The End of (a) College. Each week, Educating Modern Learners picks one interesting current event – whether it’s news about education, technology, politics, business, science, or culture – and helps put it in context for school leaders, explaining why the news matters and how it might affect teaching and learning (in the short or in
What You Should Know This Week Read More »
In light of the seemingly endless discussions around innovation and change, it can be difficult for leaders who are looking to invest in a transformation agenda in their schools to find a clear path forward. What is realistic and where should be their focus? How do they align what they know about good learning and
The Eight Principles of Modern School Transformation Read More »
North America is in the middle of a particularly rough winter. February was Toronto’s coldest month on record, with temperatures never getting above freezing. Buffalo, Syracuse, Binghamton, and Ithaca, New York also had record-setting cold weather in February. Providence, Rhode Island had 31.8 inches of snow, breaking the old record for the month. Boston had
Schooling and Snow Days Read More »
When you think about the amount of time, energy and passion that has underpinned the move to ubiquitous computing access over the past 25 years, it still comes as a bit of a shock to many that we have so little to show for it. Not that there aren’t exemplars, and it was pleasing to
The Mystery of Pedagogy Read More »
Digital versus Print. Each week, Educating Modern Learners picks one interesting current event – whether it’s news about education, technology, politics, business, science, or culture – and helps put it in context for school leaders, explaining why the news matters and how it might affect teaching and learning (in the short or in the long
What You Should Know This Week Read More »
Ben Grey is the Assistant Superintendent for Innovative Learning and Communications for Community Consolidated School District 59 in Arlington Heights, IL, and he’s making change happen in some compelling ways at his school. Over the past year-and-a-half, Ben has led a conversation around change that started with a most interesting question: “How can technology be used
The EML Podcast with Ben Grey: Courage and Commitment Read More »
This week I bring you news from “My Best Teachers Who I’ve Never Met Department,” one that’s filled with dozens if not hundreds of faculty members who I’ve connected with over the past 15 years online. One from fairly early on in my learning about social media and learning, Mark Pesce, popped back up on my
“The Classroom is Not a Place…” Read More »
(The following is a draft excerpt from my new book From Master Teacher to Master Learner, which will be published by Solution Tree Press in June, 2015. Feedback welcomed!) When we talk about transformation in schools, we too often forget what we know about good learning. Transformation is not about more technology, personalized learning, or flipped
From Master Teacher to Master Learner Book Excerpt Read More »
Guest post by Harold Jarche We are in the midst of a ‘nano-bio-info-techno-cogno’ revolution. We are entering the network era, and change is coming fast. That may sound like a cliché, but not when you consider the last major shifts we went through and the time our institutions had to adapt. When markets came about,
How Can Educators Prepare for the Networked Era? Read More »
More AP History Controversy. Each week, Educating Modern Learners picks one interesting current event – whether it’s news about education, technology, politics, business, science, or culture – and helps put it in context for school leaders, explaining why the news matters and how it might affect teaching and learning (in the short or in the
What You Should Know This Week Read More »
“The interest roused by historical simulation games is readily explained,” writes Jeremiah McCall in a 2012 article in The History Teacher. “These games offer immersive, interactive, multimedia representations of the past that are radically different from other forms of media. They engage players through multiple modes of communication: visual, textual, aural, and tactile. Through these
What Are Games and Simulations Good For? Read More »
“Having no destination, I am never lost”. Ikkyu a 15th Century Zen monk Reading Audrey Watters column in last week’s EML brought back memories of the intensity of those first days, 25 years ago, when the hundred or so 10 and 11 year old girls at MLC school in Kew were the first in world
“Fundamental change, or incremental improvement; the question is not so much which is right, but rather why has there been so little discussion about the question?” ~Seymour Papert ABC radio interview Having used Papert’s quote to provoke discussions with literally thousands of school leaders in workshops across more than 45 countries, I can say with
The Nature of Change: Exploration vs Exploitation Read More »
The anniversary of the first one-to-one laptop program. Each week, Educating Modern Learners picks one interesting current event – whether it’s news about education, technology, politics, business, science, or culture – and helps put it in context for school leaders, explaining why the news matters and how it might affect teaching and learning (in the
What You Should Know This Week Read More »
“Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgement that something else is more important than fear.” ~Ambrose Redmoon The other day, a school leader I was talking to said that she “encourages” her teachers to use technology in the classroom. Now while I’ve heard that word tens of thousands of times in
