Blog - Page 43 of 49 - Spencer Education

Dec 27 2015

Can boredom make you more creative?

By John Spencer Creativity, Creativity Deconstructed 3 Comments

Right now, I’m sitting on an airplane. I mean, I’m not actually sitting on the airplane. I’m in it. Because, if I were on top of it, I wouldn’t be bored. I'd be terrified. Without access to the interwebz, I have nothing to do. I’ve…

Dec 15 2015

Five Ways to Get the Most Out of Student Portfolios

By John Spencer Empowering Students No Comments

Portfolios are a powerful way to help students showcase their work, reflect on their learning, and set goals for the future. But as an educator (first as a middle school teacher and now as a college professor), I have always been looking for ways to…

Dec 09 2015

Reading is Rewarding When There’s No Reward for Reading

By John Spencer Uncategorized 10 Comments

When I was a kid, I used to get jealous of classmates who were rewarded for reading. They would get video games or money or whatever and it seemed odd to me. I didn't understand why someone would get rewarded for doing something fun. It…

Nov 19 2015

How do we bring wonder back into the classroom?

By John Spencer Creativity, Creativity Deconstructed 2 Comments

A few years ago, I had the chance to teach science in a self-contained classroom (teaching all subjects). I scoured the Internet for examples of great demonstrations that would captivate my students’ attention. It worked at first. I did the typical experiments. You know, add…

Nov 17 2015

The Power of Audience

By John Spencer Creativity No Comments

When I was little, art was a refuge . . . . until it wasn't anymore. It's a story that's better told in video than in writing: Subscribe to YouTube Channel Even then, I hid behind the scenes. I sketched things on this blog until…

Nov 12 2015

Ten Creative Alternatives to Standardized Tests

By John Spencer Creativity No Comments

It's easy to bust on standardized tests. They suck. They're boring. They're virtually meaningless. They kill instructional time. But what's the alternative? If we're not using multiple choice tests, what are we using? If we want a more creative classroom, what types of assessments exist…

Nov 05 2015

Missing the Connective Power of Technology

By John Spencer Technology and Media Literacy One Comment

You've seen the videos imploring people to "look up" and abandon their devices. It's easy to look into a crowd and say, "They're not interacting with each other." But I've always had a hard time with these complaints. The problem isn't the device. It's the…

Nov 04 2015

Check Out My 2-Minute Illustrated Video on the SAMR Model

By John Spencer Technology and Media Literacy No Comments

Here’s a sketchy video I created for my technology pedagogy course. I have mixed feelings about SAMR, because it often implies that “lower levels” are not as good when often substitution works well. Royan Lee picked this apart well. I also think there are times…

Nov 03 2015

Ten Reasons New Teachers Aren’t Using Technology

By John Spencer Technology and Media Literacy 3 Comments

Note: While this post points to a problem I have noticed with tech adoption and teachers, I want to point out that there is a free resource I developed with coaching questions for teachers on the technology journey. These correspond with a post I wrote…

Oct 29 2015

How Do We Create a Sense of Place Online?

By John Spencer Technology and Media Literacy No Comments

We use terms like “I’m on YouTube or “I’m going online” and it implies a sense of space. I might say "I spent an hour on Facebook," but I would never say, "I spent an hour on a book." And yet, when you are online,…