Articles by: J. Robinson | Tech & Learning

Twitter (And Other Social Media): Our Ego-Inflation and Self-Promotion Device

By J. Robinson published 17 July 18

Time for a Little Heretical Thought in the Ed Tech World

By J. Robinson published 9 July 18

False Promise of Social Media: Confessions of a Former SM Evangelist

By J. Robinson published 5 July 18

I’ve often talked about how social media fostered conversations and connections. I now confess: I’ve been wrong all these years.

Expanding Education Leadership Innovation and Imagination by Valuing Art and Literature

By J. Robinson published 5 January 18

Building a Better Teacher Through VAMs? Not So Fast According to Mark Paige's Book

By J. Robinson published 13 December 17

Having Trouble Organizing Your Google Drive? Take Charge with These Tips

By J. Robinson published 29 August 17

Managing documents in your Google Drive account can be problematic, especially if your district and your staff use Google Docs, Google Slides, or Google Sheets a great deal.

If You Want Students to Be Passionate Readers, Learn from This

By J. Robinson published 24 May 17

We can become hung up in test prep---exposing students to so-called "test questions" and sample passages---and in the process utterly blaspheme the joy of reading and the beauty of literature.

How to Be an Educator When Thinking Has Become Dangerous

By J. Robinson published 17 April 17

Be Wary of Products Claiming to Be ‘Research-Based’

By J. Robinson published 22 December 16

"Having a product that claims to be ‘based’ on research-based principles of learning is not the same has having a product that is validated by research."

WHEN TRANSFORMING AND INNOVATING YOUR SCHOOL SEEMS HOPELESS: THREE THINGS YOU CAN DO

By J. Robinson published 23 August 16

Most of us face situations in which success seems impossible or improbable, and many of them involve what Malcolm Gladwell calls “Goliaths” from his book, David and Goliath.

A Principal Plays Pokemon Go: Lessons Learned So Far

By J. Robinson published 5 August 16

Curiosity won out, and I downloaded Pokemon Go for two reasons.

When Transforming & Innovating Your School Seems Hopeless: 3 Things You Can Do

By J. Robinson published 3 August 16

In education, we often find ourselves in these "Goliath" situations where our initial assessment is that we can't possibly succeed, because we are out-manned, out-resourced, and out-powered.

Teachers Impact Students' Lives in Immeasurable Ways

By J. Robinson published 28 July 16

How do you measure the true educational impact of a teacher?

Want Innovation? Start with the Teachers in Your School Instead of Experts on the Outside

By J. Robinson published 22 July 16

The real problem with the heavy-handed reform strategies and tactics imposed from above is that their development and implementation failed and continues to fail to be collaborative endeavors.

How Federal Education Policy That Says 'If They Breathe Test'em' Has Deformed Kindergarten

By J. Robinson published 8 July 16

In that study, it is very clear that our schools have increasingly short-changed and abused young students with their testing fetish. I

From the Principal's Office: School Leadership Is About Keeping Teachers Happy: Not Just Weeding Out the Bad

By J. Robinson published 29 June 16

Too often there's this undying faith in educational leadership literature that if the right school leader is found, then the problems of the school will be resolved.

Purpose of Education Is to Prepare Students for Life; It's That Simple!

By J. Robinson published 16 June 16

Three Reminders for Educators on the Eve of the Spring Standardized Testing Onslaught

By J. Robinson published 12 April 16

As the season of testing falls upon us, the obsession with bubble sheets and number two pencils begins anew.

So What If I'm Using Microsoft Office 365! It's Still a Good Bet!

By J. Robinson published 5 February 16

I realize there's a great deal of "anti-Microsoft" sentiment floating around, but this office suite still has proven its utility, over and above any other office suite.

Micro-Credentialing: Potential New Professional Development System or Fad?

By J. Robinson published 2 February 16

Last evening, while participating in an #NCED Chat, I encountered a new idea for professional development called “micro-credentialing.”

YikYak-Type High School App Used for Cyberbullying

By J. Robinson published 6 January 16

I stumbled across this post on the Washington Post web site: “Millions of Teens Are Using a New App to Post Anonymous Thoughts, and Most Parents Have No Idea.”

From the Principal's Office: Do PISA Scores Really Mean Anything? Not Much!

By J. Robinson published 22 December 15

“After School:” Mobile SM App for High Schoolers Offers Potential Headaches for Educators

By J. Robinson published 17 December 15

It turns that our students now have access to a high school version of the app Yik Yak called “After School.”

Blogo: An Easy-to-Use Blogging App for the Mac

By J. Robinson published 2 December 15

I have waited quite some time for a blogging app for my Mac. I’ve used several, but my personal favorite is Blogo.

From the Principal's Office: Office Lens, New Smartphone Scanner App That Works with MS Word and PowerPoint

By J. Robinson published 8 April 15

Office Lens is a new scanner app for your iOS device or Android device that turns your smartphone into a pocket scanner.