Reviewer and middle grades teacher Judi Holst strongly recommends Troy Hicks’ Crafting Digital Writing to any teacher who uses writing in their classroom and is ready to more deeply engage today’s digital-savvy students. It’s easy to read and full of ideas, she says.
Student-created videogames / Working Draft
by Kevin Hodgson · Published 01/27/2014 · Last modified 12/14/2019
Kevin Hodgson’s students use Gamestar Mechanic to design, build & publish science-based video games. The engaging 6th grade team project aims “to connect writing & media to science.” Included: Four playable examples & a link to team’s resource site.
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From her position as a STEM curriculum developer for an NSF-funded program and close watcher of developments in STEM learning nationwide, science educator Anne Jolly offers five predictions about the path STEM education will follow in 2014.
Co-Teacher Resolutions / Two Teachers in the Room
by Elizabeth Stein · Published 01/12/2014 · Last modified 12/10/2019
Goal setting, not resolution-making, can help develop “a co-teaching state of mind” that leads to stronger classroom partnerships, says special educator Elizabeth Stein. Make the most of collaboration, Stein urges, and keep the egos at bay.
Former teacher Paddy Eger offers detailed training guidelines to prepare adult assistants for the classroom, says reviewer Karen Linch. “I spent many years learning to be a teacher, so it makes perfect sense that parents and volunteers need to be trained.”
Working Draft / Writing and Coding
by Kevin Hodgson · Published 01/05/2014 · Last modified 11/24/2019
If our English Language Arts students don’t learn the basics of reading and writing computer code, asks middle grades teacher Kevin Hodgson, how can we be sure they will grow up to be creators of ideas and not just users of information created and managed by others?
In Celebrating Writers: From Possibilities to Publication, Ruth Ayres & Christi Overman provide clear, powerful ways to recognize and encourage the writer in all students – even those reluctant ones, says middle grades ELA teacher Kevin Hodgson.
Professional community / Working Draft
by Kevin Hodgson · Published 12/15/2013 · Last modified 11/25/2019
While teachers often lead a vibrant learning community within their classroom’s four walls, those walls can also be professionally isolating, says 6th grade teacher Kevin Hodgson. “Being part of a larger network…is empowering in ways that is difficult to put into words. Connections make you feel anchored to a movement. Seeking help is a show of strength.” The Nerdy Resolutions (#nerdlution) hashtag community, he says, is a prime example.
Reviewer Susan Shaver recommends Igniting Your Potential to help adolescents develop into responsible & successful adults. The conversational writing & organization make the book good for sharing with parents & teens or in guided class discussions.
