Urban Elementary Students Publish Their Own Math E-textbook
Jon Smith, or @theipodteacher as I’ve come to know him, caught my attention on Twitter this week. Students in Mr. Smith’s sixth grade classroom at Gibbs Elementary in Ohio’s Canton City Schools just published their own math textbook, released just days ago on iTunes!
Good Work: Quality Products
You may have had the good fortune to have an encouraging teacher or a demanding boss that helped to create an indelible life-long image of quality results. Most adults are preoccupied with effort and activity rather than results. When that image is internalized, you begin holding yourself to a high standard of performance even when it seems that others do what they can get by with. Quality work, and the quality effort that goes into it, is its own reward.
NYTimes: Online Scoring Will Lead to More & Better Writing
The Hewlett Foundation sponsored a study of automated essay-scoring engines now offered by commercial vendors. The researchers found that these produced scores effectively identical to those of human graders. Barbara Chow, education program director at the Hewlett Foundation, says: “We had heard the claim that the machine algorithms are as good as human graders, but we wanted to create a neutral and fair platform to assess the various claims of the vendors. It turns out the claims are not hype.”
Review: Game Changers–Education & IT
Information technology is transforming higher education by making it more convenient, personal, and affordable. Those and other conclusions are found in Game Changers: Education and Information Technologies, a free ebook released this week by Educause, an association of higher ed IT leaders. Director Diana G. Oblinger edited the volume and contributed a chapter.
Graduation Reflections From an Edreform Pioneer
Back in 2003, my family took a chance. It was a big one. Not like changing to soy milk or getting a pet snake. Not anything like that. We put our kids in a new school.
Staff Picks: Online Speech, Partisanship, Online PD, Bill Nye
Tom Picks “Telepractice Brings Online Speech Services to School Districts of all Sizes” Tom says, “It’s great to see innovations in blended learning benefiting special needs student. Online speech therapy works better for students, teachers and districts.” Karen Picks “Partisanship is Ruining Public Education” Karen says,…
Every State Needs A Leadership & Empowerment Agenda
While states and districts are trying to figure out how to blend schools they should let student blend their own learning. It’s time for every state to build a digital learning leadership agenda and an empowerment agenda.
Bill Nye “The Science Guy” Changes the World One Summer Science Video at a Time
Many teachers remember the excitement on kids faces when the theme song for Bill Nye The Science Guy came on in the classroom: “Bill! Bill! Bill!.” Lots of kids of the 90s have memories of learning about the science of storms, outer space, brains and more from his wacky and…
SmartTech Roundup
Blended Schools & Tools Take a look at international edtech. Brookings released “A New Face of Education: Bringing Technology Into the Classroom in the Developing World,” a new international education paper written by Rebecca Winthrop from Brookings and Marshall Smith formerly from the U.S. Department of Education. On the…
Strategic Philanthropy Is Making Foundations Less Responsive
Strategic philanthropy made the sector less responsive, less entrepreneurial, and more risk averse. A vibrant economy that promotes opportunity and equity requires a vibrant startup sector--both return seeking and impact seeking. It’s time for strategic philanthropy 2.0--a basket of more dynamic, risk-taking, entrepreneurial approaches to making a difference.