Teaching Tolerance

Genuine tolerance does not mean ignoring differences as if differences made no difference. Genuine tolerance means engaging differences within a bond of civility and respect. RICHARD JOHN NEUHAUS Merriam Webster Dictionary defines tolerance as “the ability or willingness to tolerate something, in particular, the existence of opinions or behavior that one does not necessarily agree … read more »

How to Turn Your Hour of Code into an Hour of Excellence!

Hour of Code™ celebrations take place during Computer Science Education Week, December 3-9, but now is the time to prepare for a successful event in your school or classroom. The Hour of Code™ is a nationwide initiative by Computer Science Education Week and Code.org to introduce millions of students to one hour of computer science and … read more »

Practical (and easy) Tips for Communicating with Parents

Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much Helen Keller American Education Week is celebrated November 12-16 this year. One day of the week is set aside as Invite Parents to School Day, also known as National Parent Involvement Day. This annual event offers the opportunity to spotlight the importance of … read more »

News…is it real or is it fake? Media Literacy Today

The New York Times was first published on September 18, 1851! The world was a very different place then. Today the words Fake News are a stark reminder of the amount of information our students receive every day. How can we help our students know what is real and what is fake? By teaching Media Literacy. According … read more »

Tech Tool of the Month: Dotstorming

It has been almost 100 years since the 19th Amendment was signed, giving women the right to vote. Women’s Equality Day is celebrated on August 26th. This day celebrates this “winning vote” of 98 years ago. In honor of this day, we are highlighting a tech tool that you can use for voting in your … read more »

10 Resources to Celebrate the National Day of the American Cowboy

When someone talks about cowboys, what comes to your mind? Maybe you think of wide open spaces where cowboys ride their horses and guide cattle toward their ranch. Perhaps it reminds you of songs with a western twang and folksy appeal. Others immediately reminisce upon childhood memories of watching T.V. westerns like Gunsmoke, The Lone … read more »

“Say It Ain’t So, Joe,” Using Quotations from the Internet

We all love to use the perfect apropos aphorism to punctuate our writing. Quotations by famous people to prove a writer’s point fill social media posts. How many choice memes are graced by just the right epigram? It just may be too easy find an appropriate quotation online as we have seen by the proliferation … read more »

What’s the Buzz: Engineering Design Process

Today is Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day.  Those arranging and participating in “Girl’s Day” activities are helping us to close the science gap. SheHeroes (reviewed here) is an organization that believes young girls should be encouraged to pursue non-traditional STEM based careers. Be sure to check out their resources as you plan for participating … read more »

6 Tools to Incorporate Technology into Winter Olympics Lessons

The Opening Ceremony of the 2018 Winter Olympics takes place in PyeongChang, South Korea on February 9 with the featured walk of athletes from around the world. A record of over 100 medals in 15 disciplines will include four new events – big air snowboarding, freestyle skiing, mass start speed skating, and mixed doubles curling.  … read more »

Digital Reading Takes Practice

Most of us and our students spend a large part of each day reading digital text. Although we might prefer and encourage reading traditional print sources on paper, most of our future information needs will be fulfilled online. Although studies have shown people who read printed text comprehend more–thus learn and retain more, digital access … read more »