Have I mentioned how much I love my Twitter PLN! I am connected with the most amazing educators from across the globe. Many of these educators I have the privilege of working with in person or getting together once and a while over breakfast. Some of them I am lucky to have met in person […]
My latest educational read has been Risk Taker by Brian Aspinall. The book is filled with relatable and thought-provoking stories and lessons written in a way only Brian can. When I read books like this, I often write down thoughts or quotes that leave an impression. So…here we are. In one of his accounts about his first year teaching […]
I am a 30 something white male. At least that is how I am perceived on-line by those I have never met. As such, I often wonder about perception and intention. My great great great grandfather was the first black mayor of Toronto. Just last year a park was dedicated to him and my Nana […]
I remember the year a SMART Board was installed in my classroom. It was a game changer at the time. I ditched the blackline masters and accompanying teacher’s manual and made my own program. My way. Everything we did from then on was interactive. I loved my SMART Board. Next came iPads. I had access to an entire class set of iPads. […]
Twice in recent times I have heard two different educators state “my students can’t do this” with regards to coding. Wrong. So so wrong. So so so so wrong. They can, if you let them. They can, if you believe in them. They can, with with your guidance, love and support. Sometimes “those” students are […]
A former administrator used to say “if school was a business we would all be bankrupt because we are so slow to change.” A bold statement that carries validity. In this rapidly changing world, the rate of change right now – as you read this – is the slowest it will ever be. This holds […]
In October of 2019 I took one of the biggest risks. It was a teacher friend’s 40th birthday and her husband had secretly organized an adventure for us all. We were in on the secret. She was not. We played along. Pretended we had passports ready for an exotic trip. We packed strategically, making it […]
Hello, world! It has been a while since I have written my own blog post. I am grateful to my friends and colleagues who contribute here and have picked up my slack the last few months! Truth be told, I have been writing elsewhere. Last weekend my book Risk Taker was released. A book I […]
Hot off the press! We are SO EXCITED to release Risk Taker today which is already in the #3 spot on Experimental Education on Amazon Canada! We are super proud of our work, your work and our students’ work! “Future-ready students need to be creative. They need to know how to communicate their ideas and […]
We are celebrating the release of Risk Taker with another Bonfire campaign! Grab your gear here! Future-ready students need to be creative. They need to know how to communicate their ideas and how to collaborate as problem solvers. To master these and other twenty-first-century requirements, they will need to be critical thinkers. Engaged students are […]
Hello, world! Brian here! It has been a while since I have written a blog post. Partially due to my travel schedule, my University courses and mostly because we have been super hard at work creating a new collection of wicked awesome kids books! Check out our titles below and stay tuned for RISK TAKER […]
It’s Computer Science Education Week. My social media feed is filled with amazing things happening in classrooms around the globe. It’s filled with ideas, resources and endless opportunities for educators to network with one another and add to their teacher toolbox. It’s filled with facts and figures about computer science, and why it’s important for […]
Hello, world! We have some incredibly exciting news to share! This week we quietly released two amazing resources – Think Like a Coder and Scratching The Surface! Coding is everywhere! Follow along with a girl and her dog as they explore computational thinking in their everyday activities. Colourful illustrations and easy to access text help […]
Good. Neither am I. I wanted to make this clear are the beginning. I am a math teacher. I am not a computer programmer. My colleague and mentor for all things code, Dan Shuster (Twitter: @simicodesquad) will disagree. However, please indulge me while I elaborate on how I started teaching Math With Code. Full disclosure, […]
I began teaching computer science and coding almost three years ago by accident. I was presented with an opportunity to get trained in a new Project Lead the Way (PLTW) course for middle school level learners called Innovators and Makers. I had to participate in an intensive once a week training via Adobe Connect for […]
This year I wanted to carry on the tradition of carving pumpkins and sharing the joy of the season with the kids that I teach. I always attempt to help students find joy in learning and upon arriving to the classroom with a trolley full of pumpkins, there was no doubt a lot of joy in the […]
I started integrating coding and robotics into my program about four years ago after meeting a teacher at a conference who had been coding with her kindergarten students. I thought, If kinders can do this, surely I could figure it out. I had dabbled with coding in highschool and university and one of my favourite toys […]
WHY CODE? What makes students so engaged that when the end of the day on a Friday, learning is still taking place and not one student in a class of 25 even notice that the bell is about to ring? Here’s why: I was introduced to Brian Aspinall through a colleague. Brian and I are […]
At the conclusion of every year I have my students write; ‘Archer Survival Tips’ for the incoming students….suffice to say they are fantastic! Itemes such as; ‘Glasses on? Park your behind and mind your own business for the day, he didn’t sleep well (probably a Fire Call in the AM)’ or ‘Hydrate with Coffee….Often, no […]
In a previous blog, I shared the following information: “Passion has led me to apply for the New York Google Innovator Cohort 2019. If you haven’t heard about the Google Innovator Project, you are missing out an amazing PD opportunity. I have been working on my application for a few months and have just really […]
“Follow Lucas and Liam’s coding adventure as they make a new friend! Lucas and Liam have been assigned a coding project by their teacher. At first they are more excited about working in the hallway than doing the project, until they meet Lily, a girl who has autism. The boys learn that not everyone communicates […]
As back to school season kicks in for many of my US teacher friends, we still have three weeks to go here in Ontario and I am loving every second of it! Recently I picked up a Sphero Bolt and Code Mat to explore new coding opportunities for students. I have been a fan of […]
Hello, world! Brian here again celebrating the longest of birthdays. As much as my wife thinks I am nuts, my birthday celebration tends to be about a month long. I am very spoiled. I am very grateful. I also want to give back to the Code Breaker community and I have a FREE Sphero Bolt […]
