest, and revealing.  Here are a few general themes that we learned from today's discussions. Most students are willing and able to bring their own technology to class, but in most cases, the teachers restrict usage.  In a few noted exceptions, teachers encouraged student usage of personal electronics.  In these situations, students commented about feeling more engaged and connected with the lesson, and with the...