Nice site to teach kids how to create and code mobile apps. Very good, easy to follow tutorials, and apps can (for a fee) actually be sold through the Vizwik app store or other app stores.
Truly cool tool from Google inspires learners' questions and projects. Input what you are good at, what subject you enjoy, and what you want to do, and Google provides a tapestry (Yes, I just used the word "tapestry.") of links, videos, books, and other resources to get the creative juices flowing.
Decentralized systems have proven to be more productive and agile than rigid, top-down ones
Teachers provide prompts, not answers, and then they step aside
We don’t openly profess those values nowadays, but our educational system—which routinely tests kids on their ability to recall information and demonstrate mastery of a narrow set of skills—doubles down on the view that students are material to be processed, programmed, and quality-tested. School administrators prepare curriculum standards and “pacing guides” that tell teachers what to teach each day. Legions of managers supervise everything that happens in the classroom; in 2010 only 50 percent of public school staff members in the US were teachers.
In 1970 the top three skills required by the Fortune 500 were the three Rs: reading, writing, and arithmetic. In 1999 the top three skills in demand were teamwork, problem-solving, and interpersonal skills
And yet the dominant model of public education is still fundamentally rooted in the industrial revolution that spawned it, when workplaces valued punctuality, regularity, attention, and silence above all else.
“schools in the cloud,”
There will be no teachers, curriculum, or separation into age groups—just six or so computers and a woman to look after the kids’ safety. His defining principle: “The children are completely in charge.”
as the kids blasted through the questions, they couldn’t help noticing that it felt easy, as if they were being asked to do something very basic.
Digital magazine from Stanford University highlights interesting and challenging stories of innovation. Could be a great kick-starter for project-based learning or to engage kids in innovative and critical thinking.
The DIY online club awards badges (called 'Skills' on the site) to students and kids of all ages in exchange for completing tasks. DIY Makers share their work with the community and get patches for the Skills they earn. Each Skill consists of a set of Challenges that help them learn techniques to get the hang of it. Once a Maker completes a Challenge, they add photos and video to their Portfolio to show what they did.
Resources available in collaboration/brainstorming, visual arts, music, engineering /design, invention/innovation are the categories used to organize recommended web resources.