Category Archives: Education

On Kindles, iPads, SmartBoards, Prometheans and Apps in the Classroom

The textbook is now digital but students still encounter it as they always have: wisdom to be received, perhaps highlighted, annotated, and memorized, but not created, constructed, or made sense of. Teachers still interact with students as they always have. The platform doesn’t offer them any new insights into the ways their students think aboutContinue reading “On Kindles, iPads, SmartBoards, Prometheans and Apps in the Classroom”

Work Ethic

Teacher Tom: The Work Ethic Indeed “play” and “hard work” are not opposites: in fact, they can be seen as synonyms. Anyone who has ever played hard also knows how to work hard. There may be aspects of our play that we dislike, that are not “fun,” but we do them because they are steps inContinue reading “Work Ethic”

Little Toy Trucks

Brrrm brm brm brm brm brm brm, brrrm b’ brrrm, Brrrm brm brm brm brm brm brrrm b’ brrrm, Brrrm brm brm brm brm brm brrrm b’ brrrm. Brrrm brm brm brm brm brm brrrm. Take me riding in the car, car; Take me riding in the car, car; Take you riding in the car,Continue reading “Little Toy Trucks”

This Week In the Classroom: Probability Dungeon Crawl

When I’m not being a father or husband or woodworking, motorcycling, teaching, or any host of other things, I’ve been known to engage in miniature wargaming.  For those not in the know, think green army men on steroids.  Or Dungeons and Dragons on the battlefield.  Or… Anyways, I have two students which need to learnContinue reading “This Week In the Classroom: Probability Dungeon Crawl”

What a School Could Be…

…if we only let it.  I’m lucky.  Most of the time, my school walks this walk and talks this talk.  I hope your’s does too. Connecticut superintendents propose a radically different approach to education | Dangerously Irrelevant How do you transform factory era school systems so that they better serve the needs of an informationContinue reading “What a School Could Be…”

This Week in the Classroom: The Boys Are Back In Town!

My boys are back in town and they are locked and loaded – here’s a few glamor shots of their beautiful simple benches. Remember – if these look good to you, come build your own version with me at TX/RX Labs in May.

Come Build the Simple Bench!

Are you in the Houston area?  Ever wanted to get started woodworking?  Maybe you just enjoy benches as much as I do? Join me for the Wood Workshop at TX/RX Labs on Sat. & Sun. May 26th & 27th (5/26 & 5/27) from 9am-12pm. 

This Week In the Classroom: The Simple Bench

It’s been a few weeks since I’ve let y’all into the woodshop at work.  We’ve been building the “simple bench”.  If you’ve been reading this blog long, you know I love building benches – butterfly benches, green benches, small benches and long benches.  My boys have been working off this pattern: And I give themContinue reading “This Week In the Classroom: The Simple Bench”