When school began this year, I looked at my small classroom in despair. I had 30 students on each period’s class list and an exhortation to fit all of them in my room ASDAP (as socially distanced as possible), which meant two feet apart. It’s been two weeks since thatContinue Reading
For general education teachers, full differentiation and inclusion may seem like an impossible but necessary task. Differentiation is not an onerous additional task. Differentiating as a gen ed teacher with no time is completely possible, but requires some shifts in how we use our time, and in how we think about differentiation.Continue Reading
As schools balance the need for ongoing teacher education with the time and monetary costs of professional development, it is important to ask questions about evidence based best practices in teacher training, such as is it best to use experts from within the district to conduct trainings or to use outside experts.Continue Reading
it can be difficult to determine which assistive technology tools have solid value for educators and students. Having a robust system in place for decision making is essential.Continue Reading
If remote teaching has taught us anything, it is that some meetings definitely could have been emails, and some trainings work better digitally. Distance learning has demonstrated that the traditional method of gathering educators in a large room with gallons of coffee, uncomfortable ice-breakers, and a Power Point is notContinue Reading
Every teacher training I have ever attended begins with an icebreaker. Despite being an extrovert, I hate icebreakers, as do many teachers and we are long overdue for a change. An examination of icebreakers as they are currently used in coaching is essential to build a strong foundation for ISTEContinue Reading
Do the most commonly recommended k-12 student learning focused technology tools include built in capabilities that promote responsible digital use and citizenship? “The crisis caused by COVID-19 has facilitated the creation of alternative and varied environments to search for information, consume content, and create and share content, as well asContinue Reading
Formative assessment is an essential part of effective instruction in many classrooms. It occurs when teachers and students use assessments to make decisions about lessons and student learning. This can be an important for a whole class and to differentiate instruction for individual students or groups. This is important because,Continue Reading
My principal loves Twitter, and frequently lauds it as one of the best places to access professional development. This endorsement led me to approach social media as a professional development tool with an open mind, and I find that I return most frequently to TikTok. But social media app likeContinue Reading
The unique stressors and situations educators faced this year resulted in a rapid culling of digital collaboration tools, leaving only the best tools in use among each collaborative group. Her are some of them.Continue Reading
