Nocking the Arrow

Attending school open house events always leaves me emotionally conflicted because there are many times when I can't, or don't want to, believe what I'm hearing. I have trouble understanding many of the rules that some teachers include in their syllabus. I feel the need to challenge published grading policies and procedures that are clearly unfair to students. But I keep my parent hat on and keep my educator card in my pocket as I search for more understanding. Maybe I'm just getting old and losing perspective about classroom management and student evaluation. Regardless if you are a teacher, student, or parent, you can help me with the writing of a more balanced and informed post by sharing your thoughts in the following five-question survey. The policies and procedures included in this short form are from documents distributed to parents during last month's open house season. Loading... I will share results and comments in a follow-up post. Th...

Pelican Lake, MN 2013 was an inspired year of personal and connected learning for me. It was my intention to share my thoughts and "learnings" within the seventy-two posts published during the past year. The bloggers that I read regularly, such as George Couros , Tom Whitby , or Will Richardson are those that challenge my thinking while igniting some degree of action, or reaction. Thought change leaders such as these start with, and make me ask "why?".  I want my writing to evolve away from apps, devices, and tools, and move more towards pedagogy, mindset, and social learning.  That said, and I am not quite sure why, but it's still my more "how to", and "what is" posts that attract the most attention. Here are my three most popular posts for 2013 based upon reader page views. 1:1 Digital Workflow  (2721 page views) - provides a recipe for document workflow in a 1:1 iPad classroom. Classroom Management in a 1:1 Environment (2522 pa...

Yesterday, a frustrated teacher pulled me out of a meeting requesting assistance. She explained there were several students in her classroom playing games on their iPads. Her frustration and sense of helplessness was evident in the tone of her voice, and the look on her face. By the time our short conversation concluded, it became apparent that she was blaming the technology for the lack of control in her classroom. As a high school technology coordinator, this is a message I hear frequently. When things don't go well, technology provides an easy target. All of us have encountered frustrating instances when technology fails us, and while it's true there are times when technology interferes, or distracts students from learning, often teachers will mistakenly blame technology for classroom management issues. Here are some suggestions to better manage your 1:1 classroom. Instructional Design Classroom management should focus on the students. What worked prev...