Classroom of the future? A response This article from the New York Times on the use of technology in classrooms and test scores merited a response: Dear Mr. Richtel– I enjoyed your article “In Classroom of Future, Stagnant Scores” — but I have a key concern. The entire “debate” around the use of technology in classrooms is focused around using new technologies to teach the same, old stuff. Instead of using these tools to teach centuries-old subject matter, perhaps we should instead use them to help us develop meaningful skills and personal knowledge — and to enhance our capacities to imagine, create, and innovate. Any furtherance of using such devices for “teaching” ancient information hinders the potentials these technologies provide, and puts our children at risk by excluding them from the co-creation of opportunities in the 21st century. Sincerely, John W.
Explore museums and great works of art in the Google Art Project One of the things I love about working at Google is that you can come up with an idea one day and the next day start getting to work to make it a reality. That's what happened with the Art Project—a new tool we're announcing today which puts more than 1,000 works of art at your fingertips, in extraordinary detail. It started when a small group of us who were passionate about art got together to think about how we might use our technology to help museums make their art more accessible—not just to regular museum-goers or those fortunate to have great galleries on their doorsteps, but to a whole new set of people who might otherwise never get to see the real thing up close. We're also lucky here to have access to technology like Picasa and App Engine and to have colleagues who love a challenge—like building brand-new technology to enable Street View to go indoors!
Mr. Foxhole's Classroom: Standards Based Assessment w/ Bloom's Taxonomy I just started to teach an alternative to Algebra II, called Applied Math III, this year. The students I have are those that do not enjoy math and thus do not enjoy math homework. Each one of them has also failed Washington State's standardized math test, the HSPE, required for graduation. My school also has a high population of English Language Learners (mostly Hispanic) and our current Free/Reduced Lunch level sits at 60%. Three weeks into the semester, I had the highest amount of missing assignments per student than I have ever had in all the years I have been teaching. I started to look into some alternative ways of ensuring that they meet the standards, without throwing them into the same old pattern of demonstrating a skill and then giving them the remainder of the period to work on their assignment. Here is how it works. Now I know the next thing you are going to say. That is only the first part of this strategy.
Technology in Education Group News Some of the best minds in neuroscience and education gathered in Boston earlier this month to explore how to prepare students for life in the 21st Century -- what they will need to be able to do, how they will need to be able to think, and what brain research is telling us about how to improve cognition. For some time, groups like the Partnership for 21st Century Skills have been talking about the new paradigm of college- and career-readiness, emphasizing the fact that both higher education and employers bemoan the lack of skills such as collaboration, creativity and critical thinking among applicants. A number of presentations at the Learning and the Brain Conference probed the neurological underpinnings of collaboration, creativity and critical thinking, which some called "minds," some called "brainsets" and others referred to simply as "survival skills." More information on upcoming Learning and the Brain conferences. Top Athletic Performance Requires Strong Cognitive Skills
How Has The Internet Changed Education? [Infographic] If you want evidence of the way the internet is pervading every aspect of our lives, you need look no further than its effect on education. The internet and social media have dramatically changed both teaching and learning. In fact, most students’ (an incredible 93 percent) first instinct when confronted with a research problem is to turn to Google or Bing to get information rather than going to the library, and despite the best efforts of faculty to discourage its use, Wikipedia is the research resource that is used most often. A whopping 90 percent of faculty uses social media in the courses they’re teaching, and 8 in 10 have used online video in class. The internet has also had a strong influence on the how, where, and what students are studying. Even with online learning being as widespread as it is, however, as many as one in three academic leaders consider it to be inferior to face-to-face instruction. Sources:
[nytlabs] My TEDx Talk, "How I Stopped Worrying and Learned to Love Discussing Race." My TEDx Talk, "How I Stopped Worrying and Learned to Love Discussing Race." This is the TEDx Talk I gave at Hampshire College last month, my first time doing this type of presentation but the school's all-star organizers and audience made it a great experience. Much thanks to everyone at Hampshire College for putting this event together, you should check out all the talks from that day, I felt like they each touched on related themes and complemented each other really well. Text adaptation of the speech below. I want to talk a little bit about race tonight. This is in part because growing up as a very light-skinned black man of mixed descent I often find myself in sort of peculiar race-based conversations. So I’ve always had a passion for studying and observing how we communicate about race and how we might get a little better at certain aspects of that communication. That’s a conversation we all find ourselves in from time to time.
The Textbook Challenge [CONTEST] I have been known to say that there’s not much in your children’s textbooks that isn’t available in at least a dozen places online for free. But, hey, maybe I’m wrong. After all, the textbook publishers think that they’re adding value to the teaching-learning process. This week I’ll be looking at my children’s textbooks and comparing them to what I can find online. The prizes aren’t really the point, of course. a well-crafted web site with a thoughtful teacher acting as the curator to the links can produce a body of knowledge superior to textbooks. I also would add that students should be part of the curation process too through use of tools like wikis, social bookmarking, and blogs. So… this week I investigate in more depth my own proposition. 50 Excellent Online Professional Development Resources for Teachers Posted on Tuesday June 19, 2012 by Staff Writers Teachers may spend their days imparting knowledge to others, but that doesn’t mean they should stop learning themselves. Whether they choose to take classes, read books, or just talk with their colleagues, professional development offers a chance to become a better and wiser teacher. There’s no better time than summer vacation to dive into professional development opportunities, and luckily, there are numerous resources out there on the web, making finding, sharing, and accessing great tools for development easier than ever. We’ve collected just a few here that can get you started on learning and growing as an educator. Essential Resources Courses and Workshops Field Specific Looking for professional development materials that are specific to the area in which you teach? Skill Building Groups and Organizations Social
Collecting Student Work in an iPad Classroom – iPads in Education There are many ways to go about collecting work from students but this is one method that works very effectively. ** Submitting work with a Printopia Virtual Printer If you haven't checked out the blog post on Printopia, it's worth a read. Printopia installs on your Mac. It's an invaluable, simple and effective way to collect work from students. It's so easy to setup virtual printers that you can just set up a new folder and virtual printer every time you need students to submit work and keep all the submissions organized. ** Returning work with Evernote There are many ways to return the work. Note that you can also use Evernote for the entire process by designating a shared folder in your Evernote account and having the students submit the work that way. Sam Gliksman samgliksman@gmail.com