That's So 21C Education

While I know this concept is not new, but I feel like we should do unconference

A few days ago the Salt Lake Tribune's front page headline declared, "Highest rate in the nation, 1 in 32 Utah boys has autism."  This is a national public health emergency, whose epicenter is Utah, Gov. Herbert.  A more obscure story on the same day read: "New pesticides linked to bee population collapse."  If you eat food, and hope to do so in the future, this is another national emergency, Pres. Obama.  A common  denominator may underlie both headlines.  The autism epidemic and disappearing bees are real public health emergencies created by allowing our world to be overwhelmed by environmental toxins. 

Next Thursday, April 5, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and TED will partner to host their annual TEDxChange event, this year in Berlin, Germany. TEDxChange is a partnership between TED and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to bring forth new ideas to tackle global problems. [When to Watch]: Watch TEDxChange live on Facebook on Thursday, April 5 at 8:30am PST/11:30am EST/5:30 CET. This year's theme is The Big Picture, where the speakers will apply new, bold ideas and perspectives to discuss the world's most pressing social issues.

Skoll World Forum coming soon... Micro-sized sleeping bags for infants, electric soccer balls and bomb-sniffing rats... cool 

There are certain things, good and bad, that ebooks can't offer. Old bookmarks, penciled annotations and chocolate smudges between the pages... the tactile human touches that make die-hard proponents of print swear they'll never make the switch. But those traditionalists are becoming the minority of library borrowers, as the relative convenience of ebooks -- downloadable from the comfort of one's home -- appeals to more and more library users. According to recently-released stats from the Vancouver Public Library, the lending and borrowing of electronic content, and in particular ebooks, is exploding.

Vision of 21C schools still biased against introverts and the new collaborative groupthink model, forgeting the value of contemplation and solitude... "Stop the madness for constant groupwork". Deep thought does not come from group work. In a culture where being social and outgoing are prized above all else, it can be difficult, even shameful, to be an introvert. But, as Susan Cain argues in this passionate talk, introverts bring extraordinary talents and abilities to the world, and should be encouraged and celebrated. Our world prizes extroverts -- but Susan Cain makes a case for the quiet and contemplative. Full bio »

Distributed leadership and transparency needed in education and student leadership. It's time to abandon antiquated models of Prefects and Student Councils/Governments which promoted limited voice, action and impact.  Discussion by Mashable and OneYoungWorld inspire some thoughts in this direction and the role of social media and new models of social entrepreneurism  

Dan Russell, a Google "search anthropologist" who studies how everyday people search for information online, told The Atlantic last week that 90 percent of people don't know that they can use CTRL or Command+F to find a word in a document or web page.  Now did you know that? Do your students know that?

Dale J. Stephens brings a unique perspective on the future of education, talent, and innovation.  He is a sought-after education expert appearing on major news networks including CNN, ABC, NPR, CBS, Fox, and TechCrunch.  His work has been covered by the New York Times and New York Magazine to Fast Company and Forbes. At 20, Dale leads UnCollege, the social movement empowering students to create their own education.  In May 2011 Dale was selected out of hundreds of individuals around the world as a Thiel Fellow.  The Thiel Fellowship recognizes the top entrepreneurs around the world under the age of twenty. His first book, Hacking Your Education, will be published by Penguin in early 2013. 

To best help our country's children, we, as parents and professionals, need to look beyond the increasing polarization on the "to drug or not to drug" issue. We need to recognize the deeper both/and message that underlies the increasingly fervent debate about whether kids should be medicated for ADHD. Even Dr. Koplewicz admits that that serious stress in a child's environment -- ranging from abuse and neglect, to inconsistent discipline, marital problems, and financial issues -- can result in a child's having problems

Who doesn't love to chat, text, and post details of their lives online? Just about everybody does, but it's good to think about what you're sharing and its impact on people. And don't forget the invisible audiences - people you never even thought of who can see your stuff now or later - for what you share out there.

There was a great article in the New York Times this weekend, "You've Won a Badge (and Now We Know All About You)," that explains how businesses are using gamification to deepen engagement with their brands. Reviews possible education connections.

Are hardbound textbooks going the way of slide rules and typewriters in schools?

Are we bold? So, with a minimum of description, I'm thinking "bold" schools are: 1. Learning Centered - Everyone (adults, children) is a learner; learners have agency; emphasis on becoming a learner over becoming learned. 2. Questioning - Inquiry based; questions over answers 3. Authentic - School is real life; students and teachers do real work for real purposes. 4. Digital - Every learner (teacher and student) has a computer; technology is seamlessly integrated into the learning process; paperless 5. Connected - Learning is networked (as are learners) with the larger world; classrooms have "thin walls;" learning is anytime, anywhere, anyone. 6. Literate - Everyone meets the expectations of NCTE's "21st Century Literacies" 7. Transparent - Learning and experiences around learning are shared with global audiences 8. Innovative - Teachers and students "poke the box;" Risk-taking is encouraged. 9. Provocative - Leaders educate and advocate for change in local, state and national venues.

Actually I get the feeling this is been shared before oh well some good ideas as a template for us to work towards

Great discussion piece... good for TOK and beyonmd... Good for a staff discussion... . I like #1, 2 (especially for Mulgrave! I want access like Starbucks!), 4 (go Wikipedia), 5 (go Facebook),  #6 is Mulgrave's moment. Love #8: If you were a video game, no one would play you -- feedback is too slow. But I'm slow anyways 

How did it come to "a bunch of old people most of whom never use the internet"  deciding how and why the internet should be regulated…? Good critique… no doubt polemical, but some good digs into the reality behind this "copyright" regulatory/censorship initiative

pple Inc. is leveraging its massive success in the mobile device market to disrupt the slow-moving but hugely lucrative textbook industry. The world's most valuable technology company announced Thursday a new version of its electronic book software, iBooks 2 for the iPad.

Ten Tips for Personalized Learning via Technology

Lots in Edutopia this week