April is National Library month and I could not let this special month slip by with out sharing the story of how the DEN inspired one librarian to use her iPad to excite children about reading. This past January I had the pleasure of attending a Day Of Discovery with Dottie Smay, a librarian at [...]
Students, teachers and the tools we use for learning in the 21st century are evolving. The classroom is no longer a place for memorization of facts, which students learn and then give back on a test. Project based learning, critical and analytic thinking, collaboration within and outside the school walls are becoming the norm [...]
This Sunday, January 28th is the Day of Discovery at WonderWorks on International Drive in Orlando, Florida. The Florida leadership council will be there in force and the day is jammed back with great ways to use Tech in your classroom. The day will be filled with great speakers, interactive sessions and great networking with [...]
This summer I taught a class along with another fellow star, Christine Scoby, called “There”s an App for That”. We opened the class to any student fifth grade through ninth grade. It was our thought that all of our students knew how to use an iPad and knew all the latest apps for gaming, networking [...]
This Saturday, May 19 will be a great time to join other DEN members and explore or learn more great ways of how to use geocaching in your classroom. There are many DEN live geocaching events in Florida, Texas, Georgia, South and North Carolina, Kansas, etc. Why should you care and why should you try [...]
Being a teacher means trying to help every child be successful in the classroom. However, ask yourself this question: What can teachers do to get the most out of their students? There are a lot of answers to this question such as differentiate instruction, use collaboration, conference with the student, make learning real and [...]
Creativity is the most important trait that a person can possess. It allows you to create meaning, importance and curiosity. It is the essence of why and how children and adults learn. As teachers and schools evolve, they should be asking themselves, how are our schools enhancing our students’ and our teachers’ creativity, curiosity, and [...]
According to the website: The Partnership for 21st Century skills, teaching and learning have become all about collaboration, communication, creativity and critical thinking. Discovery and DEN offer all of these skills to teachers and students through Discovery Streaming and the many DEN events that are offered through out the year to the DEN and the [...]
Spring is just around the corner and I know everyone will soon have spring fever. Along with spring there will also be some exciting DEN events to look forward to this year. Coming up on March 7 is the beginning of open enrollment if you are interested in becoming involved in the Leadership Council for [...]
Discovery and the Florida DEN are hosting several fun filled days for Florida Den members in January and February. The first event is a live SCIcon event on January 22nd in Bradenton, Florida. SCIcon is a great way to network with other science teachers. This event will not only feature a DEN Science Guru, but [...]
If you haven’t registered for FETC yet, you may want to do so by December 17th. If you do you will save $50.00 on your registration. This year’s FETC is going to have a strong DEN presence this year. February 1st, Discovery will be hosting a Day of Discovery. This year’s Day of Discovery site [...]
Teachers, we are out of the honeymoon phase with our students. You know, the phase where students listen intently and participate fully. Now that school feels routine, it is time to put your best teaching tools and tricks of the trade to work, so that your students will continue to give maximum effort. Hopefully, you [...]
School will be here before you know it, so if you haven’t seen what Discovery Streaming is offering for the new school year, be sure to check out the summer school webinar selection called: Back to School with Discovery Education 2010. It airs several times including tomorrow at 1 and 3. This webinar will get [...]
It is July, and I along with many other fellow teachers, am finally beginning to relax and enjoy the freedom of not teaching every day. However, with that freedom comes time to think and relax about the craft of teaching. Wow! What a privilege to have the time to reflect and consider new ideas that [...]
Hopefully, some of you were able to catch today’s phenomenal webinar featuring Philippe Cousteau, grandson of the legendary Jacques Cousteau, and Discovery Education Chief Spokesperson for Environmental Education. Phillipe took students and teachers to the Gulf through pictures and stories from his recent trip to evaluate the effects of the Gulf Oil Spill. He discussed [...]
Baseball in Florida is always a home run and so is the DEN’s virtual conference. We are lucky that the Florida DEN has two live events for Saturday’s virtual conference,but Florida hit one out of the park with one of our own Den members. Lee Kolbert, will be presenting a great session on Saturday. You [...]
Wow! It finally feels like spring, and now it is time to come out of hibernation with some great activities to put a spring in your teaching. Discovery is planning a lot of events to help motivate you this month. Spring into action with these awesome events: Spring Training kicks off March 20 to May [...]
Why go digital? Good question! The response is easy: up to date resources, flexibility, differentiation for students, high interest, greener, and cheaper. Why now? Many districts (like mine)will be adopting new textbooks next year, which makes it a great time to make the switch. If your school is serious about keeping costs down, but making [...]
Right now I am sitting in Bradenton at an in person event of SCIcon hosted by Bekka Stasny. We are learning a lot and having fun getting to know each other and share ideas on how to make science more fun. However, it is not to late to join us either in person or virtually. [...]
Are you looking for great resources for integrating STEM concepts? Then take a look at the new STEM connect tab in the teacher center of Discovery Streaming. It is an excellent collection of clips, lesson plans, etc. that will make it easy to integrate science, technology, engineering , and math into your science or math [...]
This weekend was the Tech or Treat virtual conference. I hope that you were able to attend a few of the sessions that were offered. They were all excellent. However, if you missed one of the presentations, they will archive them on the DEN site starting next week. One that you can catch right now [...]
Experimental design is something that many middle school students have trouble doing independently. For years I have done the same lab to teach this concept to my students. The students love the lab, but I don’t love the results. This year I decided to try teaching experimental design with a virtual lab. My students chose [...]
Earth Day is upon us, and this year it is easier than ever to find great activities to involve your students with treasuring and preserving our planet. Here are a few to share with teachers in your school. The grocery bag project: This project is a simple one, but will help students raise awareness about [...]
This new year, show your DEN spirit and lets help each other with new and innovative ways to use technology in the science classroom. You know as well as I do that DEN members always are on the cutting edge, so let’s help each other make this the year of science tech projects. Write a [...]
The scientific method is a topic that many science teachers review at the beginning of the year. However, it can be hard to find new and exciting ways to teach it to students year after year. Personally, I find that students come to me still unsure of many steps even though they have conducted experiments [...]
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