In his TCEA 2014 presentation, “Failure to Innovate,” Randy Rodgers stated the above quote, and I realized that it really says a lot about the problems in education today. Our students are far too reliant on following directions, and so many are afraid to deviate in order to do some creative thinking. I remember my … Read more
Ever since the Doodle 4 Google theme for 2014 was announced (“If I could invent one thing to make the world a better place…”), I have been finding resources everywhere. I’m pretty sure I could spend an entire year with a class on this theme. For example, last week on Twitter, @theresamcgee shared a fabulous … Read more
One of the sessions I attended at TCEA 2014 in Austin last week was called, “Global Collaboration in Elementary.” It was presented by Matt Gomez (@mattBgomez), and largely featured Twitter interactions his kindergarten students had experienced with other classes around the world. That’s right – Kindergarten. I work with gifted students in K-5, and I … Read more
Every year about this time, Google launches the Doodle 4 Google Contest for students in K-12. I love to see the new theme each year. This one certainly invites a lot of creative ideas! The winning entrant can win a $30,000 college scholarship, as well as $50,000 for his or her school. There are other … Read more
As you may have gathered from yesterday’s “Flappy Bird” post, I am trying very hard to maintain a Growth Mindset, and to foster this thinking in my daughter and students. One of my favorite bloggers, Sonya Terborg, also talks about encouraging a Growth Mindset in her classroom. One of her ideas, in this post, … Read more
I can’t think of too many better ways to start a Phun Phriday than with a new video from Kid President. I don’t even have to watch the video; as soon as I hear that giggle, I’m in a better mood! In Kid President’s most recent video, he asks people, especially celebrities, (and most especially … Read more