In looking back, it has been over seven years that I have been reflecting on teaching and learning and the way that educational technology and communications tools can leverage and amplify the opportunities that are available to all learners, students, teachers, administrators, and parents. Over the past five months, I have not taken the time to regularly pause and reflect. This does not mean that I have not had any thoughts and ideas. On the contrary, my mind has been racing as we have implemented an extraordinary number of initiatives over the last 20 weeks. I have a large number […]

Today marks the end of National Digital Citizenship week. At Quest, we have already had two opportunities to engage in this conversation at my school, Quest Academy. The first was at a Chromebook rollout evening on Thursday, August 27th and more recently, at a Parent Education evening on Wednesday, October 2nd. However, being a responsible digital citizen is a 24/7/365 venture. Simply spotlighting a particular week or holding one or two face to face meetings at school does not release us from our obligation to focus on this each and every day. As parents, we need to continuously learn about […]

To see the dramatic change, take a look at the following: Before After

Today, the 2013-14 academic year begins at Quest with our new faculty orientation. Tomorrow, we are having PLC  leadership meetings in the morning and the full faculty meets for lunch and its opening meeting. For those of us who work 12 months, this is an interesting time. Unlike our colleagues, many who have taken trips or had other great experiences, they have had a chance to relax, rest, and rejuvenate. Especially for us in IT departments in a normal year, this would be a time to make sure all the accounts are set up, upgrades are completed, and new initiatives […]

This past week, the Center for Digital Education published an article, “Why the Maker Movement is Popular in Schools.” This article, which includes part of an interview the author, Tanya Riscorla, conducted with me, makes the case for the pendulum moving back towards the student-centered, constructivist environment envisioned by many, including John Dewey. As we head into our faculty meetings this week, I am excited to hear the feedback from our faculty, who read the book, Invent to Learn by Gary Stager and Sylvia Martinez, who was also quoted in Riscorla’s article. I have already had conversations with two colleagues and they are […]