Series
Brush Up Your Shakespeare!
No one could be more surprised than I was when one of my sixth-graders said, after we had slogged through Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 29” at the end of our poetry unit, “Hey, this is fun. Shakespeare ought to be an elective.”
EdTech 10: Top 15 Announcements
The Getting Smart Team spent the week in Arizona connecting with familiar edtech friends and making new ones at the ASU/GSV Education Innovation Summit. We were excited by the growing interest in moving beyond point solutions to create more integrated and cohesive personalized experiences for students. There were also loads of announcements this week, in the desert and elsewhere. In fact, there were so many that we’re breaking our normal “EdTech 10” format to bring you instead the week’s Top Announcements - all 15 of them.
Cracking the Talent Code
Your chain will eventually be broken. Life will happen. Guaranteed. Take this pledge: I understand that the chain will eventually be broken, but I won’t break the chain because I chose to break it.
Good Work: Tapping the Dark Matter
“Education is like the night sky; edreform offers a few points of light and the rest is dark matter,” said Nick Donohue. “The real opportunity is deeper public engagement--tapping the dark matter.”
Preparing for the Future
The future of education will be on display next week in Arizona, at the Education Innovation Summit. There will be a wide range of speakers and panel discussions, which I am really looking forward to hearing.
7 Student-Tested Digital Storytelling Tools
Last month, in my classroom version of DIY BYOD, my fifth-graders dove into the world of digital storytelling.
60 Seconds & a Camera: Essentials for a Culminating Activity
Take a look at these "60-second" activities to invigorate any lesson. The hours spent working towards the 1-minute recap are well worth the investment.
Smart Cities: Early Observations
We’re more than 20 cities into this weekly series examining education in American cities--a few things are becoming clear. I launched the series because everybody is talking about innovation (inside and outside of education) but I don’t think we know much about where it happens or how it spreads--or why it doesn’t.
Creating Curriculum with Meaning and Purpose
I have come to realize when it comes to curriculum, nothing is more important than the child, and the willingness to remain flexible with the planning process. This creative process is art, and contributes to what Seth Godin refers to as becoming indispensable in his twelfth book, Linchpin.
Students Shine Through Digital Portfolios
Voyager Academy Charter School in Durham, NC is a project-based learning school that currently has about 1,250 students across grades K-11. We started with 320 students in grades 4-7 in 2007 and have grown exponentially. This upcoming school year we will add 12th grade and complete our growth.