Nocking the Arrow

Most people understand and experience life as a difficult adventure peppered with challenges and setbacks that test our mettle.  As Superstorm Sandy runs aground, I ask the question... "When did common courtesy become uncommon?"   Case in point, last week, an elderly woman ahead of me at the checkout line at the local grocery store realized that she had forgotten her purse and was unable to pay for her necessities.  Judging from the items in the cart, there was an apparent urgency to her shopping trip and the checkout clerk was rather impatient and lacking in understanding.  The woman was upset to the point of tears when I stepped in to ask how much was owed for the groceries.  I asked the bagger to please help the woman get her groceries to her car as I paid the thirty-two dollars that settled the transaction.  The woman blessed me and asked for my address so that she could repay me.  I told her that it wasn't necessary and that she could just ...

After several months of planning meetings... Meetings about professional development, meetings about support documents, meetings about teacher proposals, meetings about devices, meetings about budget, meetings about tech support, meetings about infrastructure, meetings about distribution, meetings about learning goals...  you get the idea. Anyway, after several months of planning our 1:1 pilot, it was go time! Day One for AP Biology students Our 1:1 pilot would involve five high schools, thirty-four teachers, fifteen hundred students, and approximately 1600 iPad-2s, cases, cords, and styluses. Of course, it would involve countless hours of planning and preparation.  Typically a two to four year process, we put our proverbial foot to the floor and cranked out our pilot in nine months. With day one just a couple short weeks away, we finalized and mailed invitation letters to students and their parents informing them of their enrollment in at least one 1:1 pilot cou...

One if by Land, two if by sea... the devices are coming (if they haven't already arrived) Web-based applications, 1:1 mobile computing devices, BYOT, digitized content, paperless teaching, flipped lessons, 24-7 learning...  Teachers need to proactively prepare for the current educational revolution that is being driven by mobile technology and the Internet.  As one of my colleagues noted, we will all be like first year teachers again at some point soon.  Considering the sweeping changes in teacher evaluation, this can be a threatening proposition to some.  Teachers can stay ahead of, and even shape these changes by preparing themselves and their students for this digital information age by building out their connected classrooms.  Bob the Builder asks, "Can we build it?"  "Yes, we can!" Accept and plan for the changes that are coming.  Teachers should articulate with students, parents, and community members to develop a set of blueprints for ub...

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...