heyhey's word

Why We Need Deep Learning

I did something radical in 2008. I waited in line for an entire week at the flagship Apple Store in New York City to buy an iPhone. It was part of a PR stunt. My friends and I were the first people in line because we knew that mobile devices were going change how people worked. However, I had no idea, at the time, the considerable impact mobile devices would have on education.

Will Richardsonhas…

Hey Ya (Take 1)

I’ve been practicing my chord changes with C & G, so I thought I’d take a stab at a simplified version the Outkast’s song Hey Ya. My C chord continues to give me fits. It takes me about one beat longer than I want before my fingers find the right position.

I want to give this tune another try in a few more weeks. There is another strumming pattern that I want to try, but it’s gonna take me some…

The Secret to Educational Innovation

For as long as I can remember, I have learned better in groups. I got started with connected learning early. I cheated my way through seventh-grade biology. By cheating, I mean used my classmates to help me complete my homework assignments. I often traded a Snickers bar in exchange for help. By today’s standards, I think this is called collaboration with an incentive.

Many educators are…

Playlist: Psychic Function Fatback Anywhere Underground Songs

https://www.mixcloud.com/widget/iframe/?feed=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.mixcloud.com%2Fheyheygig%2Fpsychic-function-fatback-anywhere-songs%2F&hide_cover=1&light=1

These are select tracks from my Record Store Day 2017 purchases.

Enjoy.

Don’t Be Fooled By Knowing Things

While teaching English in Japan, I was asked to give a group of young Japanese junior high school students a crash course in American table manners. We pushed a group of desks together to form a makeshift table, and I created a mock table setting using books for plates and plastic tableware. I began modeling how to use a knife and fork to eat. About 30 seconds into my demonstration, a young…

What does innovation look like?

I think most teachers agree that education needs to change. The things as they are, top-down, teacher-centered classes are not working. This feeling has many educators talking about innovation. What does it look like in the classroom? There are a few teachers out there leading the charge.

AJ Juliani has created “A framework for Innovation in the Classroom.” His simple framework outlines key areas…

Top Record Store Day 2017 Picks

I love Record Store Day.

I spend weeks getting ready. I comb over the RSD List with a highlighter. I make notes and search for music samples online. I thin out my vinyl collection to make room and sell records on eBay to free up some purchasing funds. I watch the Bull Moose RSD Preview video to get an idea of what the packages and vinyl will look like.

I wake up early and go get in line. I make…

Do You Engage Students or Empower Them?

Where are you on your teaching journey? What big lesson have you recently learned from teaching?

I’m currently wrestling with the idea of student engagement versus student empowerment. For years, I thought student engagement was the greatest goal a teacher could aim for.  I went to great lengths to engage students. I wanted their undivided attention. Recently, I’ve been contemplating that…

Learning Guitar: Desire (Take 1)

I haven’t been practicing with the guitar as much as I’d like to the past couple weeks, but my changes between A, D, & E have sped up, so I decided to give a simplified version of U2’s Desire a try.

I still need to practice my rhythm. I can’t get the timing down with the correct up-strums and down-strums, but I’m getting closer. I need to work on keeping a steady rhythm with my right hand.

12 Soulful Songs to Help You Get Up (and Get Down) on Sunday Morning

https://www.mixcloud.com/widget/iframe/?feed=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.mixcloud.com%2Fheyheygig%2Fsunday-morning-soul-songs%2F&hide_cover=1&light=1

I woke up on Easter morning and put this playlist together. It’s a mix of soulful tunes to help you get up (and get down) on a Sunday morning.

Enjoy.

Learning Guitar: 1-Minute Changes w/ Problem Chords

Nothing like airing some dirty laundry! This is a video of me drilling chord changes with a few chords that have been giving me a hard time.

The idea here is to change chords as many times as possible in the span of a minute. The chords shouldn’t be total rubbish, but the aim is to speed up the fingers and build muscle memory while worrying about accuracy later.

I have discovered a small tweak…

How I’m Reclaiming My Life From My Phone

Do you ever find yourself walking down a busy sidewalk while typing messages on your phone? Do you ever use your phone while crossing the street?

I used to do both of these things. Over the past couple years, I’ve been thinking a lot about my phone usage, and how I spend too much time staring at its screen. I realized that I need to rein in my phone usage and reclaim my life.

While I began…

Here’s my weekly French pronunciation:

  I’ve also begun using a Quizlet set one of my classmates created to help remember some of the vocabulary words.

I’ve fallen a little behind in posting my French studies recently. Instead of backtracking  to catch up, I’m going to post my newest lesson. Since my last post, I have started a Level 2 course!

Below is my weekly pronunication practice:

[soundcloud url="https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/312537940"…

Twist & Shout (Take 1)

  Here’s my weekly guitar practice video. This week I’m taking a stab at a simplified version of The Beatles Twist & Shout. I’m beginning to see some progress with my changes between chords A, D, & E while I continue to practice up-strums and various rhythms patterns.

Here’s the original Beatles version for reference. Someday in the distant future, if I’m lucky and keep chipping away at my…