As Sam Harrelson and I gear up for our presentation on Saturday on Connecting via Social Media, we have both been confronted with the question, “Where do we begin?” Do we start with the professional benefits that we have both experienced via Social Media? Do we tout the way that connecting to other professionals from …
The fact that Harvard, Stanford and MIT have bought in should only give us more pause as to why we haven’t: But once an Ivy League university does it, then an innovative practice can be validated. Perhaps online instruction did not look so hot to many professors until MITx, the university’s new online learning program, …
It’s important that we are growing students who are able to understand and transcend many different literacies at one time. The emphasis on helping students code isn’t necessarily about become programmers, but become fluent: Again, no, the assumption is that there will be better understanding of what code is all about. The idea is not …
Dismantling Philly Public Schools: The plan, or “blueprint,” was written by a business strategy organization called Boston Consulting; it recommends the closing of 40 of the city’s 249 schools in the coming year, with additional school closings in the years to come. The goal is to have a school district where the central district is phased out …
This is changing the landscape of education, you need to think again: My 11 year old son just took a course at Stanford. That has a nice ring to it but it is actually meaningless because these days anyone can take a course at Stanford. You don’t even have to pay. All you need is …
More about charter schools from the Obama administration: The document also gives charters flexibility to develop their own teacher and principal evaluation systems, as long as they adhere to a number of standards. The Obama administration announced last year that it would offer states waivers from the most onerous provisions of the No Child Left Behind Act. …
Good thoughts: One of the oldest problems with the left or progressive movement is our tendency to drag ourselves down through internal struggle over who has the most correct political line. We are seeing some of this dynamic emerge in the movement against high stakes testing. Perhaps it is a coming of age – a …
As summer arrives (maybe not soon enough for us teachers), we long to wear flip flops and non teacher clothes, but also maybe to flip flop some things around for the coming year. As your thinking about flipping your classroom, remember what it truly means: “Flipping the classroom” means using class time differently than you …
Why does Apple succeed is a question that businesses are asking themselves constantly. Sam’s on the right track in recognizing the note that Apple gives its employees on the first day. As I’ve heard story after story of teacher appreciation weeks, I’ve been astounded by the fact that administrators and parents think on day without …
A couple of jewel’s from A Show: No matter how life is now, it will change. Be comfortable with the not knowing. The more we deny the way this is happening all around us and the way that we are secretly feeling these things are true, the harder the pavement will be when we hit …
