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Creating Connections in the Idea Hive Classroom
The collaborative project with Clarence Fisher’s class from J.H.Kerr Public School in Snow Lake, Manitoba, is heading into its 7th week. The connections have begun. During the first week of school,...
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Holocaust Education via @langwitches & Group Skype
This week, the Idea Hive experienced a significant “first”: a shared read aloud of The Book Thief using Skype, backchannel chat, and Linoit, a virtual bulletin board. In previous posts, Clarence...
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Securing the Connection
As we end our third week of the shared read aloud of The Book Thief, it’s clear the students in Ontario and Manitoba are supporting each other in their learning. Today as I read via Skype, Clarence...
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Word Shakers in the Idea Hive
In his TEDGlobal talk, Where Good Ideas Come From, Steven Johnson uses the term, “liquid network” to describe a learning environment where innovation and deep thinking happens. He describes it as “kind...
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The Sum of the Whole is Greater Than its Parts: A Field Guide to Molching
As the students move towards the end of this year’s collaboration in the Idea Hive, Clarence and I presented our students with the book they wrote together, while living 2 700 km apart. A Field Guide...
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Author of “The Book Thief” Visits the Idea Hive Classroom
The Idea Hive classroom is almost out for the summer. But just before the year ends, the students had, as one of them described, the “opportunity of a lifetime” – a Skype visit from the award-winning...
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Achievements in the Idea Hive
It’s year two in the Idea Hive, and the learning continues for our students. The seasoned gr. 8 students (our 7’s from last year) seemed to pick right up from where we left off in June. As my teaching...
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A Long Journey is Finally Complete
Last year the Idea Hive students spent a considerable amount of time studying Markus Zusak’s award winning novel, The Book Thief. As a follow-up activity to our read aloud, the students wrote their own...
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Strengthening Compassion via Half Brother & Project Nim
This year the Idea Hive read aloud featured the book, Half Brother by Canadian author Kenneth Oppel. The Idea Hive is two grade 7/8 classrooms located 2 700 km. apart in Wingham, Ontario and Snow...
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The Idea Hive 2013/14 Begins
Today the tag line that follows my blog title “Teaching with technology in a Gr. 7/8 classroom means sometimes you fly by the seat of your pants.” was relived-in a positive light. The Idea Hive,...
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