Mo Physics Mo Problems

So I've been writing this blog for about 13 months now.  Just wanted to take the time to reflect on why I started and where it has taken me. There were two main reasons I started blogging.  The first was to force myself to reflect on my practice.  I am very good about thinking random thoughts about why I do what I do and how I feel the day went.  But these thoughts never make it to the concrete or conclusion level.  They are left as disconnected or half thought ideas floating around in my head.  Strands that may never be tied together and I'll have to start anew because I never took the time to take them down. The process of writing or planning a post forces me to communicate these thoughts in a way that may not make sense to the world, but at the very least make sense to me and can be picked up by me to carry a little bit further. The other main reason I ended up starting this blog process was to keep track of my evidence and create arguments around my evidence for t

We all have an idea where we want to take our classroom.  We all have a vision.  It cannot be accomplished overnight.  For some innovations, we need to take baby steps. I've been intrigued by the idea of Maker Spaces for a long time. Why? I love the idea of a space where students can experiment with the design process and have a large variety of tools and materials at their disposal.  The idea of truly giving students voice and choice is made physical.  That is why I am so intrigued about making my classroom into this type of physical space. One of the first activities I have my physics students do is build a vehicle that will accelerate powered by a mousetrap of rubber band. Over the years, I've been collecting tools and scraps required for the construction.  When we started construction this week, it felt very different. Last term, my department head purchased an open storage system for many of my classroom supplies.  So these building supplies t

I have spent a long time looking for a free, real-time, collaborative whiteboard that can be used on tablets, chromebooks, PCs, and Macs and have been let down again and again.  Until I ran across Realtime Board .  I wasn't sure at first until I discovered that they provide FREE accounts for educators.  I have been using it for a week and have been loving it. 1) It is web based sand works on my class iPads, student Chromebooks, and my teacher desktop. 2) It's easy to create a new board. 3) On any board you can upload a variety of media files or files directly from the web. 4) There are a variety of pre-made templates you can work from. 5) Drawing and erasing is very easy.  I love using a stylus on my iPad ( although Steve Jobs wouldn't approve) when showing work for calculations.  6) Create shapes, add text, and link them. Great for mind mapping! 7) Realtime Board can be lined to your Google Apps For Education account

I experimented with doing this blog post via a hashtag and storifying it. [ View the story "Leveling Up My Rubrics" on Storify ]

I was privileged to be on Epiphany Learning's i am Me. podcast this month.  Check out their great podcast and start from the first episodes, the first 3 are my favorite. I don't like the sound of my voice, but if you have the time the support of a listen would be great. The staff at Epiphany Learning and Laura Henderson do a great job with the podcast. Also, any feedback would be great too. Episode 023: Helping students find their best way to learn, with Mike Mohammad. Podcast: Play in new window | Download Mike Mohammad was born and raised in Sheboygan, WI. He attended UW Madison where he received his degree in Secondary Education in Broadfield Science and Biology with additional certifications in chemistry and physics.

I posted about this before, but it's so good it needs to be done more. So you want to get a snapshot of your learners without collecting 100 different forms. Also, you want to illustrate to students that they are different and give them the "why" of personalization. Here's how to learn the range of your class quickly while still getting quality data. Thanks to Andelee Espinosa with the brilliant post-it note hack. 10 minutes 6 post its per student white board Set up whiteboard into a table Strength Challenge Access (how to get) Engage (how to express) Express (how to show) Students fill 1 strength and 1 challenge for each category Here are some starters for students to think about. Access (How you get information) Engage (How you Work) Express (How you show) Reading Listening Words Pictures Videos Paper Computer Copy of notes Taking my own notes Collaboration Leading

Everyone needs motivation to push a little further. There needs to be a reason to make that effort. There needs to be a “why”. At the completion of an instructional unit, I ask my students 3 questions: What helped you learn What didn't help you learn What's one thing I should try to improve your learning At the end of the current term, I asked those questions again. The results were clear. My students have diametrically opposed needs which is the WHY of personalized learning.  Based on these results, I need to personalize even more. Helped Me Learn Didn’t Help Me Learn Canvas problems The canvas problems. Flexibility of the class, as well as interactive presentations.  I didn't like the somewhat flexible due dates because they make it difficult for me to be motivated to finish my work. The canvas quizzes allowed me to learn on my own I did not learn as well when we had to learn individually. The group projects helped