In my opinion, one of the keys to academic achievement is active student learning. Research tells us that personalized, collaborative, and connected learning experiences enhance student engagement, in turn, driving student success. By integrating blended and digital learning into the classroom, educators can take learning experiences to the next level and improve student performance.  ... Continue Reading →

The last blog post focused on components of a lesson plan.  Part of that planning is discussing and understanding the educational language involved in lesson planning and collaborating around instruction. We as educators throw around buzz words and not know the meaning or the purpose. But you maybe nervous to ask because you feel “everyone... Continue Reading →

A solid lesson plan should provide you, the teacher, the direction and the ability to visualize the path of learning that consists of the “what, why, and how” of the teaching-learning activities. Your lesson plan is a sequence of well-organized learning experiences that connects instructional events. I believe an effective lesson plan also provides opportunities... Continue Reading →

Shifting students from absorbing information to becoming creative thinkers Information from an interview with Dr. Rod Berger and his thoughts about our conversations.  Click here to listen to interview. I sat down to talk with Dr. Matthew Joseph recently and we discussed his current role as the Director of Digital Learning and Innovation at Milford... Continue Reading →

It was a great pleasure to attend the New Hampshire Christa McAuliffe Tech Conference (@nhcmtc) recently, where I had the opportunity to facilitate three sessions. On the second day, the morning keynote was delivered by the talented Tom Murray (@thomascmurray) from Future Ready. Tom made many points that resonated and motivated me. But one made... Continue Reading →

In my 11 years of being a principal and now the past three years as a district leader, I have seen the role of school administrator evolve from a building manager into an instructional leader. Today's school administrator has an overabundance of duties and responsibilities to balance with the mandates from state and national reform.... Continue Reading →

I have been a dedicated listener to “The Herd” with Colin Cowherd for years. One of his many rants (when he is not loving up Lebron, or busting on QB’s for wearing their hat backwards…or many fun Russell Westbrook rants) is that we have to work to GET IT RIGHT, not rush to just “be... Continue Reading →

Today is Halloween, traditional associated with “candy day” or “where’s the treats”. This is also associated with kids (unless you get that awesome neighbor handing out “adult” Jell-O shots during a candy visit). Well, how about some “treats” for teachers. We are all looking for strategies to increase student engagement, so today I thought to... Continue Reading →

Fall kicks off state technology conferences. Some notable events include ACTEM in Maine, GaETC coming in for Georgia, Tech and Learning Leader had a summit in Denver and one coming up in December and many more state events this fall.  I recently attended MassCUE for the first time in many years.  I was proud to... Continue Reading →

Today  Sylvia Ellison‏ @SylviaEllison asked the question on the #hacklearning daily chat  Q1 What are some practical “hacky” ways we build positive environments that support educators and help avoid burn out? 280 characters were not enough for my answer - so added a blog post. Here are a few ideas leaders you CAN put into place tomorrow... Continue Reading →

Todays’ students are using technology to collaborate, learn, research, and communicate while at school. Blended and personalized learning with digital tools has flooded classrooms, but most teacher-prep programs do not incorporate digital citizenship as requirements for teacher certification. This leads to a cross roads of districts pushing digital learning into schools with teachers who may... Continue Reading →

One of the latest buzzwords in education is “active learning,” but what does this really look like in the classroom? Active learning refers to the idea that students are actively engaged in the learning process, rather than passively absorbing content. The benefits of using such activities are many, including improved critical thinking skills, increased retention... Continue Reading →

The role of school administrator is evolving from a building manager into an instructional leader. This shift is not easy, and all leaders strive to be the best they can. Being a school leader isn’t easy and you are not going to make the right call all the time. However, you can learn to avoid... Continue Reading →

How are you driving your Ed Tech instruction? When the song “Life is a Highway“ comes on, it is one of those songs you turn up a little, maybe even smile, roll down the window, and sing the chorus. One line sticks out to me “Life’s like a road that you travel on.” I hear... Continue Reading →

This morning I logged into twitter and what do I see… Craig Martin (@CraigCMartin12) having a dance party in his office and over-the-top fired up for a day of school. So of course, I joined in because enthusiasm is contagious. I promptly responded with my own video sharing my excitement for the day and WHY.  This... Continue Reading →

Written with RAE HUGHART The start of a school year is a great time to set the tone for your classroom climate as a space for students to thrive and create. What follows are strategies for teachers and school leaders to create an environment the supports innovation from the first day of school. The start of... Continue Reading →

As we kick off the school year, I wanted to share my poem from the Boston Tech and Learning poetry slam.  As we start another year, set a goal to inspire someone to reach their full potential. Thanks Carl Hooker (@mrhooker) for pushing me to dig down and try this. The Match I don’t want you... Continue Reading →

Until recently my professional social media presence was exclusively on Twitter (@matthewxjoseph). That was until I had a conversation with a successful and reputable professional—Rita Oates—who told me I was missing out by not being on LinkedIn. I knew of the site but had never joined. When I started to investigate, I realized LinkedIn is... Continue Reading →

This week, I will be moderating my first virtual Hangout with a group of inspired educational leaders from the Tech & Learning Leader community. As I prepare for this online meeting, I reviewed the following three steps to ensure the meeting is effective and meaningful to the participants: Step 1: Preparation: Before the Meeting As... Continue Reading →

Written with Erin Fisher Think about some of the recent movie blockbusters like The Avengers, Justice League, and X-Men. Yes, these are fictional characters, but what do they have in common? They are all stories of individuals combining their talents to achieve a common goal. Collaboration produces victory in the world of blockbuster movies and can... Continue Reading →

What a day. A full day of learning at #BLC18 and getting notice from @FETC (#FECT) about my involvement at the event. I also got to see Joy Kirr (@JoyKirr) speak and get even more energized for my work in creating transformative schools. And even got an "Usie" with her 🙂  When that level of learning... Continue Reading →

Today I had the opportunity to live the word collaboration in two settings. First visiting the Hockomock Area YMCA and meeting with executive Tony Calcia to talk collaboration and the vision of the YMCA.  Then this evening participating in the first #aimsnetwork twitter chat led by Rae Hughart @RaeHughart and Bryan Zwemke @BryanZwemke . It was... Continue Reading →

I was a participant in the 2018 Massachusetts Superintendent Executive Institute (@massupt ,#MASSUPTEI18) and one of the Keynote sessions focused relevance relating to teaching and learning. The keynote speaker, Scott McLeod (@mcleod ), dove deep into the topic talking about a “relevance gap” in today’s schools and asked us to reflect on our own work and practices.... Continue Reading →

The morning Keynote from Scott McLeod @mcleod at the @massupt (#MASSUPTEI18) talked about making learning relevant and used a phrase “Moving from Consumption to Creation” . He also challenged us to write a thoughtful tweet and that is where I started and it morphed into this post.  Unfortunately, my excitement and passion for this topic had... Continue Reading →

The role of school administrator in public education is evolving from a building manager into an instructional leader (Jacob & Lefgren, 2008; Platt, Curtis, Warnock, Fraser & Tripp, 2008; Range, Scherz, Holt & Young, 2011; Waldron, McLeskey & Redd, 2011). Shaping instructional curriculum and supervising teachers are two of the many roles of an instructional... Continue Reading →

For the third summer in a row I will facilitate educator volunteer EdTech PD for Milford. For this post I wanted to organize thought to run effective PD for educators to process my own thinking and be more mindful of the planning and facilitation of sessions.  Educators are giving up their own time to come... Continue Reading →

Yesterday I wrote a blog on reflection and was thrilled, and humbled, at the feedback I received. THANK YOU.  One common piece of feedback was, “once we reflect what are some steps to create goals for next school year.”  I enjoy getting this type of feedback or having these discussions because that is how I... Continue Reading →

Without reflection, we go blindly on our way, creating more unintended consequences, and failing to achieve anything useful. Margaret J. Wheatley My morning started with a quick check of Twitter and always enjoy seeing the #Hacklearningdaily questions and they get me thinking.  Today Sylvia Ellison‏ @SylviaEllison asked “How do you and/or will you measure the success... Continue Reading →

By Dr. Matthew X. Joseph and Erin Fisher MEd Too often schools launch new technology without a plan for supporting and coaching teachers through the process of using new technology effectively in their classrooms.  One key to launching and supporting the marriage of EdTech and curriculum is increasing the opportunity to support teachers and help... Continue Reading →

I was thrilled to be asked by Craig Martin @CraigCMartin12 to be a part of Perkins School Genius Week.  When I started to think about sessions it was right after hearing Staff Sgt Roberts Powerful, emotional, and inspirational message during our Memorial Day program saying “Don’t ever give up on your dream. It is up... Continue Reading →