Posts by Guest Author
Family, Teacher Comms 101: 4 Simple Ways To Build Better Relationships With Your Child’s Teachers
By Jenna Kleine: As part of our Smart Parents series, Jenna, who works with families and teachers in her role at Class Dojo, writes about ways to streamline the communication between schools and families.
Why Education Innovation Is The Most Important Thing You Could Pursue
By: Li Jiang. The next important revolution isn’t technological, even as technology marches forward unabated. The revolution we need should be one of education, empathy, and a broader understanding of the world, and of its people and culture.
The Syllabus We All Should Have Gotten
By: Angela Skinner Orr. What we should have heard on the first day of school: If you don’t want to do it, don’t. Hack your education. You will fail. Use your iPhone in class. Grade yourself. You will fail. Document, document, document. You decide what you learn. Start now.
How Pittsburgh Created An Innovation Hub For Learning
By: Gregg Behr. Foundations in Pittsburgh asked, "Can we build a region-wide learning network that expands opportunities for kids to learn anytime, anywhere?" Millions have been invested over the past decade to nurture a new model built on the themes of “cluster development” and the structures that makes innovation happen.
Startup Students: A Look At How Teachers Can Invest In GenDIY
By: Eric Nentrup. What GenDIY needs is more supportive teachers who see themselves as business mentors and “angel investors” who may not be able to invest dollars, but can network and carve out time or space for students to work on these authentic projects now instead of later.
Learning Experience Design vs. User Experience: Moving From “User” to “Learner”
By: Margaret Weigel. Director of Curriculum and Learning Experience Design at Six Red Marbles gives a look into the important shift from "user" to "learner" when creating powerful learning experiences for higher-ed students.
Power of Play: Applied Knowledge, Engaged Learning
By: Greg Young. Learning starts early, and for this father of two, Greg Young, an experienced educator, writes that he and his wife are considering various education options for their two sons based on the foundations of student-centered learning. Greg also highlights the importance of play and the role of technology in the learning process and that both help to direct highly personalized learning experiences focused on the child's interests.
Leaders Learning Deeply with the Leadership in Blended Learning and Fuse RI
By: Beth Rabbitt. As part of our Preparing Leaders for Deeper Learning series, Beth talks about the work being done in Rhode Island to prepare principals. She describes two recently launched programs, Fuse RI and Leadership in Blending Learning (LBL) that are creating personalized professional development opportunities for education leaders.
10 Strategies to Help Children Define Success for Themselves
By: Ryan Mahkani. In this article for our Smart Parents blog series, Ryan offers parents some strategies to help children learn to define the word "success." Asking questions, listening to the answers, and getting to know your child's unique passions are some of the suggested tips.
Reinventing A Secondary Program From The Ground Up
By: Melissa Strong. For those educators who ponder “What if I were to teach this concept, this unit, or this subject completely differently?” Melissa shares her story and strategy of reinventing the foreign language program at Harvard-Westlake School in LA.