Reflective Practitioner & Learner
As I’ve blogged recently, I want my students to take responsibility for their own learning (see posts about Gamification and Project-Based Learning). If I teach them to learn and write for ME then what...
View ArticleMidterm Musings: Morehead Online Summer Institute
We are at the half-way point of our third Morehead Online Summer Institute and as reflection is both one of our major themes and my summer research project, I thought it appropriate to reflect on where...
View ArticleMy Gaming Biography
As I’ve written before, gamification is increasingly a big part of my pedagogy, but I was still more than a little frightened by the CLMOOC Make Cycle #3: Games. I am not sure if I have the juice to...
View ArticleReflecting Back, Planning Ahead
As I began preparing for fall classes I realized that I was far overdue to reflect on the Spring 2014 semester and my First Year Seminar: From the Walking Dead to Superheroes. I will do so using the...
View ArticleReflecting on CLMOOC
Praise To The Teacher Writer – A make I created with Haiku Deck, Typical of my CLMOOC participation, I am coming late to the game for the last week which focused on “Connections and Reflections” and...
View ArticleTwofers or Disposables? Reflecting On Classwork
Jon Becker blogged this week about disposable assignments and intellectual stairmasters. He credits David Wiley for the term “disposable assignments” which are explained like this: These are...
View ArticleWhat is Your Superpower and What is Your Kryptonite?
Six years into my NWP (National Writing Project) adventure, I continue to be amazed by the awesomeness that abounds whenever two or more teachers gather in NWP’s name. This Saturday the Morehead...
View ArticleConnected Educators: Fostering Student/Teacher Agency, Voice
We are in the early days of Connected Educator Month and I am already inspired. Last year I blogged about how I describe a connected educator (using technology to build communities and share...
View ArticleConnected = Community
In my first Connected Educator Month blog post I talked about fostering voice and agency in both teachers and students, but in this post I want to focus on the idea of what it means to be connected....
View ArticleWhy I Want A Third Space
I spend a lot of time thinking about Third Space Theory (and yes, I know just how much that identifies me as a geek), but honestly it seems to come up a lot in my work and life. I am not the first to...
View ArticleHow Do You Refresh & Renew?
There are many wonderful things about my job. I get to inspire and support some amazing student work and spend the day focusing on some awesome combination of writing and comic books, but there are...
View ArticleWhy Self-Assessment Journals?
I make my students journal. I am not unique among teachers and by far the norm among my National Writing Project kin. I know many teachers who successfully use writing journals to foster creative and...
View ArticleImportant Conversations Inspired By Comics
My head and my heart are so full, aching to the bursting point, that I must write. This pressure has built progressively thanks to a number of national events and local conversations including: My...
View ArticleKeep It Simple, Stupid
With the Fall 2014 Semester in the rearview mirror and the Spring 2015 Semester fast approaching, I want to take a few minutes to reflect on the past and plan for the future in this brief breathing...
View Article3 Benefits Of Teaching With (or Through) Social Media
I’ve been teaching with social media for a long time. I’ve used Twitter, Google+, and Edmodo with undergraduates as well as working professionals. In addition, my students create a variety of web...
View ArticleMistakes Were Made
I thought I had a pretty successful Fall semester – at least until I read my students’ final reflections. Actually, it was one student evaluation in particular that just broke my heart and made me...
View ArticleHow To Make A Writer
More than half of the posts on my Metawriting blog have been about writing – 55% in fact. Clearly, writing and the teaching of writing are passions of mine. You do not need to meet me in person and you...
View ArticleIs Your Elevator Pitch Ready?
Before I knew that Winter would put the Commonwealth of Kentucky under a state of emergency and cancel a whole week of classes at Morehead State University, I planned to have my students work on...
View ArticleEasing The Pain Of Grading
While everyone else is enjoying a snow day, I am in the midst of midterm grading. Why does it always seem like a good idea to place assignment due dates so close to the grading window when I am...
View ArticleWhy I Want A Third Space
I spend a lot of time thinking about Third Space Theory (and yes, I know just how much that identifies me as a geek), but honestly it seems to come up a lot in my work and life. I am not the first to...
View Article
