We have been successful with implementing various author Skype sessions in all of our schools. These experience are always positive.  The authors that we have connected with have done a fantastic job inspiring our students. Most notably they have  allowed students to make an authentic connection to the writing process. They connect the strategies...
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The students in Mrs. Bock’s reading class at White Rock Elementary school wanted to work together to apply what they have learned about bullying, character counts, and the writing process to publish a book about bullying. The students and Mrs. Bock had recently been introduced to Storyjumper  through one of my training sessions. Storyjumper...
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I  have had the pleasure to work with Dr. Nancy Harris and the students in  her middle school gifted and talented program. We worked on submitting an application to the Samsung Solve For Tomorrow Contest. The contest required participants to develop a solution for an environmental concern in their area that uses STEM. We...
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The student’s in Mrs. Reichel’s grade 1 class in Ellen Briggs School in my district connected with Penguin experts to discuss what they have learned about Penguins. The students had a number of great questions. The event was a great experience for all. See the posting below from Mrs. Reichel’s blog.   Re-Posted from...
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The development of Web 2.0, or the Read/Write Web, has produced a number of free resources that allow students and teachers to publish and collaborate online. One of my favorite sites to use with students is Wikispaces.  Wikispaces is a web service that allows teachers to create a wiki in which students may contribute content....
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We all know the typical method of timeline creation in schools. “Draw a line, add some dates and document events in chronological order”.  Students will typically use poster boards, markers and possibly cut out images. The students in Mr. Papa’s grade 8 social studies class in our district are putting a new spin on...
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On November 8, 2011 two of our grade 5 classes hosted a Skype session with Jeanne DuPrau.  Mrs. DuPrau is known for the series of books that she has authored called “The Books of Ember”. Within that series are The City of Ember, The People of Sparks, The Prophet and Yonwood, and The Diamond...
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A majority of technology infused lessons involve students consuming or creating content. Typically content creation with technology is text or image based. In world language courses we need students to speak. Writing is less of an instructional concern.  Exploring technologies that allow for speaking and listening are a priority for teachers of world language....
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We are fortunate to have access to interactive white boards, projectors and video cameras in most of our elementary classrooms. This is a resource that we take full advantage of. One of our favorite events is to use Skype to connect with authors, subject area experts and classrooms around the world. These videoconferencing sessions...
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Our middle school hosted our first every digital story academy awards ceremony this month. This event was developed as a way to showcase and promote the wonderful digital stories and multimedia projects our students are creating in their classes. I first introduced digital storytelling in the district two years ago. Teachers attended professional development...
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