Posts by Guest Author

Personalized Learning

Its Time States Fully Embrace Innovative Educational Options

You may have heard that everything is bigger in Texas. Most of the time, we take pride in that. However, the disturbingly large number of students in Texas on charter school wait lists is a source of disappointment, concern. These wait lists and other obstacles to alternative learning options are a cause for action.

EdTech

20+ Free Online Libraries

It’s a shame more people are not aware of the wide array of free online libraries. Databases, books, videos, audio recordings and e-books are available, just waiting to be viewed and used. This guide will help avid readers, serious researchers and casual surfers alike get the most out of free web libraries.

Personalized Learning

Blended Learning: Disrupting Tradition with Innovation

Over the last decade the growth of online learning in American schools has been unprecedented, and school leaders are enthusiastically embracing new technologies and new models of instruction. The shift from print to digital text has been swift by educational standards, and the move to blended-learning environments focused on differentiated instruction and personalized learning is rapidly becoming the norm.

Personalized Learning

Authentic Learning At Tech Forum-Austin 2012

Recently, I posted an entry here on authentic learning. In that post I defined authentic learning as learning that involves real-world tasks and problems as opposed to school-specific tasks or problems, such as learning how to put a heading on a paper or how to outguess a test writer. Students seem to enjoy work that is authentic.

EdTech

The Classroom Evolution: What Technology Means for 21st Century Teaching

Digital media use in the classroom has been proven to expand students’ critical and creative thinking skills, to increase motivation and self-esteem, and to develop skills needed for the modern world. As schools increasingly incorporate technology into their curricula, it’s time for teaching to evolve to better serve the needs of the 21st century learner.

Personalized Learning

System Upgrade: What Math Can Do For You

“Why do we have to learn Algebra?” was the question a student asked me one day in the middle of class. I hadn’t been teaching very long so I wasn’t entirely sure what to say. I tried to ignore it but he asked again so I came up with some lame reasons like, “you’ll need it later,” or, “lots of jobs use algebra every day,” — but the more I looked at what I was teaching, the more unconvincing this sounded — even to me.

EdTech

7 Educational Uses for 3D Printing

When someone says that they have a 3D printer, many people visualize a printer that produces 3D images on a sheet of paper. In actuality, a 3D printer goes beyond an image on paper and brings the object to life in real 3D. Layer by layer, the 3D printer can replicate images created in CAD programs. Any creation in supported design programs can be brought into the real world. What are some educational values of the 3D printer?