Browsing all posts in "learning".
Ponchos, Pisco Sours and Panpipes but no broadband or wireless
As teachers at the so called ‘chalk face’ or these days the ‘smart board’ we continually strive to prepare our students with the knowledge, skills, attributes and life experiences that will make them effective life-long learners in the 21st century. But what if you have no technology as such, no wireless or broadband, what if [...]
Video Games & Learning: Games May Not be the Enemy
The familiar warning the boomers grew up with is still being ignored by generation Y and Zers: “X will rot your brain!” It’s a knee-jerk statement chided by parents and inflicted unto kids. “Television” evolved into “Video Games” like Squirtle evolves to Wartortle.
This is where I, and many others, disagree with these concerned parents. The [...]
Middle School Reform – Is ‘Bootcamp’ in the Cards?
“As a longtime education reporter I have visited many middle and junior high schools–and I often wonder if we are subjecting the kids trapped inside to cruel and unusual punishment.” With this statement, Valerie Strauss begins a thought provoking argument for the ideas in Matthew Crawford’s book, Shop Class as Soulcraft.
As educators, what do you [...]
The Invisible Hand of Learning: Part 1
The Professional Development (PD) program at my school is broken and we need your help to fix it.
For the last seven years we have used what I call a “push” model and it has proven ineffective because it is the embodiment of 20th century learning. 20th Century learning is all about “pushing” information at a [...]
Engage Me or Enrage Me! (Pt.2)
How to Start Engaging Students with Passion-Based Learning: (Continued)
Ideas for Engaging Students in Passion-Based Learning:
Discover and Consume:
First you need to support your students in finding area of passion and deep personal interest which is an ongoing journey. Next you may want to connect them with other students and teachers who share these interests so they [...]
Engage Me or Enrage Me! (Pt.1)
How to Start Engaging Students with Passion-Based Learning:
Recently I attended Alan November’s Building Learning Communities Conference where I participated in a session for educators exploring how to become transformational leaders. A participant at my table said, “This is all nice, but kids need to learn that school isn’t always interesting. Sometimes school is just boring.” [...]
Is Increased Connectivity Dumbing Us Down?
I just finished reading “Get Smarter”, an article by Jamais Cascio in The Atlantic, and am left tingling with anticipation. A brave new era full of innovative intelligence, augmented thought patterns, and an ever deepening sense of the world around us is developing as I type.
Cascio argues that this age of hyper-connectivity, instead of “dumbing” [...]
Expanding your network…
Being the parent of a child with autism makes you a little more aware of eye contact in conversation. I’m noticing some interesting patterns at NECC that say a lot about how I socialize. First, there are times when it has become painful for me to make and maintain eye contact. That has to be [...]
EduBloggerCon09: Great Opportunity for Co-Learning
One of the semantic changes I’ve made in the past few years is learning to refer to those engaged in the learning process less by the titles of “teacher” and “student” and more by the title “co-learner.” We can all be learners, and depending on the context, we can change roles from being expert learners [...]
Streaming the Day Away at ISTE Central
Afternoon, folks!
Just as I was yesterday, I’m embedded among the teachers and technologists at ISTE Central, reporting from the front lines of the ed tech festivities here in Washington, DC. I promise to be a tireless correspondent, so be sure to check in frequently for new posts. And, as always, if you’d like to reach [...]
