By Michael Doig on Tuesday, September 22, 2009Filed Under: Featured, Lesson Planning, Teaching Tips
Today, Tuesday September 22, 2009 is the autumnal equinox. The equinox is the half way point between the summer and winter solstice and marks the first day of fall. The equinox is a great excuse to get outside with your students and take advantage of the sun before the weather gets too cold for outdoor [...]
By Michael Doig on Saturday, September 5, 2009Filed Under: Asides, Teaching Tips
Apple Computer Automation – If you are using Apple Computers in your classroom. This automation tutorial is a must watch (opens in iTunes). Requires: Apple Remote Desktop.
Starting your lesson with a Do Now is good practice. It sets the tone for the class, gets students settled in (because they have to do it now), and ideally makes them think. A Do Now is a question or quote that either reviews or introduces a topic to students. But what constitutes a good [...]
By Michael Doig on Tuesday, September 2, 2008Filed Under: Featured, Teaching Tips, Video
Having an organized and easy place to keep all of your grades and attendance has never been easier. Gradekeeper is a easy and inexpensive way to keep your class information digitally. No more papers to lose or grades to calculate. In the following tutorial I will show you how to set up and use Gradekeeper. [...]
By Michael Doig on Monday, September 1, 2008Filed Under: Featured, Lesson Planning, Teaching Tips
Meeting a new class can be both intimidating and exciting. Icebreakers are a good way to get students active and participating early. Here are 5 ways you can start your classes off on the right foot. Two Truths and a Lie For this icebreaker you will pass out 3×5 cards to everyone and ask them [...]
Group activities that truly engage students are hard to come by. This lesson is one of those activities. Space ship takes a look at rebuilding human civilization. What if the world was coming to an end? Who should we choose to continue the human race? Students are taken on a thought provoking journey to a [...]
Thank you everyone who attended the Dynamic Earth Professional Development. Below you will find the PowerPoint presentations that I used. If you have any questions about the presentations, feel free to leave a comment. Day 1 – Weather Instruments
Thank you everyone who attended the Environmental Symposium at Floydd Bennett Field. It was a pleasure presenting and I hope I get the chance to do it again. A really big thank you to Alix and John from the STEM grant for inviting me to speak. As promised here are my presentation slides and a [...]
From the time you are a baby, you explore the world by touching, tasting, rubbing and smelling. The first thing a baby does when it is presented a new object is to pop it in it’s mouth and bang it around. We are naturally inclined to explore by putting our hands on the world around [...]
By Michael Doig on Monday, February 11, 2008Filed Under: Lesson Planning, Teaching Tips
I recently stumbled upon the Apple Learning Interchange which is a social network for educators. You can find a wealth of content ranging from simple lesson ideas to in-depth curriculum units for K-12 educators as well as a new channel for Higher Education faculty showcasing campus projects, research and more. Some of the lesson highlights [...]