Aim to Be Awesome, Not Perfect

Recently, the amazing librarian at my campus shared an idea with me - one that the 7th grade ELA teachers had agreed to try.  The students had recently finished " The Outsiders " and were beginning to analyze the plot elements.  Our librarian said she had seen this idea (but she wasn't sure where) of a plot diagram involving the Ozobots.  So we tried it out. Students collaborated in groups about the style, elements, and illustrations of their plot diagram.  It could take any shape they wanted, and we encouraged them to create a shape that connected to the novel and was easy for the robot to travel.  Students created illustrations for each of the plot elements and th ey used the Ozobots to demonstrate the elements by incorporating Ozobot movements that they connected to the parts of the story.  Overall I think it was successful. Students were highly engaged discussing the plot points of the novel and what drawings and movements should be included in thei...

When I am looking for resources and inspiration, Kasey Bell at  shakeuplearning.com  is definitely I place I go!  I was lucky enough to be chosen to be part of Kasey's Book Launch team, so I got a chance to read the  Shake Up Learning Book  early!  My digital draft is highlighted on almost every page and I have tweeted a bunch of my favorite quotes. I even posted some booksnaps on twitter and wrote an Amazon review . I wonder ...what more could I say? Well, I guess there's a few things… The first thing is that I really love this book. It aligns with my philosophy that technology is not out to replace good pedagogy, it's there to enhance it and take it to a new level. Sometimes tech is not the answer. Student engagement, i.e. dynamic learning, should always be at the forefront. If technology helps with that, then that's great.  If not, that's fine too. As my role as an instructional technology specialist, I am charged with finding and curati...