The Common Core State Standards indicate that by second grade that students must be able to “compare and contrast important points presented by two texts” (RI.2.9) and be able to “describe how reasons supports specific points the author makes in a text” (RI.2.8). Understanding the importance of students being able to master the skills of analyzing and making connections, I asked myself, “How can ... »
Dr. Stephani Hite has taught levels ranging from Kindergarten through graduate school, been a curriculum director, teacher supervisor, and deputy head of an international school in the UK. Hite now runs Tigris Education Solutions, a private consulting firm that supports the work of schools, districts, and state departments of education on change initiatives that positively impact student learning ... »
Danielle Krueger is a second grade teacher in Fairfax, Virginia. This is her first year as a classroom teacher. She graduated from Penn State in 2011 where she co-founded an organization (H.E.A.L. – Help Every Angel Live) that raises money for Penn State’s Dance Marathon I am one of 8 second grade teachers at my school. I am the only first year teacher, but there are three new teachers to the grad... »
Each week Education Is My Life is going to bring you an interview with a different educator, author, or organization. Our first interview is with author and Edcamp co-founder Dr. Kristen Swanson. Kristen has written for our site as well, and recently published a new book “Professional Learning in the Digital Age”. This interview covers: Kristen’s educational path How Edcamp start... »
Anthony Gabriele is a co-founder of Education Is My Life. He currently works as a Literacy Coach, Curriculum Writer, and facilitator for the Penn Literacy Network. Be willing to adapt and grow. The more I thought about this month’s topic of ‘Best and Next Practices’, the more it hit me how many ‘best practices’ sometimes disappear, and how some, with the right modifications, can become next pract... »
Dianne Krause is a certified K-12 Instructional Technology Specialist, Adjunct Graduate Professor in Instructional Technology, former high school French teacher and administrator of one of the oldest and persistent online gaming worlds, Medievia.com, Inc. In this day of high stakes testing and fear of low test scores, it is very easy for teachers to fall into the drill and kill assessment trap. T... »
We set out to discuss “Best and Next Practices” in education this month. Most of the time we think about technology, 21st century learning, PBL, and how instruction and pedagogy have changed. My favorite topics are usually global or inquiry-based, but this post is all about ATTITUDE. Want to know what the best practice is when it comes to teaching? Your attitude towards learning and yo... »
The third post in our series “Best and Next Practices” comes from Dr. Stefani Hite. She spent a decade in marketing as an award-winning art director before changing careers to become an educator. Since entering the classroom in the early 90’s, Hite has taught levels ranging from Kindergarten through graduate school, been a curriculum director, teacher supervisor, and deputy head of an ... »
A.J. Juliani is a co-founder of Education Is My Life. He currently is a K-12 Technology Staff Developer overseeing a 1:1 initiative. There is a movement happening in education right now. Maybe you’ve heard about it, maybe you haven’t yet. It comes in various shapes and forms but the end result is the same: students learning what they want to learn. Yes, I said it, so let me repeat: Students are le... »
Bill Selak is an elementary music teacher and an adjunct faculty member at Azusa Pacific University and University of La Verne. He served on the California State Superintendent’s Education Technology Task Force, and is on the EdCampSFBay and EdCampLA planning teams. One project has the power to change an entire class. I teach Video in the Classroom to ed tech grad students. That course has wordy s... »
