Last week, EML editor Audrey Watters asked if Twitter was really the best place for online professional development, in part because of changes to the platform and perceptions that the discussions on the social media site were becoming “uglier.” But Twitter isn’t going away any time soon, and we do need to think about our […]
On Social Media, Silence, and Things That Matter Read More »
Rafranz Davis is an instructional technology specialist for a Dallas/Fort Worth area school district. She describes herself as an advocate for passion-based learning, inspired in part by her experiences with her nephew Braeden. Rafranz and Braeden’s story highlights the challenges that many parents face when trying to advocate for more self-directed learning at school, particularly
Advocating for Passion-Based Learning (and Puppets) Read More »
NYU professor and widely-read author Clay Shirky’s recent post about the need to ask his students to put their laptops away during his lectures signals an interesting shift in the conversations around young people’s technology use. It was very much in line with the recent New York Times article that carried the ‘surprising’ news that
At Least We’re Talking About Ubiquitous Access Read More »
Twitter could replace traditional professional development, some have argued. Instead of sitting in day-long workshops, Twitter lets educators reach out in real-time to their peers. It allows them to grow their professional networks, to become “connected educators.” But over the past few months, there’s been growing concern about Twitter. Some say it’s becoming nastier and
Is Twitter the Best Option for Online Professional Development? Read More »
These are not easy times to be in education. Regardless of if you agree with changes in policy and assessment whether you’re in the UK, the US, Australia or almost anywhere else, significant change is afoot in one form or another in almost every state, province and country. New tests, new professional evaluations, new, in
Are You Powerless? Read More »
Sure, your school probably has a mission statement. But what does it really mean? Does it really describe the school? Can those who work at and attend your school articulate the schools’ missions? EML co-founder Will Richardson looks at several different schools’ statements to explore the meaning of “mission” and “vision.”
Building a Mission and a Vision That Matters Read More »
What lessons can we learn from the disastrous iPad initiative in Los Angeles? EML co-founder Bruce Dixon looks at what it’s obvious people still haven’t learned about 1-to-1 initiatives, despite decades of efforts to put computing devices in every student’s hands.
Lessons for Leaders from LAUSD Read More »
EML co-founder Will Richardson asks if we can imagine a world where, for example, gravity no longer exists. That is, can we imagine a world where everything is changed so utterly that all our expectations, our practices cease to function? And what if that’s the world we’re already inhabiting in education — not one without
Important New Contexts for Leading and Learning Read More »
How do we build upon the successes of a particular school or program? How do we expand elsewhere “what works” in one school? Are some successes simply one-of-a-kind — too unique, too specialized, too localized to work in other places? These are questions that Chris Lehmann, the principal of the award-winning Philadelphia high school Science
Can Science Leadership Academy “Scale”? Read More »
The OECD, known best perhaps for its PISA tests, has just issued a report on “Measuring Innovation in Education.” The report ranks countries based on “innovation.” But what is “innovation”? How do you measure it? And where does a fixation on “innovation” take us? Is it necessarily progressive? EML editor Audrey Watters dives into the OECD report and asks
How Do We Measure “Innovation”? Read More »
A high school math teacher and instructional technology specialist at Zeeland Public Schools, Anthony DiLaura has brought together teachers in his district to build their own digital textbooks, using open educational resources and other openly licensed media. Here DiLaura writes about the move from static print to interactive content, and what it means for schools
How Schools Can Hack their Textbooks Read More »
Educator (and EML regular contributor) Lee Skallerup Bessette writes about what it means to “foster independent learning” in an educational climate with restrictive curriculum, high-stakes assessments, and mandated standards. Here she offers concrete steps for engaging students in the decision-making that happens in the classroom, giving them more agency and a larger stake in their
Fostering Independent Learners Read More »
“College readiness.” One one hand, the meaning of the term is clear: it’s “the combination of skills, knowledge, and habits of mind necessary to fully participate in college-level courses (courses at the 100 level and above) to completion.” But as the phrase has become so deeply intertwined with political rhetoric and education policy, its meaning
“College Readiness” versus “Ready for College” Read More »
Following a recent killing spree in Isla Vista, California, the Twitter hashtag #YesAllWomen opened up a frank and public discussion about women’s experiences with sexual assault and harassment. But what about girls? Lee Skallerup Bessette talks about the harassment, often hidden, that happens in schools, and how we can help develop a better culture —
#YesAllWomen: What It Means for K-12 Read More »
What do we mean by “self-directed learning”? Who gets to undertake it? All kids? How do we make sure that when we promote “self-directed learning” that we’re opening up possibilities for all students and not foreclosing possibilities for some. In this article, Sylvia Martinez looks at the ways in which gender plays a role in
