David Truss

My 'Pair-a-Dimes for Your Thoughts' Blog

My thoughts on education, learning, and technology.

This web page includes many links to blog posts that I consider to be some of the highlights of my blog so far.

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• My Practic-All blog: More pragmatic ideas for my classroom than my Pair-a-Dimes blog, and host of my weekly newsletter to staff: DIGITAL MAGIC.
• A Brave New World-Wide Web Slide Show and Video or related blog posts.
  
• My Del.icio.us links - (Add me to your network). Some tags: Web2.0, education, restructuring, & leadership.
• I am also datruss on Diigo - my groups (communities) include educators and EdTechTalk
• Leadership Lesson Plans & Leadership Paper/Resources
  
• Teaching Metaphors (Files on my old blog)
  

• Presentation to student teachers: an introduction to Web2.0 and Wikis including my Brave New World Wide Web presentation.
• Connect and Protect: With Dave Sands, used with parents to introduce Facebook & connecting with students online, and also used with teachers in a 1-to-1 laptop initiative.
  
• Start Your Own Blog: A wiki based Pro-D session with Web2.0 tools highlighted.

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My Web2.0

My Classroom Tools:

• My Blog (and Wiki) Rules (Post): Based on Respect, Inclusion, Learning and Safety.
  
• My Science Alive! Wiki Project: Intro-(Post), Pedagogical issues-(Post), Reflection-(Post)
• My Renaissance Fair/Da Vinci blogging project. Blogs in my classroom. (Post '06, Post '07)

• Fieldfindr: My wiki mock-up of a portal for teachers to find volunteers. (Post) (Social Network on Ning)
  
• My Practic-All blog: More pragmatic ideas for my classroom than my Pair-a-Dimes blog. This is where I share my weekly DIGITAL MAGIC with my staff.

My Blog Posts:

Posts that belong in My Web2.0 collection, but are not necessarily resources.

• Learning Conversations: A great introduction to my blog early on, with summaries of many other posts.
• The Web2.0 Prophecy: an Adventure: A look at how the web has evolved, where it is now, and where it is heading.
• School 2.0 Participant's Manifesto: "When I enter I will be prepared to learn, to participate, to engage, to discover, to play, to inquire, to create..."
• David Warlick's K12 Online Conference Keynote: Teacher as compass. A quote here helps to inspire this next post...
• 3 posts that look at 'Digital Students' Digital Divide, Digital Competence and Digital Exposure.
• "the use of blogs to learn, not just to teach":'Am I adding technology to my teaching or providing students with new learning and new ways to learn?'
• Synthesize and Add Meaning: We must change what we do. We need to be adept at creating flexible, differentiated learning environments.
• Square Peg, Round Hole: A composition of other people's thoughts and ideas... with a theme.

Other Posts... Not-so-Web2.0, but worth sharing...

The following are not in the My Web2.0 collection:

Relating specifically to Math/Numeracy:

• Assessment and Rote Learning: Math Conundrums: "In some ways I think this really should be two posts, one on Assessment and one on Rote Learning of Multiplication/Division Skills, but I also think they fit well together." As it stands, it is my most popular post due to a high Google ranking.
• Numeracy & Problem Solving: Process Producibles: "...as you work on this 'sometimes messy' math, it is important to let students know what specifically you are assessing them for, and then you need to 'raise the bar' on expected producibles as students: get used to you assessing 'different' skills; and, as they improve their thinking skills!"

Relating specifically to Social Responsibility:

• More than one face to Cyberbullying in the classroom: Four 'D's can get you sent to the office... in this case, "It would not have been too hard to handle this situation on my own. However, I think that making a very public issue such as this into an office concern raises the profile of such an incident. It validates that such behavior is simply not tolerated in our school!"
• "Who have you helped today?" - Developing Empathy: "In the service of others we learn meaningful lessons ourselves. Mark spoke of developing empathy in kids. In so doing, he wondered if standardized testing 'taught' our kids anything meaningful? When do they learn about empathy and love?"
• $3881.65 for one night's work: "... more on empathy.... enjoy a few tales of the next generation doing good."

...and finally, a personal favorite of mine:

• A Giant Teaches Me About SUCCESS: a "what are your secrets to a successful life" meme: I am not a meme fan, but I didn't write this for the meme... I wrote it for one of my heroes, and I would like to share it with you.