Archive for November, 2005
Activating Schema
One of the problems I’ve had with packaged curriculum materials since I started teaching is that they present as many problems as they solve. Math books are my biggest gripe.
A Brief History of Comprehension
The history of literacy theory became important for me when I chose to become a teacher, although I didn’t know that until I went back to the university after teaching for 20 years.
My Wake-Up Call
Since Language and Literacy is my area of expertise ( I see educational technology as a form of literacy), I suppose it’s time for me to step up and declare Borderland to be the original K-12 Literacy blog. If there are others out there maybe someone will point me to them. We could get a conversation going and share the wealth.
Three Kinds of Respect
The Alaska Room is a special classroom in our school district, set up to teach students about Alaska Native culture.
Digging Around with Del.icio.us
I’ve been obsessed with del.icio.us lately. I’ve got several different things to say about it, and it may take me a while to exhaust my interest in writing about this site.
Beyond Fear and Trust
I’ve been monitoring a discussion about the appropriate use of social software in schools.
School Technology Planning for a Changing Network
Instead of having lots of individual static (and frequently outdated) websites that are indexed from the school district’s main page, we are being invited to have our school pages redesigned as database-driven sites, written in PHP…. However, as it turns out this new model is more about separating content from design and enabling more teachers to post content directly on the school sites.
The Line Between Freedom and Authority
Whether we see ourselves as jailers or liberators, we should recognize that we are involved in a political struggle. It doesn’t matter whether we filter or not, whether we give students choices or not, we are imposing our values and ethics regardless. It’s unavoidable. There is no such thing as a politically neutral classroom.
Asking Better Questions
Teachers should recognize the difference between questions that simply elicit information, and questions that initiate investigation.
How to Make a Very Big Hole in a Sheet of Paper
In science lessons these activities are intended to serve as discrepant events that arouse curiosity and stimulate questions which would lead to inquiry.
