Having Diverse Books Is Not Enough

I came across a “cute” picture book at the NCTE (National Council for Teachers of English) Conference’s exhibit hall called The Ugly Dumpling and I have to share with you what this book means for… Continue reading →

#LearnYourWay via Text

My last post highlighted the power of video-recording in helping students learn. I posted two different video tutorials on video recording: Stop Motion  and on-screen videos. However, writing or composing through text is… Continue reading →

LearnYourWay: Stop Motion Videos

I’ve been preaching about letting students choose how they learn in class. Personalizing learning feels humanizing to me. If you are a class where students have access to iPads, here is the first… Continue reading →

Branding Student Writing

My husband and I dine at new restaurants every chance we get. We even have an Instagram account to share all of our experiences! There are, however, a handful of restaurants we always come… Continue reading →

iMindset Changes iManagement

Remember when individual whiteboards and dry erase markers were first introduced in school? Remember how much of a commotion that created in the teacher world? We worried about dealing with kids drawing all the… Continue reading →

Make Your Custodian Uncomfortable!

I like to go to places like Disney World because it’s a fantasy. It’s a place that is like no where else. One that is far from reality. We never stay there for… Continue reading →

Why go 1:1?

This is my second year piloting a personalized device classroom in fifth grade. As with all experiences, no two years are the same. This second year has brought new challenges, new a-ha moments, and new… Continue reading →

An iTunesU Reading Course Created by Fifth Graders!

In our last wonderful coaching visit with Jennifer Kean from TCRWP, an observation assessment revealed that our readers lacked self-awareness of setting and achieving personal reading goals. I decided to ramp up/spice up our upcoming nonfiction… Continue reading →

Go Beyond Substitution to Foster Individualization

The SAMR model has been on my mind a lot lately. I remember being so excited when I first learned about this idea developed by Dr. Ruben Puentedura. But, as I watch and listen… Continue reading →

Snow Days Bring Readers and Writers Together

We had our first snow day for Arlington County yesterday and therefore, my instinct as a 1:1 iPad classroom teacher was to immediately resort to what I did last year: flip a lesson and… Continue reading →

Join the “Book Battles” for March Book Madness!

I am ridiculously excited about this upcoming March Book Madness and all that Tony Keefer (@TonyKeefer) has done for the site! If you haven’t signed your class up yet, be sure to visit… Continue reading →

Making and Taking Book Personality Quizzes

Have you ever taken a personality quiz on Facebook like “Which Star Wars Character Are You?” You answer a few fun questions and then find out that your personality is most like Luke… Continue reading →