I though I would write about my recent creation.  Over the past year I have been developing the Hexa Trex puzzle, and I thought I would share with you the creative process. 

The Internet is SO powerful. I knew this for a long time: all the information at our fingertips, easy communications with the world, sharing ideas with anybody that wants to listen - the world with no boundaries. But I never really realized how great it can be for us teachers, until I came across this website: https://brokenworld.wikispaces.com/A+Broken+World.

A year ago, a colleague of mine told me of a site: www.RateMyTeacher.com where students get to rate their teachers. I thought this was a fantastic resource, not only for students, but also for us teachers. Immediately I went on the site to check whether I was rated, and in fact I was. I was pleased, firstly that some students were compelled enough to submit a rating about me, and secondly, that the rating was positive.

In Canadian schools textbooks are usually large, hard cover, with glossy paper, filled with beautiful pictures, drawings, many "interesting factoids", spanning a large amount of information. With these gorgeous books, the publishers and authors think that the books are devoured by our students, and that the students read them everyday expanding their mind. I don’t think this is really the case. There are many disadvantages to these textbooks

Driving from Edmonton to Calgary, I hear on the radio that teachers in Parkland (a county in Alberta) are on strike and rejected the latest offer. For the 9500 students there has been no school since February 17 (and today is March 7). Why do teachers (somewhere in Canada) are always on strike, or about to go on strike? Why? Why? Why?

On a recent visit to Alberta, I saw an ad on TV advertising Iron Science Teacher. What is that, you ask? If you ever saw Iron Chef, you can guess what Iron Science Teacher is.

Following a format similar to the famous Iron Chef television series, Iron Science Teacher features teams of Alberta teachers, competing with interdisciplinary science lessons, built around a secret key ingredient.

* Yes\n* No\n* \n* \n* \n

Recently I have fallen in love with board games. Every weekend, our family has friends over, and we always try to play games. It's the highlight of the week. But, since I'm a teacher, I find that I always look for an "educational" twist to the game. I never have to search hard; there always seems to be something "educational" in every game.

What I teach in the class is usually not mirrored perfectly by the provincial exams. The types of questions I ask on my tests are different from those posed on the provincial exam. The topics emphasized by me (due to my preference or what I think is more important content) are not always the ones emphasized in the examinations at the end of the year. Therefore, when teaching such a course, during the final part of the year, I spend time on preparing my students for the provincial tests.

* Students now have the same ability to problem solve and the same motivation as before.\n* Students now are poorer problem solvers and have less motivation.\n* Students now are better problem solvers and have more motivation.\n