Happy Valentines Day, kids...

 ... now... make an incision from the aorta through to the left atrium.  

Posted by milesmac on March 24th, 2012 | No Comments Posted in Pedagogy

Childrens' Literature Changing Settings

This post is far more academic than any of my others, so reader, be warned. (cross-posted to http://teacherdad.com) While studying my B. A. at the University of Manitoba in the mid to late 80's, I fell in love with Canadian Literature (CanLit). Courses with David Arnason and Dennis Cooley, encounters with Robert Kroetsch, and had […]

Posted by milesmac on March 22nd, 2012 | No Comments Posted in Pedagogy

Student-Led Conferences

Enthusiastic students sharing their work with proud parents at student-led conferences. Watching my grade 8 students and their families is always a treat. It isn't hard to imagine home lives where every night of the week is filled with some social obligation, team practice, club meeting, or work shift. Interactions at home may be little […]

Posted by milesmac on March 21st, 2012 | No Comments Posted in Pedagogy

Project Based Learning Survey Responses

Bianca Hewes is an English teacher in Australia active in Edmodo, on Twitter (@BiancaH80), and with her own blog encouraging professional reflection on project based learning, and employing technology to engage students. She recently asked for stories about project based learning (PBL) to support her graduate research. Here are my responses to her questions. How have […]

Posted by milesmac on March 19th, 2012 | No Comments Posted in Pedagogy

Conspiracy Theory of Education Reform

When I indulge my cynical self and develop conspiracy theories of education I imagine elite corporate bosses paying off government officials to implement an educational system that guarantees a vast supply of super-box-store drones capable of mentally tallying a customer's purchase but no developed ability to think critically, question, or be creative. Control curriculum, quash […]

Posted by milesmac on March 17th, 2012 | 5 Comments Posted in Pedagogy

20+ Years of EdTech

I have used every one of these devices in fulfillment of my duties as a classroom teacher. These were the tools available to me since I became an educator. It makes me feel rather old, but proud nonetheless, to have mastered these valuable communication technologies for teaching and learning. And some say today's technology is too complicated. Want to […]

Posted by milesmac on March 11th, 2012 | 4 Comments Posted in Pedagogy

International Professional Development in your Basement: #teachmeet

Back in 1994, as a student in the Education Technology Leadership program at the George Washington University, I tried a video conference with a fellow student in Virginia. After 7 minutes we had accumulated enough pixels to see each other, but between my 14.4kbps modem and his ISDN line, there just wasn't enough bandwidth to […]

Posted by milesmac on March 3rd, 2012 | No Comments Posted in Pedagogy

Minecraft 07 Some Finished Grade 8 Ancient Greece Projects

Our grade 8 classes have wrapped up their first minecraft project recreating a scale version of an Ancient Greek structure. Accompanying the project were some calculations, and a video tour of their structure while describing the historical importance and architectural details. Part of our challenge was getting the students to balance research and writing time with […]

Posted by milesmac on March 1st, 2012 | 15 Comments Posted in Pedagogy
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