Latest posts
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I Said I Would Scream From the Rooftops. Consider This Me Screaming!
Back in June, at the end of an Adobe session at ISTE 2026, Claudio Zavala Jr. showed a room full of educators a one-minute and fifteen-second animated video that stopped me completely in my tracks. It was rich, layered, professionally rendered, and made entirely with AI-generated prompts. Every element editable. No animation degree required. No…
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Diffit to the Rescue!
Yesterday, I did not like my lesson planned for US History. Not in the “this is boring but necessary content” way that we have to march through content. This was in the “I taught this to one section yesterday, and it was painful for everyone in the room” level of dislike. The lesson landed with…
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How I Built an AI Planning Space That Actually Knows How I Teach
This may look similar to last Monday’s post. I had several people reach out and ask for some additional steps or context on how I built the structure of my Claude project space. Also, the World History resource page is LIVE!!!!!! Every August I tell myself this will be the year I stay ahead of…
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My First Two Days of School, Redesigned Around One Idea: Your Story Matters
The first two days of school are a negotiation. Students are figuring out who you are. You are figuring out who they are. Everyone is performing slightly more than they will for the rest of the year: students performing compliance, teachers performing authority, while the actual relationship that will make learning possible has not yet…
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Year Zero Update: What We’ve Built for World History (and What’s Coming Friday)
When I wrote the Year Zero post back in June, I made a promise. . Everything I build gets shared. Two dedicated resource pages: one for US History, one for World History, updated as the year goes on. Not a highlight reel of the things that worked perfectly. Everything! It’s August. I’m in my 2nd…
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The Best Thing I Found at ISTE 2026 Wasn’t at the Loudest Booth
I have a theory about conferences. The best stuff is never where the speakers are the loudest and the lights are the brightest. I developed this theory the same way I developed my best opinions about food: by ignoring the obvious choices and wandering until something unexpected stopped me cold. I am the person who…
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Who’s Ready to Soak Up the Sun at ISTE 2026 in Orlando?
The laptop, headphones, and portable batteries have been charged. The sunscreen has been forgotten. The kids have been hugged and kissed goodby with the promise of seeing them again in a week. I’m currently in KCI chatting it up with some World Cup fans and some Europeans who’ve traveled here to support their team, and…
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The College Application Essay: Where Your Students’ Favorite Subjects Finally Get Their Shot
Every year, approximately two million high school seniors sit down to answer one of the most absurd questions in American education. In 650 words or fewer, tell us who you are, what has shaped you, what you have learned from your greatest challenge, and why you are worth our investment. Please be specific. Please be…
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The Grading Trap: Why a 95% Was Never the Problem
On more than one occasion, a student has opened their PowerSchool account, seen their grade, and come to talk with me about it. When I asked what it was, they responded: a 95%. I knew I didn’t turn my poker face on fast enough. This was not the first time, and it will depressingly not…
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Your Body Already Knows What You Think
I want you to try something. Think about a topic you have a strong opinion about. Something you feel clearly and specifically. Not something abstract, something real. A policy, a decision, a choice someone you know made, a position your school or district has taken that you either love or deeply disagree with. Now: stand…