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on the road to find out
Assorted Thoughts by Alex Ortiz


Interesting Times: A Retrospective
"There is a Chinese curse which says "May he live in interesting times." Like it or not, we live in interesting times. They are times of...
Alex Ortiz
May 14, 2020

Delightful Digital Distraction (A Reflection)
I've been teaching video game design for the last three years. As most everyone knows, a considerable amount of coding goes into video...
Alex Ortiz
May 2, 2020


A Look Back (Impact of a Growth Mindset)
At the beginning of this adventure, we were asked to develop a Growth Mindset Plan. Recognizing the need for some positive thinking in my...
Alex Ortiz
May 1, 2020


To Your (Mental) Health (A Reflection)
As the title implies, this is by no means an advice column. Rather, it's more of a chronicle of my own personal struggles amid the chaos....
Alex Ortiz
Apr 10, 2020


Connecting the Dots vs. Collecting the Dots (Video Reaction)
Authenticity. If it's one thing today's learners value, it's authenticity; they want to feel part of something meaningful that has the...
Alex Ortiz
Apr 9, 2020


Scratch-ing the Surface (Mini-Review)
Although I haven't started formally teaching a coding class (Elsik Ninth Grade Center received that honor this year), it hasn't stopped...
Alex Ortiz
Mar 6, 2020


Opportunity through Flexibility & Genuine Connection (A Learning Philosophy)
I work for a Title I district, which means we receive additional federal funding to help us better assist our students (the majority of...
Alex Ortiz
Mar 5, 2020


Distance Learning and the Digital Divide (A Reflection)
Prior to the pandemic, I would dream of my ideal K-12 education environment: a mix of on-campus and distance learning, all married...
Alex Ortiz
Feb 16, 2020


A Culture of Learning (Video Reaction)
I'll admit that this was the first time I've ever heard of Douglas Thomas. After watching his TED talk, I can certainly say that I'm glad...
Alex Ortiz
Feb 16, 2020

Innovate for Alief
In a joint venture with Elsik Main and Elsik Ninth Grade Center (led by fellow coding educator Duane Daigrepont), the Elsik High School...
Alex Ortiz
Dec 19, 2019


Innovation Proposal
As part of our ongoing initiative with Apple and Lamar University, participating educators have been asked to draft a plan for...
Alex Ortiz
Oct 15, 2019


A New (School) Year
Greetings, folks! This will perhaps be one of my smaller updates since there isn't much to report. School started on August 14th, and I'm...
Alex Ortiz
Aug 17, 2019


Alief ISD Student Coding Camp (06/24 - 06/27) (ENGC)
After just two weeks since we had attended the teacher-focused coding academy, it was time to put our newfound skills to use and host one...
Alex Ortiz
Jul 1, 2019


Growth Mindset Plan
If you're like me, then positive thinking isn't necessarily the easiest thing to practice. It's easy enough to say what's wrong or cast...
Alex Ortiz
Jun 19, 2019


Coding Academy Recap (06/10 - 06/14) (Houston, TX)
Well, this recap has certainly been a long time coming! A summary: Apple, Houston Community College and Lamar University have teamed up...
Alex Ortiz
Jun 17, 2019

Assessing the Assessor
As an educator, I occasionally forget that the learning isn't just for the students. My swift reminder came in the form of a technology...
Alex Ortiz
Jun 13, 2019
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