Can I Trade the iPads for Chromebooks?

I am fortunate to work in a school district that is often on the cutting edge when it comes to instruction and technology integration. Much of our technology is purchased by individual school site communities and this diversity has led to many teacher-led, grass-roots instructional technology innovations. However, it means at Technology Services we must [...]

Click here to read it →

Friendship Bracelets & Student Voice

The past few weeks the concept of “student voice” has been swirling around in my head.  What exactly does it mean for students to have a voice in school?  What does it look like?  What does it sound like?  Obviously, if students have a voice in their learning, there must be conversation going on in [...]

Click here to read it →

Almost Ready to Publish…

This weekend I have been holed up at the Purple Sage Ranch outside of San Antonio with a brilliant group of 20 other educators from throughout the United States for the National Writing Project Digital Literacies Resource Development Retreat. Along with building new friendships, learning from some uber-innovative folks I have also been creating a [...]

Click here to read it →

Fostering Voice & Choice

Last weekend I had the opportunity to read for the Scholastic Writing Awards.  Each year students throughout the United States submit original pieces of literary work for this nationwide competition and the foremost pieces are annually published in the Best of Teen Writing.  The writing can fit a variety of genres including short stories, novels, [...]

Click here to read it →

It All Began with TI Basic & Printshop

This weekend I am attending the National Writing Project’s Digital Literacies writing retreat in San Antonio, Texas (actually we’re in Bandera – look for it on a map).  One of our goals is to produce content for the Digital Is website, a resource definitely worth checking out for anyone who is interested in technology and [...]

Click here to read it →

Goodbye Google Reader, Hello Facebook

As I was accessing Google Docs this morning I accidentally selected Google Reader.  When the page flashed open I noticed I had over 1000 unread items and immediately, guilt rushed through my stomach.  “Crap…I haven’t been keeping up on my online reading…another “must do” that has fallen off of the plate.”  Slowly, I scanned all [...]

Click here to read it →

Book of the Week – Because Digital Writing Matters

This week’s Book of the Week is one that brings together many of my passions – technology, literacy, and student voice.  Because Digital Writing Matters, published by the National Writing Project expands an earlier conversation started in Because Writing Matters, to include importance of digital writing.  Through my work with the National Writing Project I [...]

Click here to read it →

Figment – Friend & Publish

A few weeks ago I discovered Figment through a New York Times article and some colleagues at the National Writing Project.  After clicking around I think it looks like a resource some of you might want to check out and potentially use with your students. Quite often many of us are looking for a way to [...]

Click here to read it →

Joe’s Resolutions for 2011

Ugh…its the last afternoon of Christmas Vacation! How did two weeks scream by so quickly? I’ve done my best ignoring work email, the fact my clothes need to be ironed for the week, and the idea that the alarm clock will rip through the blissful silence a full two hours before I have even contemplated [...]

Click here to read it →

The Books of 2010 – A Literary Look Back

This morning I finished the second book in the Hunger Games trilogy, Catching Fire.  As I logged this book into Goodreads, I started to look over the books I have read this year and wondered, “how many books have I read?”  I guessed around 30.  Last Christmas I received a Kindle and I know the [...]

Click here to read it →

← Previous Entries

Next Entries →