Last year, I began creating stickers, sweatshirts, and t-shirts with my own sketches on them. I figured it would be fun to give some t-shirts and stickers away when I do keynotes or workshops. But honestly, it wasn’t really about professional development. It was about…
Right now, I’m feeling the effects of social isolation. My social circle is essentially my wife and my kids. I’m only going out when necessary to go to the grocery store. This Thanksgiving will be the first in years that I don’t see friends or…
During this pandemic, many students have described feeling lonely and isolated as they shifted into online environments. This disconnect is amplified when distance learning courses are designed with only individual work in mind. This occurs when students access an asynchronous class and watch videos, read…
In the 1960’s, cities built multipurpose stadiums for football games, baseball games, and concerts. These were supposed to be sleek, modern, and broad enough to encompass the needs of every entertainment industry. They were designed to be all things to all people. However, the multipurpose…
As an educator, you are a community builder. From day one, you getting to know your students on a relational level. It’s often in the little things, like sending an email the first time they miss a virtual class session. It’s what happens when you…
This is my latest article in a series on owning your professional learning. When we think of professional development, it’s easy to think of skills you might acquire, concepts you might learn, or ideas you might explore. However, professional development is bigger than this: Subscribe…
This is my latest article in a series on owning your professional learning. Genius Hour (or 20% Time) projects begin with a simple idea: give students a dedicated period of time to pursue their passions, interests, and questions in a creative way. Made famous by…
Genius Hour (or 20% Time) projects begin with a simple idea: give students a dedicated period of time to pursue their passions, interests, and questions in a creative way. In this blog post and podcast, we explore the benefits of doing Genius Hour projects. This…
I have three kids ranging from older elementary to high school. Each one of them is handling distance learning differently. My daughter, who is also the youngest, initially felt overwhelmed at the list of assignments that popped up each Monday and the scheduled meetings twice…
Student engagement can be a real challenge in this sudden shift toward distance learning. But one way to improve engagement is by empowering students. In this article, we explore how to improve equity and access and how to shift toward student ownership. Listen to the…
