I returned from Kenya over a month ago and am still reflecting on the conversations that I had there with teachers, students, administrators, and officials at the Kenya Institute of Education. There’s so much to think about and digest. The one thing, however, that I have been thinking about ever since I came back is [...]

Karyn Romeis responded to my South African reflection by linking to her own African tale. Her words struck a chord because I returned from Africa (South Africa and Kenya) only a few weeks ago, and my experiences there profoundly changed me as a teacher and a human being. Her entry took me back to many [...]

I’m back. After traveling to South Africa and Kenya with Teachers Without Borders - Canada , I am filled with so many emotions that it’s difficult to put it all into words. That’s why I’ve been putting this off - I initially planned to start reflecting right after my return from Africa, but I think [...]

Filmed at Glendale Secondary School in Mitchell’s Plain, a township outside of Cape Town, South Africa. The Teachers Without Borders team conducted workshops on ICT integration and Web 2.0.

Final video of the Virtual Classroom Project hosted on the Islands of jokaydia in April and June, 2008. For more information about the project, click here. Screenshots of the Virtual Classroom Project are available here.

She’s five, maybe six years old, and her eyes are glued to my camera. After some hesitation, she comes up to me and says, “Can I see?” I kneel down on the wet concrete and show her the camera. I point to the viewfinder. She puts her small hand on mine and gingerly lowers the camera [...]

Nothing has brought pedagogical theory into greater disrepute than the belief that it is identified with handing out to teachers recipes and models to be followed in teaching . - John Dewey, Democracy and Education I’ve written about this before, but the concept of engaging students in conversations and engaging, as an educator, in conversational assessment, [...]

Cross-posted to jokaydia.com Leigh Blackall’s work on the islands of jokaydia in Second Life is truly inspiring. We’ve had many discussions since he agreed to take part in my Virtual Classroom Project and it’s been fascinating to observe his progress. I envisioned the Virtual Classroom Project as an opportunity to explore alternatives to our traditional notions [...]

Cross-posted to jokaydia.com I’ve been thinking about classroom design for a very long time but have never really been able to experiment with it until I found out about Second Life and the virtual building opportunities that it affords. When I first started working on my teachandlearn retreat on the island of jokaydia in Second Life, [...]

My first entry on this blog, posted on February 22, 2005, marked the beginning of my doctoral research on blogging communities. I was interested in what happens when a group of grade eight students is given a place where they can engage as writers and move away from the “schooliness” of traditional class work. When [...]