Recently, a conversation on our department’s listserve sparked me to offer a rare response. Most of what you need to know about the conversation on the list is embedded in my comments below, and I would welcome ideas for how you help students use technology during class in productive, ethical, and responsible ways. — Colleagues, [...]

Tomorrow, I will be presenting two sessions at the Sessions at Wisconsin State Reading Association Conference. Here are descriptions of the sessions and the related presentations: From School to Screen: Why Digital Writing Matters (9:30 – 10:45) Without question, writing continues to change in the twenty-first century. Teachers, administrators, parents, and other stakeholders value the [...]

As we prepare to head to the NWP Annual Meeting and NCTE Convention in just about a week, I am also plugging away at our Chippewa River Writing Project Continued Funding Application. I have come to one of the most compelling parts of the report, at least for me… the point where we reflect on [...]

From our site visit earlier this winter, the media and public relations team at CMU has put together an article and podcast about the Chippewa River Writing Project. I find it fitting that as we pursue digital writing within the project that the way in which it was announced to the CMU community comes in [...]

Today, I will be introducing my ENG 315 pre-service teachers to the idea of developing their “digital teaching persona” and thinking critically about why and how to use technology in their personal technology learning and to become better teachers of writing. Each semester, I face the act of balancing the introduction of a number of [...]

Apologies in advance for what will be a long post here, as my “reflection in action” during the conference consisted more of trying to find free wifi and navigating the Riverwalk than it did of actually having time to sit down and think. I tried to break my thinking up by day, for what that’s [...]

Anyone who has ever been in one of my classes or workshops knows that I rely on Wikispaces for almost all of my teaching and professional development. Read more about their new K12 initiative in this article. A quarter million teachers to get free wikis | Gaming and Culture – CNET News A San Francisco [...]

This recent article from eSchool News caught my attention and gave me pause to think about the course I am designing for the fall, ENG 460. Top News – Google unveils online reference tool For better or worse, Wikipedia–the online reference site that lets anyone add to its ever-growing body of knowledge–has changed the nature [...]

The second in a series of workshops from NWPM colleagues at MRA 2008, these are notes from Portland Middle School teachers Amanda and Garth Cornwell’s session on “Partnering Students, Parents, and Teachers Through Technology.” Begin with questions from the audience: How to get younger students to access technology on their own? How do parents react, [...]

Reflective Digital Media in Teacher Education Timo Portimojarvi, University of Tampere, Finland Developing curriculum of teacher education Cultural view of curriculum and profession Historical, cultural, and political objectives Teachers are social and cultural actors The development of the curriculum is a practice-based research process Three-level curriculum model Personal level – autobiographical and individual process of [...]