EdTech

Latest Tools Added to edshelf

This past week we had quite a few notable educational tools added to edshelf by some impressive teams. Experienced entrepreneurs, former classroom teachers, academic researchers, and game designers.

Personalized Learning

Review: Philip Howard on Fixing Education

Philip Howard is a lawyer, author of Life Without Lawyers: Restoring Responsibility in America. In a recent Atlantic piece, Howard pitched a five part bureaucracy busting platform. We appreciate the effort, but it's got a lot of holes in it.

Personalized Learning

Investing in Innovation

In the long run, it’s all about innovation—that’s true for our economy and our schools. Tom Friedman makes the case for innovation investment in addition to the bailouts:…

EdTech

EdTech 10: U.S. Open (Educational Resources)

What stood out in this week’s EdTech news was an emphasis on open educational resources, aka OER. Developing news surrounding OER should be expected since the passing of ESSA, as the bill includes specific language that allows states and local education agencies to channel grant money focused on technology toward OER. I

Personalized Learning

Thoughts on Consumer Learning

Consumer learning will get big. Consumer learning will be social. Consumer learning will be freemium: free plus premium services. Consumer learning will incorporate Massively Multiplayer Online learning games and learning environments (MMOLG, MMOLE). Consumer learning will mobilize money, energize entrepreneurs, and personalize a process that for…

Personalized Learning

Great Boards for Great Schools

Two decades of experience with performance contracting in the delivery of public education has wrought some hard earned lessons. We know what good authorizing looks like. We know how to open great new schools.

EdTech

The Green Schoolhouse Series – 21st century learning classrooms

It used to be educationally valuable to use Styrofoam balls to create a fairly basic representation of the solar system or to study simple earth science through a paper mache volcano craft project. Likewise, chalk and erasers were precious tools of the trade for teachers, while yellow number two pencils and plastic protractors were the standard of choice for students. Lunch hall dining used to consist of fast-food quality meals--but not anymore.