hese skills are not taught by rote learning alone, but rather are learned through discovery, inquiry, and exploration. Many of these skills cannot be successfully taught through an application or website, but must be experienced in class and facilitated by a teacher.
Just because an educational tool isn’t perfect does not mean it should be disregarded. Just because an online classroom does not replace the role of a teacher doesn’t mean that this learning tool has no educational merit. Though there are thousands of technological tools that help enhance instruction, it doesn’t mean that teachers will be rendered obsolete.
For 2011, my three words are: Seek, Sense, and Share inspired by Harold Jarche's model for networked learning. How these words will guide me in 2011: Seek: Seeking is the process of keeping up to date in your field. Over the past decade, the Internet and social media have b
A similar phenomenon is occurring today in places such as Iran and Syria, where government officials seeking unvarnished news of the world beyond their borders use so-called proxy servers and circumvention technology to access their own Facebook or e-mail accounts -- platforms their governments regularly block.
This eerily sounds like what we do in schools, which is too bad. It sort of sounds like we are running a small communist nation.
comparing the uncertain dial tone of the fax machine with the speed of today's handheld devices is like comparing a ship's compass to the power of global positioning systems.
breaking down traditional barriers of age, gender, and socioeconomic status
cell phones
cell-phone
cell phones
nature of civil society
more costs than benefits
connecting nations" -- places where technological development is still nascent and where both governments and citizens are testing out tools and their potential impact
"open by default"
the so-called failed states
Efforts by democratic governments to foster freedom and opportunity will be far stronger if they recognize the vital role technology can play in enabling their citizens to promote these values -- and that technology is overwhelmingly provided by the private sector.
interconnected estate
interconnected estate
to shape government and corporate behavior
by promoting freedom of expression and by protecting citizens from threatening governments.
join together in new alliances to multiply their impact.
offer a new way to exercise the duty to protect citizens around the world who are abused by their governments or barred from voicing their opinions
citizens' use of technology can be an effective vehicle to promote the values of freedom, equality, and human rights globally
Shared power. It's odd that the core problem of connection through technology may be shared power. Must our core thesis be (then) how to participate in an environment of shared power or of decentralization of information or of disaggregation of opportunity to participate? Hmmmm.
My Perfect School
I’ve been asked on several occasions what my perfect school looks like. Today as it stands in January 2012 this would be my perfect school.
PreK - 1st Grade: 1 iPad for every two students: iPads stay at school owned and managed by the school.
2 - 3rd Grade: 1:1 iPad program: Each student has their own iPad and iPads primarily stay at school and can be checked out by the parents to take home if need/wanted.
4th Grade: 1:1 iPad and 1:1 Laptop: The iPads are allowed to be taken home and are tied to a guardians account. The school purchases a set of “standard apps” anything above that is up to the parents. The laptops stay at school and can be checked out by the parents to take home if need/wanted.
5th Grade: 1:1 iPad and 1:1 Laptop: Same as 4th grade however the students at some point during the year gain the responsibility of taking both the iPad and the Laptop home. 5th Grade is a great time to do this because:
In 5th grade students still only have one classroom teacher. This sense of classroom community is a great place to talk about responsibility and practice it.
A good time to practice taking care of your devices before hitting middle school where students have 4 to 6 different classes in 4 to 6 different classrooms with 4 to 6 different teachers.
Allow students to learn to organize their digital lives so they are not trying to figure this out at the same time they are learning a new “schooling” system of lockers, freedom and multiple classes.
6 -12th Grade: 1:1 iPad and 1:1 Laptop: Both devices become the sole responsibility of the student. The school loads a “standard” set of software on all devices and the students/parents are responsible for managing the rest.
he work portfolio of America’s superintendents is increasingly diverse, encompassing not only student achievement, but the diversification of student and staff populations, the explosion of technology, expanded expectations from the government, the school board and the community, and the globalization of society.
A high percentage would again seek to occupy the same position if given the chance to re-live their careers.
a finding suggesting the probability of substantial turnover in the next few years.
AASA's Study of School Superintendents finds a number of interesting (but obvious) results from research funded by Pearson and Rowman and Littlefield (both publishers).