In a previous post, we reviewed why Vicki Davis(@coolcatteacher) and other teachers use virtual worlds to teach digital citizenship and online collaboration. It’s amazing to see how teachers use technologies like OpenSim to transform their students into teachers. As a Dad, I always enjoy finding games that my Read more…
Yesterday we started our Spring term. I am teaching the same courses that I taught last semester, Microbiology for Health Sciences and Introductory Biology (non-majors). I am doing a major course overhaul for Microbiology (the subject of future posts I’m sure) but I am leaving the Intro Bio course alone Read more…
As a teacher and a parent of a pre-kindergarden student, the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary on Friday breaks my heart. I can’t keep myself from clicking on tribute pages on CNN.com and looking at those sweet innocent faces and reading the stories of the heroic teachers. Collectively, our country Read more…
Photo from http://www.flickr.com/photos/educationau/4291125291/sizes/m/in/photostream/ As I have been doing personal research on educational technology around chatbots, I became intrigued in how teachers use virtual worlds as a teaching tool. This line of questioning led me to the following blog article from Vicki Davis and her students: Web 3D: Students using OpenSim Reflect Read more…
The last time I wrote a post I talked about why textbooks may become obsolete (see post here). Today I’d like to tell you why I still rely heavily upon them today. I teach two broad introductory courses, one is a general biology course for non-science majors and the other Read more…
Are we reaching a point in higher education in which textbooks are no longer necessary? So much information is freely available on the internet, why make students spend $100+ on a brick of paper that they might open once during a final exam cram session? There are a variety Read more…
Thank you avatarGeneration.com and onlinecolleges.net for sharing this. Please visit our posts on game based learning. Popular blog posts: Reduce your stress level with keeping a plan of awesome 5 reasons to love Khan academy for computer science How do I level up as a Dad? How to reduce stress Read more…
Photo source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/frankula/5824384458/sizes/m/in/photostream/ The internet and technology are here to stay. I firmly believe that as teachers we must choose to embrace them or we will be left out in the cold. The landscape of education is constantly changing. We are called to be agile and adaptable. Still, I continue Read more…
Take a moment to review Courosa’s setup for a grad school class. For many institutions of higher education, online degrees provide a means of increasing access to education, reaching out to “non-traditional” learners who often work, and provide a platform for innovations in teaching. Whether you teach face-to-face or online, Read more…
Some days I just don’t feel like teaching anymore. Don’t get me wrong, I love my job and I find a lot of fulfillment in helping my students to be successful, but some days are better than others. I sometimes find myself asking “Why bother?” when many of my students Read more…