Archive
element:where
Teacher effectiveness debate: good schools attract good teachers
The ‘good teachers make all the difference’ research is now driving edu-investment. The theory goes: make good teachers, schools get better. I hold the opposite theory: good schools make good teachers. Or, more specifically, get the employment bargain and job right, and you’ll attract and retain…
The need for edu-innovation
The US won’t spend or reform its way to high and equitable educational attainment. The basic model of age cohorts slogging through print-based content with ability tracking (with equates to race and income tracking) is obsolete, expensive and unjust. Young people in emerging and developing economies (which…
Bill Gates: beginning of tech revolution
“Technology can pull the United States out of recession and help the world’s ailing financial markets work better, Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) Chairman Bill Gates told a high-level business summit at the company he co-founded” reports Reuters. “The drug companies will get back in high productivity mode.
Partial list of favorite high schools
A friend asked me for a list of the best schools to visit. Here’s some of my favorite high schools, each with unique attributes and benefits: Great applied STEM (diverse but moderately low poverty) · High Tech High , San Diego · Denver…
Social learning: the next platform
I’ve been watching social learning (i.e., Facebook for edu) for a year. It’s a super saturated solution–a few solutions will explode and achieve widespread adoption by the end of the 09-10 school year. Check out this piece on social learning. It’s the next big wave in learning–the new platform.
Where is EdTech making a difference?
A friend asked me where EdTech is making a difference for kids, especially low income kids. Here’s my quick list. I’d love to hear more examples. 1. AdvancePath.com runs 9 blended drop out prevention centers, 8 in CA, with good results serving under credited kids. Decidedly first gen; they use…
iTunes U is getting useful for higher/continuing edu
I love my iPod, I toggle between Patty Griffin and Physics. Maybe you received the iTunes U email today featuring engineering courses (or maybe it’s just the podcasts that I subscribe to); just some of the courses: • Stanford: iPhone applications • Open U: Design & Creativity…
Don't lock the doors to virtual schools
Read the following important post from Patrick Donaldson about limitations being proposed on online learning in Oregon. Similar efforts to limit opportunity by placing enrollment caps or geographic boundaries around online learning are underway across the country. These barriers will slow the development of a new generation of flexible options…
In favor of Humanities
In an engineering curriculum crowded with plug-n-crank, Drama was one of the few humanities courses I took in college. I don’t know how I ended up in the course, it must have fit in my schedule and looked easy. When I saw Dr. Hogan at lunch today,…
2020 Forecast: Last Word (3 of 3)
“You as a pupil will be placed in the centre. Personalised education means that the school and the teachers start from and adapt themselves to your goals, your ambitions and your potentials….The fundamental principle behind our method of learning is the conviction that all pupils are…