It was about five years ago when a boy walked up to me and asked, “Hey Mr. Spencer, can you talk to the district and see if they’ll open up the library over the summer?” “I don’t think they can,” I answered. “But the city…
Subscribe to YouTube Channel I used to teach a class called photojournalism. I usually referred to it as “digital journalism,” because people assumed we were a photography class. Students created videos, podcasts, documentaries, and blogs with the goal of sharing their work with an authentic…
A few days ago, I noticed people sharing a few random articles from Atlas Obscura. I noticed a few of their tweets rising to the top of my Twitter feed as well. As I drove to work, I caught a part of an NPR story with one…
“Hey dad, can I have a YouTube channel?” my son asked.”What kind of a channel would you create?” I asked.”Maybe a channel showing how to create things in Minecraft. But there’s already a lot out there. What if I had a channel showing kids how…
Seven years ago, I did a research project on blended and personalized professional development. There were a few big take-homes that I hadn’t considered before. For example, I learned that “personalized” only works when there is a collaborative and creative component. I also learned that…
When I was a kid, I remember hearing that computers would replace teachers. I didn’t like this idea, unless they could guarantee that my teacher would be like Data on Star Trek: The Next Generation. However, technologists promised us that computers would radically transform our…
I’m sitting at a technology training learning about a new app. This is the kind of training I’ve seen people mock. I’ve heard folks say, “You should focus on pedagogy and not technology.” Or people say, “Professional development should be job-embedded.” Or even, “If you’re…
You’ve seen the videos imploring people to “look up” and abandon their devices. It’s easy to look into a crowd and say, “They’re not interacting with each other.” But I’ve always had a hard time with these complaints. The problem isn’t the device. It’s the…
Here’s a sketchy video I created for my technology pedagogy course. I have mixed feelings about SAMR, because it often implies that “lower levels” are not as good when often substitution works well. Royan Lee picked this apart well. I also think there are times…
Note: While this post points to a problem I have noticed with tech adoption and teachers, I want to point out that there is a free resource I developed with coaching questions for teachers on the technology journey. These correspond with a post I wrote…
I’m a professor and a maker. Sometimes I make things. Sometimes I make a difference. On a good day, I get to do both.
