Internet filtering is a big issue in schools. School leaders struggle with how stringent to apply the internet filter. Filter sites like YouTube, Facebook and Twitter and tools like Skype because they are a “distraction”? Or see value for learning in this list and model and coach students (and teachers) in effective and proper use? […]
Leaders: What conversations are you having?
This morning I was led to a thought-provoking post at the Online Learning Insights blog – How Generation “C” will change education…forever. In the post, the writer shares a report titled The Rise of Generation C: Implications for the World of 2020. I haven’t read the report beyond the executive summary, but there are ideas […]
Is BYOD good for learners and teachers?
Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) certainly seems to be a topic among many school leaders – locally and nationally. In fact, at the state technology conference in Pennsylvania (PETE&C) this past February, there was an entire strand of sessions on BYOD. I do not work in a BYOD district so I do not have any […]
Consumption AND Creation
Teaching Kids to be “Digital Citizens” (Not Just “Digital Natives”) The ideas in this article rang true after a colleague and I heard an Apple presenter extolling the virtues of the iPad…almost exclusively through the lens of content consumption. Moving further into content/knowledge creation is an important part of the vision of the classroom we […]
Technical vs. Adaptive Challenges
Immunity to Change: Post #2 — Getting Started Too often when we think about change, we go for the easy – a technical challenge. The challenge with the most impact, however, will be the adaptive one – “a change you make in yourself that leads to real change and growth.” Kinds of challenges – Technical […]
Steve Jobs Biography
I have acquired, but not yet started reading, the Steve Jobs biography by Walter Isaacson. After stumbling across this First Friday Book Synopsis, I am intrigued by the “lessons” in the biography. They aren’t just “business lessons” but rather leadership lessons applicable to any field, especially education. My favorite: “Build a team of A Players […]
Be Creative and Bold
This post is the convergence of two items I’ve encountered through my RSS reader and Facebook stream. The first is this graphic about “creatives.” I really like this. It’s a list of nine things we should all live our lives by. I like it so much I’m going to share it with my department and […]
Culture of Dissent
If you’re in education, you probably have just winced at the title of this post. That’s because most education cultures don’t engage in dissent very well. And maybe that’s part of our problem. If we are constantly spending time “covering up” the sucky stuff about what we do and where we work and not facing […]
Gamification and Education
I loved watching this video on how powerful learning can be when it involves game thinking. As I was watching, I kept thinking, “We are the problem. It is our ‘adult’ mindset that needs to change.” In fact, most “adults” watching this would probably cringe at the things Gabe Zichermann is proposing related to education. […]
Blended Learning – Pt. I
There are all kinds of variations on “learning with technology.” These variations span the continuum from traditional classroom to 100% online learning. The problem I see with online learning as is most common in cyber schools is that it is nothing more than a crummy pedagogical model of classroom instruction planted into the shell of […]