December 2010
10 posts
4 tags
Making the transition from Delicious to Evernote
Earlier today, rumors began to spread that Yahoo might be shutting down Delicious. It’s bittersweet for us to see Delicious go. The service was a pioneer in the social bookmarking space, and many of us here have thousands of bookmarked pages dating back to the old Del.icio.us days. [Update: Delicious posted an update on their blog.] Evernote is actually a great Delicious alternative....
The Perfect Classroom
Sitting in neat rows and columns, students transcribe the notes given them by the teacher. They are quiet and diligent, only asking questions for clarification. They are given a few practice problems, which they generally do well on, allowing the teacher to move from one student to another as they need additional assistance. At the end of class, the teacher assigns them some homework problems and...
Web 3.0
Ironically/Interestingly, I found this using paper.li (a service that pulls and aggregates content from my personal network). Enjoy. Web 3.0 from Kate Ray on Vimeo.
"Glee"ful Tech Integration
*Warning* I’m a couple of weeks behind on Glee. Don’t hate. The episode I’m watching is “The Substitute” featuring Gwyneth Paltrow. In the episode, the glee club director, Mr. Schuester, gets sick and the sub who takes over (played by Gwyneth Paltrow) flips the organization on its ear. She leads the students to the realization that the songs they are singing are good...
A Thank You is in Order
After much begging and pleading, you came through! Today, I received confirmation that I was in the top 10 vote-getters for a grant I submitted through We Are Teachers. Thus, I will be receiving the grant! Thank you so much for helping me achieve this goal. I will be posting an update as the project gets underway! —Greg Garner
The Myth of Balance
I have always heard (and still hear) the following phrase: well-rounded. This is well and good when it comes to describing the shape of a racquetball, but is a horrendous goal for the shape of your future. How many times have you heard someone say “You need to be well-rounded in your activities” or “Colleges love to see that you’re well-rounded.” The idea being that...
An Open Plea to All Administrators
Attention all administrators! You may not realize it, but there is something churning all around you. Can you feel it? It’s creativity. Your teachers are brimming with it, especially your newest ones. They have some pretty incredible ideas, if you’ll hear them out. Sure, they need some grooming and fine-tuning, but that’s what you’re there for, right?It is no secret that...
Grades, Greatness, and the Culture of "Good...
Good is the enemy of great. We live in a culture of “good enough” and I’m quite sure you’ve heard the phrase “Well, it’s good enough” more than you can stand. The problem with “good enough” is that it assumes some sort of arbitrary standard or prerequisite that has been met. It is something systemically indoctrinated into us through our...
Help! Only 30 votes needed!
Vote hereAs I mentioned in a previous post, I have submitted for a grant and the top 10 vote-getters will be announced as winners. As of today (Dec. 2; one week to go) I am only 30 votes away from cracking into the top 10 (of 123 submissions). Please vote for my idea: Learning 2.0- Leveraging Social Learning.Thanks in advance! :) Learning 2.0: Leveraging Social Learning DescriptionIt’s no...
Education as Liberation and Rebellion
To be an educator is to be a liberator. As you expand the vision of another human being, you are releasing them from the restraints that have previously entangled them. Bonds of ignorance. Bonds of prejudice. Bonds of inhumanity. Bonds of mediocrity. There is something that takes place inside the mind of a person learning something new. Previously held notions and ideas melt away; the realization...