🚌 Try this virtual field trip in May

💻 NEW PD SERIES: Capture and hold student attention

Get info and register for my new LIVE cohort with RocketPD

You know what’s tougher than ever right now? Capturing — and holding — students’ attention.

The good news? We’re not helpless.

This fall, I’m teaming up with RocketPD for a brand-new five-session cohort called:

Tech Like a Pirate: How to Create a Buzzworthy Classroom That Captures Students’ Attention — and Holds It.

We’ll talk about attention, relevance, and motivation — and how to connect your instruction with the digital world your students actually live in.

This isn’t about gimmicks or tech for tech’s sake. It’s about using platforms, tools, and strategies with purpose.

📅 Starts November 5, 2025
💡 Five live virtual sessions + access to recordings
🎟️ Discounts available for teams of 5+

Hope you’ll join me — or pass this along to someone on your team who’s ready to rethink student engagement.

PS: Let me know if you’ve got questions — just hit reply and ask!

💻 TECH TIP 💻

An AI prompt for creative end-of-year teaching ideas

For the last three weeks, we’ve been looking at end-of-year ideas you can plug into your class right away.

(By the way, if you missed it, just go to the web version of the newsletter and click back through previous posts.)

Now, let’s use AI to generate some new ideas.

You can copy/paste the prompt in the box below into an AI assistant — like ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Microsoft Copilot, Anthropic Claude — with a few customizations …

You can always add more activity categories in the “Suggest a variety of options” section.

After you’ve gotten your first round of ideas, always feel free to follow up with …

• tell me more about (specific activity)

• give me more ideas in (specific category)

• customize it more for (specific content)

• give me detailed instructions for (specific activity)

• create an assignment I can copy into my learning management system for (specific activity)

💡 THE BIG IDEA 💡

🏛 Free Norman Rockwell Museum virtual field trip

We all know the struggle: you want to give your students rich, engaging experiences …

… but budget constraints, transportation hassles (especially for those long distances to museums!), and time limitations can make traditional field trips a real challenge.

That's why the Norman Rockwell Museum's "Imagining Freedom" Virtual Field Trip is a great option to bring a world-class museum experience directly to your class.

Why virtual field trips?

• Accessibility: No more worrying about bus costs or accessibility issues. Every student gets a front-row seat.  

• Flexibility: Fit it into your schedule! Use it for a single class period or spread it out over multiple days. The program is designed to be accessible to classrooms across the country.  

• Engagement: Interactive galleries and compelling visuals keep students hooked. The "Imagining Freedom" virtual exhibition itself offers an immersive, interactive journey through ten galleries with more than 250 works of art and over six hours of dynamic content.  

• Expanded Horizons: Explore places you might never be able to visit in person, especially if your school is far from the museum's location in Stockbridge, MA.  

• Budget-Friendly: This one's FREE for educators, thanks to the generosity of dedicated funders.

What you get in the Norman Rockwell Museum’s free virtual field trip

• 24/7 Access to the "Imagining Freedom" Virtual Exhibition: Students explore Rockwell's powerful works, focusing on democracy, human rights, and civic engagement. Highlights include Rockwell’s Four Freedoms and his iconic Civil Rights images, as well as contemporary artists' visual interpretations of the meaning of freedom today. Students can zoom in on individual artworks, explore detailed background information, listen to audio recordings in seven languages, and browse related sketches, photographs, research materials, and media.  

• Thematic Lesson Plans Aligned with National Education Standards: Ready-to-use PDFs assist teachers in seamlessly integrating art into their curricula, encouraging connections to contemporary issues and fostering discussions around themes such as Civil Rights, social justice, narrative and storytelling, and the artist's process. 

• Flexibility: User-friendly navigation allows educators to choose pathways tailored to specific grade levels and subjects, ensuring a focused and enriching educational experience. Modular lessons let you pick and choose what fits your curriculum and time.  

• Multi-Device Compatibility: Works on computers, mobile devices, and smartboards.  

• Subjects Covered: History/Social Studies, Civics, Visual Arts, and English Language Arts/Humanities.  

• Theme: Narrative & Storytelling.  

• Interactive Activities: The program incorporates inquiry-based learning, discussion prompts, and engaging activities that encourage students to connect personally with the artworks, enhancing their understanding and relevance of select themes in their own lives.

Why take this field trip?

The Norman Rockwell Museum has been honored with a 2024 Anthem Award for this project, recognizing its innovative and impactful digital experience in Education, Art & Culture - Digital & Innovative Experiences. This award celebrates purpose-driven work on digital platforms and recognizes those who use technology to inspire positive global change.

How to get started (it's easy!)

• Apply for Free Access: Fill out the form on the Norman Rockwell Museum's website. 

• Get Your Unique Link: You'll receive an access link, typically within two business days.  

• Dive In! Use the virtual field trip anytime, as often as you like, throughout the school year.  

The Museum also plans to expand the VFT program offerings with ongoing development of lessons on topics such as critical media consumption, civics, satire, and the life and work of Norman Rockwell and other important American illustrators, so keep an eye out for more!  

👋 How we can help

There are even more ways I can support you in the important work you do in education:

1. Read one of my six books about meaningful teaching with tech.

2. Take one of our online courses about practical and popular topics in education.

3. Bring me to your school, district or event to speak. I love working with educators!