It’s conference time, and you’re off to the opening keynote. What are you expecting? Do you want to be entertained, informed, inspired or provoked, or maybe all of the above? Are you looking for your current thinking to be affirmed, challenged, or dismissed? So, which of those emotions will impact on you the most? Which
The Value of a Cold Shower Read More »
It’s an interesting time for the Internet. As I mentioned in this week’s Shifting Conversations post, much of the amazing potential of the Web that many of us felt a quarter century ago now feels like it’s being overwhelmed by anger and stupidity and silliness. And as the Web grows more complex, so too do
#30: The Past, Present, and Future of the Internet Read More »
So, I want to tell you why I think you should join us for Change School 4. And I want to get personal, which many of you know is one of my favorite words. For the last dozen years or so, I’ve spent a lot of time on the road visiting lots of schools, keynoting
The Power of “Live-By” Professional Learning Read More »
A few days ago, while unpacking some boxes from our recent move, I came across a “book” of magazine articles that I’d assembled and copied for teachers at my school back in January, 1996. It was for a course titled “Basic Internet for Educators” that I had taught as part of a tech focused PD
What the Internet is Becoming Read More »
If you’ve enjoyed being pushed by the conversations between me and Bruce in the past, you’ll definitely enjoy our latest podcast that digs into the value of teaching, not just in the modern world, but in general. After a couple of weeks of scintillating interviews with Joel Pelcyger and Conrad Wolfram, this week we spend
#29: The Value of Teaching Read More »
Why is the current state of math education not suited for the modern world of computers and phones and other devices? That’s the bigger question that Conrad Wolfram answers in our 28th Modern Learners podcast. Bruce and the founder of the amazing Wolfram Alpha have a wide ranging conversation around the state of current math
#28: Rethinking Math Class With Conrad Wolfram Read More »
Greetings Fellow EduChange Travelers, It’s been good to get a post-election look at the Land of Milk and Honey (New Zealand) and along the way sample some truly delightful Pinots from Central Otago. (Wet Jacket is definitely one to remember.) What I’ve found on my trip here is increasing motivation to build a future that
Modern Learners Newsletter #223: When Do Exceptions Become the Rule? Read More »
We’ve moved from an experience rich, information poor world to an experience poor, information rich world. And that, according to Joel Pelcyger, is a cause for some deep thinking about the role and value of schools in the modern world. Pelcyger, who founded Pluralistic School One in Santa Monica, CA 46 years ago, has been
#27: A Pluralistic School Read More »
Greetings Fellow Internet Edu-Wayfarers, Another week gone by in our quest to break down the boxes in our brains that define what school is. How we doing with that? Bruce is traipsing through the wine country of New Zealand this week where, (did you hear?) the new government is breaking boxes left and right. End
Modern Learners Newsletter #222: Confused Yet? Read More »
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 »
Are you one of those people who always follow the same route to work, every day, for years? I am. Yes, I know it’s boring, but it’s a habit, it’s intuitive, and I can drive without thinking too much about it. And to be honest, while there may be better, faster ways for me to
The Art of Unlearning 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 »
If there’s one thing that stays on the mind of educators long after they’ve clocked out for the day, it’s testing. And not pop quizzes and end-of-unit exams. I’m talking about the beast we call standardized tests. Although we can find examples of standardized tests in the American education system dating back to the mid-19th
The Dangers of Standardized Testing and Why We Need to Slay the Beast Read More »
