Google App Template and Script for Project Management

I have been given responsibility to manage a number of our upcoming summer projects. I know that in terms of keeping track of complex projects like these, being as anal-retentive as I am and enjoying a visual representation of what is going on, I love to create and use Gantt charts. In the past, I have used an Excel extension to manage projects like these. Since I have moved to Google Apps and loving the collaborative nature of Google Sheets, I wondered if there was an App Script that would enable me to have this functionality. In the Script Gallery, […]

Pew Releases Teens and Technology (2013)

The Pew Research Center, part of the Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University has released its 2013 Teens and Technology Report. In this report, the researchers survey and report on how teens (12-18) access technology and what devices they do so with. Highlights of this year’s findings include:  78% of teens now have a cell phone and almost half of those own a smartphone (iPhone, Android, or the like) 37% of all teens have a smartphone, up from 23% in 2011. 23% of teens have a tablet computer, a level comparable to the general adult population 93% […]

Flipping Roles – Learning about Minecraft

Core to my philosophy as a teacher, I strive to create an environment in which I provide the tools and opportunities that will allow students the freedom to explore. I want to provide my students some background and then get out of their way as they build and construct their own knowledge. This year, I have created such an environment introducing Minecraft to both myself and to Quest Academy. Last year, my webcasting partners, Alex Ragone, arvind grover, and I began exploring the role of programming and games on our webcast, 21st Century Learning. It was in the spring of last year […]

Snow Day

When I was much younger, there was no day better than a snow day. There was anticipation when you finally heard your school closing announced on the radio or having gotten the phone call from the school. The break from routine was always cherished. There were snow forts to build, snowball fights to have, igloos to construct, mini-boblsed runs to create, or ponds to shovel so you could go skating. Once inside, after a steaming cup of hot chocolate with mini-marshmallows, there were Legos to build, sport simulation games to play, and non-school books to devour. Even while not in […]

Announcing – A Pop-Up Maker Space

My busy conference week (both Illinois Computer Educators and National Association of Independent School) is now concluding as I await to board a flight home early Saturday morning to return home. It has been an exhausting and exhilarating week full of great learning. Today, however, will not be a day of catch-up and rest. Instead, upon my arrival home, I will be quickly turning leaving to head to my school’s annual benefit. This year, the focus of the spot auction, a direct appeal for a specific school project, is to help fund the transformation of our current computer lab into a Maker […]