Posts by Guest Author
Photo Story: The School Fund Travels to Tanzania & Nairobi Providing Scholarships
The School Fund is dedicated to increasing access to education for high school students in the developing world by providing high achieving students with scholarships. We support 250 students from 13 countries across Africa, Asia and Latin America. This summer we returned to our roots in East Africa where we met up with old friends, and made some new ones.
11 Tools to Turn Your Students Into Academic Superstars
I remember as an undergrad, I looked forward each August to the release of the official university student planner. That planner represented a fresh start: blank days to be filled with color-coded due dates, study group get-togethers, my work schedule at the bakery in the mall, and football tailgate details.
Infographic: Growing Up With Technology
By: Jaclyn Norton. Technology is transforming today's educational landscape, reaching children's fingers before they reach their shoes. According to the infographic below from LearnStuff.com, 70% of children between the ages of 2-5 can use a computer mouse, while only 11% can tie their own shoes. Today's generation is growing up with technology, proving to reject traditional beliefs about how people learn. 90% of students think tablets help them study more efficiently, and cause them to read 1.5 more books annually. See the infographic below to see students different interactions with technology along their scholastic path, from grade school to graduation.
Digital Technology Brings Global Collaboration Between High Schools
By: Jaclyn Norton. Jennifer Bevill knows how to create a global classroom. The “Peace Project” bridged geographic borders between high school students at LSU Laboratory HighSchool in Baton Rouge, LA and Odori High School in Japan by utilizing digital technology to build cultural understanding and bring awareness to issues surrounding tolerance and peace at both schools.
Q&A: How A Top Educator Drives Innovation and Social Change In His Classroom
By: Jaclyn Norton. Last month, Microsoft awarded the nations top educators who are bringing technology and project-based learning to their classrooms in innovative and interactive ways. Greg Witkin of Boynton Continuation High School in San Jose, Calif. won first place in the Educator as Innovator and Change Agent category for his project, "Finding Youth Voice." This project made students creators and visionaries behind a multimedia project that addresses a social problem.
3 Reasons Why Schools Neglect Spatial Intelligence
In Why Don’t We Value Spatial Intelligence? I stressed that as a society we have neglected spatially talented students who are not as good with words and numbers but who are quite talented at manipulating figures and shapes in their minds. In this article, I offer a few reasons as to why schools tend to neglect spatial intelligence.
Driving School Choice Through Cloud Computing
In recent years the words “school choice” have gained increasing buzz among educators and parents in cities across the United States. Many reformers believe that providing students and parents with options beyond their geographically assigned school will promote healthy competition among schools and give parents the opportunity to seek out a school that will best meet the needs of their children.
Hip Hop: An Alternative Method for Student Engagement
Apathy is the enemy of learning, and, regrettably, many teachers operate at a disadvantage because student motivation is low. Good educators are always looking for innovative ways to inspire students to achieve academic success. Some methods are more controversial than others, but if there is a positive impact in scores, these methods are worthy of consideration. The goal is to get students more invested in their learning experience. One strategy for doing that is to blend the mandated curriculum requirements with elements of popular culture.
iNACOL Hosts Webinar On Race to the Top District (RTT-D)
Here is one more opportunity to listen to another perspective that will provide you more information about the role that digital learning can play in a successful application. This webinar is brought to you by the International Association for K-12 Online Learning (iNACOL) on Friday, August 31 4-5 pm ET. If you’d like to attend for free, please register here: http://www.inacol.org/events/webinar/special_edition.php.
Changes in the Public’s Attitudes Toward the Public Schools
Change is hard – something that those in the education community may know better than most. Whether it is changing a school culture, a child’s life prospects, policymakers’ thoughts on accountability, or voters’ minds on a bond referendum, educators are constantly on the lookout for evidence that they are succeeding as change agents. Sometimes that evidence seems scarce, particularly at a national level, as policymakers push education in ways we don’t always like and rhetoric indicates that we are to blame for a great number of society’s problems.