Blog - Page 35 of 46 - John Spencer

Sep 20 2016

Helping Students Leverage the Connective Power of Research

By John Spencer Podcast 2 Comments

I still remember the moment I went to the computer lab to check out the World Wide Web. This was somewhere around 1993. The librarian called it a Field trip to the Information Superhighway and for awhile I thought she was like Ms. Frizzle.…

Sep 13 2016

In an Age of Artificial Intelligence, Philosophy Is More Vital Than Ever

By John Spencer Future of Learning, Vintage Innovation 5 Comments

Imagine you are building a self-driving car. Chances are you'll look for a team of engineers who can figure out how to make each part work fluidly in an interconnected manner. You'd look for software engineers and mechanical engineers and experts in user interface (UI) and…

Sep 08 2016

Helping Students Develop an Entrepreneurial Mindset

By John Spencer Future of Learning 7 Comments

About three years ago, a student approached me before class. "Mr. Spencer, I heard that you wrote a children's book." I nodded. "I co-wrote it with my wife and then we self-published it." "Can you teach me how to publish my own novel?" I launched…

Sep 02 2016

Seven Technology Trends that will Transform Learning in the Next Five Years

By John Spencer Future of Learning, Podcast 10 Comments

I knew social media had hit mainstream the moment that my mom sent me a friend request. Suddenly Facebook had become a place where "mom" and "friend" were synonymous. I knew that Facebook had lost its cool, edgy, college vibe. Since then, Facebook has become…

Sep 01 2016

Students Need to Own the Project Management Process

By John Spencer Podcast 3 Comments

Note that I use the terms "organization," "creative process," and "project management" interchangeably. I'm basically suggesting that students should own the workflow process. I have an embarrassing confession to make. I like Microsoft Word. I like the way it handles autocorrect when I start typing…

Aug 29 2016

14 Ways to Differentiate Professional Development

By John Spencer Podcast 8 Comments

I'm sitting at my desk reworking my pedagogy course. With each revision, I move closer and closer toward truly empowering my students to own the learning. I started with student choice and slowly shifted toward student freedom. But now, I'm taking it a step further.…

Aug 24 2016

What Happens to Behavior When You Incorporate Student Choice?

By John Spencer Podcast 5 Comments

My hardest year of teaching involved a sixth grade self-contained class about four years ago. Somehow, I got off on the wrong foot. I had just been an instructional coach and I felt, on some level, that I could handle any classroom situation. I was…

Aug 16 2016

As Much Freedom As Possible

By John Spencer Empowering Students, Podcast 2 Comments

When I was a kid, I loved learning but I hated school. That's not entirely true. I loved my teachers. I liked some of my classmates. I even enjoyed some of the assignments. However, I hated the non-stop sense of compliance. Things like: Binder checks,…

Aug 13 2016

What Three Ice Cream Shops Can Teach Us About Choice and Differentiation

By John Spencer Empowering Students, Podcast, Student Choice One Comment

Baskin Robbins offers 31 flavors. The rotation changes each month, so I'm guessing there are probably hundreds if not thousands of flavors that they create. If you're looking for choice, this is place is it. And there's a good chance you'll find something that you…

Aug 09 2016

Can Less Choice Lead to More Creativity?

By John Spencer Podcast, Student Choice One Comment

Important News: You can now listen to this blog in podcast format below. The feed should be available on iTunes and Stitcher soon: We step out of the car and instantly my kids start shivering. They say nothing, stoically bracing against a wind that seems…