Blog - Page 41 of 49 - Spencer Education

Mar 30 2016

Frequently Asked Questions About Design Thinking

By John Spencer Design Thinking 2 Comments

For the last 12 years, I've used design thinking as a teacher, an author, an educational technology startup founder and an artist. I've used in in the non-profit world in program development and I'm currently using it right now as I lead a team of…

Mar 28 2016

Who are the Jerry Gergiches of your building?

By John Spencer Uncategorized One Comment

Disclaimer: This post just barely tiptoes toward education. It's mostly a post about my all-time favorite television comedy. About a week ago, I watched the final season of Parks and Recreation. It struck me, at the end of the series, that this might be the…

Mar 22 2016

Teaching Should Be Fun

By John Spencer Teacher Life 4 Comments

Note: I'm sure my thoughts on this topic have been heavily influenced by Dean Shareski. If you don't read his blog, go check it out. For the last four days, I have been back at home with my family. We have had deep conversations.…

Mar 20 2016

Is this the new digital divide?

By John Spencer Technology and Media Literacy 10 Comments

"Hey dad, can I have a YouTube channel?" my son asked."What kind of a channel would you create?" I asked."Maybe a channel showing how to create things in Minecraft. But there's already a lot out there. What if I had a channel showing kids how…

Mar 10 2016

The Real Issue in Tech Integration Is Self-Efficacy

By John Spencer Technology and Media Literacy 3 Comments

Seven years ago, I did a research project on blended and personalized professional development. There were a few big take-homes that I hadn't considered before. For example, I learned that "personalized" only works when there is a collaborative and creative component. I also learned that…

Mar 07 2016

We Need a Bigger Definition of Creativity

By John Spencer Creativity 3 Comments

Subscribe to YouTube Channel When you the word “creative,” you might think of a painter or a playwright or an author or a photographer or a filmmaker or a chef. In other words, you might think of people who make things. I think it’s…

Mar 03 2016

I Want Students to be Better Consumers

By John Spencer Creativity 4 Comments

“We need kids to be creators, not consumers.” I’ve heard this statement so many times at conference and in Twitter chats and in blog posts. I get it. We want students to be creative. But is consumption actually a bad thing? See, every person I…

Mar 01 2016

Can Technology Transform Learning?

By John Spencer Technology and Media Literacy One Comment

When I was a kid, I remember hearing that computers would replace teachers. I didn't like this idea, unless they could guarantee that my teacher would be like Data on Star Trek: The Next Generation. However, technologists promised us that computers would radically transform our…

Feb 23 2016

How to Move Beyond a Deficit Mindset

By John Spencer Innovation 3 Comments

A few years back, I was sitting in an office with my best friend Javier, scribbling out a web of ideas for our upcoming STEM Camp and Lab School. “What if we . . .” He stopped mid-sentence and looked at his phone. “You were…

Feb 20 2016

Can design thinking work when you don’t have devices?

By John Spencer Design Thinking 3 Comments

A teacher emailed me earlier this week asking a question about design thinking. "I don't have much technology in my classroom but I want to have a maker space and I want to try design thinking. Any ideas?" My first thought is that some of…