Learning, Innovation & Tech
Bombs & Breakthroughs
Is This The Best High School in America?
WATCH: How These Six Minutes May Change Your Idea of Innovative Education (dramatically). Phillips Exeter, Harvard Westlake & Lawrenceville may be taking notes from this charter school leading the next wave. Does your High School look anything like it? Read more
Noam Chomsky: The Purpose of Education
"Education is really aimed at helping students get to the point where they can learn on their own. . . " Read more
7 Ways to Spark Engagement
Moving from on-task to learning: "Have you noticed that 'on-task' does not always mean engaged?" Read more
How the Flipped Classroom Is Radically Transforming Learning
. . .AND how it changes the way teachers talk with parents - - - Read more
The Flipped Class Manifest
"The Flipped Classroom is an intentional shift of content which in turn helps move students back to the center of learning rather than the products of schooling." Read more
The Parent-School Relationship: The Importance of Listening
"....I have been part of schools that have constantly told me what to do but never listened to what I had to say.' " Read more
21 Things That Will Become Obsolete in Education by 2020
Desks, Language Labs, Computers, Homework, Standardized Tests in College Admissions . . . . Read more
Does our educational system put the brakes on the entrepreneurial spirit in America?
"Parents could turn the system on its head if they weren't so caught up in outmoded mentalities about education forged in the stable economy of the 1950s (but profoundly misguided in today's chaotic, entrepreneurial economy)." Read more
"A Radical Idea For Changing Math Education"
Someone always asks the math teacher, 'Am I going to use calculus in real life?' And for most of us, says Arthur Benjamin, the answer is NO. Read more
What Students (Really) Need to Know
"A good rule of thumb for many things in life holds that things take longer to happen than you think they will, and then happen faster than you thought they could." - Lawrence Summers Read more
The Double Whammy "F" Word: Fear of Feedback
A School Leader Riffs Read more
Apple and Education Publishing: The Disruptor
". . . we'd like you to come along for the ride. But if you choose not to, we won't hesitate to leave you behind . . ." -John Gruber, Daring Fireball, referring to his "guess" about Apple's strategy for the education textbook marketplace Read more
Jon Stewart on SOPA: "Angry Nerds"
Masterful - - - Read more
Campbell's law in education: test scores vs. accountability
"A society in which decisions are based solely on numbers instead of sound judgment is one in which no one is truly accountable." Guest post. Read more
This is your child's brain on homework. Or, is it?
Homework: Too much, too little, or the wrong kind? Read more
Learning how to teach better through "Lesson Study"
What we can learn from Japan Read more
Understanding Dyslexia: Watch Documentary Video Trailer
"By conservative estimates, one in five people are dyslexic.' James Redford, director, of "D for Dyslexia" premiering at the Sundance Film Festival this month. Read more
Visions of Mathematics: What Content Should We Teach?
Ben Daley of High Tech High Outlines a Revolutionary Approach to Math Read more
Is Science "Just So Darn Hard?" Or, do we make it so?
Why so many college students are dropping STEM & what to do about it Read more
"An Amazing Time For Math In This Country"
High School Math Teacher Dan Meyer, gig At Google, riffs about Math - photo NOT Meyer(!) TED talk Read more
A Holiday Dinner Conversation: Why didn't I learn this in school?
Now, here were college grads looking for jobs, and not recognizing that showing curiosity and asking engaging questions could show MORE about WHO they were than reciting some resume paragraph to interviewers in a random interview. -C.J. Westerberg Read more
Legendary Quincy Jones riffs about technology, music, math, creativity, and . . . parenting
" . . .We'd go to executive conferences with Bill Gates and he'd say, 'Alan will you please take over?' . . . " - Quincy Jones Read more
Crossing the Math Chasm
Asking the Right Questions: So at one end we've got falling interest in education in math, and at the other end we've got a more mathematical world . . . teachers are also frustrated. Read more
"Here are some of the powerful misconceptions about learning and teaching . . ."
Howard Gardner, Harvard Graduate School of Education: "If I were trying to select a school system for my children or grandchildren, I'd beware of . . . ." Read more
Three Young Women Wow Crowd at TEDx
" . . .making my own opportunities when I didn't even know what I was doing." Read more
Bill & Melinda's Field Trips
What Parents Can Do to Promote Learning. We know that children who are exposed to more real-life outside- the-class-wall activities guided by parents and schools, usually having to do with level of income in their household, tend to do better in school and in life. Read more
Technology in the Classroom: Myths & Opportunities
Alan November video Read more
Singapore Math - The Most Visual Math?
Is It Better For Problem Solving? Are Drawing & Visualization As Important As Numbers? Teacher Bill Jackson Gives Us Answers. Plus Bonus Video. Read more
Why Other Countries Do Better in Math
Should Parents "Race to the Tutor"? It's not what you think. Guest post. Read more
Why Can't a Boy Be More Like a Girl?
Why Boys are Tuning Out. "Indirectly, that's what she (the teacher) tells them (boys): 'Be a Girl' " Read more
The 3 Myths about Competition: How it affects student motivation
"When 85% of school is built around competition . . " Read more
Are Your Students "Learning How to Learn"?
A Canadian teacher shares what she learned about teaching with technology, and discovers more what our students need to learn. Short Video. Read more
Would You Hire Your Own Kids? 7 Skills Schools Should Be Teaching Them
Tony Wagner, Former HS teacher, Principal & Co-Director At Harvard School Of Education Posts. "The Ability To Ask The Right Questions Is The Single Most Important Skill." Read more
Why Testing Fails: How Numbers Deceive Us All
"Tests fail because of an effect I call the "Numerical Outcome Principle". . .Our leaders need to look beyond the numbers..." Guest Post By Joseph Ganem, Ph.D. Read more
Hacking School Ratings & Test Scores
"Recognizing that their students learn best when actively engaged, Consortium Schools typically use inquiry-based methods of learning . . ." Read more
Smart Holiday Gift-Giving? Hands meet tech
Literacy, language and math. . . . Read more
What's Missing in Education: The Entrepreneurial Edge?
Video Interview- Eric Ries, "The Lean Start-up," and Mark Suster: . . . numerous take-aways for educators, parents and students, covering topics such as the necessity of failure; Steve Jobs; what the next middle class will look like; getting out of our silos (one of my favorite topics); how software development is not just about creating another Facebook; and what's missing in education. Read more
The Parent Trapped
"While educators beat the drum about the importance of parental involvement in their child's education, many really mean parental compliance." Guest Post. Read more
The Door to "a New Generation of Leaders"
Seth Godin offers 3 ways to help people get things done Read more
Math Tutors to the Rescue?
Why So Many Students Aren't Mastering Basic Math Facts Read more
How to Create Nonreaders
Alfie Kohn Delivers a Powerful Essay About Motivation, Learning &Sharing Power in the Classroom Read more
Math Education: Arguing Over False Choices
"I tell my students that expertise in any subject, math or otherwise, has three components - facts, skills, and understanding. Each of these components is learned in a different way." Read more
Singapore Math Demystified!
Guest Post By Scarsdale NY Teacher Bill JacksonThe Daily Riff EXCLUSIVE
Can It Help Solve Our Country's Math-phobia? Read more
How Much Do Early Years Lead to Student Success?
"Well, I'm going to follow up a little bit with the notion that a parent is the child's first teacher. Parents are also the most consistent teacher that a child will have over time. . . ." Read more
Exercise: "Miracle-Gro for the Brain"
PBS Video: Results of a 6-year high school program prove reading levels and Math test scores significantly increased by exercise BEFORE . . . Read more
Ask a student, how does your teacher learn?
"They (educators) need to be able to model their own learning process for their students. Ask just about any student how much her teacher knows, and you'll get a quick answer. Ask a student how her teacher learns, and you'll likely get a confused look. This must change . . ." -Will Richardson Read more
10 Ways to Think Differently about Teaching and Learning
Australian Edna Sackson challenges us whether our classrooms are "old school" or not - Read more
Why I Would Fail Third Grade Math
Guest post from a physics college professor with a Ph.D who shadowed his own daughter's 3rd grade class Read more
When Was the Last Time You Shadowed Students for a Day?
"It is a grim experience." - Grant Wiggins responds to a John Merrow post about the Saving Our Schools Rally Read more
The Flipped Class: Myths vs. Reality
We also realize there is a lot of mis-information about the Flipped Classroom and quite a bit of controversy about whether or not this is a viable instructional methodology. Read more
The Flipped Class: Shedding light on the confusion, critique, and hype
The Flip is in flux . . . as is an educator's evaluation of any instructional practice. Plus "Is Khan Academy an example of the flipped class?" Read more
Are students "respectful" of adult "values?" Why should they . . . if adults in authority don't walk the talk?
"We do not tolerate intellectual dishonesty from our children in our schools. But it is apparently tolerated and promoted everywhere else. Educational standards cannot be improved until adults begin to model the education values that they loudly espouse." Read more
The best way to reach each student? Private school Math teacher flips learning
Stacey Roshan , private school teacher at Bullis School in Maryland, is asking and answering questions about the "backwards or flipped classroom" & how if affects the way students learn, in new guest post. Check out parent & student reactions, too. Read more
What Would Ted Sizer Say About Technology?
Guest Post About Harvard & Phillips Academy Andover Education Legend"One Of The Great Educational Minds Of Our Time" Read more
A Definitive Guide for Developing a Technology Vision Statement for your School
. . ."students will be inquisitive, open-minded learners who use technology in a balanced & responsible manner along the way to becoming discerning, self-directed life-long learners . . ." Read more
The Flipped Class: Show Me the Data!
Ultimately, in teaching, there is no one size fits all. You, as a teacher, must do what is best for YOUR set of students. Read more
Can you describe the differences between feedback and measurement?
Measurement in Schools: Stuck and out of context? Read more
Music Education . . . do you recall . . . the day the music died?
"One of the things that musicians and artists tend to do is explore other people's art and other people's way of doing things" Read more
Saying No to Standardized Testing for College?
Colleges & Universities Jump On Board the "Test Optional" Movement: No SAT or ACTVIDEO: One Student's Journey + Lawrence University Shares Views Read more
What Adults Can Learn From Kids: "Don't Underestimate Our Ability"
12 Year Old Literacy Advocate Sets Us StraightAre Teachers & Parents Actually Making Kids "Shrink To Fit?"
TED Video - Eight Minutes of Adora Svitak Read more
Too Young to Research. Yeah, Right.
Two-Minute BEST VideoAre Adults Contributing to the "Endless Adolescence" syndrome? Read more
Technology: The Parent Connection
Parent Involvement & School Technology - What Can it Look Like? Read more
Why Our Kids Don't Get Math
Three surprising reasons why and how it may change our idea of "rigor". Guest Post. Read more
Charlie Rose: The Creative Brain
"Inspiration is for amateurs. Painter Chuck Close: "The rest of us just show up and get to work. Because everything grows out of work. You do something and it kicks open a door . . . " Read more
A More Complex Steve Jobs Revealed
Reporter Steve Kroft of CBS' "60 Minutes" reporter Steve Kroft interviews biographer Walter Isaacson in 2 prime time videos PLUS Jobs' relationship and views on Bill Gates, Larry Page of Google, and Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook. Read more
12 Angry Teachers
The Video By Teachers Depicting a Clever Debate About Teaching and Learning Read more
The Flipped Class Revealed
What Does a Good One Look Like? Part 3 of 3 of guest post series Read more
Wanted: Teacher, Coach, or both?
"The coach is the boss of you, but they're not the boss." Read more
Singapore: Five Surprises in Education
An American Math Teacher's Travel Journal - The Daily Riff EXCLUSIVE Read more
Parents: Are we sabotaging our own kids' math "ability"?
Many parents in the United States assume that (math ability) is just some kind of aptitude - some kids have it, some kids don't . . . The result is most of our kids (in the U.S.) don't do really well in Math . . ." Read more
Should Kids Be Paid (Bribed) For Good Grades?
Colbert Interviews Harvard Professor In Amusing Video PLUSDeath Threats, A Time Cover Story & "Morning Joe" Debate (w/Surprising Conclusions From Scarborough) Read more
Choke: Test-takers - - - a different way to look at test-prep?
"Performing poorly in pressure-filled testing situations can also lower people's confidence in their ability to succeed and their willingness to venture further in particular areas." Read more
Girls go to college, and boys create and run tech businesses. Ouch.
"Are girls better at school and boys better at breaking the rules?" Read more
The Flipped Class = flipped homework
Editor's Note: Been thinking about the flipped class and its relationship to solving homework issues - - after all, flipping a class is also flipping homework. I know, "no kidding, Sherlock" you may be thinking, but the flipped class will... Read more
John Sculley on Genius
Former CEO of Apple riffs about Steve Jobs, what makes the best innovators & the nature of genius in this essay tribute to mentor - his "Oxford Don" - Alan Kay Read more
The Creativity Initiative in Singapore
Principles for Transformation in Education Read more
Steve Jobs: Liberal Arts Essential for Innovation
"We need to revolutionize education to encourage creativity and need to teach our kids to play, take a chance and create. By not teaching our children liberal arts we will hinder their capacity to innovate." Read more
Life as a Learning Lab
" . . .we've spent hours and hours discussing how we can help students follow their interests and passions, and also help students learn powerful ideas and develop as systematic thinkers." Mitchell Resnick on Alan Kay, Squeak and Scratch Read more
"I can write a 20-page research paper and my roommate can't .."
How do you know when you are preparing kids for more learning? Read more
"Mr. Cellophane" Invisible Kids: In the middle of the achievement gap
Because you can look right through me, walk right by me, and never even know I'm there Read more
The Unintended Consequences of Grading "Effort"
"Even when I try really hard, I'm still dumb." Grading effort is a precarious endeavor that teachers need to think long and hard about before . . . Read more
Schools and Parents: A Kabuki Dance?
We asked then, why do some schools still play a kabuki dance when it comes to parental/family engagement? Read more
Gamers Help Scientific Breakthroughs for AIDS and Cancer
"Developed by researchers at the University of Washington, Foldit turns scientific problems into competitive games."This just in from PC World. Great story going beyond the usual positive spin of gaming. Excerpts: In just three weeks, gamers deciphered the structure of... Read more
A 13-year old shows us how the Fibonacci sequence relates to trees: got that?
Museum of Natural History Award Read more
Teaching For Students. Sounds Obvious. Not.
"Seeing" Learning From The Student Perspective: Guest Post By Bill Jackson, Scarsdale Math Teacher, From Day 6 Travel Journal To Japan Read more
Education at the Crossroads
By Seth Godin. Should this be about school or about learning? For a while, smart people thought that school was organized to encourage learning. Read more
Random good reads: "Face it. Don't Facebook it."
"I felt they wasted a lot of time at Lulu's school" - Amy Chua, "Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother" Read more
21st Century Skills: A "thorny problem" in the classroom
. . . .most high schools' science "experiments" are really "demonstrations," because they are "rigged" for the right answer, thereby disqualifying them as true experiments where outcomes are unknown. Read more
Above and Beyond
Video "tells the story" of how the 4Cs in school -- communication, collaboration, critical thinking and creativity - can spark learning Read more
Going Beyond Singapore Math: Resisting Quick Fixes
But if we keep throwing out promising ideas just because they don't immediately improve scores on tests whose quality is questionable at best we're doomed to repeating the haphazard and fragmented reform efforts that got us here in the first place. Read more
Math Spiraling: down a black hole to nowhere?
Are there too many Math concepts being taught in the early years? Read more
Fires In The Mind: "What Does It Take To Get Really Good At Something?"
Youth Motivation & Mastery: Create the environment conducive to having kids discover what it takes to become good at something on their own, rather than having "us" - the authority figures - telling them how. Read more
10 Steps . . . for smarter schools
Dennis Littky, Big Picture Learning, gives us his 10 top musts. Read more
Is Math Art? Dream or Nightmare?
"A Mathematician's Lament"Every parent & educator should check out this book excerpt Read more
Five-Minute Montessori
"Seeing the big picture allows students to take ownership of their learning - a critical element in fostering each child's natural learning desire." Read more
Digital Natives: Another Myth?
Are adults relinquishing responsibility for technology to kids? Tom Whitby weighs in. Read more
Time to Re-think School Award Ceremonies?
Should school leaders take another look at how award ceremonies affect learning and motivation? Read more
I Used to Think . . . that traditional public education was the institution with the most promise . . .
"I saw that teachers unions, administrators, parents, and school boards were locked in a bureaucratic stasis of self-interest. . ." Read more
The Bill Gates - Salman Khan "Big Brother" Education Strategy
A Frankenstein Moment? Read more
The Social Network Grows Up with Google Plus
What goes round must . . . What circle of "Friends" are you in? Sound familiar? Read more
Supreme Court Justice Touts Video Game Site To Teach Civics & Government
Sandra Day O'Connor Slams No Child Left Behind: Good Morning America Video Read more
What does it mean to be a tech-savvy and connected principal?
I wasn't there. In fact, I was almost literally half-way around the world. It happened in Philadelphia and I'm in China. Read more
Ten Ways to be an Entrepreneur
Lessons From Matt Drudge, Twitter and Foursquare: Fred Wilson of USV Read more
Are You Ready to Flip?
Part 2 of 3 of "The Flipped Class" Series - Guest Posts Read more
Financial Literacy: Making Math Relevant
Guest Post By Joe Ganem Ph. D.: Schools Fail Teaching Students "Quantitative Literacy" Read more
Am I Preparing Students For My Age Or Theirs?
I can never understand how and why we expect students with far more energy, ideas, natural creativity and far more everything, to be more "contained" in their behavior than adults. Read more
Compare Singapore vs. U.S. Teacher Development. Hmm.
How the U.S. Can Build A Better Teacher Read more
A Connected Teacher: Priceless
The Connected Classroom: Ideas For Teaching With A Real-Time Global Perspective Read more
Thiel "Shows Them the Money" - pays 20 entrepreneurs $100,000 to drop out of college
Winners include "Flipped Classroom" Initiatives Read more
Robotics in High School: the "Football Culture" Alternative?
CNN Documentary follows 3 Students through a National Robotics Competition Read more
HBO's "Journey into Dyslexia"
"Are these people more visionary, can they see things differently?" Read more
25 Techy Tips for Non-Techies
Great Finds for Teaching, Learning & Creating Read more
Can your Middle Schoolers create their own video games?
Watch: 3-minute video - 5th-8th Graders across the country "create," not "consume" . . . Read more
Teachers "Doing The Flip" To Help Students Become Learners
"The way we were taught is not necessarily the way we should be teaching students." - Stacey Roshan, High School Algebra Teacher, Bullis School, Montgomery County, Md. Read more
Shocking Study: One in 38 Kids Found w/ Autism Spectrum Disorder
"Two-thirds of the children with autism that we ended up identifying were in mainstream schools, unrecognized, untreated . . ." Need socialization and peer engagement skill building. Read more
Is Learning a Sport?
Students should not go to school to win - students should go to school to learn. Read more
"Who Says You Can't Replicate Another School's Success?"
High Tech High Comes to Dalton GA Read more
If you have to spy on students, your new digital school program isn't working
The principal illustrated how she could monitor every student's screen during class. In fact, she "caught" one student playing a video game, and sent a note directly to him digitally. Read more
What Do They Know? They're Just Students . . .
Dr. Alec Couros Says He's An Educator, But Has His "Open Doctrine" Gone Too Far? Video - Humor Read more
How to Learn
"If we continue to look at education as if it's about coming to school to get the information and not about experiential learning, empowering student voice and embracing failure we are missing the mark . . . ." - Diana Laufenberg Read more
What Skateboarding Can Teach Us About Learning
Dramatic Video "School Sucks" : Building a Better Learning Culture Read more
College: another institution to be wary of?
"Since when have colleges become so controversial? They used to embody humankind at its most elevated; now, they're just another institution to be wary of." Read more
8th Graders "Design" Their Way to Learn Math, Science & Writing
Make it real. Make it matter. Let me show you how it's done. Read more
Google Science Fair: Singing Fingers & Musical Paint Strokes?
Mitch Resnick, professor of MIT Media Lab takes us on a quick discovery tour - Video Read more
Some Big Questions for Educators & Parents
"Are we intentionally, purposefully, and explicitly modeling these new technology literacies for our students?" Read more
Watch: 60 Minutes w/Katie Couric - $125,000 Teachers w/o Tenure
"The difference between a great teacher and a mediocre teacher is several grade levels of achievement in a given year." Read more
"A" students tend to become professors, and "C" students become wealthy donors...
"Creativity, he said, might be an even more valuable asset that educators and parents should emphasize." -WSJ quoting Larry Summers, former President of Harvard, President Obama and Clinton advisor Read more
Apple: "When technology gets out of the way"
Such smart branding from Apple with this new commercial. Read more
Sir Ken Robinson: The Purpose of Education
It's Personal. Cultural. Economic. Read more
Ten Points to Consider When Transforming Towards a Digital Curriculum
"A digital curriculum allows the creation of a society of creators, innovators, and learners." Read more
A More Global Perspective On Teacher Development
High Stakes Standardized Tests As Measurement? Teacher Development & "What Works" With Students Read more
Waiting for SuperMath
The Unintended Consequences of Investigations "New" Math - Video Read more
3 Who Lead, Learn, and Think
3 Quick Videos. #1 Heidi Hayes Jacobs shares a leadership story when she goes head-to-head against a school principal and allows her ego to take precedence (we've all been there). Read more
" . . . when you teach kids, you have a moral obligation to work to see the best in them . . ."
Leader Chris Lehmann Slams Teacher Blog Denigrating Students in "Bloggate" Read more
Learning. Outside the box.
When you are taught inside a box, you lose parts of yourself. Video. In a society based on democracy, participation, engagement, shouldn't education be democratic? Read more
10 ways to build resilience . . .
Does your child's school and class culture sound like this? Read more
Science Education: The Hidden Benefits
" . . . .scientific thinking has valuable uses outside of science. In science class we learn to interrogate nature, but the interrogation methods can be used to scrutinize many other ideas and beliefs." Guest post. Read more
What world am living in . . . what should I learn?
Tom Friedman asks "How Do We Adapt to Thrive?" Lessons from Singapore Read more
What Makes Kids Creative? A Box or a Spaceship?
Just tell me what to do. I want to be right. Read more
How 7 Principles Of Baseball Can Help Transform How Teachers Teach
How to Teach so Kids Can Think and Learn - by Harvard's David Perkins Read more
The Day I Abolished Grading
"There was no love for learning. It was a game that I was perpetuating - and I was done perpetuating it." Joe Bower Read more
Is a new "Thank You" culture coming?
Gary Vaynerchuk on "Morning Joe" with a message that social media will drive a more humanized and "small town" world. Read more
The Most Important Higher Education Study in Years - "Trust Us" won't cut it anymore
"Trust Us" Won't Cut It Anymore: American higher education,' the researchers found, 'is characterized by limited or no learning for a large proportion of students.' Read more
Sir Ken Robinson "Changing the Education Paradigm" with New Video
The geographic ADHD map is a hoot, while the over-arching message and smug thinking in certain academic/thought-leader/politico circles is not . . . Read more
Does Your School Know Scratch, Squeak or Alice?
Does Your School Know Alice, Scratch and Squeak? Read more
The Teacher Model in Singapore: What Matters Most
"Numerous research studies point to why developing good teachers should be our priority, how effective teachers improve student learning, and the devastating effect that ineffective teachers have on students (many a parent can relate to this)." Read more
The Emerging Job Market
Does your grad have what it takes? Are our students learning "the right stuff"? Read more
High School Stinks
Science Leadership Academy Breaking the Mold - What High School Should Look Like Read more
Bill Gates Riffs about Math Education
Video: The Future of On-Line Lectures plus what Bill is reading and watching these days - Read more
An Inconvenient Truth In Math Education: A Very Viral Video
Update: Check out the New Conversation Read more
On-Line Learning Going Mainstream: Parents Getting It
The education game has changed. Parents and educators have more options so it's a good thing to know what they are - - - Read more
No Time to Hide! How Technology is Radically Transforming Teaching, Schools & The Job Market
Presentation to Largest Teacher Union Read more
School Leadership: Jumping From Good To "Great"- Jim Collins & The Top Ten
What Jim Collins, Best-Selling Author of "Good To Great" and A School Principal Have To Say About What Leaders Students & Teachers Need Now Read more
School of One: Is This What "Blended Learning" Looks Like?
When Technology & Education Collide - Every "One" Has a Story Read more
Kindergarten Test-Prep Nightmare
Are You Tipping Off Your Child's Test Monitor? A Jaw-Drop View of How To Prepare Your Kindergartner To "Win" Private School Entry Read more
Six Creative Ways: Students + Tech = Contributors to Society
By Alan November: "If our children are to grow up to make important contributions to our society, it is essential that we provide them with powerful tools and experiences across the curriculum. This will require a new culture of teaching and learning that engages students as contributors." Read more
What Is "Hacking Education"?
Featuring Sir Ken Robinson: "These technologies are transformative, not just economically, but culturally" Read more
50 Ways to Make Your School More Democratic
Kirstin Olson Hits a Bull's-Eye Front and Center: How to Make Schools More Welcoming for Everyone? Read more
We're All Frogs Boiling In Water
The Hidden Impact of Technology on our Everyday Lives . . . Read more
A School Leader Chooses Student Potential Over Test Scores
"Ensuring that every young person learns means constant reassessment of the curriculum, multiple measures of student achievement, and support systems throughout the school." Read more
Did you Know? Shift Happens. Top Viral Video in Education?
Technology, Globalization and The Information Age Read more
A Glaring Fundamental Flaw In Education
Guest Post. What Is Effective Teaching? Is "learning to cope with failure" a parenting flaw or "the way we educate" outcome? Standardized Testing and Stuff We Really Don't Want to Talk About . . . Read more
The Creativity Crisis In Our Schools
"The correlation to lifetime creative accomplishment was more than three times stronger for childhood creativity than childhood IQ." Read more
Stephen's Sound Advice: How To Ace The SAT's
We Give "The Colbert Report" A Perfect Score For Tips -- #1: "Spend A Lot Of Money"... Read more
President Obama: Isn't It Time To Listen To Students?
Student As Customer? Don't We Want Change That Works For The Student First? Read more
Bringing Singapore Math To Your School
PLUS Teacher Development - Exclusive Guest Post By Bill Jackson Read more
Forgive Me, Father, For I Have Linked
Laura Bush's Middle School Initiative, Teacher Colleges Being Graded, and Maureen Dowd on the Catholic Church "app" (yes, you heard right) Read more
The Dark Side of Our Achievement Culture
New "Race To Nowhere" Trailer Video Read more
Jeb Bush on "Morning Joe": Digital Learning Takes Center Stage
"We hope we can get to a point, Governor Wise and myself, where digital learning becomes . . . as nonpolitical issue . . . becomes kind of the core way that we educate children." Read more
Battle Of The Minds: Why Don't Kids Like School?
Sparks Fly In This Book Review By Guest Jonathan E. Martin about Daniel Willingham's Book & His Conclusions About Learning, Imagination & Knowledge Read more
The Battle for the Mind of the High School Student
UPDATE: Technology & the Teenage Brain Mash-up Read more
Khan Academy: World's Free Virtual Private Tutoring Lessons In Math & Science
How Kids Can Get Private Tutoring With Ten-Minute Sessions On Targeted Subjects Ranging From Basic Math To Advanced Calculus; Parents Can Check Out Finance,Too. Read more
How Design Impacted a Rural School System
A "Small Story" with Big Implications: "We need to be better citizens in our own backyard" Read more
Cool, Cheap & Clever: 7 Designs for School
Check out the "Lily Pad", a very cool mat for developing countries (why not living rooms?) and the SoapShish - too cool for words so why not Math? Read more
How Kids Learn Through Video Games
So the next time you fret that your child is on a mindless video game (of course, depending which one), take a chill pill. It may not be as bad as you think. Video Read more
Washington Post: Top High School Prevents Curiosity in Learning
"Is that the best way to encourage learning? Are we so stuck on managing classroom competition that we can't let students explore libraries, or the Internet, and make connections between the textbook and the real world?" --Jay Mathews, The Washington Post Read more
Can The iPhone Be The Magic "Cure" For Dyslexia & Reading?
Orig. published The Daily Riff April 2010Can The iPhone Be The Magic "Cure" For Dyslexia & Reading?Howard Hill writes from the guardian.co.uk sharing an incredible discovery at the age of 57:"I was hopeless at school, messy and terrible at spelling.... Read more
Your Child's Digital Dossier
Your Child's Life As Recorded by Technology - Four Minute Video Read more
Doodling in Math Class: Snakes & Graphs
Math as Art: "math relies too much on memorization and not enough on immersion" Read more
Using Ed-Tech To Individualize Education: Three Videos
From Education Week's Technology in Education Conference: Leadership Forum Read more
Race To Nowhere: Must-Watch Documentary Clip
Are We Creating A Culture Of Unprepared High Achievers? Read more
Three Great Reads on High-Stakes Standardized Tests
Three Great Resources for Parents, Teachers & Administrators Read more
Students Need Different Things: "We Are All Part Of The Puzzle"
Guest Post By California English High School Teacher & Author Jim Burke Read more
Harlem Village Academies: "Morning Joe" Talk What's Working: Isn't That Refreshing?
Watch: John Legend & Deborah Kenny Show How A School Can Get "Accountability" Right: Personalized Learning For Students, Autonomy for Teachers, Great Leadership & School Culture "Required". Video. Read more
Two Kinds Of Schooling
Seth Godin: "The first type of schooling can even be accomplished with self-discipline and a Dummies book." Read more
Singapore Math Demystified! Can Solving Problems Unravel Our Fear Of Math?
PART 2: Guest Post By Bill Jackson, Math Helping Teacher, Scarsdale, NY Public Schools, one of the highest performing districts in the country, due to popular interest from parents and schools Read more
Is This Book Exposing Cracks In Schools Of Education (Teacher Colleges)?
Is "Teach Like A Champion" Hitting An Unexpected Nerve?? 2 min.VID. Read more
"Teach less, learn more." Lessons from Singapore, an economic "outlier" . . .
The Math Journey of a Leading Nation from a Global Perspective Read more
What American Teachers Can Learn From Japan
Bill Jackson Shares His Travel Journal To Japan & What He Found Out About Improving Teacher Quality, Cooking Shows & Asking Questions First Read more
New First Impression: Your Child's Digital Tattoo
A "New Cache Society"?On-Line Messages Live Permanently On the WebFuture College & Job Seekers: Listen UpVideo Below With so much press dedicated to cyberbullying and the ill effects of too much time spent on-line, let us not forget how important... Read more
Homeschoolers Bite Back
"I homeschool to give him the world as his classroom, with all the wonderful diversity it offers." Read more
The Professional Lives of Teachers in Singapore
An American Math Teacher Travel Journal Read more
Transforming School for Real Learning: The Video to Watch
Best education video of 2010? Brilliant TED talk by Chris Lehmann, principal of Science Leadership Academy -- a featured school in "Apple in Education" series takes on technology to meta-cognition to empowering students to the role of education. Check it out. Read more
Brian Williams @12Noon EDT: Teacher Town Hall - MSNBC's "Education Nation"
Check out Brian Williams and his "Teacher Town Hall", streaming live, which "will bring together teachers from across the country, both in-person and online, to brainstorm ideas, talk about what works . . . Read more
Teachers Can't Do It Alone
A powerful and well-done video presentation about the teaching profession - the churn, the upcoming demand, and most glaringly, the lack of collaboration . . . Read more
Are We Wrong About Motivation? Daniel Pink thinks so.
"Watch" Book: DRIVE. See how the way we do business & the way we learn may be on the wrong track and how to get it right. Read more
Bill Gates On "The Learning Ethic" & Charter Schools
"Thank God for charters . . .there's no room for innovation in thestandard (public school education) system." Read more
Teachers As "Underground Freedom Fighters"
" . . .I asked him how he selects the one student he will observe.He told me that he listens carefully to what students are saying to themselves and
chooses a student who is 'thinking out loud.' . . " - Bill Jackson Read more
A New Conversation With Sir Ken Robinson
"The Problem Is In Order To Get Through This Culture Of Standardized Testing, We Are Standardizing Our Children To Make Them 'Fit The Test'." Read more
Japanese Math Textbooks: Less Is More
Day Six: A Math Teacher's Travel Journal To Japan - A Global Perspective Read more
Small Schools. Big Results?
Joel Klein On "Morning Joe" Bringing An Important Conversation Back To Front Burner Read more
Google CEO Heads Obama's Innovation Team
"The Entrepreneurial Eco-System Is Broken . . ." : Judy Estrin, CEO, JLabs Read more
Differentiated Learning: Coming To Schools
One Of The Greatest Challenges Teachers Face Is How To Differentiate Learning Tailored To Each Student's Pace & Needs - Watch How It Is Done With Tech : Video Read more
Death By PowerPoint
"The simpler I keep things, the better I play." -- Nancy Lopez, champion golfer. Since we are teaching, learning, and presenting in classrooms using PowerPoint, we think the presentation . . . Read more
A New Way To Look At Teacher Credentials
"Always Learning" We are really impressed with the teachers who are actively initiating and engaged in their own development -- and who are not solely relying on the school for this area of professionalism, or the next formal degree or a development course every five years to "do the job" for them. Read more
On-Line Enrichment: A Smart Summer School Alternative
What Do Home Schooling, Supplemental Learning & Summer School Now Have In Common? No Need To Be Chauffeured. Read more
Can't You See It? Teachers For Technology. Now, Not Tomorrow.
What's Your School Doing About It? Lip Service or The Real Deal? One Of Our Favorite Videos Read more
Star Trek Has Arrived: Telepresence Coming To Schools?
Cool Technology: The Next Wave In Videoconferencing - "Beam Me Up, Scotty". Read more
SEED: Public Boarding School!
Byron Pitts Reports - If Rich Kids Can Attend Boarding Schools, Why Not The Poor?Watch Plus Pitts' Own Story: Videos Read more
"Ritalin Or Recess?" Are Schools Promoting The Use Of Drugs?
"Study high, take the test high, get high scores" - NYU Student Read more
"The Facebook Privacy War: What Is Personal Data?"
Regarding technology and social network sites in particular, when you have privacy policies that are changed mid-stream and where the customer has to actively monitor (!) the site's privacy settings . . . Read more
A 2.5 Year Old Has First Encounter With An iPad
Video: Approaching the 1 Million Mark In Hits - Oh, The Places These Kids Will Go! Read more
THE MOST IN-DEMAND DEGREES FOR FUTURE TOP JOBS. Part 2.
One caveat: Dual Skill Set Required. Will a degree be enough to land a job? Think again. Read more
The Grown-Up Brain: Better Than The Younger Version?
Woo-Hoo. Barbara Stauch Shares Some Very Good News From Her New Book Read more
Chatroulette: Is Your Teen/Tween On This On-Line "Porn" Chat Room?
What Every Parent MUST Know: New Free Video Chat Site With No Real Age Restriction Making It Big With The Younger Set Read more
NYT: "We Have Met The Enemy And He Is PowerPoint"
"When We Understand That Slide, We'll Have Won The War:" General Scott McChrystal Read more
Jobs in Demand: Are Our Kids Learning the Right Stuff? Part 1.
Check out the Top Ten. Read more
What If We Trained Teachers Like We Trained Doctors?
NPR's "Morning Edition" Questions Teacher Colleges With Lack Of Apprenticeship Read more
"Is The New Facebook A Deal With The Devil?"
Updates Today From Wired Magazine, NY Times, Mashable & Even Al Franken Read more
"Watching" Books or "Reading" TV? Alice In Wonderland & iPad
What Do YOU Think? Is iPad A Good Thing Or Bad For Kids' Reading? See 45 sec. Video Read more
Florida - SB6 : Our High-Stakes Standardized Testing Culture
UPDATE!! Florida SB-6 Bill Vetoed By Gov. Crist!!!More: Our High-Stake Standardized Testing Culture: Parents & Schools Beware Read more
THE UNDERGROUND GUIDE: OUTSMARTING THE SAT TEST
Last Minute Venues to Help "Up Your Scores" Read more
Sir Ken Robinson: So Many "Are Prevented From Finding Their True Talents"
Education Processes At Fault. We Must "Radically Transform" Schools. See New CNN 3-Minute Video. Read more
Careers In Math And The Sciences? Juggle Deadly Chemicals and Electricity? Rubbish!
My interest was piqued as I presumed I was about to enter the fray debating whether sociopathic, liberal high schools should be allowed to breed their own stem cells, only to find that STEM is an acronym for science, technology, engineering and math. (Humor) Read more
Singapore Math - Or How I Learned To Love Numbers
Guest Post By Kathleen Jalalpour, Middle School Math Teacher & Teacher Trainer Read more
BUILDING A BETTER TEACHER
The New York Times Magazine Cover Story Plus Extensive Reader Comments To "Can Teachers Be Taught To Teach Better?" Our Recommended Read. Read more
PBS: Next "Golden Age" Of Arts In America
Spearheaded By The Surge In New Media, PBS Prez Announces "Major Online Initiative" Bringing Arts To Wider Audience In An Impassioned Speech In Los Angeles. Read more
Invention Investor & Climate Freakonomist
Nathan Myhrvold: Scientist, Inventor, Billionaire, Investor. Video. Read more
School Spying Students At-Home Via Computer?
A family is suing school who allegedly spied on their son at home without cause by using a school-provided laptop webcam as a "peeping Tom technology". FBI is on case. Read more
Google Buzz Gets Whacked: Why Care?
We Should Know On-Line Privacy Issues To Be Able To Educate Our Kids About Them Read more
16 Olympic Sports Linked To Science
Video Collaboration by National Science Foundation & NBC Read more
Tom Friedman: "Getting American Kids Excited About Innovation & Entrepreneurship Again"
Tom Friedman: "We Need To Get Millions Of American Kids, Not Just The Geniuses, Excited About Innovation And Entrepreneurship Again. We Need To Make 2010 The Year Of 'Start-Up America'." Read more
THE NEXT WAVE IN COMPUTER SCIENCE
What Every Parent, Teacher & Administrator Needs To Know. The stereotypical image of the geeky nerd - the lonely male in a dark basement punching out computer code - may soon be a picture of the past. Instead, imagine. . . Read more
Building Digital Games - The New Summer Camp?
Geometry, Physics and Algebra Without the Class. WATCH: Video Read more
Teen-Produced Reality Series: StudentSpeak!
"My generation needs to do a better job of taking hold of its (tech's) reins and really using it as a tool to DO something" Read moreThe true test of intelligence is not how much we know how to do, but how we behave when we don't know what to do.John Holt, How Children Fail, 1964
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