Vicki A. Davis's Blog, page 150

EPISODE 144: The Elements of a Great Educational Game [PODCAST]

The Every Classroom Matters Show: Matthew Farber, Expert on Gaming in the Classroom

Matthew Farber does a masterful job of explaining game mechanics, Bartle’s player types, and how to use gaming in the classroom. In Episode #144 of Every Classroom Matters, Matt also talks about game design as it relates to the classroom and how he uses questions to level up his classroom design.

Listen to ECM #144 with Matthew Farber

He also relates the “magic circle” of play with the zone of proximal develop...

EPISODE 143: 10 Practical, Entertaining Ways to Teach with Mobile Devices [PODCAST]

The Every Classroom Matters Show: Tony Vincent, Expert on Teaching with Mobile Devices

Tony Vincent started using mobile devices in the classroom back in the days of Palm Pilots. Since then, he’s become an expert on everything mobile. Inepisode 143 of Every Classroom Matters, Tony teaches us how to use the iPad even when you only have one. He shares about infopics and how you can use them for a student reporter project. Tony also explains his new app, StickAround, which lets you create cool i...

FREE WEBINAR: Living and Learning in 2025

Understand the Future of the Classroom, sponsored by Intel

On May 20, we will get a glimpse into the future. Many education leaders complain about the difficulty of long-term planning when we don’t have a clue what the future will look like in the classroom. Now we canhave some insight.

“Technology alone will not make our kids smarter.”

says futurist, Brian David Johnson. OK, so what will?

I’m totally intrigued to learn what will be said in this free webinar from Intel where Brian David Johns...

EPISODE 142: What If Everybody Understood Child Development? [PODCAST]

An Interview with Every Classroom Matters Guest, Rae Pica

Rae Pica is joining a cacophony of voices calling the US national standards for kindergarteners as “developmentally inappropriate” and “unrealistic.” In her new book, What If Everybody Understood Child Development?: Straight Talk About Bettering Education and Children’s Lives, Rae shares a composite of opinions and research that gives voice to the children being pushed to learn. In this fear-based DO IT NOW mentality being pushed on pa...

Leaning In, Leaning Down, Putting Yourself Out There

The Struggle to "Go For It" with No Regrets on the Family Front

I loved Sheryl Sandberg’s TED speech upon which a movement began. But I am sitting here reflecting upon it and how I feel about my decisions to put family first.

I wrote this post in 2014 but didn’t publish it. Perhaps it is the untimely death of Sheryl Sandberg’s husband that has me reflecting back upon this. Perhaps I felt it was too much about me. However, after a year of ” leaning in” and putting myself out there, the results...

10 Top Teacher Appreciation Week Ideas (and a Way to Save Money on Them)

I have a thing for office supplies! I think it comes from being a teacher. This week (May 3-9) is Teacher Appreciation Week. Now, I can share my favorite productivity tips and tools (as always) along with how to get them for yourself at your localStaplesstore.

Staples Teacher Rewards Offer for Teacher Appreciation Week. This Teacher Appreciation Week, May 3-9, Staples has a best-ever offering of 40 percent back in Staples Teacher Rewards. This exclusive, in-store offer gives Teacher Rewards m...

Stay Positive: 7 Ways to Cancel the Noise of Negativity

She sounded like a banshee with a stubbed toe. The wail from the cubicle across from mine, as I sat down to try to write this blog post on a layover in Minneapolis, is worse than any caterwaulingI’ve ever heard before. I can’t tell if she’s speaking in tongues or lost hers. Right now is not a time for the battery in my noise cancelling headphones to go out but it did! Eeech!

I am usually pretty good at NOT staring or glaring. But several times, the shrieks alternated with the off key somethin...

5 Tips to Triumph over Test Prep

This post written by Angela Watson

Maintaining balance is impossible without a clearly defined vision for why you teach. No matter how others may choose to evaluate your work, you can’t define your own success as a teacher according to whether students pass a standardized test. That’s a recipe for frustration and burnout.

This month on the Global Search for Education by Cathy Rubin, we are reflecting on How do you balance preparation for high stakes assessments with teaching and learning in...

Productivity: How the Mud Puddle Principle Can Shape Your Habits

I love this blog post from Principal Ben Gilpin. He describes what happened when he threw a baseball mitt and glove in his car before leaving town on a family trip.

Ben says

“We were preparing to embark on our road trip, I was packing different odds and ends for the car ride. Just before it was time to go I decided to throw in a baseball and mitt. My two boys at the time had zero interest in baseball and truth be told, couldn’t name one major league player.

Troy (9 years old at the time), not...

4 Ways to Backup Your Files and Stop Playing Russian Roulette With Your Data

Some of you are living on the edge of financial ruin. Not because you’re not a good money manager – you are. Not because you’re bad with people – you’re good with them too.

No, some of you are living on the edge of financial ruin because you are not backing up your computer. Only 7% of people back up their data daily and 23% back up at least once a month. While you can recover most hard drives with a Ben Franklin and a good tech support person, you’ll be out and down for some time waiting for...