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.
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.
Storify | Getting Smart on Social Media #SmartCE Twitter Chat
We kicked off the first in our 3-part Twitter Chat series with "Getting Smart on Social Media" for Connected Educator Month. Check out the Storify below for the highlights.
NYC $22 Mln Windfall Gives Online Access to Poor Students? Not Really.
But is this an award to benefit education, or a slick new proposal set to increase capacity for broadband suppliers?
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 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
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…
Dear NSF, Here’s a Plan to Boost Math Achievement
NSF and U.S.ED are gathering input to shape a $60 million math R&D initiative. They should invests half the money in a series of grants that study math motivation and the other half in classroom trials and prizes.
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.
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.