Spiral Notebook Blogs
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Global Learning: Connecting the World with ePals
by Suzie Boss
7/21/08When teachers talk about how much they and their students gain by connecting with learners in other parts of the world, their enthusiasm is downright contagious. Yet for all the promise of learning across distances, these wonderful flat-world projects still seem to be the exception rather than the norm.
Picture Perfect: Make Your Own Motivational Posters
by Jim Moulton
7/18/08OK, I admit it. I have been known to leaf through the catalogs that live in the seat pockets on airplanes. I never find anything I have to have, but I always look at the motivational posters -- in part because I see a lot of these in the schools I visit.
Outstanding in Your Field: What It Takes to Be a Great Teacher
by Ben Johnson
7/16/08I am reading a book by Steven Covey called The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness, which he wrote to help organizations and individuals find their voices. The premise of the book is that if you don't do this, you or your organization will not be able to achieve greatness. I highly recommend that you read it, and I will gladly lend it to you when I am done with it, but that is not the focus of this post.
The Four R's: Relationships in Twenty-First-Century Schools
by Bob Lenz
7/14/08What structures and systems does Envision Schools use to prepare students for success in college and their futures in the twenty-first century? We focus on four guiding principles, and the second concerns relationships and how we build them among students and educators. Read a previous post of mine that defines the principles and reflects on the first one, rigor.
Travel Tip: It Is a Terrific Time to Teach Abroad
by Chris O’Neal
7/11/08This is a guest posting from my friend and colleague David Carpenter, who is working abroad as an instructional technologist in Asia. Read his other posts, "An Instructional Technologist Muses on Lessons Learned: The Peaks and Pitfalls of Discovery Learning" and "Building Blocks for Technology Integration: A Strategy for Success."
Teaching with Tangles: The Barbed Wire Model of Classroom Management
by Ben Johnson
7/9/08I had an epic battle with a tangle of barbed wire a while ago. I'm glad to report that my cuts and scratches are healing nicely, and I'd like to share with you about how this battle revealed to me a number of brilliant truths about classroom management.
Higher Education, or Hire Education?: Questioning the Purpose and Value of College for All Students
by Anthony Cody
7/7/08Every once in a while, a contrarian appears and challenges some of our basic assumptions about schooling in today's society. One of the biggest assumptions we have is that it is the job of school to prepare all our students for college. The jobs of the future require a four-year degree, at least. Students who do not go to college will be unable to find decent paying jobs and will be unable to support their families.
Becoming Citizens: A Stint in Student Government Can Shape One's Future
by Suzie Boss
7/2/08When Ashraf Ghani talks about world events, his words carry the weight of experience: After twenty-three years of exile from his native Afghanistan, he returned after the fall of the Taliban to serve as finance minister for the transitional government. A veteran of the World Bank and recently on the short list of finalists to head the United Nations, he continues working to rebuild societies torn asunder.
The Positive Path: A Recipe for Risk Reduction
by Maurice Elias
6/20/08I don't think we have the proper understanding of risk. Imagine yourself at a blackjack table or on an online investment site. What if you could play or invest without worrying about losing your money? Would you be highly conservative, or would you be more reckless? The vast majority of people in that situation would be much less careful than they would if they had their own hard-earned money on the line.
Advocate for Education: How to Publish Your Opinions
by Anthony Cody
6/19/08Someone commenting on my last blog entry posed the following provocative question: "To really make a lasting difference, I think it will require that educators -- with or without unions -- put pressure on politicians and advocate for students and schools. Where do we start learning to be political?"
