Finish this sentence... “Imagine a place where students could...” Is that place your school? What would it take for that place to be a reality for your students? What do you think school could, and should be? That question is the focus of thousands of conversations in school communities across America and the rest of the world today. It’s a sign of the concern, the angst, and for some even the desperation to better understand how we can more relevantly prepare our students for the rapidly changing modern world we all now live in. It’s no longer a world of certainty and stability, but rather one of unpredictability and exponential change. It’s no longer a world where students in schools should be asked to go to a set class, at a set time, to be given set content, predetermined by tradition, habit and largely guesswork as to whether it will ever be relevant to them. On the contrary, we now live in a world where our young people can access whatever they need to, whenever … [Read more...]
The Unpleasant Truth About Equity
Equity is a topic that takes center stage in many education conversations, and rightly so. It’s about every child being given a “fair go." We often voice our concerns about the plight of the underserved in our communities, and as educators, we always strive to address their disadvantage within the resources we have available. At times, it can seem almost pointless when faced with the barriers and handicaps that society has placed in front of so many of our young people, yet as educators, our moral compasses guide us to try and give every child equal opportunity. It’s not easy. Whether you are dealing with disability, cultural or demographic limitations, or probably the most challenging, financial disadvantage, every day schools across the globe seek to offer a leg up to the less fortunate in our communities. It can be as minor as funding books or technology or lunches, or as major as comprehensive welfare support programs such as those that are now common place in many … [Read more...]
A response to Prince Ea’s viral video “What is School For?”
The "Let's Change School" conversation came to the forefront again this week after a video collaboration between Ted Dintersmith and the rapper Prince Ea went viral. As we write this, the video has been up for a little over 4 days, and between YouTube and Facebook, it has almost 10 million views and over 25,000 comments. We think that qualifies as viral. Why would a video about the need to change school go viral? Why is this particular video zooming around the Interwebs at warp speed? Is it the high production value? The captivating spoken poetry by a well followed You Tube talent? The cute kids? All of the above? While those may be the most obvious answers, we'd like to add another one: Because almost everyone can relate. Ask yourself... With the caveat that at moments the video is a bit hyperbolic, a little too self-serving, and tries too hard for that emotional response (a couple of my friends called it “icky”) - despite all that, which of the messages embedded in … [Read more...]
The Rise of the Learning Economy
It’s been a long time coming, but the emergence of the learning economy has been as inevitable as it is has more recently become overwhelming. This is a time when learners rule. When it’s not so much about what you know now, but rather what capacity you have to learn. When it’s not about what someone can teach you, but far more importantly what you can teach yourself. It’s not just about the knowledge you have, but rather what you don’t know, and most importantly what you will need to know to grow and prosper, both personally and economically. We are seeing the emergence of what can best be described as learning economy. Just to be clear, there are states, countries that are acknowledging their economic futures will be driven by the learning capacity of their constituents. Not by the natural resources they can mine, nor the amount that they invest in manufacturing because all sectors are in a state of perpetual change. Many of yesterday’s processes and business decisions no … [Read more...]
Connections and Community in a Modern Learning World
In our last Shifting Conversation post, the 250th in the series, Bruce shared the evolution of Modern Learners over the last five years, a few of the tools we use to thrive (and survive) as a team, and the pivots we made along the way. Since Bruce and Will have spent the past week traveling to facilitate Modern Learners’ Labs in Perth, Auckland, and Christchurch, Missy and I are eager to share more about who we are and what we have in store for you. It’s interesting, isn’t it, how we amplify lists of “Skills all Workers Will Need in 2040” and remark, “Did you know our students will be working in jobs that don’t even exist yet?” and with this certain amount of rhetoric comes the reality of living and working in a fluid, dynamic, primarily online learning environment. Occasionally we have to stop and consider what a different time and place this world of modern learning really is, and how it influences not only our work, learning, and connections with other educators, but also our … [Read more...]
Accountability and the Tyranny of Metrics
I think it might be high time we called “accountability” and its kissing cousins “metrics” and “performance indicators” to account. For educators, that draws a focus to assessment, where maybe it's time we asked if high-stakes standardized testing has finally reached its use by date? I mean what do you think it will take before we see public acknowledgment that the damage such ill-conceived tests have done to our kids and their learning, far outweighs any real or perceived benefits? Will it be when we have evidence that supports the depth and breadth of the damage to our learners? In my mind, there is no doubt we already have that, in fact, an overwhelming amounts. Our recent Whitepaper, 7 Strategies to Win the War on Learning references a significant number, and the thousands of downloads would suggest it's already provoking a wider conversation. Will it be when we see policy action at a senior government level that acknowledges the need for alternatives? That is also already … [Read more...]
2018-The Year For Living Dangerously
Well, 2018 has certainly kicked off with some extremes. In the first week of the year, we saw -37°C on top of Mount Washington in NH US, while on the same day in Melbourne Australia it was +37°C. (that’s -36°F to +100°F ) I'm glad I had the beaches, but I'm tipping this is a sign of things to come in 2018. So, while maybe you’ve started your New Year by drawing from the traditional bin of resolutions around fitness, weight loss, and work-life balance, I want to suggest that 2018 is the year for living dangerously...so make your resolutions accordingly. In case you have forgotten, it's been 18 years since we kidded ourselves that a new millennium would herald new ideas and some radical thinking around what modern schooling could and should be. Unfortunately, we grabbed the 21st Century tag and stuck it on anything that moved, and before we knew it, everything pretty much stayed the same. So much for waiting a thousand years to see change in our schools. Well, now we can put … [Read more...]
Modern Learners Newsletter #223: When Do Exceptions Become the Rule?
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 is much more than dairy and tourism, traditionally their two biggest export earners. Technology is now their third biggest. In NZ, there is a saying that kiwis can make anything with a No.8 fencing wire. A new book, No.8 Wire Recharged suggests that ingenuity can be reshaped through a digital lens. Xero is one significant example...and remember NZ controls three times the airspace of the US, and one of the largest sea-territories of any country. Keep a close eye on those kiwis! ~Bruce PS: Change School Cohort 4 starts in January!...sign up to get notified! 1. How Natural is Numeracy I've also had a thing about numeracy. Being someone who is … [Read more...]
Modern Learners Newsletter #222: Confused Yet?
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 of standardized tests. End of league tables. End of other stuff. May there be a strong northeasterly wind blowing that stuff in this direction. Anyway, no shortage of great things to read in the eduverse this week. Here's to being challenged. ~Will PS: Our 3rd cohort of Change School "graduates" on Monday. But Cohort 4 starts in January!...sign up to get notified! 1. Not Fewer Grades...No Grades Jesse Stommel is one of my favorite higher ed thinkers, and his latest post on grading is a great example why. He hasn't given grades in his courses for his entire 17-year career, and the reasoning reeks of common sense and, to some extent, courage. And talk … [Read more...]
Modern Learners Newsletter #221: The Labor of Learning
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 I've lived most of my life. I was thinking about how some of the time, we choose to change. Other times, change chooses us. I wonder which reality fits most schools. ~Will PS: Our 3rd cohort of Change School is drawing to a close. But Cohort 4 starts in January!...sign up to get notified! 1. The Future of Truth is...Undecided As the attack on facts continues to grow, the Pew Research Center for Internet and Technology decided to interview a group of forward thinkers and ask them if they think we'll find ways to solve that problem or if it will only get worse. Turns out, it's about a 50-50 split: Their reasoning revealed a wide range of opinions … [Read more...]