Are Textbooks an Obstacle to Learning?
Reposted from SmartBlog on Education: In “We Don’t Need No Stink’n Textbooks,” Tom Whitby convincingly argues that textbooks are as obstructive to learning as they are ubiquitous in American...
View ArticleBeginning of the Year Advice from EdSurge
Reposted from EdSurge: “Every year, I say I’m too busy to learn something new. But I’m not busy right now. What techie stuff can I do now that will help this year?” The enemy of innovation and growth...
View ArticleA Teacher’s Guide to Communicating with Parents
Reposted from EdSurge: “I’m already getting parent phone calls and it’s August! Can technology help me manage this through the year?” Parents can be difficult. Every teacher has his or her stories....
View ArticleOn the Purpose of Public Education
Reposted from SmartBlog on Education: In my previous column, “Are textbooks an obstacle to learning?” I urged teachers to assume a more significant role in determining the “big ideas” of their...
View ArticleThe Best Unit I’ve Ever Taught (By Accident)
[Update: See Ibrahim's letter that he wrote after reading this post.] The best unit I have ever taught was an accident. It wasn’t part of the curriculum, and it all took place during lunch, after...
View ArticleEducation Conferences and the Big Idea
Recently, my favorite tech blogger MG Siegler linked to this article by Babbage, a blog from The Economist about science, technology, culture, and policy. The post is about tech conferences. It reads,...
View ArticleTeachers Bashing Teachers: Why the Beef?
There was a lot of teacher-bashing on Twitter today. Teachers very quietly criticize their peers off-line but have no trouble letting it fly on-line. Twitter’s veil of anonymity isn’t itself...
View ArticleFive Obstacles to Change in Education
Recently, I led a professional development seminar in which I introduced colleagues to the SAMR model of technology integration. Meanwhile, I shared two excellent TED talks with members of our...
View ArticleWho’s to Blame for Stagnation in EdTech?
‘Tis the season to make predictions for 2014. My prediction? Nothing will change. How about that for optimism?! 2013 mostly saw stagnation in EdTech. Data-based assessment didn’t evolve from multiple...
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