Archive: 2012
Don’t be Lame, Personalize Learning
At a Baltimore gathering of learning professionals we discussed six important advances underway: personalized learning, learner profiles and customized playlists, iPads and mobile learning, powerful platforms, and progress by demonstrated competency.
Google Presentation for Collaborative Learning
One of my professional goals is to help teachers use technology as an efficient and effective tool for student learning instead of using it as an add on to the end of a traditional unit of study. The Google Docs Presentation is well-suited for use as a starting point to help teachers begin to break the barriers of traditional methods of tech integration and design student driven learning experiences that require students to construct knowledge as they create, an idea supported by the Common Core State Standards (CCSS).
Bush-Sponsored Summit Calls for Excellence at Scale
The fifth annual Excellence in Action National Summit on Education Reform, was held in Washington DC the last two days. Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush chair of the host organization, kicked off the event Tuesday by urging state policy makers to hold firm on college and career ready standards.
Will Common Core State Standards Accelerate or Slow Innovation?
Some friends are working on a paper on the topic of common standards and innovation. The primary question is how and whether the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) will accelerate or slow innovation.
Power Management: A New Step in Digital Citizenship
Power management should be a tenant of digital citizenship. Being a good digital citizen is the passport to the modern world, and staying charged and connected is certainly at the base level.
No, You’re Not Doing Blended Learning
When our consulting team approaches educators about a new blended learning implementation, we typically hear three reasons for why they won’t engage: blended learning costs too much, teachers won’t like it, and we’re already doing it.
DOE Announces Digital Promise as a Race to the Top-District Finalist
The U.S. Department of Education announced Monday that a consortium of school districts in the Digital Promise League of Innovative Schools is a finalist for a Race to the Top-District (RttT-D) grant.
Smart Cities: New York City is an EdTech Hotspot
New York City schools have been among the most innovative in the country as discussed last week. NYC is home to the most education industry leaders and the second most prolific tech startup and EdTech hotspot on the planet (after the Bay Area).
Enroll Monsters In Kindergarten
The kindergarteners at my school enter with an incredibly wide range of literacy abilities, so we know we need to quickly focus on their reading skills immediately in order that everyone, from the high achievers to the ones still struggling to recognize their letters, will end the year strong. Not always an easy task. Therefore, it becomes a joint effort for all the teachers who work with the Kindergartners, to support the building of their literacy skills.
Kickboard Launches Free Starter Account For K-12 Educators
Kickboard, a school analytics platform for comprehensive student performance profiles, today launched free "Starter Accounts" for K-12 educators. Individuals or teams up to three teachers can create Kickboard accounts to manage classrooms at no charge.