Start with a Question

There are certain tools that are so flexible and easy to use that their potential use cases are infinite. Google Forms has recently added some new features that make it one of the go-to tools I recommend to even the most tech-tentative educators. Previously, educators needed to use add-ons to make their Forms self-correcting, and the question-types and design options left much to be desired. But the new Forms have been leveraged by the teachers I work with in such creative and productive ways this school year. They are worth recording in this post so that more students and educators can benefit. Use #1: Flipped Activity Instructions The Pain Point Our middle school physical education teachers sometimes use videos from Ninh Ly's Rules of Sports YouTube playlist  to teach their students the rules of a sport before they head outside to play it. The downside is that playing the videos during class time takes away from precious active time on the field or court. With class per...

In our test-heavy educational environment, no one is immune from the exam experience.  I do my best to push back by creating a collaborative learning environment throughout the year in my high school history classroom.  My students investigate, analyze, and create to prove what they've learned.   I've said it before : I don't give tests . Well, as final exam week approaches later this month, I am forced to break that promise.  How can I give an exam that meets my school and department expectations while being true to my teaching and learning philosophy? In the past, I gave what I called an "UNexam" and wrote about it last January .  It worked like a dream and received a positive response from parents, students, and my PLN.  This writing and media-based exam works great in January, but in June when I'm eyeball deep in 120 lengthy research papers it feels overwhelming to think of even more essays filling my Google Drive during that last week of school. ...

Over the past several years I've posted many examples of collaborative learning in my history classrooms grades 8-10.  I've also spoken about the  #gallagherhistory  model at various conferences around the country and right here in Massachusetts.  The part that gets most students' and educators' attention is that I do not give tests.  Ever.   Lecture is also never a part of the student learning experience.  I invariably get follow up messages and emails filled with questions.  Here are some of the most asked questions and their answers. What is the formula? Here it is: Examples of media produced by students during our activities that promote analysis and discussion of evidence. Essential Question  that connects history to students' lives Evidence  from primary and scholarly sources that can be used to find an answer to the essential question Activity  to help students dig into the evidence and develop their own un...

I'm so proud of the hard work of my 9th grade 18th century history class on this most recent project.   EdSurge thought it was great too! Read about it and see some examples of student work by clicking the cover shot below.

I had the amazing opportunity to attend and present at the Blue Ribbon Schools of Excellence National Institute in Walt Disney World last week.  The thing is, I'm still a teacher and my students were still going to be in my classroom.  They also still need to be having valuable collaborative experiences, even in the absence of their teacher. I wasn't willing to cook up filler activities.  So I asked myself, "How can I teach without being present?" Step 1:  I set up the necessary resources online so that all students could access them.  Students were going to study the rise of democracy in early 19th century America and the controversial presidency of Andrew Jackson .  I also made sure to post QR codes that bring kids to those resources throughout the classroom. Step 2:  Of course, while I'm being inspired by other educators and experience the Disney Magic, I don't want my students to have a miserable week.  It made sense to let the...

The reason I believe so much in the importance of tech integration in education has little to do with the tech itself. Instead, it has everything to do with the communication and relationship-building that tech makes possible. Recently I wrote a post for Smarter Schools Project on this topic. Click here to read it.

I was honored to be invited by Dr. Will Deyamport, III  to write a post with my students about our experience with a paperless classroom.  The link is below.  Please read and comment! Thanks Dr. Will! Paperless Love

Five of my freshmen and sophomores chose to spend their third day of summer break in school with me. It wasn't our school, but it was a high school . They weren't the students, they were the teachers. We collaborated in person and from home on a Google Doc to design an experiential workshop for the CPS Educational Excellence Institute in which teachers heard why they preferred to learn and produce unique media based projects with their mobile devices.  On the right side of the screenshot of our initial brainstorm you can see that all of us were editing and creating on the same document.  I found that the more I let them drive the content, the more detailed the list became. The result was this presentation, which we also created collaboratively using Google Drive. Click here to see the whole presentation! During the actual event, in addition to explaining the reasons they liked a paperless history class this year and demonstrating some of their favorite tools, t...

Learning is not, and should not be, limited to what goes on within the four walls of classrooms.  Students are constantly learning and usually new questions are sparked when that learning happens. How can we encourage our students to ask their questions? Without a way to communicate their ideas and inquiries when they occur, will our millennials develop the inquisitiveness that is necessary for them to become the innovators of tomorrow ? Here are 4 ways you can encourage your students to share their thoughts and questions when you aren't together in the classroom: Google Drive My students submit their multimedia creations and lesson reflections on public blogs, but what about work that is in the draft phases? How can they submit that to me paperlessly and still get the feedback they need? Google Drive has been the answer to that question for my students this year.  Students make me an editor on their notes, outlines, and drafts. Then I can go in and comment on their work...

If you read my blog with any regularity or follow me on Twitter you know I've transitioned to a paperless classroom this year. I've been lucky enough to have students who are willing to be on this new adventure with me. My well-intentioned plans don't always work perfectly when deployed in a BYOD classroom of 25 students. We've decided that there are too many benefits to the paperless model to let a few technical difficulties get in our way. Teacher and students have worked hard, together, so that we can benefit from the opportunities that mobile technology provides in a paperless classroom environment.  If it weren't for my students and their enthusiasm I never could have come so far... and I truly believe there is much much more my students and I will get to learn as we continue on our adventure together. It only seemed right that when I had to opportunity to share my paperless successes at a professional conference, students should lead the way.  At the Blue...