How To Use Twitter In The Classroom [VIDEO] Blogging & Technology by Joel Wagner - June 18, 2009June 30, 20100 I recently came across a video on TwiTip about Monica Rankin, a professor at the University of Texas at Dallas, who was using Twitter in one of her classes this semester. The video is below. I emailed Dr. Rankin to see if I could get some thoughts on the experiment following the completion of the semester. She told me that she is in the middle of several research projects presently, but she did send me to a page on her website that summarizes the experiment. The site also includes some other links of interest at the bottom. If you're interested in learning more, check out Some general comments on the "Twitter Experiment."
Video: Texting While Driving A School Bus? Are You Serious? Blogging & Technology by Joel Wagner - May 9, 2009June 30, 20102 Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy I gotta come clean. I've texted while driving. Quite a bit. I saw this video this morning thanks to DetentionSlip.org. I've Facebooked while driving. I've looked up maps while driving. I've Twittered while driving. I've just flat out used my iPhone for almost everything it can possibly do while driving. I don't think I'm gonna do that any more. Next time I do, I'll watch this video and remind myself of how dumb of an idea it is.
Perspective [VIDEO] General by Joel Wagner - December 5, 2008July 1, 20100 I recently was reminded of some videos I've seen before, but that was over a year and a half ago. These numbers are awe-inspiring. It is also humbling to realize how fast things are progressing in the world. It's amazing to realize that the world I knew when I was growing up in the 90s is so amazingly different from the world we know now!
How Obama Got Elected [VIDEO] General by Joel Wagner - November 18, 2008July 1, 20109 If nothing else, this is a thought-provoking video. Perhaps a bit off-topic, in fact, I'm not even posting this to raise a political conversation. However, I would be interested in hearing from some of the social studies teachers out there. What kinds of things have you done to help your students overcome the ignorance of facts that these twelve interviewees demonstrate? UPDATE 11-30-08 Great comments so far. As I said, this was not presented as a political commentary, but rather a springboard for discussion on teaching critical-thinking and research skills in a social studies context. I want to be fair and provide this link to Flunking the Electoral College for further look (and perhaps a bit less biased study).
Principals Gone Wild General by Joel Wagner - March 28, 2008July 2, 20101 I like my principal. In fact, I like every principal I have worked with and for. I read a news article today that concerns me and makes me glad that I have had great administrators to work for thus far in my career. Then I got home and looked for a few more. Here's what I came up with. Teachers say principal threatened to kill them if TAKS test scores didn't improve Private school director's explicit poems draw fire Principal on leave after kids eat on floor I also found this video. Crazy stuff.
You Think You Pay Attention? What Else Are You Missing Out On? [VIDEO] General by Joel Wagner - March 18, 2008July 2, 20104 Just in time for March Madness Watch this video What did you just learn? How can you relate it to classroom management? Deep, man. Deep.
The Deep-Seated Problems With Public Education Classroom Management by Joel Wagner - March 16, 2008July 2, 20104 In case you haven't already seen it, this post of teacher misbehavior caught on cell phones from Dangerously Irrelevant has been making the rounds. I saw it on Seth Godin's blog, of all places. Seth's assessment is that the teachers have a marketing problem. Cam Beck thinks the problem is deeper than simply marketing. He says that the public schools have a product problem. I think we may be getting at the core of the issue with that. It's uncomfortable to address, but somehow it needs to be addressed. Personally, I see it as a combination of the two. Many public schools have a definite product problem. Many teachers have a marketing problem. My assertion is that this has been
Power Teaching: A Revolutionary Teaching Style [VIDEOS] General by Joel Wagner - January 8, 2008July 2, 201010 This is some amazing stuff here! Anyone have any experience with these Power Teaching techniques? This stuff looks like it has some real merit. 1st Grade 3rd Grade 4th Grade 6th Grade College Philosophy
Science Education The Way It Should Be [VIDEO] General by Joel Wagner - January 5, 2008July 2, 20101 Check this stuff out! Are there any of you out there who actually do cool stuff like this? If so, let me know. If not, then find a way to do one experiment/demonstration like this each month for the rest of your teaching career. It will change lives.
Are You Still Out Of Control In Your Classroom? [VIDEO] Classroom Management by Joel Wagner - September 9, 2007June 16, 20162 I know some people who seem to have been born with an innate ability to get others to do things they really don't want to do. Those people, when asked how to do that, generally don't have an explanation. For them it is a natural skill. This isn't the case with most people. It is definitely not the case with me. I admit, it was never this bad for me, but it was bad. I had students talking back. I had students getting out of their seats. I had students writing notes. I'm sure if it were now, I would have had students sending texts throughout the class.I had to learn how to keep them quiet and get them to do
The Total Resume Makeover General by Joel Wagner - July 18, 2007June 19, 20163 It's the last half of July, you're looking for a job, you have no interviews lined up, and school starts in a month or less (or 40 days if you live in Texas). You have all the skills and experience in the world, but simply get no phone calls. The old adage goes, "If you keep doing what you've been doing, you'll keep getting what you've been getting." So change something. Let's see if maybe your resume needs a total makeover. Change something! I am amazed when I look at most resumes. They generally look bland, boring, and banal. As Louise Flethcer writes: Your resume is a marketing brochure, not a product catalog. It has to say just enough to make the sale
Teachers Rap About High School [VIDEO] General by Joel Wagner - July 6, 2007July 5, 20100 The name says it all.
Did You Know? [VIDEO] General by Joel Wagner - July 5, 2007July 5, 20100 The world is changing. Are teachers changing with it?
Pay Attention [VIDEO] General by Joel Wagner - July 4, 2007July 5, 20100 This is one of the most powerful presentations I've seen that pertains to education. If you are interested in being a better teacher, you cannot miss this. It's an awesome presentation on integrating technology into virtually everything that we do in education.Not only is it beautiful from a presentation standpoint (clean, uncluttered, visually pleasing), but it is also beautiful from the standpoint of what it says and how it can completely change your paradigm. Be sure to watch the next video entitled Did You Know? as well. The two of them together can be revolutionary for education.
The Best Time To Be A Teacher? General by Joel Wagner - July 1, 2007July 5, 20105 Check out the video at the end of this post! It'll make you feel better. I was reading some over at TeacherLingo.com and came across a post by Howard. In it, he writes: Here's what I've learned in the last 16 years... Teaching is only as enjoyable as the principal you work for. Good principals are the exception, not the norm. The best time to be a teacher is June through August. Whereas I only have five years of experience, when I read this, I am sad. Perhaps these comments will be helpful. If you agree or even if you disagree, then leave some comments and let's start a dialogue about these issues. I don't think that Howard is the only