I was asked over the summer if I might take some time to explore the Adobe Education Exchange while their Educator’s Choices Awards are going on. I was intrigued as the exchange isn’t so much about the “come pay for this teaching tool because it’s awesome”, but rather “come check out all this really neat FREE stuff built with Adobe tools.” Don’t get me wrong, the ultimate goal is to sell...

I used to teach in the classroom. And as a teacher I often bemoaned with my fellow classroom compatriots all of the technical bugs, issues, hiccups, and downright “show stoppers” that typically occur at the start of the school year. I’ve had a classroom full of learners unable to login to their computers, the internet connection completely drop, computer mice mysteriously stop working, and several other technological...

My official experience with the reality-altering course that is ds106 may be over, but my love for creation has not diminished in the least. If you’ve ever let your mind wander while laboring through some menial task such as weeding the garden, scrapping paint, or doing laundry, then you’ll understand where my concept for this video comes from. The idea is to create a juxtaposition between the emotions typically felt during a...

I was recently asked by some nice people that work with Adobe to help spread the word about the Adobe Education Exchange, and a little contest they have going on over there. In the interest of full disclosure, I’m providing that information up front, but more importantly, I wanted to critique some of the content that’s on the Education Exchange. Some of the resources seem more like advertisements for upcoming books and resources...

If you’ve followed the traditional route of learning, then you’ve more than likely taken numerous courses, classes, and possibly an internship or two that have helped cement certain vocabulary within your cortex that allows you to function competently and professionally when you embark on your career. While your head may be filled with intellectual thought and theoretical buzzwords, many newcomers to any profession, including...

Storytelling, inquiry, and mathematics go hand in hand, or so says Dan Meyer. And since he’s a former Google Curriculum Fellow, and a doctoral student at Standford, I’m going to put my faith in those fancy titles that he’s a pretty knowledgeable guy. That, and the small conversations we’ve had via Twitter give me a sense that he really understands one of the most important soft skills intrinsic to great teaching; the...