Archive: Feb 2012
Impact at Scale: Contribution, Translation & Execution
I usually write about Good Work–finding and doing mission-related work–on Sunday, but I spent the last two days with a couple dozen inspiring folks sharing strategies for creating impact at scale. Using a mixture of investment and organizational, they making a difference around the world. Leila Janah, Samasource, is…
Top 10 Reader Favorites in February
This February, Getting Smart readers enjoyed articles around personal learning networks, blended learning, digital learning, spatial intelligence, tablet applications, and student motivation.
A Turning Point for Personal Digital Learning
Fritjof Capra is a physicist who plowed the systems thinking ground for Peter Senge and the new science ground for Meg Wheatly. He opened his seminal piece The Turning Point by noting that man always assumes he is at a turning point. As a pattern spotter,…
Webinar: Digital Learning Beyond School
It’s time to ensure that as teachers and schools find ways to use technology to advance learning, so do community organizations like Ys, libraries and cultural institutions that provide informal learning opportunities to millions of our least-advantaged kids.
PBL in Primary: Making Up the Rules
This year, I have been using PBL (passion or project-based learning) in my classroom. Although language arts and math have certainly been involved, I have mainly been using the outcomes of my science, social studies and health curriculum as the focal point of my backwards-by-design planning.
SmartTech Roundup: Shattering Barriers to Edu
Shattering Barriers to Education MIT plans to launch MITx, its first free, online course designed to be fully automated, this March. With no fee or prior entrance requirements, this online program is breaking down the longstanding barriers of education. Now, all you need is a computer and Internet connection.
Good Work: The Importance of Saying Thank You
Through grace we are helped not to stumble and through grace we know that we are being welcomed. -M. Scott Peck As a young superintendent, I ran around trying to fix things. I remember a day that started with a 7:00 a.m. meeting with six union presidents, where…
Staff Picks: Smart Teachers, Digital Learning Policy, IWB, & Portfolios
Karen Picks “Battle for Whiteboard-Market Supremacy Heats Up” Karen says, “The crux of this issue is really in the following statement and question: Complicating those decisions are changes in the technological landscape that are raising questions about the long-term educational relevance of interactive whiteboards. Do classrooms really need…
Progress: 3 EdReform Stories, 3 Blended Learning Stories
Here's six interesting stories from the week. ExNext covered the rise of Khan, EdWeek featured Newfound High, and KIPP Empower has a great blended learning video. On the reform front, New York and New Haven adopt new evaluation rules, and the Common Core gets some scrutiny
Support for Teachers: Simulated Classrooms, Online Networking and More
The key to ensuring all students graduate high school college and career ready is effective teaching. And the key to ensuring effective teaching for all students is effective professional development for educators. Professional development is the most powerful strategy that school systems have to help all educators acquire the knowledge and skills they need to effectively reach all students.