Career & Technical Ed
future of learning
Personalized Learning
Bloomfire Formalizes Informal Learning
Here’s an article with a little western MI love for  Bloomfire , a Kalamazoo start up creating groups “of informal, social-learning opportunities can be dedicated to anything from sales strategies to fishing.” Bloomfire Manefesto is a little groovy, but if you’re not thinking about the future of…
EdTech
New York State Makes it to First Round
New York State Makes it to First Round New York State is one of 16 first-round finalist for federal funds from Race to the Top, the national competition to re-invigorate American education with US$4.3 bln.
Personalized Learning
A Financial Analyst Follows His Heart
School Administrator ran a great profile of John Welch, superintendent of the Highline School District, a complicated and diverse 5 city school district which surrounds SeaTac airport, near Seattle.  John was a budget analyst in Tacoma, WA when I hired him as Finance Director, then CFO.  John won a national…
Personalized Learning
More Better Accountability; EEP & DFER Show the Way
The Education Equality Project and Democrats For Education Reform issued a report on the accountability provisions within the current NCLB law–a topic people love to hate.  This report is a great reminder of why we need accountability to promote equity and excellence and why strong accountability must be carried…
Personalized Learning
Coming to Certainty
I enjoy spending time with entrepreneurs that have synthesized the world, spotted an opportunity, and are pursuing it with mission-focused passion. Â Their level of certainty creates the persistence necessary to introduce a new solution. Â It makes me smile (and sometimes cringe) to listen to excited pitches of young people with…
EdTech
Merryl Tisch: More Innovation, Less Political Bullying
I will post a longer article based on my interview with Merryl Tisch, Chancellor, New York State Education Board, Board of Regents in a few days. Here are some of her quotes: Q: What is your vision for online education and technology innovation within mainstream education in the next…
Personalized Learning
3 Pivot Points to a Performance-Based Education System
In education, there’s a lot up in the air right now: standards, testing, employment practices, budgets, student technology, online learning, and federal policy. It’s conceivable that if we took advantage of the uncertainty, a few places could emerge with a better and cheaper education system.  Here’s three pivot points that…
Personalized Learning
Advance Innovative Education Finalist for Prize
February 24th marks the date that Advance Innovative Education will compete with 10 other social entrepreneurial enterprises for recognition and a statewide competition focused on promoting innovative and entrepreneurial solutions to some of Louisiana’s greatest challenges including low performing schools, basic health and nutrition, and poverty. This is the culmination…
Personalized Learning
Are Edupreneurs Born or Developed?
Fred Wilson’s Friday post explores whether entrepreneurs are born with requisite attributes or whether at least some of can be developed: I also believe that there are “unique and defining characteristics of entrepreneurs.” Here are some of the ones I observe most frequently: 1) A stubborn…
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…