Open Educational Resources, or OER, are defined as materials offered freely and openly for educators, students, and self-learners to use and reuse for teaching, learning, and research. OER includes content, software tools, and implementation resources. The worldwide OER movement is based on the fundamental human right to pursue a high-quality…
For the next two weeks, political differences will be set aside for patriotic unity. We cheer as formerly unknown athletes become household names in their quest for gold, and we are crushed when they fall short. We are glued to our TVs for the qualifying rounds of luge, curling, and…
Change is hard. We create routines and habits that naturally resist change. We shop at the same grocery store, buy the same brand of clothes, and eat the same meals. We can be especially hesitant to make changes in our instructional routines. As we gaze over the ever-evolving educational landscape,…
The power of G Suite (and especially G Suite for Education) is undeniable. This versatile cloud-based platform is full of easy-to-use document creation tools, organizational resources, and a myriad of ways to support the Four Cs. The Google team is highly dedicated to its educational offerings, so it’s no surprise…
How do you prepare students for success? Many factors exist within the academic ecosystem that influence how our students learn and grow. One of them is making sure they have access to the right course materials at the right time, and delivered through the right platforms. School leaders recognize this…
Learning Management Systems, as defined by Wikipedia, are software applications for the administration, documentation, tracking, reporting, and delivery of educational courses or training programs. Ok, so that’s the technical definition. A more personal and granular observation of an LMS reveals its power to transform learning by breaking down the walls of…
I’ve seen a collective number of teachers post on social media asking how to manage students being on their cell phones during class. This question is usually followed by a rant on how annoying it is, how it takes away from their learning or how they can’t get students to…
I recently had the pleasure of reading David Sax’s 2016 book The Revenge of Analog: Real Things and Why They Matter in which he explores recent movements away from the digital realm and towards high quality, analog experiences. His premise is impossible to deny. Two decades into the digital revolution…
Facebook Live; a fresh video, it’s out there, you can't spend hours editing… it's raw and uncut, but it's a GREAT resource! You don’t believe me, do you? Allow me to explain why you need to start using Facebook Live in your classroom. One of the best reasons to start…
More than ever in today’s classrooms technology integration is redefining the learning process. Digital tools can be incorporated in a variety of ways- from games, online textbooks, videos, apps, web 2.0 tools, learning management systems (like Converge☺ )...the list goes on and on. But the end result is evident: digital…