In this post, I live blog my Spanish Learning Journey so that I can look back and see my progress, but also so that I can be helpful to anyone else who may share my learning style and context! This may be especially useful if you: Are learning Spanish from scratch (though many of the…
Category: Systems & Processes
My Quarter in Review: Summer 2017
I spent much of this last quarter in deep contemplation, both with other people and in my own writing and reading. Questions I grappled with included: What does it take to create a process towards equity that in and of itself is equitable? How do I determine, as the Founder and Executive Director of #NYCEDU, where we…
Learning is Fundamentally Human: Cornell BigRed//Hacks ‘17 Keynote Address by Deborah Chang
Cornell BigRed//Hacks is the oldest student-run hackathon in the country. This year, 40+ teams worked on hacking together a technology solution for an education problem. I was invited to give the keynote speech as an educator, serial entrepreneur, and community builder. This is a transcript of my speech.
Help! I’m a Teacher– How Do I Get Into Education Technology?
When I first started teaching fifth grade science at KIPP Academy in Houston, Texas, I had no idea that I would end up parlaying that experience into my current role as a consultant to education technology companies. I was simply a teacher on a mission to do right by my students, and that drive just…
Designed for Teachers: Lessons Learned from Designing the Buzzmath iPad App
Most recently, I worked with the team at Buzzmath to redesign their iPad app. It was (and continues to be) an incredible experience because the team at Buzzmath really care about teacher and student feedback and work to make sure Buzzmath creates the best possible experience for them. The specific features I want to highlight…
The Ultimate Guide to Personal Productivity
Some people are naturals at personal productivity, others have to learn it. I’m definitely the latter. My first year teaching, I was so awful at managing my time that I would go days in a row without sleeping more than five hours a night. One day, it got so bad that I fell asleep at…
The Ultimate iPhone App for Teachers: Dash4Teachers Makes Contacting Parents Easy and Enjoyable
Teachers, listen up. If you could download only one iPhone app, ever again, make it this one. Dash4Teachers is available in the App Store for $4.99. It is literally the most indispensable iPhone app that I’ve used as a teacher, and I love it so much that I’m going to spend a whole post convincing…
Keeping Track of Your Finances: The Easy Way
SHORT STORY | The answer to all your finance tracking woes is Xpenser.com. Go there, now. LONG STORY | One of the issues as a new teacher, I find, is dealt with completely outside of the classroom, and that’s finances. I’m just not used to keeping track of where I spend my money or documenting anything throughout…
Deborah Chang 