“A problem well put is half solved.”
–John Dewey
I help leaders make informed decisions for the best use of existing resources and find new pathways to meet their unique needs.
Shared Resources
The documents offered below represent elements of successful solutions I have helped districts implement in recent years. All are welcome to access and use them freely with the attributions contained on each intact.
PROGRAMS
Elite vocational programs can siphon students away from community public schools with high tech offerings and high interest career pathways. In-house career academies– schools within schools– can bring them back.
Click here to download Creating Career Academies
PEDAGOGY AND PRACTICE
Learning can be passive or active, but only the latter shows clear and enduring benefits for students. Helping schools shift to more problem-based experiences increases rigor, student engagement, and future readiness, particularly during virtual instruction.
Click here to download Introduction to Problem Based Learning
COMMUNITY AND CULTURE
Events not only bring together staff, students, and families but can help schools develop lasting partnerships with supportive stakeholders. The Jersey Shore Makerfest drew 14,000 people over 5 years and brought a new “maker” mindset to the community.
Click here to download Implementing a Maker Mindset
EDUCATIONAL ENVIRONMENTS
Classrooms with rows of desks facing the chalkboard are visible symptoms that students are not being engaged. The right learning space promotes problem solving, critical thinking, and collaboration through hands-on learning and discovery.
Click here to download my Design Principles for Makerspaces
PROMOTIONS AND PARTNERSHIPS
Letting the world know of your successes is less about pride, personal gain, or bragging rights than building an understanding of your organization that draws resources to you. But first you’ve got to get your story out there, the way you want to tell it.
Click here to download How to Write a Press Release
FUNDING
If necessity is the mother of innovation, then having adequate funds is its father. State aid cuts since 2014 are pushing NJ districts to eliminate programs. Informed educators annually tap into millions in grant dollars not only to maintain but to grow.
Click here to download How to Develop Winning Grant Proposals
“Marc has the ability to quickly analyze a problem or situation and creatively propose and implement solutions. A natural leader, his dedication, passion and commitment to equitable educational opportunities for all students infuses his actions and inspires his colleagues.”
Larry Cocco, Senior Program Consultant for Sustainable Jersey Digital Schools
and former NJDOE Director of Educational Technology
Recent Presentations and Offerings
Interview with Vermont Public Radio on Education and Artificial Intelligence June 25, 2024
Two days prior to running a workshop for over 100 secondary educators on AI +Ed at Hula Lakeside in Burlington, VT, and seven months after co-launching the nonprofit aiVermont, I met with VPR’s Mikaela LeFrak at their stylish studios on the former Fort Ethan Allen site to discuss my work. Click here to give it a listen.
TEDx Presentation on Artificial Intelligence and Education
In this ten minute TED talk recorded in April and released by TED in late July 2023, I make the case for why artificial intelligence and machine learning are challenges educators are prepared to meet, and describe how the disruptive influence of these technologies is an opportunity for important change in how we think of and practice teaching and learning. Click here to view.
International Society for Technology in Education Annual Convention June 26, 2023
Using the recently revised NJ technology standards as an example, this workshop presented the mindset, rationale and research behind learning across the curriculum. Participants explored and hacked ten sample challenges showing how standards and practices in every content area can complement each other to make learning more relevant, engaging, and transferable. Click here for a version of the slidedeck.
NJ Association of School Administrators Techspo January 27, 2022
In this workshop, participants explored the newly revised NJ student learning standards for technology. They explored mindsets like computational thinking; a stronger focus on the ethics and impacts of using technology; and how tech skills and tools can be applied authentically in areas other than computer science. Click the image to access the slidedeck. Click here for a full sized version of the infographic shown.
Click the Contact menu above for more information about teacher and administrator training or school and public presentations on these topics and more.