Blogger and elementary teacher Gaetan Pappalardo lets his students get creative with their room decoration because it gives him a chance to get to know them, and each other. And that lays a solid community foundation right from the start. The smell of permanent marker is in the air; books are piled neatly on each desk; brand new posters and charts hang peacefully on the walls; pencils are sharpened to needle-like perfection. And in the distance,... 

Blogger and middle school teacher Heather Wolpert-Gawron concludes her thoughts on the ideal teacher prep program. What began as mere musings, became a fully fleshed fantasy for what a teacher prep program of the future looks like. It all began in part one of this series of posts. It continued in part two , and now it concludes here. read more  Read More →

Burdened by expanding curriculum and multiplying high-stakes assessment requirements, some of my respected colleagues might be forgiven for not integrating student journals into their courses. The most common objection: “Who has time?” read more  Read More →

Your challenge, if you choose to accept, is to find a way to connect your students with a scientist, engineer, or other expert and share it with us. “Let’s get this #scichat party started!” 9:01 PM – June 9, 2010 As school was winding down for the summer, #scichat was launched with a passionate discussion about increasing the relevancy of school science. A vibrant community of science educators began to connect on Twitter... 

A Maine high school takes on the project-learning task of building a replica of a 16th-century ocean vessel. Bath, Maine, has long been known as the City of Ships. More than 400 years ago, this was the site that launched the Virginia , the first seaworthy ship built by English-speakers in the New World. Since 1884, Bath Iron Works has been turning out battleships, destroyers, and commercial craft. read more  Read More →

Are there specific technology tools you use in the first weeks of school? In case you’re not sure where to start, I asked my Twitter colleagues to tell me what tools they are planning to use, or have used, during the first week of school and why. Are there specific technology tools that educators should use during the first weeks of school? Yes! In case you’re not sure where to start, I asked my Twitter colleagues to tell me what tools they... 

Social and Emotional Learning expert Maurice Elias offers up seven ideas to keep in mind at the start of the school year. From a Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) point of view, the most important consideration at the start of the new school year is to create positive feelings and optimism about school. This has many practical implications for both educators and parents. read more  Read More →

Blogger and middle school teacher Heather Wolpert-Gawron continues her thoughts on the ideal teacher prep program. In last week’s post, part one , I fantasized about what a credential program might look like years down the line. Now I’m going to take a look at the staff, differentiating the credential, and curriculum. read more  Read More →

Will the new measures reinforce great, modern teaching and learning — the kind that engages kids with real-world projects and cultivates the problem-solving and collaborative skills that are so essential in this day and age? Amid all the hubbub about this week’s new Race to the Top winners -– who got it but didn’t deserve it, who didn’t get it but should have, why almost all the victorious states are east of the Mississippi... 

Retiring teacher shares his love and gratitude in a handwritten letter to his former students. Last week at a family dinner my mom handed me a letter that had arrived at her house for me. Puzzled, I opened it — and what I read made my mouth fall open with surprise and enchantment. read more  Read More →

A math teacher shares what matters most when preparing students for STEM careers. As summer winds down and we prepare for a new school year, I would like to share a letter one of our veteran math teachers, Stephanie Lundin, sent to the summer staff at Envision Schools . Stephanie received her BA and MA from UC Davis. She has taught math for seven years, four at Envision Schools. Coaching students through the Envision Schools Graduation Portfolio... 

Editor’s Note: Today’s guest blogger is Jim Brazell , a technology forecaster, author, public speaker, and consultant. It is the fourth in a five-part series on the convergence of STEM education and the Arts (TEAMS). read more  Read More →

Interview 2.0: A primer on using social media to prepare students for the workplace “Please submit a letter of interest and a resume by mail only. No electronic submissions will be accepted.” – In the comments section listed below, please list your first impression of this statement. read more  Read More →

Blogger and middle school teacher Heather Wolpert-Gawron shares what she believes to be the perfect teacher prep program. I was recently asked to contribute to a book about the future of education and what I believed to be the perfect teacher prep program. These thoughts I will present to you in three consecutive posts, broken up into key topics. This first one includes an excerpt from the book, Teacher Solutions 2030 — release date, January... 

Bittersweet News for Social Media in Education: Edutopia's Elana Leoni reports from the #140conf in San Francisco We live in an incredibly exciting time. My recent visit to @jeffpulver ’s #140conf in San Francisco reinforced just how exciting a time it is. Twitter , the popular micro-blogging site, has quickly dominated the social media space. In a matter of  Read More →