Showing posts with label Top Posts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Top Posts. Show all posts

Sunday, December 28, 2025

Top Posts of 2025

While I have continued my blog (this is year 15), I decided to reduce the number of posts to spend some time on my podcast, Unpacking the Backpack.  So instead of once a month, I settled on bimonthly.  In addition to reducing posts, I implemented another change: using artificial intelligence (AI) to generate images. A great deal of effort was always spent on creating the perfect picture to accompany each post. Thanks to AI, I saved precious time and reallocated it to finding research to support my thoughts and ideas.  Speaking of AI, this was a theme I explored more in my writing this past year, particularly how it could analyze vast amounts of data and personalize learning.  Sticking to my roots, I also tried to churn out posts leaders could leverage.  


Without further ado, here are my top 5 posts of 2025 in terms of authentic readers.  What really stood out to me was how readership picked up significantly from August on.  











Fifteen years in, the medium may evolve, but the mission remains constant. Whether it is through a generated image that captures a complex idea, a podcast episode that unpacks a trend, or a blog post that challenges the status quo, I am committed to supporting your growth. I look forward to continuing this journey with you, exploring the intersection of AI, leadership, and learning in the year ahead.




Sunday, December 29, 2024

Top Posts of 2024

I must say that 2024 has been crazy in a good way. It was the first full year that my consultancy, Aspire Change EDU, served education systems worldwide.  While this kept me super busy, it also impacted my blogging schedule.  Well, that and the fact that it is so difficult to come up with unique topics to write about.  I must not be the only one in this boat, as there are fewer and fewer education bloggers these days.  Upon reflection, I might readjust my goal of one post a week, which I have stuck with since 2010, to one per month. Writing must come naturally and not be forced.

Another thing I have noticed is that readership is way down.  Either my blogging skills have deteriorated over the years, or maybe people just don’t read as much anymore. Regardless, my blog has always been a space for me to reflect and align relevant contexts to strategies and issues that educators can relate to meaningfully.  For someone who never saw themself as a writer, I am proud that I have stuck with it this long.  My hope is to churn out at least one more book. Time will tell on this goal.


Without further ado, here are my Top Blog posts of 2024 based on views.

Compliance vs Engagement


Personalize: Meeting the Needs of All Learners

11 Artificial Intelligence (AI) Tools to Support Effective Teaching and Leadership

Quantifying Innovative Practices

The Fallacy of Best Practices


Here's to a fantastic 2025!  If you have any ideas that you think I should write about please share in the comments. 

Sunday, December 31, 2023

Top Posts of 2023

As we reflect on the past year, it's evident that the realm of education continues to be influenced by an array of disruptive forces, most notably artificial intelligence. Through my writing, I have attempted to capture the essence of contemporary challenges and innovations but also provide practical solutions and thought-provoking insights from the field. From exploring the nuances of a post-COVID world to offering fresh perspectives on traditional teaching methodologies, each post has been a testament to my commitment to advancing educational discourse. My writing style, blending analytical depth within relevant contexts, strives to serve a diverse audience of educators, students, and academic enthusiasts, making ideas understandable and relevant to all educators.

Key posts have delved into the transformative potential of technology in classrooms, the importance of personalized learning in education, building leadership capacity, and the evolving dynamics of teacher-student interactions in a post-pandemic world. My sincere hope is that these articles have not only resonated with readers but have also sparked meaningful discussions and inspired actionable change in educational settings. Through my blog, I've aimed to create a platform that not only informs but also empowers and motivates educators and learners to explore new horizons in education. 

For the past fourteen years, my journey as a blogger in has been an enriching experience, marked by a relentless pursuit of knowledge and a passion for sharing it with the world. Without further ado, I hope you enjoy my top posts of 2023. As I have done the past couple of years, I am including a hyperlink and the related image.  I wish you all a happy and safe holiday season. Here’s to an amazing 2024!

A Framework for Learning Through the Purposeful Use of Technology


10 Ways to Grow as a Pedagogical Leader


Artificial Intelligence for Leaders


5 Clear Ways Digital Benefits Learners








Sunday, December 18, 2022

Top Posts of 2022

With each passing year, I am always amazed that I continue to blog with consistency. It has become much more challenging, which is why I made the decision to move to a bi-monthly writing schedule.  In a recent post, I shared my rationale. Basically, I am running out of unique topics and angles to explore so I don’t want to run the risk of becoming redundant.  In some cases, this has already happened already, which is even more reason to put time and effort into my emerging video project called #EDvice.  I plan to pick back up with this series early in 2023. 



While many of my posts highlighted successes in current coaching projects, I tried to focus my efforts on expanding concepts presented in Disruptive Thinking in Our Classrooms.  No matter how “evergreen” a book, the fact of the matter is that things change, or new perspectives are gleaned. By evergreen I mean that the content withstands the test of time. Unlike the days when there was no Internet, anyone can provide deeper context or supporting examples to supplement and piece of traditional written work. If you want to see these posts, I have curated them on this Pinterest board. If you are interested in a book study after the holidays there is a comprehensive study guide and an impressive bulk order discount through ConnectEDD Publishing (email info@connecteddpublishing.com).

Below are my top posts from 2022. There is a nice mix of concepts including personalization, educational technology, leadership, and school culture. As I did last year, I am including a hyperlink and the related image.  I wish you all a happy and safe holiday season. Here’s to an amazing 2023!

Moving Beyond SAMR with the Rigor Relevance Framework



Shifting our Focus 



Your Ticket to Move Effective Lessons



Supporting and Rewarding Teachers with Time



The Ever-Evolving Leadership Lens




Sunday, December 27, 2020

Top Posts of 2020

The year began like any other. From a blogging perspective, I kicked it off with a post on what could be as a means to pump up educators as they continued to move towards embracing innovative strategies and ideas.  In my opinion, January always represents an excellent opportunity to try something new. Personalized learning quickly became a focus area based on impressive outcomes from some of the schools I had been working within in an on-going and job-embedded fashion. It is always an honor to share the incredible work of educators in the field. Other pieces included topics that I traditionally cover but with new angles such as pedagogy, change leadership, and school culture.

Everything changed in March, not just for me, but the entire world.  The COVID-19 pandemic began to spread like wildfire across the globe. I vividly remember being on vacation in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, when everything seemed to go downhill overnight.  Schools closed their physical buildings and shifted to remote learning as lockdowns went into effect worldwide.  My reaction was to take a break from vacation and churn out a blog post focusing on resources that educators could use right away. This happened on March 12, 2020. 

Who would have thought that nine months later, the pandemic would still have its tight grip on society? A powerful reminder and lesson, depending on how you look at things, came out of this mess. Even though educators were (and still are in many cases) flying the plane while building it, we learned that a virus could not stop their commitment to kids. If you get a chance to thank an educator today (or any day for that matter), please do. They are working their tails off and performing miracles in many cases. Their pay does not align with the effort, time, and stress they are dealing with during this pandemic. We are in their debt.

From March on, my blog posts focused on practical strategies in the areas of remote learning, hybrid models, and leadership in uncertain times. They were some of my most read pieces ever! What I learned was that educators were craving useable ideas aligned to the current reality. I used this time to learn and grow myself as I had to both adapt and evolve to improve as a presenter, workshop facilitator, and coach. You need to practice what you preach if it is going to have real value in today’s world, and I worked hard to do just that to better meet the needs of those reading my blog.


Without further ado, here are my most popular posts of 2020 in no particular order. Instead of sharing a summary of each, I have decided to include the unique image that was developed to accompany the content. 

A Pedagogical Framework for Managing Face-to-Face and Remote Learners at the Same Time


Strategies to Foster Discourse and Collaboration in Remote Learning Environments



Moving to a Hybrid Learning Model



10 Remote Learning Practices to Avoid



8 Non-Digital Remote Learning Ideas



In the face of adversity, resilient educators stepped up like never before. For this, we owe them our gratitude and heartfelt thanks.  Some valuable lessons were also learned along the way, with the main one being that the future is bright for education. The pandemic taught us all that needed change can happen more quickly than thought. In 2021 we need to use these lessons to drive systemic change.  

Sunday, December 29, 2019

Top Posts of 2019

Well, another year of writing has passed, and it was a big one as 2019 marked ten years since I began my blogging journey. To still be churning out posts on a weekly basis is quite the accomplishment for a guy who never wrote nor intended to write for a public audience. For me, the push I needed came from Ken Royal, who, after hearing what we were doing at New Milford High School and then visiting, stated unequivocally that I had to share our story. Well, after begrudgingly agreeing to pen some guest posts for him, I built up my confidence and launched my blog in March of 2019. After that, the rest is history.

Blogging has certainly changed over the past ten years. Back in the day, a typical post would garner numerous comments. They would also serve as a catalyst for vibrant Twitter conversations. Another change has come in the form of developing unique topics or spins on what is already out in cyberspace. For me, in particular, I have experienced a great deal of difficulty trying to determine what I want to write about in that I want each piece to either add to existing conversations or be an entirely new take. Often ideas pop into my head when I am sleeping, and I immediately wake up to type them into a note file I have on my iPhone. However, the best ideas for blog posts I get come from coaching in schools. Here I get to experience firsthand how many of the ideas that are talked about on social media and at conferences are successfully implemented into practice.



Without further ado, here are my top posts of 2019.

The Pedagogy of Blended Learning

Blended instruction is what the teacher does with technology. Blended learning is where students use tech to have control over path, place, and pace. There should always a focus first and foremost on ensuring that sound pedagogical design serves as a foundation. In this post, I pull on extensive observations and work with schools to identify instructional strategies, essential elements, most successful models, and effective technology solutions that work to create pedagogically sound blended learning experiences.

The Problem with Zeros

To say that this post generated some buzz on Twitter would be quite the understatement. Punishing learners with zeros destroys both morale and a love of learning by digging a hole that many cannot recover from (nor do they have any aspirations to do so). They also create a mirage in terms of what was actually learned. If a grade does not reflect learning, then what’s the point? We owe it to our students to pave a better path forward. 

The Future of Work

Change is not only on our doorstep, but it is about to kick the darn door in. The future of work requires new skills, and it is up to K-12 education to lead the charge in this area. Skills are not enough, in my opinion. Yes, we want learners to have the requisite skills to meet the needs and demands inherent in the 4th Industrial Revolution. More importantly, it is our duty and the role of education to ensure that they are competent. Empowering our learners to think critically and solve real-world problems is paramount.

The Two Most Important Questions to Ask to Determine if Learning is Taking Place

Keep it simple stupid. Are kids thinking? How are kids applying their thinking in relevant ways? This post explores how the Rigor Relevance Framework can be used as a practical way to determine the answers to both of these questions by looking at the level of questioning and the tasks that kids are engaged in. 

Digital Leadership: Leading Change from Where You Are

Leading change is about identifying intended outcomes, applying an innovative lens, and arriving at outcomes in better, more effective ways no matter your position or title. The Pillars of Digital Leadership represents a framework for all educators to initiate and sustain innovative change that aligns with the core work that already serves as the foundation for every school or district learning culture. The premise is to do what we already do better by working smarter, not harder.

Here's to an amazing 2020 everyone. Thanks for all that you do for kids.  

Sunday, December 30, 2018

Top Posts of 2018

Get up and write!  Well, this isn’t the saying that I abide by, but making the time to reflect and hammer away at the keyboard is something that I still consistently commit to doing.  There are many reasons I continue to blog regularly, but the biggest is trying to add a practical lens to many of the ideas we either see or hear about on social media. During the past year, I attempted to connect more research to either further validate my thoughts or illustrate how educators were implementing proven strategies with an innovative angle into practice.  An increase in the amount of job-embedded coaching work I did in schools over an extended period of time also influenced my thinking.  There is nothing better in my opinion than to see either growth or success in schools where real challenges were overcome. 



In my opinion, you don’t have to be a great writer to blog. Begin with a focus on your work and that of others you spend your days with as a starting point.  Remember, the act of blogging is first and foremost you and the impact that it has on your growth and development. Another outcome is the impact that it has on readers near and far. Never discount how your ideas and experiences might positively influence the work of others.  Back to the whole writing thing. If you ever doubt your ability fall back on a proofreader (thanks mom) on Grammarly as I do. 

Here are my top posts of 2018.

Preparing Learners for the Fourth Industrial Revolution

Change isn’t coming. It’s already on our doorstep.  You can’t run or hide from it. The revolution, or evolution depending on your respective lens, of our world, will transform everything as we know it. We must adapt, but more importantly, prepare our learners for a bold new world that is unpredictable.  Welcome to the Fourth Industrial Revolution.  It is characterized by a fusion of technologies that is blurring the lines between the physical, digital, and biological spheres marked by emerging technology breakthroughs in a number of fields, including robotics, artificial intelligence, nanotechnology, quantum computing, biotechnology, the Internet of Things, 3D printing, and fully autonomous vehicles. Education remains the key to the future. Don’t prepare students for something. Prepare them for anything!

Scaffolding Questions to Develop Deeper Understanding

The key to future-proofing school and learning is to empower all kids to think regardless of label or zip code. By using the Rigor Relevance Framework as a guide, we can begin by asking learners better questions with the goal being that they start to formulate questions on their own. With and without technology, it is crucial to create a thinking culture. Scaffolding questions enhance learning and aids in the mastery of concepts by systematically building on knowledge and relevance. The ultimate goal is to develop competent thinkers and doers who can not only use knowledge in new ways but also construct their own.


The Pivotal Role Movement Plays in Learning

Research has shown that movement in the form of brain breaks, recess, and physical education positively impacts learning. Don’t look at kids moving in class as a break or poor use of instructional time. Schools need to do more to ensure that movement is being integrated into all classes. The brain needs regular stimulation to properly function and this can come in the form of exercise or movement. Based on what is now known about the brain, this has been shown to be an effective cognitive strategy to improve memory and retrieval, strengthen learning, and enhance motivation among all learners. As research has shown, movement is an essential component of learning. If the goal is to help kids be better learners, then we have to be better at getting them up and moving in school. 

Five Components of Good Feedback

Feedback is essential to improvement and growth. There is nothing more vital to our professional roles than a good discussion around evidence-based practice that paints a picture not only of what we are doing well but areas where we can either become much better or outright improve. However, for it to be effective, it must be delivered positively, timely, practical and specific, consistent, and delivered using the right medium.  

To Improve Outcomes, We Need to Take a Critical Lens to Instructional Design

There is no perfection in education; thus there is always room for improvement.  To get to where we want, and our learners need us to be, a routine audit of pedagogical practice is necessary.  In this post, I identify five areas to look at when implementing any digital tool or innovative idea to determine whether or not improvements to pedagogy are changing. These include the level of questioning, authentic and/or interdisciplinary contexts, rigorous performance tasks, innovative assessment, and improved feedback.  A question or two as a means to help self-assess where you are and if improvements can be made follows each of these areas. 

Thanks to everyone who has made the time to visit my blog, read posts, and provide comments.  Here’s to a fantastic 2019!  

Sunday, December 31, 2017

Top Posts of 2017

Another year of blogging has come and gone.  Consistency remains a challenge, but I have committed to writing at least one post a week.   I also discovered Grammarly a few months back and have fallen in love with this tool.  Since I am not a strong writer to begin with, this tool, along with the superb proofreading by my mom, has helped to get thoughts articulated more clearly.  As I reflect on my own growth and learning over the year I can definitely see how this has impacted my writing as well as my work with schools, districts, and organizations. Evidence, accountability, research, and efficacy were the most common themes woven into the majority of my writings, which resonated loudly with readers of this blog.  



Without further ado, here are my top posts from 2017:

Competencies vs. Skills

As the world continues to change at an exponential rate there needs to be more of a focus on preparing competent learners as opposed to those who are just skilled. Skills focus on the “what” in terms of the abilities a student needs to perform a specific task or activity. They don’t provide enough connection to the how. Competencies take this to the next level by translating skills into behaviors that demonstrate what has been learned and mastered in a competent fashion. Success in a digital world will rely on much more than skills.  It's time to shift our focus and energy on developing and assessing core and innovative competencies that will serve all students now and in the future. 

Is Technology Being Integrated Effectively?

The key word in the title above is effective as it means different things to different people. The question provides a great opportunity for all of us to critically reflect upon the current role technology plays in education.  Effective use should result in evidence of improved learning outcomes, alignment to standards, going well beyond just increases in engagement, informing instruction, and transforming assessment.  Taking a critical lens to why and how technology is being used in classrooms and schools will only help improve efficacy (more on this below).

A Pedagogical Shift Needed for Digital Success

This post represents a much deeper dive into the topic of effective use. The main focus is how educators can use the Rigor Relevance Framework to improve instructional design.  It provides a solid lens to look at the learning tasks that students are engaged in and redesigns them in ways that move away from telling us what they know and instead showing whether or not they actually understand. Pertinent examples are illustrated to show what rigorous digital performance tasks look like in practice. 

Efficacy in Digital Learning

In short, efficacy is the degree to which desired outcomes and goals are achieved. Applying this concept to digital learning and innovative ideas can go a long way to solidifying the use of technology as an established practice, not just a frill or add-on. This is just the beginning. When integrating technology there needs to be a Return on Instruction (ROI) that results in evidence of improved student learning outcomes. In this post, I highlight 5 key areas that can put your classroom, school, district, or organization on a path to digital efficacy. These include essential questions, research, practicality, evidence/accountability, and reflection. To learn more about how efficacy can be achieved check out the Digital Practice Assessment (DPA).

10 Tips to Make Learning REAL

My first post of 2017 really resonated with readers. It encouraged educators and schools today to make learning REAL: relevant, engaging, authentic, and lasting. In addition to explaining why this is important, the how was mapped out through various practical tips and examples. 

Well, there you have it.  Thanks for reading and here’s to an amazing 2018!