I need to be careful. A new job and new learning gives me plenty of excuses not to write. My mind is occupied with all sorts of things that make it challenging to be be reflective sometimes. Writing and blogging has been a critical part of my own growth as an educator and I have no intentions of that changing but I need to force myself to write. This might be one of...

I think the phrase I'm looking for is intentional serendipity. I think it's Peter Skillen's term but there may be others using a similar concept.  In a world where play and wonder should really be considered essential dispositions, our education rarely values learning that isn't somehow tied to a chosen standard or outcome. Unlike a classroom...

Perhaps my greatest accomplishment this summer is that I did a lot of nothing. My July was unusually quiet, void of the summer gigs at conferences that have kept me in presenter and work mode. Outside of my PLP commitments, I played a lot of golf and took the odd nap, read a little, wrote very little and hung out with family and friends. I needed that.  In the...

Here’s a quick summary of some of the  sessions I attended at ISTE 2011. Skip the details and read the punchline at the end if you prefer. Saturday, June 25 Educational Reform Led by Jon Becker and joined by 10-12 others. This session considered what we mean by “reform” and considered various challenges and barriers. Key takeaway: Size of...

  Cross Posted at Tech & Learning ISTE 2011 has just completed and once again it people leave with a variety of experiences. I don't know the official number but over the past few years it remains one of the largest educational conferences in the world. A conference, that like many others has evolved over the years and organizers seek each year to...

I don't go to conferences to get new ideas. I've been down that road. That's not to say that there's nothing for me to learn but as connected as I and many others are, it's rare that something will be shared that is completely new. I attend conferences to play with ideas. That's why Educon is a great conference. It fosters and encourages...