The Nerdy Teacher

Gamification #NerdyChat

2012-05-29T12:17:00.000-04:00

I'm a teacher. I'm also a gamer. Sadly, that does not mean I know a thing about gaming in education, or Gamification. It's something I have seen talked about on Twitter and I've seen blog posts on Zite, but it's something that I've been interested in, but have never really found the time to fully explore. The people of AT&T Aspire contacted me recently and wanted to start conversations with

#NerdyCast Episode 3 with @PernilleRipp

2012-05-21T18:06:00.000-04:00

In this episode of #NerdyCast, I have the distinct pleasure of chatting with Pernille Ripp. I have been a huge fan of Pernille's writing for a while and she is on my "Must Collaborate With" list. I love her honesty and passion for teaching. I feel comfortable saying that she is my favorte native Danish teacher. Her school is lucky to have her and we are all luck to have her as part of our PLN

Teaching from the (un)comfort of my home

2012-05-15T11:27:00.000-04:00

The rest of this week will be spent at home with my foot elevated. I will save you from seeing the picture of a very bruised and swollen foot. I came down on a student's foot during a school volleyball marathon Sat night and the doctors think it is broken or I have some ligament or tendon damage. I'll know more later int he week. Despite the injury, I was determined to still teach my class. I'm

I Was a Teenage Bully

2012-05-10T16:09:00.001-04:00

I recently read in an article where a person apologized for "hijinks and pranks" that may have gone too far. The high school "hijinks and pranks" this person were talking involved pinning a student to the ground with the help of friends and cutting this person's hair. After reading the article, I was furious. This wasn't a silly prank on a friend, this was bullying. This was assault. I was

Letting Go of Control #PBL

2012-05-09T20:34:00.002-04:00

I've been watching my student projects roll in this week and I have been above impressed. I love to see kids have the opportunity to be creative and share their talents with the rest of class. Here are a couple of things my students have created with this project. Animation Gatsby Graffiti with QR Codes - Video Gatsby Grille - Evernote Pics I have even more Prezis and videos coming in later

Gatsby Graffiti and Animation

2012-05-08T13:00:00.001-04:00

My students created "graffiti" to put in display to teach students about themes and symbols found in "The Great Gatsby". These pictures demonstrate the power of PBL and technology. Here is a video with some close-ups of each work. Another group asked if they could download an app for their iPad because they really wanted to do animation for their project. I

From The Mouth of Babes #edcampDetroit

2012-05-06T20:36:00.001-04:00

This is what I called the student panel session at #EdcampDetroit. A few weeks ago students at my school asked me about edcamp Detroit and asked if they could go. I wasn't sure at first, but then I thought a student panel could be interesting. I told them to come down and we would see what happens. I couldn't have been happier with the decision. (Note: I have not actually taught any of the

Dear Microsoft...

2012-04-30T17:27:00.002-04:00

Dear Microsoft, I hate to do this in a letter, but I feel I'm better with the written word than I am speaking face to face. I'm going to just say it. I'm breaking up with you. I know you might seem surprised, but if you look at our relationship recently, it's been heading this way for a while and I had no choice. I'm leaving you for Google. You have tried so hard to keep me interested and I

Sharing with QR Codes

2012-04-29T15:33:00.001-04:00

My students spent a few weeks on Gothic Literature a bit ago and I was very impressed with some of the stories the students created on their own. I had always been frustrated in the past when I felt students did a great job, but had no way of really sharing what they did with the rest of the school.QR Codes have changed all of that. With an available display case and some QR Codes, I can share

Move to @Google Apps for Education Help Needed #EdChat

2012-04-27T17:05:00.001-04:00

Hello everyone! My district is considering the move to Google Apps of Education. From an educational standpoint, I think this is a great chance to move away from Microsoft products and create a more collaborative environment in the cloud. The IT department has some questions that I just cannot answer and I was hoping my awesome PLN could provide the support I need to make this change over

The Choir #edchat

2012-04-25T15:40:00.000-04:00

I'm not sure what I hope to accomplish with this post, but it is a thought I have in my brain and the reasonI started this blog was to get thoughts out of there and onto here. At what point are we all just preaching to the choir? I engage in conversation after conversation and most people walk away feeling good that others agree with their point. Am I not challenging myself enough by butting

Adobe Creative Cloud & Creative Suite 6 for Students and Educators

2012-04-23T20:12:00.001-04:00

Adobe Creative Cloud, Creative Suite 6 Deliver Professional Grade Features for Students and EducatorsOn Monday, April 23rd, Adobe announced Adobe Creative Cloud Student and Teacher Edition, and Creative Suite 6 Student and Teacher Edition for institutions, educators and students worldwide.In addition to 14 new CS6 point products and four Creative Suites, Adobe is now delivering its first cloud

Doxie Go Smart Digital Scanner - A Review

2012-04-22T11:44:00.000-04:00

Doxie sent me a Doxie Go Smart Digital Scanner for the purpose of this review. I'm really excited to share with all of you this awesome scanner I've been playing with for a few days now. I'm going to break down my review based on awesome pictures that can be found on the Doxie Website. Here are the basic specs for the scanner and they are solid. The reason this scanner is such a big

No Tablets, No Problem Thanks to @Evernote

2012-04-21T11:13:00.000-04:00

This past week, my students did not have access to the iPad they had been using this year. They were being used in the Science department as part of the ongoing pilot. I gave students plenty of warning in advance, but I wasn't sure how they were going to handle the change. Kids can be funny when it comes to change. Well, they did not melt down. The kids quickly took out there personal devices,

I threw the curriculum out the window! (For two days) #edchat #engchat

2012-04-16T18:53:00.001-04:00

I happily tossed aside the district curriculum for two days and you will be shocked to find out that my students still managed to learn and my classroom did not burst into flames. Through regular interaction with my students, I discovered that 26 of my 30 students had read The Hunger Games. They all had read the book on their own and we were spending time at the start of class discussing the

.@RealTimeGatsby - Fun with Great Literature #EngChat

2012-04-16T18:37:00.003-04:00

I was watching the tweets coming from @TitanicRealTime and was blown away at how real everything seemed. It was just an interesting way to engage people who might not really know much about the disaster save for the movie. My students have started reading The Great Gatsby this week and I have to say it is one of my favorite books. It is one of the most "current" books we read all year and

#NerdyCast 1.2 with @L_Hilt

2012-04-14T13:15:00.000-04:00

I'm excited to share with all of you the second episode of #NerdyCast featuring special guest Lyn Hilt. We will wax poetic on many topics including, Strawberry Shortcake Castle Greyskull Heathers Communication Teachers as coaches Bullying Comic Sans Please take a moment to download the podcast from iTunes. If you have ideas for future guests and/or topics, feel free to leave a

Win Adobe's Digital School Collection #ADSC

2012-04-10T09:42:00.001-04:00

Enter to win a FREE copy of Adobe’s Digital School Collection in the @AdobeEdu, #ADSC Tweetaway! Adobe’s Digital School Collection is a key mechanism for augmenting classroom instruction while helping students learn lifelong communication skills for the digital age. Be sure to pay attention to the @AdobeEdu twitter account for your chance to Retweet & win! Just jump on your Twitter account

Evernote in a shared environment

2012-04-10T08:23:00.001-04:00

I'll be honest, I was not always an Evernote user. I had a few occasional encounters with the program, but never really found a place for it in my life. That all changed this summer when I decided to commit myself to using Evernote for all of my note taking needs. I couldn't be happier about my choice. I love Evernote and cannot imagine being without in my daily life. All of my important

Wisely and slow; they stumble that run fast

2012-03-27T20:39:00.001-04:00

Today marks the one year anniversary of my Epic Romeo and Juliet Project. I think of this project often and I have watched the movie the students completed a few times since the premiere. It is still the best project I have ever worked on and couldn't be prouder of the impact it has had on my students. I love the fact that I will be able to see these students grow up and we will always have

#NerdyCast - Episode 1

2012-03-25T21:00:00.000-04:00

Well, I finally did it. Vanity got the best of me and I finally recorded a conversation with a friend to share with all of you. I thought it would be a good time and I hope people like it. In the future, they will not be as long and will be a bit more focused, but I had so much fun chatting with my buddy Tim. The next #NerdyCast will feature the amazing Lyn Hilt. She is one of the coolest

Adobe Photoshop CS6 Beta

2012-03-22T21:24:00.001-04:00

Today, Adobe announced Adobe Photoshop CS6 beta, a preview of the highly anticipated upcoming version of the industry-leading digital imaging tool. Please help us spread the news by posting about the availability & encouraging downloads. Additionally, we'd love for you to play around with it & share your thoughts on these new features & enhancements. The beta includes several new features and

A Nerdy Teacher at FIT #EdChat

2012-03-18T15:53:00.002-04:00

A few months ago, I was asked by a faculty member at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) to be on a panel to talk about Cloud Computing for the EdTechDay Conference. I am really the last person that should be allowed anywhere near FIT. The only thing I have going for me in the fashion realm is that my clothes will eventually come back in style and will be considered vintage. Having said

Rebel Alliance #EduRebel

2012-03-10T17:22:00.003-05:00

I want to thank all of you for being a member of the Rebel Alliance. Wait, you didn't know you signed up? Fun Fact: If you read closely, it's part of the Twitter Terms of Service. It actually trumps your membership in the Galactic Empire found in the iTunes Terms. We Can Do It! By joining Twitter and being part of my PLN, you are part of a very specific group that is fed up with the way that

Gearing up for @MACUL #MACUL

2012-03-06T12:00:00.000-05:00

I'm super excited for my state tech conference (MACUL) this week. Starting Monday, I'll be surrounded by some of the best and brightest Michigan has to offer in the way of educators in technology. I love flipping through the conference book and circling all of the sessions I want to go to, knowing there are not enough hours in the day to do so. It's funny for me to think that I have been to more