Group items tagged

Excellent opinion piece articulating the implications of the loss of privacy for individuals who put their personal data out into world in particular the surrendering of their sense of offline individuality to being a small part of a larger online community of people whereby their personal identity is reflected in their standing as part of an online network.

Excellent opinion piece articulating the implications of the loss of privacy for individuals who put their personal data out into world in particular the surrendering of their sense of offline individuality to being a small part of a larger online community of people whereby their personal identity is reflected in their standing as part of an online network.

"This essay will explain why I label various technologies as winners, losers, and magic bullets in the table below. My opinions are not based on exhaustive research. They are based on my experience both as a high school teacher and as an entrepreneur." My evaluations are based on whether I view these technologies as supporting a model of education that is one-to-many or a model that is many-to-one. The latter is the model I prefer, as will become clear in the rest of this essay.

Food for thought.

There is a great service learning opportunity here. The founder was profiled in the NYTimes today by Kristof http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/12/opinion/12kristof.html?ref=opinion

""Me, Myself and Math" is a six-part series that looks at us through the lens of math. Steven Strogatz is the Schurman Professor of applied mathematics at Cornell University. A frequent guest on WNYC's "Radiolab," he is the author, most recently, of "The Joy of x," which grew out of his previous Opinionator series "The Elements of Math"."

Impact of tariffs and other protectionist measures

This essay is an attempt to provide an overview of evaluations and reforms in American education since the 1983 report, "A Nation at Risk". It goes on to point to directions that have largely been unexplored here, and ways that, in the author's opinion would facilitate more meaningful reform, reform that begets improvement.   

Durante las dos últimas décadas, millones de Recursos Educativos Abiertos (REA) están a libre disposición para los profesores y estudiantes en línea. Estos recursos son generalmente accesibles a través Repositorios de Objetos de Aprendizaje (LORS), que son bases de datos con una interfaz de usuario. Los Repositorios de Objetos de Aprendizaje rara vez se utilizan en todo su potencial y, a menudo se considerados como "fracasos". Estudios anteriores han demostrado que la calidad tiene un papel crítico en el éxito de los sistemas de información, tales como LORS. Sin embargo no existen pautas comunes para la garantía de calidad para los enfoques LORS, ni existen estudios sobre la contribución de los diferentes enfoques de aseguramiento de la calidad LOR para el éxito de un repositorio. La medición de la calidad y el éxito han demostrado ser un desafío en la comunidad de investigación debido a la naturaleza subjetiva y dinámica de tales conceptos. Para hacer frente a este reto, esta tesis estudia la percepción de los usuarios y desarrolladores con LOR desde mútiples perspectivas metodológicas. La aportación de esta tesis al discurso académico se debe a su profundización de la comprensión de las percepciones de los usuarios y desarrolladores de LORS sobre la calidad y el éxito de los repositorios. para ello se desarrollaron marcos para enfoques de garantía de calidad y medidas de éxito de Repositorios de Objetos de Aprendizaje con el fin de identificar y enfoques de diseño que aumentarían el éxito de los repositorios, como un aporte teórico. Los resultados de estos estudios muestran que opiniones de los expertos en combinación con los enfoques de calidad generados por los usuarios (por ejemplo, sistemas de recomendación revisiones por pares, comentando, etiquetado, etc.) contribuyen al éxito del repositorio.El aporte práctico de esta tesis es un conjunto de recomendaciones hacia el diseño de estrategias de calidad de los Repositorio

Durante las dos últimas décadas, millones de Recursos Educativos Abiertos (REA) están a libre disposición para los profesores y estudiantes en línea. Estos recursos son generalmente accesibles a través Repositorios de Objetos de Aprendizaje (LORS), que son bases de datos con una interfaz de usuario. Los Repositorios de Objetos de Aprendizaje rara vez se utilizan en todo su potencial y, a menudo se considerados como "fracasos". Estudios anteriores han demostrado que la calidad tiene un papel crítico en el éxito de los sistemas de información, tales como LORS. Sin embargo no existen pautas comunes para la garantía de calidad para los enfoques LORS, ni existen estudios sobre la contribución de los diferentes enfoques de aseguramiento de la calidad LOR para el éxito de un repositorio. La medición de la calidad y el éxito han demostrado ser un desafío en la comunidad de investigación debido a la naturaleza subjetiva y dinámica de tales conceptos. Para hacer frente a este reto, esta tesis estudia la percepción de los usuarios y desarrolladores con LOR desde mútiples perspectivas metodológicas. La aportación de esta tesis al discurso académico se debe a su profundización de la comprensión de las percepciones de los usuarios y desarrolladores de LORS sobre la calidad y el éxito de los repositorios. para ello se desarrollaron marcos para enfoques de garantía de calidad y medidas de éxito de Repositorios de Objetos de Aprendizaje con el fin de identificar y enfoques de diseño que aumentarían el éxito de los repositorios, como un aporte teórico. Los resultados de estos estudios muestran que opiniones de los expertos en combinación con los enfoques de calidad generados por los usuarios (por ejemplo, sistemas de recomendación revisiones por pares, comentando, etiquetado, etc.) contribuyen al éxito del repositorio.El aporte práctico de esta tesis es un conjunto de recomendaciones hacia el diseño de estrategias de calidad de los Repositorios de

Though-provoking piece about the kinds of skills might be needed in a future dictated by mega-data analysis.  It speculates how people might be needed to keep the "human" in "humanity."

"Based on suggestions from teacher-leaders across the country, here is a blueprint for how teachers can become major stakeholders in edtech conventions"

So some thoughts on how to affect change in a timely, and yet, deliberate fashion. * Know why you are changing... and know what you are giving up by making this change. Every change creates winners and losers, so be sure to think through what you gain and what you lose (thanks to Neil Postman for that framework.) which leads to... * Always ask "What is the worst consequence of your best idea?" Do it for two reasons - one, because if you can't live with that consequence, don't do what you planned, but two, because the process of thinking this through will help you (and your team) mitigate the problems and you won't be as surprised when the thing you didn't think of comes up. * Research like crazy. Who has tried what you are doing? Who has tried something close to what you're doing? Who is talking about it? Who is writing about it? Who says the idea is already crazy? There aren't many truly new ideas in education, so figure out the history of your idea and learn from who has come before you. * Get lots of opinions - Come up with a smart, sensible, honest way to explain your idea and then listen. Listen a lot. Listen to the folks who don't like the idea, and ask them why. * Be honest - Don't oversell, don't overpromise, and don't pretend that the idea is perfect. * Build consensus - If only a few people are on-board with the idea, it won't work. But consensus doesn't mean taking something from everyone and sticking it onto the original idea until what you have is the worst of committee-based decisions. It means listening for the truths in what other people are telling you and being willing to make substantive change when it makes sense. * Know when to move forward. Don't let ideas die in committee because the team gets hung up on the final 5% of an idea. * Set realistic expectations for initial success, and then set up a plan to get there. If it's a tech idea -- get the tech right. (Nothing worse than getting everyone excited about a n

So some thoughts on how to affect change in a timely, and yet, deliberate fashion. * Know why you are changing... and know what you are giving up by making this change. Every change creates winners and losers, so be sure to think through what you gain and what you lose (thanks to Neil Postman for that framework.) which leads to... * Always ask "What is the worst consequence of your best idea?" Do it for two reasons - one, because if you can't live with that consequence, don't do what you planned, but two, because the process of thinking this through will help you (and your team) mitigate the problems and you won't be as surprised when the thing you didn't think of comes up. * Research like crazy. Who has tried what you are doing? Who has tried something close to what you're doing? Who is talking about it? Who is writing about it? Who says the idea is already crazy? There aren't many truly new ideas in education, so figure out the history of your idea and learn from who has come before you. * Get lots of opinions - Come up with a smart, sensible, honest way to explain your idea and then listen. Listen a lot. Listen to the folks who don't like the idea, and ask them why. * Be honest - Don't oversell, don't overpromise, and don't pretend that the idea is perfect. * Build consensus - If only a few people are on-board with the idea, it won't work. But consensus doesn't mean taking something from everyone and sticking it onto the original idea until what you have is the worst of committee-based decisions. It means listening for the truths in what other people are telling you and being willing to make substantive change when it makes sense. * Know when to move forward. Don't let ideas die in committee because the team gets hung up on the final 5% of an idea. * Set realistic expectations for initial success, and then set up a plan to get there. If it's a tech idea -- get the tech right. (Nothing worse than getting everyone excited about a n

Opinion article regarding school reform and how "instructional mismanagement" is often the elephant in the room.

Opposing viewpoint on digital literacy. Important to hear other opinions to decide rationally. 

Thomas Friedman's NY Times article - interview w/ Tony Wagner on need to be prepare students to be innovation ready.