Posts by Guest Author
Classroom Management: The Advantage of Structured Learning in Entrepreneurship
Here’s a novel concept for you: Entrepreneurs can learn from other entrepreneurs in an accredited capacity. When striking out on one’s own, it’s an established practice to seek the advice of those who’ve been there before and have made a success of it. So it makes perfect sense that business students, paying and working hard for an education, would greatly benefit from the insight that successful businesspeople can bestow.
In Context: Connecting Classrooms to the Real-World
In one scene of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, a classroom of glaze-eyed high schoolers stare into space while their teacher drones on in painfully boring monotone, Anyone? Anyone?
How Active, Digital Learning Fosters Business Skills in Students
The array of social technologies open a wide swath of possibilities for active learning, particularly in the online and blended teaching space.
Combating Cyberbullying in Schools, One Compliment at a Time
A lot of people walk around high school feeling all by themselves. They think that no one cares about them or that they are not one of the “cool kids.” Other kids walk around self-conscious, and under-appreciated, which leads them to the terrible world of cyber bullying. Here at West High Bros, we are doing everything that we possibly can to change that. It is a daunting task, but not one that is impossible. In fact, in our school the guidance counselors have reported that, since our group started, reports on bullying have gone down drastically.
Community Partnerships for the Digital Learning Revolution
I wasn’t surprised to learn that my hometown of Huntsville, Alabama –The Rocket City – has launched one of the largest school district transitions to digital learning in the nation. I recently visited Huntsville to learn from their experience, and my conversations there reinforced for me that community and family partnerships are essential for the success of digital learning. We have unprecedented investment in education technology, but we don’t yet have the corresponding developments in partnerships to help transitions to digital learning succeed.
Next Generation Science Standards: A Guide to the 2nd Draft
The second draft of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) is now available for public comment at http://www.nextgenscience.org/. This final public draft will be available online for everyone to review and provide feedback until January 29. Following this comment period, Achieve and the lead state partners will continue revising the draft, and expect to release the final standards for states to consider adopting in March.
Is There Still A Gender Gap in Education and Technology?
The stereotype of technology as a male-dominated interest and career path is slowly fading. We no longer associate computers just with geeky, pale boys in thick glasses poring over gaming screens. Technology in schools and in daily life has become much more accessible and user-friendly for everyone. But do males still have an edge when it comes to technology in the classroom? Are there still gender differences in how educational technology tools are used?
Hire Edupreneurs: Advice for School Start-Ups
In the jargon-filled world of education, neologisms should be used sparingly. For a new school aimed at inspiring innovators and entrepreneurial leaders with a new learning model, the termedupreneur is indispensible. Edupreneur combines the concepts of education and entrepreneur – a person who undertakes any enterprise or venture, usually with considerable initiative and risk.
Creatively Funding Your Blended Learning Program
Last month the U.S. Department of Education announced the 16 Race to The Top District competition winners. The nearly $400 million awarded for the Race to the Top District competition (RTT-D) sounds like it is a lot of money. It is, in fact, a lot of money, and we are excited about the potential that this funding infusion will have on student achievement in those districts. That being said, we know that among 370+ applicants, there were more than just 16 great plans for building personalized learning environments.
Is 1:1 the New One Size Fits All?
Earlier this week I was having dinner with some fellow educational technologists. The conversation took the inevitable turn to discussing 1:1 philosophy. 1:1 is most typically defined as the ratio of one student to one device where that device is provided by the school. During our discussion, the question was posed as “1:1, Chromebooks or iPads?” While I am a fan of both Chromebooks and iPads, I was troubled by this conversation. Not, of course, because I am opposed to the student use of technology, but because I am starting to realize that 1:1 is a parallel philosophy to “one size fits all.”