With all of the problems associated with standardized testing and school assessments in general, is it finally time to start a different conversation about how we assess learning in schools? That’s the question that Will and Bruce discuss on this our 26th episode of the Modern Learners podcast. This conversation stem from a post from […]
#26: Alternatives to Assessment Read More »
Greetings Fellow Internet Edu-Wayfarers, Great to have you back for some more inspired reading this week, now in blog post form! Better to interact with you with! I’ve been thinking a lot about change this week as we “downsized” our lives into a much smaller, 160+ year old home in the little country town where
Modern Learners Newsletter #221: The Labor of Learning Read More »
In this podcast Bruce has a conversation with Michael Furdyk, Director of Innovation at Taking It Global which he co-founded with his wife Jennifer Corriero seventeen years ago. TiG is a truly global organization, representing the exceptional work of young people across more than 150 countries focused around global awareness, environment stewardship and student voice.
#25: Students Saving the World Read More »
A content-focused school experience or a skills-focused one. That was the choice posed to me by a parent in Luxembourg during my visit there last week. As in which did I think would be best for his daughter who was entering school next year? Before I could respond, he added that at first he was
Will Skills Save Us? Read More »
The news that Maryland’s biggest school district gave up on its attempt to change the grading scale for its 150K kids shouldn’t shock anyone. But reading between the lines of the Washington Post story that chronicled its retreat back to an A-F format offers up a relevant postmortem on why many changes we try to
The Absolute Best We Can Do For Kids Read More »
Over the years, I’ve met and had conversations with hundreds (if not thousands) of school leaders. Superintendents, principals, heads of school, CTOs, curriculum directors, department heads…and various other titles and distinctions. I’m always intrigued by the initial interactions I have with them and that first sense that I get of who they are, what they
“What is Good Gets Done” Read More »
What is the role of the single teacher in a classroom in a world where millions of potential teachers are now a few keystrokes away on a laptop or phone? To ask that question seriously, you have to buy into the premise of “millions of teachers” (if not billions) being within reach online. You have
From Traditional Teacher to “Modern Learning Advisor” Read More »
“Education consists mainly of what we have unlearned.” ~Mark Twain It’s been over a decade (yes…a decade) since I wrote one of my most commented upon posts ever (ah, those were the days) titled A Steep Unlearning Curve. One of the nice things about having 15+ years of thinking and reflecting archived online is being
The Urgency to Unlearn Read More »
What norms do you have in your school, not just for behavior, but for learning? In most schools, norms exist, but they are not as clearly articulated as these five at Mount Vernon Presbyterian School outside of Atlanta, Ga.: Start with questions Assume the best Fail up Share the well Have fun Those norms form
#20: Brett Jacobsen – Norms for Learning Read More »
First, some context for the 19th episode of the Modern Learners Podcast: Kids cheat in school. In high school. In college. Do a quick Google search and you’ll find all sorts of research that bears this out. Ask a kid, and even if he doesn’t admit to it himself, he’ll most likely roll his eyes
#17: Your Cheatin’ Tech Read More »
It’s been a long time since I’ve written about tools, but today, I’m writing about tools. Tools that I use, or am learning to use. Tools that I think change the conversation when it comes to what we do in classrooms. Tools that make my learning world so different today from what it was even
The Global Refrigerator Door Read More »
Last week, one of the premier edtech events in the world took place in San Antonio, and it was our good fortune (Bruce, Missy, and I) to all be in attendance at the ISTE 2017 conference with about 16,000 others. In this podcast, Bruce and I reflect on the love/hate relationship we both have with
Greeting from San Antonio, where Bruce, Missy, and I are gathering for our second Change School retreat, our first Change School Social, and, of course, the mammoth #ISTE17 conference where something like 17K educators from around the world are getting the latest about technology and how to (or how not to) use it in the
AR, VR, AI, and BS: The Modern Learners Podcast, ISTE17 Edition Read More »
I had the great privilege of delivering a commencement speech at a small school in New Jersey last week. It was the first speech I can remember that I wrote and read verbatim. Thought I’d share it here for posterity and, hopefully, to spur some thinking. Please read it as if you were an eighth
To what extent should we give students the opportunity to create their own presence and, dare we say it, brand online? On the college level, that’s being done with the project “Domain of One’s Own” which was started at Mary Washington University a few years ago and now has expanded to many other universities. The
#16: Helping Students Build a Presence Online Read More »
