I've compiled these "routines" into the booklet below for myself as a quick reference. The routines are simple and quick. Have a look if interested. You can download through Issuu here, or via Google Docs here.

Throughout my nine years in the classroom, I've been eager to test out possibilities for improving teaching and learning through technology use. It's a messy process. Back in February 2010, I broadcast my eagerness to use cell phones in the classroom inEducation Week. Then I changed my stance, arguing in May 2012 that too much social media and gimmicky technology application in the classroom could lead teachers to neglect teaching students substantial skills. Since then, I've tested out Edmodo and continued to explore. After years of experimentation and reflection, here's my current take on smart-and not-so-smart-ways to use technology in the classroom:

Give it a try! Hold back information and see how your students respond!  Let us know how it goes.

Shot over a period of 18 months, Italian photographer Gabriele Galimberti's project Toy Stories compiles photos of children from around the world with their prized possesions-their toys. Galimberti explores the universality of being a kid amidst the diversity of the countless corners of the world; saying, "at their age, they are pretty all much the same; they just want to play."

Good for any class doing a character study The ever clever Russel Tarr has developed a new neat tool for creating fictional text message exchanges between fictional and or historical characters. The Classtools SMS Generator is free to use and does not require students to log-in. To use the SMS Generator just click the left speech bubble icon and enter a message. Then to create a reply just click the right speech bubble icon and enter a new message. You can make the exchange as long as you like.

"The Computer History Museum offers many online exhibits on a variety of topics related to the history of computing. Some online exhibits like Visible Storage and Mastering the Game complement physical exhibits you can also experience when you visit the Museum in person. Other online exhibits are available only through the Internet and extend the reach of the Museum to virtual visitors around the world."

all about maps

All the great things that haven't happened yet, are history waiting to happen.

Here are 10 youth innovators, from ages seven to 15, particularly worth noting and working on projects ranging from games to anti-bullying apps.

a summary of how connected educators volunteered "on a tweet" to stream into our school and provide a LIVE professional development opportunity

presentation tool

"Skype, despite a few flaws like dropped calls and all that, is like having something out of The Jetsons in your classroom right now. In other words, video calls are now possible and even free for most types of calls. Between Skype and Google+ Hangouts, there's a lot of exciting connections being made every day over video"

Here's a handy site that helps students publish three types of documents - a poster, a brochure or a newspaper.  Read Write Think's site is easy to use with an intuitive interface but its real power comes in the fact that students can save incomplete work!  The site lets a user save in a proprietary .RWT format on a usb stick or saved to a network space.  When your next class begins, that same file can be opened so it can be completed and shared as a .PDF

This is an interactive where students can set up scenarios for a meteor hitting the earth.  They can set projectile parameters, impact parameters, target parameters and distance from impact to calculate the impact of a, hopefully theoretical, meteor.

like a wallwisher