Spiral Notebook Blogs
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Jim Moulton, education consultant
Jim Moulton, an independent K-12 educational consultant focused on technology integration and project-based learning, is in the inspiration business and the knowledge-transfer business. A former classroom teacher, Moulton supports schools in leveraging the technical network through effective integration of twenty-first-century tools and skills and the human network through purposeful project-based learning. He figures it is only when the two networks are focused that the best can be delivered for all members of any school community.
Subscribe to this blogger's RSS feedThe Classroom Booster Club: Recruiting Academic Supporters
By Jim Moulton
8/19/08
I'm heading home from Columbus, Ohio, on a fine, clear summer morning. I am in a window seat on the plane, as always, and on takeoff we fly right past downtown, en route to Cincinnati. On this flight path I get a wonderful view down into the Ohio State football stadium, where the word Buckeyes is emblazoned across the end zone, bold white text on a crimson background.
"Have You Seen This Web Site?": The Value of Exchanging Tips About Online Resources
By Jim Moulton
8/11/08I love working with teachers. Part of it is the importance of the work they do and the sense of satisfaction, both professional and personal, I feel when I am able to make them more powerful and effective. But another reason is that teachers are people who feel compelled to share their best ideas. And because of this trait, it is not unusual for a teacher, generally during a break, to come up to me and say, "Have you seen this Web site, Jim?" And then they give me a URL, and very often the site they pass along is great.
Picture Perfect: Make Your Own Motivational Posters
By Jim Moulton
7/18/08OK, I admit it. I have been known to leaf through the catalogs that live in the seat pockets on airplanes. I never find anything I have to have, but I always look at the motivational posters -- in part because I see a lot of these in the schools I visit.
Building a Legacy: Innovations Shouldn't Necessarily Become Institutions
By Jim Moulton
6/15/08I spent the weekend extending a stone wall I have been working on over the years. Now, before you get too impressed, please understand that my effort this weekend was only about 8 feet long and about 2 feet or so from the ground to the capstones.
Low-Cost Laptop: A Redesigned Computer for the World's Children
By Jim Moulton
5/20/08If you're not aware of the One Laptop per Child effort, you should be, if only because the rest of the world clearly is. And don't stop at reading what the One Laptop per Child Foundation has to say about it; read this article about it, and search "olpc," and you'll soon be an expert.
Broken Records: The Importance of Protecting Information
By Jim Moulton
5/13/08I carry a personal digital assistant (PDA), which my wife occasionally refers to as my "memory." On it are found my contact list and my calendar. When a potential client asks me if I have a date available, this is where I look. When I need to write a letter or make a call, it is where I find the info I need. But of all the functionalities, it is the calendar that is the most valuable. It tells me where I am supposed to be, and when.
Friend, or Foe?: Tech Staff and Teachers Don't Always Get Along
By Jim Moulton
4/4/08Relations between tech-support staff and educators is an emotionally charged issue, and I have thought about writing about it for quite a while. But I had an experience last week that made it clear to me it was time to gather my thoughts and ask a question or two.
Blogs, Blogs Everywhere: Does Everyone Need an Internet Journal?
By Jim Moulton
3/25/08I was working in a school where a teacher, who is technically savvy and making great use of digital tools in her classroom, openly challenged the idea that blogging is something to be encouraged for teachers and students. She voiced a concern that there is just so much stuff out there already, and all these blogs are just too much.
Friendly Computers: Technology Helps People Help People
By Jim Moulton
3/17/08I met an interesting guidance counselor in a rural K-8 school the other day. I was at the school to advocate for the effective use of technology to support teaching and learning across the curriculum, and I was sharing with her my feeling that guidance folks need to be connected to the technology-driven realities of the kids in their schools.
The Classroom Web Page: A Must-Have in 2008
By Jim Moulton
2/19/08Every American educator needs to build and maintain his or her own teacher Web page.
Before you respond with arguments about how many non-Web-paged educators are among the best teachers you know, understand that I'm sure you're right. In fact, I bet many of those nonwired teachers run wonderfully holistic, project-based classrooms where hands-on activities abound and high expectations for all students are the rule rather than the exception.
