Point A to Point B

Category: Learning

  • There’s an App for That

    We just received 4 iPads to use in the building. My initial thought is to put them in the library since that is one place that all students have easy access to, and would get them the most exposure. In order to maximize the potential for their use, we are going to start with a…

  • One Pipe

    I have been tinkering around with my Google Voice account after a colleague, @MrWarnes, showed me what he was trying with it. Then, speaking with our assistant principal, we got to talking about how tools like Google Voice and Skype are making traditional land lines obsolete. Wouldn’t it be great if everything you need for…

  • Do You Want Me To Make That Harder For You?

    This week I’d like to share with you a personal screen-play about the power of technology, creativity, and children… Cast: Father and son (yes, me and mine) Setting: family room on a weekend afternoon Props: couch, iPad, desktop computer Background: Remember the cool wooden maze game, Labyrinth? It is a wooden box with knobs on…

  • A Zillion Ways to Use Technology in the Classroom

    I am a big fan of new technologies for the classroom. I am not a big fan of taking a new technology tool and coming up with ways to use it for learning. As much as I am a fan of mechanical tools, I do not dream up 1000 ways to use a screwdriver. When…

  • Superman is Already Here

    Before you read this post, please take a moment to go on a field trip to do the following: Walk to the nearest mirror you can find, look at yourself in the eyes for about 30 seconds, then come back. Hello Superman, it’s nice to meet you. Please understand that I use Superman in the…

  • A Look at Ray Kurzweil’s Education Predictions for 2009

    I’m reading Ray Kurzweil’s The Age of Spiritual Machines now, which was written in 1999. In the book, Kurzweil makes predictions for the future in 2009, 2019, 2029 and beyond. In the predictions chapter for 2009, there is a section on education. I’d like to try a little experiment and present the section from the…

  • Momentum

    This coming Friday, October 8th, our district will be holding a staff development day focuesd on technology. It is going to be an exciting day, as there are many events planned. A quick overview: Keynote by the ever-inspiring Alan November Content-area breakout session (focused on instruction that incorporates technology) Elective breakout session (focused on a…

  • Struggling with Chaos

    My friend Steve O’Connor, whom I met by chance when we were presenting in the same room at NYSCATE a few years back, just tweeted about a poster titled, “The Internet Will Not Be Another TV”. Here is the poster: There are many things I like about the poster. It is an argument for Net…

  • On Space and Learning

    One of my favorite hobbies is architecture. I am a huge fan of spaces that evoke meaning and emotion by their design. Living in Buffalo we have many such spaces including Frank Lloyd Wright’s Darwin D. Martin House Complex. I had the opportunity to visit a new space yesterday in Frank Gehry’s recent addition to…

  • Linking Design Questions, Instructional Strategies and Technology Tools

    This coming school year our professional development program is focused on Marzano’s Art & Science of Teaching. Cross-district teams organized by grade or subject area (“Design Teams”) will be meeting to focus on design questions brought up in the book. Over the course of the next 3-4 years we will undergo district-wide conversations around the…