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Less Physics Mo Problems

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Why am I writing this personal entry? Well, it is not an attempt to gain any sympathy. It attempts to show what is possible if a clear intention and goal serve the learner's needs.  In May of 2022 just near the end of another fantastic school year, I do not remember what happened. But, I was unable to finish the school year and was unable to teach the following year.  Why? On May 21st, 2022, I fell down a flight of 16 stairs (luckily carpeted) from the 2nd to 1st story of our home.  I was found at the bottom of the stairs. I was found foaming at the mouth. This would lead to a 2-month hospital stay which included an induced coma because my seizures would not stop, several rounds of lumbar punctures, and relearning basic physical movements like something as simple as being able to roll in the hospital bed. Simply put, when I was admitted to the hospital, I was diagnosed as being “critically ill.” Please take a moment and read those words: critically ill. They are not terms that are
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Getting Started with Pear Deck

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I’m excited to announce the release of a handbook I co-authored with Mary Alys Foutz called Getting Started with Pear Deck.

Get access the eBook by clicking here!


I have been using Pear Deck in my classroom since 2015. I’ve watched the tool grow dramatically in its functionality but also its easy to be integrated into the classroom from a teacher and student perspective. The new book is an amazing guide in terms of how to get started with Pear Deck and even introduce you to features that I didn’t know existed until we started work on the book.

But for those who are new to Pear Deck or have several other tech tools that they are using in their classroom, I want to share with you why I continue to come back to it as my number one classroom tech tool for learning.  That reason is the feedback I get from my learners. Since I began using it, Pear Deck has consistently been the number 1 thing my students say helps them learn in the classroom. So rather than me preaching about Pear Deck, here’s what my students have to say in their own words.



The book itself is divided into different chapters associated with a different aspect of Pear Deck. Lots of people know about Pear Deck as a presentation tool, but there is so much more to discover!

  • Collaborate as a class to create flashcards with multiple representations with Pear Deck Vocabulary
  • Encourage students to increase their digital citizenship with Google’s Be Internet Awesome curriculum powered by Pear Deck
  • Search for answers to questions in the Knowledge Base
  • Find ready to use decks in The Orchard
  • Learn how to share your decks with colleagues and the world!
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