To Learn Twice

The research I have done in the past does not quantitatively on a large scale connect on-line communication to student achievement. However, there are plenty of other studies out there that connect what parents do to student achievement. There are plenty of others that look at what schools can do to help parents do those things that will help their kids learn. What I have attempted to do is make logical relations between these concepts. This is my most "academic" post ever... Relationships are the Key to Achievement A classroom environment consists of an atmosphere shaped by relationships and instruction. Without one or the other the learning experience is incomplete. I believe that the two come together to create an environment where a student feels that they belong. “To create schools that function as personalized communities of learning rather than anonymous institutions where some students feel they belong and others feel ignored, we must know our st...

I am preparing a presentation for the AzTEA conference on May 3rd. I will be presenting on the connection between communicating among students, parents, and teachers and the impact on student achievement. Well it appears that for once I was ahead of my time. I did this little thing called a dissertation back in 2003-2004 when I was still in the science classroom. At the time nobody thought much of my topic. Probably because it was geeky and nobody really cares about dissertations. What I looked at was how communication with parents and students through my website impacted instruction. Big deal right? Here is the big deal (and I am still beginning to truly understand pieces of this myself) I was using Web 2.0 technologies from 2001-2004. OK I know according to Wikipedia web 2.0 didn't get coined until 2004. Yet check this out as I go back and look at my dissertation I was writing in it about the 2-way communication I was having with my students through my website. Get it - 2...

Just finished the announcement for our district wide institute focusing on technology. It is the same day as tech forum Chicago, but let me know if you would like to attend. Maine 207 District Wide Institute “Using Technology to Improve Teaching and Learning” April 25 th 2008 – Maine South High School “Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” Ralph Waldo Emerson Keynote Speakers David Thornburg : David is an award-winning futurist, author and consultant whose clients range across the public and private sector, both in the United States and in Brazil . His razor-sharp focus on the fast-paced world of modern computing and communication media, project-based learning, 21 st century skills, and open source software has placed him in constant demand as a keynote speaker and workshop leader for schools, foundations, and governments. As the founder and Director of Gl...