Jul 21, 2017

Using Character Education to Teach Digital Citizenship

Some of the strategies schools currently use to address digital citizenship fall short because they focus primarily on specific issues and ignore building a solid foundation for students to think critically about digital citizenship.

Jul 14, 2017

Did ISTE 2017 Deliver on Embrace the Extraordinary?

More than 20,000 attendees and exhibitors participated in the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) conference from June 24–28th in San Antonio, Texas. This was the first year the total number of attendees exceeded 15,000. Everyone was searching for ways to "embrace the extraordinary" for their students. 

Jul 07, 2017

Our Top Five Resources in June

Jun 30, 2017

Surviving the Consumerization of Learning

The consumerization of learning is the personalization of learning on computing screens using the capabilities of software to make it intuitive and highly adaptive for individual learners. The result is that educators are in uncharted waters of digital learning.

Jun 23, 2017

Taking Control of Your Professional Development

The days of sitting in one-size-fits-all professional meetings are dwindling. Whole day, large group professional development sessions are being replaced with technology-infused collaboration ripe for lifelong learning. For me, the best part of this shift in professional learning is the ability to focus on the topics that interest me the most.

Jun 16, 2017

Three Skills Students Need to Become Good Digital Citizens

In order to be good digital citizens, students must cultivate a filter through which they view their digital lives and understand online communication. To help students build that filter, we must support them in developing a multifaceted awareness consisting of a number characteristics. Here are three of the most important:

Jun 09, 2017

Embrace the Extraordinary at ISTE 2017

Jun 02, 2017

Our Top Five Resources in May

May 26, 2017

Professional Learning is a Workout!

The Workout is a model I created for designing professional learning events related to technology integration with innovative teaching and learning. The Workout framework is effective for a variety of topics, such as digital storytelling, formative assessment, visual learning, global collaboration, anytime-anywhere communication, design thinking, blended learning, and problem-based learning.

May 19, 2017

Seven Strategies to Get Students Talking and Thinking About Digital Citizenship

One of the challenges of teaching digital citizenship is to get students comfortable openly thinking and talking about key issues. We know students are constantly facing issues and making choices in their online lives. Creating an environment where students are encouraged to discuss issues helps them think critically about the choices they're making online. Here are some strategies to start students thinking and talking about digital citizenship.

May 12, 2017

Opening Students’ Minds: How to Combat the Social Media Echo Chamber

Social media has undoubtedly expanded classroom walls, but has it also closed the minds of our students? The echo chamber effect suggests so-students want to hear what they think is the truth and search for others through social media who agree with them.

May 05, 2017

Changing the Narrative of Education

Classrooms aren't always represented accurately in the media. It is not uncommon for news outlets to highlight the latest teacher scandals but ignore the quality work the majority of teachers are doing. Popular television shows often show students seated neatly in rows, reading textbooks, and looking bored. Images of blackboards and chalk still abound when referencing education, yet the classrooms I see everyday are filled with the very opposite of these depictions.

Apr 28, 2017

What Is Next After a 1:1 Initiative?

Nearly five years ago, Gurnee District 56 embarked on a journey to equip students in the district with iPads to be used as their primary curriculum delivery tool. As we began that journey, there were no road maps to follow, and many times it felt as if we were walking in a dense forest with no idea what lurked five feet ahead of us. In a truly collaborative effort, we began to clear the forest and discover enough light to chart a clear path forward. We have come so far since then.

Apr 21, 2017

How Predicting the Future Can Develop Digital Citizenship Skills

In my last blog, we explored activities to help students “frame the system” rather than game the system in order to think critically about the rules that should govern their digital lifestyles. Now I'd like to discuss an activity that helps students develop digital citizenship skills by imagining new technologies. The goal is for students to take charge of their futures by inventing it. Digital citizenship is often approached from a reactive perspective in response to unwanted behavior like cyberbullying or cyberstalking. In contrast, this activity approaches digital citizenship proactively, casting students in the roles of leaders and “imagineers.”

Apr 14, 2017

Our Top Five Resources for March

Each month we publish several newsletters full of digital learning, funding, professional growth, social media, and STEM resources. Below are the resources from our newsletters that educators turned to the most in the month of March.