When creating video lessons, it is important to be mindful of the question: how do you capture and keep students’ attention during the screencast? In this post for Sophia’s School of Thought Blog, I outline some strategies that have worked well for me. Catch the post here!

I had another opportunity to write a post for Sophia’s School of Thought Blog. This post was really prompted by an email that I received from a teacher who was assigned to teach AP Calculus last minute at her school, with no help. She wrote me early in the school year asking if she might be able to … Continue reading →

Personally, I use Camtasia Studio (PC only) to record, edit, and produce my videos. In the editor, I can add interactive elements like quizzes, hotspots/pauses, and callout boxes. Here is an article I wrote talking about how I use embedded quizzes (also includes a video tutorial + walkthrough of analytics). (Note: Camtasia Mac does not allow for the … Continue reading →

AIMS Teachers Retreat 2014 Closing Keynote – Session Notes Began by talking about the importance of reflection post-conference! <- that’s why I love blogging right after every conference You all matter. Each person matters! Never treat people as a commodity. Each person needs, and deserves, to feel important. Think more carefully about how to embrace … Continue reading →

AIMS Teachers Retreat 2014 Day #1 Keynote – Session Notes As a teacher, never think: don’t take it personally. That denies us the chance for a personal connection. You never know what’s going on in somebody else’s life, don’t assume. (pictures) Perception of Phoenix = cactus; Reality of Phoenix = traffic What is a rockstar … Continue reading →

AIMS Teachers Retreat 2014 Opening Keynote – Session Notes (discussion) Take a look at the title and discuss, at your tables, what you think I’m going to be talking about Whodunnit Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubNF9QNEQLA How many of you saw a change in the scene? And how many changes did you see? There were 21 changes, and … Continue reading →

Thanks to a wonderful group of participants for making edcampMetroDC a wonderful day of learning. The passionate, enthusiastic teachers and learners who come out to edcamps keep me inspired and hopeful that education is constantly changing for the better. A huge thank you to the wonderful Steering Committee that I was a part of: Chip … Continue reading →

This post is about a former student of mine, who is graduating from college this spring with a BFA in Painting. A couple years back, I was teaching Calculus — not the AP level Calc that I often talk about, but a far more relaxed course teaching an introduction. For most of the students in … Continue reading →

I want to thank David Cutler @spinedu for putting together a detailed article entitled “The Flipped Mentality“. The article starts by interviewing Jason Bretzmann,  then talks briefly about the flipped-mastery model by referencing an earlier piece David did with Jon Bergmann, and closes with an interview with me. In my part of the interview, I talk about: … Continue reading →

If you haven’t checked out the new Screen Recording feature in Snagit for Google Chrome, I’d suggest you get on that! This is the easiest free screen recording option I’ve found. I’ve included detailed instructions below. Don’t let the length of this post be intimidating; I included an instruction for every step of the process. … Continue reading →