I will be presenting at the Wayne RESA Maker-STEM Summit on the topic of Making, Literacy, and Language. Making is a great way to demonstrate deep learning that can go beyond a student’s verbal abilities or language level. Think about important things you have learned in your life like Grandma’s special recipes or swinging a … More Making for Language and Literacy
In my quest to make sure the learning doesn’t stop for my student when the school doors close for the summer, this post about Dynamic Learning from Kasey Bell was just the push I needed. Because I use Google Classroom consistently throughout the school year, my students often add to or update things they have made … More Dynamic Learning
I must admit, I am ready for a rest, but the learning doesn’t stop for either students or teachers and as a school librarian, my viewpoint is a bit different. One of my goals is to provide equitable access to resources for ALL students. In my present position that means making sure that the students … More The Learning Isn’t Over
As I look out at the snow-covered schoolyard, trying to be positive, looking for lessons and encouragement, I realize that snow in April is a sign of each season’s uniqueness. Just as no day is exactly like any other, no child is exactly like anyone else. One year’s April brings warm, sunny play-outside days and … More Children Are as Unique as Snowflakes
Today the middle school where I work is filled with the sound of hope dying. Why do I say that? Today the State of Michigan decrees that all eighth-grade students must take the PSAT with no accommodations, so today is the day when many students in my school decide they will never be good enough … More The Sound of Hope Dying
I have a problem. I fall in love too easily. Every new app that comes my way is a new favorite. Years ago, I fell for Padlet. Now Padlet is a great app, don’t misunderstand, but it is an anonymous app. A person can post and no one can prove it who was. Needless to say, in a … More The Romance of Collaborative Apps
A random pair of comments by colleagues led me to today’s post. First, the school social worker asked me if it was O.K. to have some of her students make bookmarks to be distributed in the media center. Just a few minutes later, a math teacher expressed surprise and admiration that I had invited students to … More Who Owns This Library?
January and February are not the most inspiring months of the school year in Michigan. My district needs both computerized standardized tests and midyear grades in this season and the cold, gray days stretch out in a seemingly unending pattern of snow or no snow, but always damp and dreary. Now is the time to … More Fighting the Winter Blaahs
via Daily Prompt: Brilliant This black box may not look brilliant to the casual observer, but believe me, it shines like the North Star for me. You see, this is a book locker, the first book locker in Michigan. It is the result of more than twenty years of desire, effort, and planning. I am … More Collaboration is Brilliant
This morning as I listened to the 10-Minute Teacher Podcast with two of my favorite teacher encouragers, Vicki Davis and Steve Dembo, it finally sunk into my thick head that sometimes the best tool to jumpstart a lesson isn’t a new tool at all. I must admit that my tried and true tools for looking at old … More Smart Tech Tools for the New Year Don’t Have to Be New
