I did my student teaching in a second grade classroom at the Knollwood Elementary School in Piscataway, NJ in the spring of 1979. I was big into learning centers and spent a lot of time with Imogene Forte’s bulletin board books. I traced and cut out images for many activities for centers in all the
August 2019: Best of the Katch
As I approach the end of my seventh year (and 84 posts) on Kathy’s Katch, I decided to look back and highlight some of my favorite posts. As you grab those last days of summer vacation, remember how far we have come with meaningful technology use in the classroom. A big thank you to Discovery
July 2019: Web-ulous tools, part 3
Every couple of years, I share my favorite online tools, like I did in November 2017 and March 2014. In this post, I am going to concentrate on tools to support Creative Commons image usage. I am not specifically going to cover the process of searching for CC images , but how to make sure
June 2019: Podcasts Revisited
I have the students in my Wilkes/Discovery Instructional Masters degree class create a podcast as an assignment. In her reflection on podcasts, one of my student, Meredith Lambert wrote: There is something different about the interaction between creator and consumer with podcasts then with written text. Because you’re hearing a person’s voice it makes it
May 2019: Extend your professional learning with online tools
We all have participated in formal professional development days at school. Even if the topic is carried over for several PD sessions, the trainings sometimes leave you with questions or needed follow-up to learn more about the topic. Fear not! You can continue to learn on your own using simple online tools and have access
April 2019: Using tech to promote global citizenship
The most quoted definition of a global citizen is a 1997 one promoted by Oxfam in the United Kingdom. It states a global citizen is someone who: is aware of the wider world and has a sense of their own role as a world citizen respects and values diversity has an understanding of how the
March 2019: Thinking processes and STEM
The hundreds of quality STEM-related videos and materials in the Discovery Education online collection make it easy to find content to use for your lessons and units. However, take time for students to develop a solid thinking process before starting your STEM unit. STEM, with its combined focus on science, technology, engineering and math, should
February 2019: Fact, opinion, or fake news?
How can a student, searching the Web to learn something new, know if they have landed on a non-credible site? Without a knowledge-base in the topic, it may be hard for them to determine incorrect information. I have been working with critical evaluation of Web material since the inception of the graphical Web. As I
January 2019: Using listening to develop H.O.T.S.
Developing the higher order critical thinking skills, as outlined by Rasmussen College, includes multiple areas to concentrate on. The author, Will Erstad, states “critical thinking is the analysis of an issue or situation …the facts, data or evidence related to it (and) is a skill that allows you to make logical and informed decisions to
December 2018: College and career readiness activities
Helping students think about their future is one of the goals of college and career readiness. Students need time to research occupations, decide what career path they want to take, which things they are good at, and, most importantly, what they are passionate about. There are tons of sites on the Web to help students