Tag Archives: blogging

Utilizing Technology to Support Differentiated Learning #STANYS #flipclass #physicsed

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It’s been awhile since I’ve gotten a good reflection up here.  I’ve been swamped finishing up the AP Physics 1 Essentials book, getting it converted to all the various formats (Kindle, Nook, iBooks, etc.), while simultaneously continuing work on the interactive iPad version.  As these projects are slowly beginning to conclude, I’ve been working on a presentation for the STANYS 2013 (Science Teachers Association of New York State) conference here in Rochester, NY.  My presentation is on Utilizing Technology to Support Differentiated Learning, where I take a quick look at three strategies all designed to promote independent learning in students while providing opportunity for those students to self-differentiate by skill level in specific areas as well as interest.

Since one of the three strategies involved flipping the classroom (along with self instruction and blogging), it seemed only right that I make a “flipped class video” version of the presentation.  I’m still massaging the presentation, but here’s the first take:

Blogging: Enhancing Instruction #edtech

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As part of our district’s recent technology symposium, I was asked to present a short seminar on “Blogging: Enhancing Instruction.”  Last year I was asked to present on a similar topic, focusing on how blogs could be used in the classroom.  The seminar was a success, but I quickly found that participant goals ranged from learning what a blog was to exploring new ways to utilize blogging in the classroom to technical concerns with setting up a blog.

seminar Taking what I learned from last year, this year’s seminar was designed as a largely-independent guided exploration into the aspects of blogging of greatest personal interest.  Taking a page from my Twitter-network brethren, I set up a Box.Net site which broke up the seminar into four main areas:

  1. Student Blogs
  2. Educator Blogs
  3. Blogging Platforms
  4. Blog Implementation

Allowing participants to work through areas of greatest interest not only provided each participant with an opportunity to focus on their individual goals, but also allowed me to better wander around the room assisting and discussing with participants as needed.  Not only that, the feedback mechanism on TodaysMeet opened up discussions on other technology appropriate for classroom use, a conversation which is still continuing almost a month later!

You can find the presentation at http://box.net/IHSBlog.