Category: schoolreform
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The Race to Nowhere – A New Educational Documentary
Thanks to Matt Montagne, I learned about the recently released documentary film, “The Race to Nowhere, The Darkside of America’s Achievement Culture.” This three minute trailer on YouTube gives an overview of the film’s primary themes. We need to stop pressuring our kids to achieve at everything simultaneously, focus on students as individuals with unique…
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Putting Learning In Student Pockets: Mobile Learning at Oklahoma Christian University #heartlandconf10
These are my notes from Berlin Fang and Luke Hartman’s presentation “Putting Learning In Student Pockets: Mobile Learning at Oklahoma Christian University” at the 2010 Heartland eLearning Conference hosted by the University of Central Oklahoma in Edmond. MY THOUGHTS AND REFLECTIONS ARE IN ALL CAPS. The Heartland eLearning conference is on Twitter, has a conference…
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Writing Essays and Creating New Games: Things We Should Do on Netbooks
Walter Bender, former president of software and content for the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) Foundation and founder of Sugar Labs, granted an interview in December 2009 to Wade Roush. Wade’s article is titled, “Sugar Gets Sweeter: Former OLPC Exec Walter Bender on Netbooks, E-books, Blueberry, and Cloudberry.” Bender gave the opening keynote address in…
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Inspired by OLPC, Nicholas Negroponte and Seymour Papert
Despite numerous experiences which could persuade me otherwise, I remain an ardent idealist who wants to change the world for the better. Nicholas Negroponte and the OLPC project have been two extremely influential inspirations to me in the past few years. The March 2010 issue of “The Rotarian” magazine includes the article, “The Rotarian Conversation…
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Dan Pink and Clay Shirky: Online with Steve Hargadon
If you’re not already tuned into Steve Hargadon via Conversations.net and his FutureofEducation.com Interview Series, you need to be. Last night Dan Pink discussed his new book, “Drive,” and today (5 pm CST) Clay Shirky (author of “Here Comes Everybody,” the most important book I read in 2009) will be on. (My apologies for my…
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Will Race to the Top Hurt Kids and Make Charter School Entrepreneurs Rich?
I am an outspoken advocate for thoughtful, constructive educational transformation. I am NOT, however, an advocate for opening the coffers of public education to private investors of all flavors at the expense of our children as well as our collective future. In May 2004, I wrote the post, “School refinance, vouchers, generational compact and class…
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Great Project Based Learning Resources from the Buck Institute for Education and EduTopia
This past October when I participated in the 21st Century Learning conference in Hongzhou, China, I learned about the Buck Institute for Education. BIE has a fantastic website including a multitude of videos about project based learning, like this one titled, “Teachers Learn Through Modeling.” A few weeks ago I tweeted EduTopia staff and asked…
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Design Matters by Darren Kuropatwa at METC 2010
These are my notes from “Design Matters” by Darren Kuropatwa at METC 2010 today. MY THOUGHTS ARE IN ALL CAPS. Darren is the most amazing math teacher I have ever met personally, and one of the most visionary teacher-leaders alive today. He walks the talk of blended, project-based, engaged learning like few educators do today.…
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Literacy Is Not Enough: 21st Century Fluency for the Digital Age by Ian Jukes
These are my notes from Ian Jukes‘ METC 2010 presentation, “Literacy Is Not Enough: 21st Century Fluency for the Digital Age” at the METC 2010 conference. MY THOUGHTS ARE IN ALL CAPS. I haven’t heard Ian present in quite a few years. He was the first person at an educational technology conference (TCEA) to really…
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Choose teaching
Great thoughts about why we should CHOOSE teaching from Gail Lovely: To be a teacher — choose it as a calling, not a job. Choose it to do something meaningful and powerful, with rewards only you might notice. Choose it to be a role model. Choose to be a teacher because you love learning. Choose…