• Instructional Technology

    Cell Phones & The Pre-Selfie Era

    Cell Phones & The Pre-Selfie Era – Welcoming In The New Millennials I walked into the junior high classroom this morning, and it was chatty as normal, similar to  the beginning of any class. It’s a very open environment, and the culture of the students says, “this is our space“. Students were discussing the latest news in spirit activities, while others were trying to decide if lunch was going to be edible.   Picking up on that conversation,  that gave me the heads up that I better head across the street during my free hour and grab some food.  I’ve eaten the food at all the schools, and I’m not…

  • Technology integration into the classroom now and into the future
    Instructional Technology

    Technology integration into the classroom now and into the future

    Technology integration into the classroom now and into the future #BringItOn” I was standing outside the middle school talking with the technology guy for both the middle school and the high school a while back. Really great guy, a family man, well respected for his work with the school district. We were discussing the issue of Bringing Your Own Devices (BOD) to school,  and how that would affect, not just the lives of the students, but his IT department, and all the teachers at both schools. While I am tremendously happy for our district, I also understand the challenges we face with technology. New Technology and Education New technology creates volumes of work for those in IT,…

  • Instructional Technology

    Lectures in the field

    Today I taught a lesson from a compilation of about 500 images that were taken using a cell phone during a self-help housing project back in 2011.  I took those images over a six month period.     The compilation was showing the process of building a house from the ground up. Below are a few images of the outside of  the house showing the levels or steps of the construction phases.The classes I taught today consisted of  students from the woodwork and construction classes, so the compilation was very appropriate for study.  I was able to present material and connect with all the learning levels from 9th through 12th…

  • Instructional Technology

    Edutainment – a Virtual World

    Edutainment – a virtual world. It’s not a game – it’s an environment like a canvas without boundaries. The benefits are that you have an environment that can be changed for any reasonable circumstance. While the environment can be fun, it can be designed to be challenging at the same time. It might be interesting to see a virtual avatar of the instructor popping in and out like the Cheshire cat giving minimal guidance where appropriate. The tangible benefits of this type of environment can be many. The environment can be set up to allow learners to go back or retrace their steps in a process of discovery to correct an…

  • Instructional Technology

    Does Facebook finally have enough emojis

    Back to the Drawing Board / High School -Does Facebook finally have enough emojis — or would you like “dislike”Where is the most unlikely place to learn out about technology?  How about a high school  classroom filled with 9th - 12th-grade level students? Well, that is exactly where I went to ask the question ... “Does Facebook finally have enough emojis — or would you like “dislike”?  Yes they all have a cell phone, and yes, they have some NEWS for the new "emojis".FEEDBACK CHAT First off,  the thought of negative feedback in this day and age is almost to the toxic stage.  Just look at the political landscape, and you can envision all types of nasty…