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I stumbled across this article and I had flashbacks to "The World is Flat" and the need for today's students to think globally. I am always curious about other country's perspectives on education. I also found his remarks about his son's educational opportunities interesting.

I stumbled across this article and I had flashbacks to "The World is Flat" and the need for today's students to think globally. I always curious about other country's perspectives on education. I also found his remarks about his son's educational opportunities interesting.

I have not been happy with the output of my Twitter account. I have come to the conclusion that I am not following enough people, and that some of the people I am following are not right for me. I started to do a search on the internet for Twitter and education and came up with this resource. It includes a long, varied, categorized list of people and organizations to follow in education. The categories include such topics as Special Education, Technology, iPads, Design, General, etc. I have started following several of the people/organizations recommended by this resource and am already getting much more out of Twitter.

Jan, this is really helpful. I've had a similar feeling about my Twitter account. I'll take a look at some of the hashtags in the article you posted and hopefully we'll both get more out of it!

Interesting - it looks like this company is trying to make a tablet that is tailored for education. I like this idea because the iPads seem to be designed to profit the Apple company, which makes some things (such as the lack of Flash compatibility) a hindrance in the classroom.

We actually met with the rep from this company last spring. He was at MassCUE as well. At the time we could not purchase any of the tablets. They were in the beta stage. When I saw the rep at MassCUE, he mentioned that they applied many of the suggestions we made when he showed us the tablet last spring. The interesting piece was that we still are not able to purchase them yet!

Having access to a tablet specifically designed for education would be beneficial. ipads are great, but like you said, something like the lack of Flash Player can be frustrating. With increasing use of technology in schools, the devices will hopefully get more educator friendly.

I loved this commentary posted on Education Week. It talks about the importance of giving students unstructured time on a regular basis, and expanding recess or time for physical activity. As the author states, "Kids are built to move. Having more time for unstructured outdoor play is like handing them a reset button." This author also spent six weeks in Finland studying their education system. They seem to be achieving greater success with less class time, and more built in natural breaks. This is worth reading.

I wish we had more down time and outside time as well during the day. We barely get it all in as it is with one recess, but maybe going outside or having downtime will help them retain more day to day.

I'm so glad you posted this article, Julie. I think it is so important to continue examining not just what we teach, but how we teach it. My son shifted this January to the Waldorf school in Lexington, in part because he is a very physical learner, who is interested in the arts, music, and practical arts, but also because he was just sitting too much of the day, focusing almost exclusively on reading and math skills. In his new school, they practice counting and multiplication tables while jumping rope on teams, for example. It's not recess, but it is physical activity, it's fun, and it really reinforces and connects the math skill they are working on. I hear many examples like this from him each week, and it has really inspired me to try to incorporate similar approaches, even (or maybe especially?) with my 9th graders.

eSchoolNews is a monthly publication that comes to me via email (I'm sure many of you receive it) that is chock full of articles about technology in education. September's issue covered many topics but one in particular stood out to me, Does Research Support Flipped Learning?, intrigued me because the sub title suggests that it might work and improve student learning. A few key points include "Students are actively involved in their own learning.." and in many cases this method "..maximizes time with the instructor and increases the focus on higher-order thinking skills." WOW! Those are two of my favorite skills for students to master. The article also points out four essential elements of a flipped classroom - cleverly calling them the "four pillars of F-L-I-P" (Flexible Environment, Learning Culture, Intentional Content, Professional Educators.) A short article that does a good job of highlights the trend of a flipped classroom.

I flipped my intro to library. I really loved the format of Monday night's class and immediately flipped my intro to library to Advisory Research Challenge: Locating and Evaluating Information. Six research challenges, one that everyone had to do and the rest in pairs. The focus was on RMHS and RPL resources for RMHS students, which are many and varied and very sophisticated. Total fun. Time flew. Kids had to dive in, do the research and then present. It was so apparent to discern what needed to be clarified and/or emphasized. Thanks G-Dawg1

Interesting article on a study about inclusion. Amazing to read how much it helps those with disabilities as well as their regular education peers in their studies as well as socially. I wish there were more opportunities for co-teaching and full inclusion.

Beth Holland is an insightful, creative educator who I saw at MassCUE yesterday so I decided to follow her and see what else she had to say. This is an interesting and insightful discussion of the potential positives and negatives of screen time. A good reminder to keep it meaningful, and as we have all said, avoid "technology for the sake of technology." "Television rots your brain." In a similar vein, video games turn your mind to mush, and staring at a screen for too long potentially makes you a zombie. In 1999, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) published a report suggesting that children under two should not have any screen time.

The three questions this article asks are something I think a lot about when using the iPads in my classroom. Last year when I first started using them in my classroom they were mostly being used as mobile educational gaming devices. The kids were using apps that reinforced the phonics and math concepts we were learning, but they weren't really going anything further than that. They certainly were engaged and learning so I don't feel that it was time wasted, however I always knew there was more they could be doing with the devices. The third piece, is it empowering, was the piece I was missing last year and am trying to incorporate more this year.

Great article. I agree there needs to be a balance with screen time and how we should use that time. The 3 questions of screen time being appropriate, meaningful, and empowering are key to allowing students take charge of their learning. The article states "… teachers had found educational apps to reinforce math and reading concepts, the students passively interacted with content rather than constructing understanding. The interaction primarily consisted of students just tapping on a screen." I feel it is important for us to limit these types of apps and find the few that are going to allow students to "construct understanding" and apply content they learn outside of screen time. To me, this strikes a good balance. At MassCUE this past Thursday, I attended a session by a district that made the decision to use apps that allowed for creativity. They recognized that there were many apps for gaming and skill drills, but they wanted their students to be able to use their devices to apply learning in a meaningful way. This was music to my ears. I applaud their efforts, and based on the examples of student work that were shown, it's working.

This is an interesting infographic. Perhaps this is why the flipped model has gotten some traction. The truth is that because of the internet and social media we get a lot of our information and communication done via video. Heck, my own kids haven't ever really talked on the phone. They only video chat with our relatives using FaceTime. Like all other teaching tools, though, video needs to be varied with other methods and it requires a great teacher for the information to have the right impact on the kids. Summary: When I was a student, 'using video in education' mostly meant showing a movie in class. Which to me, as a student, was clearly much better than the alternative of a lecture. With so much interactive multimedia technology available to today's students, 'video in education' means way more than it used to.

Not too long ago, the NMC Horizon Report: 2014 Higher Education Edition was released, with the aim of examining emerging technologies for their potential impact on and use in teaching and learning within higher education settings. This is the eleventh time the New Media Consortium has put out this report, and it is interesting to look back ...

This powerful spoken word video was one of Edutopia's "8 EduWins of 2013." As an educator, it made me think about the messages that I give to my students on a daily basis, and how important it is that we don't just fall into the trap of the way things have always been done. Students today need to see the relevance of their learning; they want to know how and when they will apply skills and information. Worth watching.

I found this video along with another Spoken Word video "Why I Hate School But Love Education," extremely powerful and captivating. The message is exactly what we are talking about in class and trying to change in our classrooms. The whole presentation of the video was motivating as well. I really enjoyed listening to him speak and agreed with his points. His presentation in the first video is what made click on the others. Both videos are definitely worth watching.

Here are some thoughts from Alfie Kohn on how it is important to be courageous in making changes for the best interest of students.

According to this blog from Education Week, the Department of Education gives states the option of suspending their current tests if they choose to adminster the PARCC field test instead. I wondered whether MA and/or Reading would be interested in this option or whether we'd be adminstering the MCAS again this year. According to the article, when California expressed that they'd like to use only field tests this spring, they were threatened with losing Title 1 funding. It will be interesting to see what states and districts across the country decide to do!

Hi Taylor, Great link. This is currently a much discussed topic in our state. The Commissioner has given Superintendents the authority to excuse those students from the MCAS who are piloting that particular test on the PARRC. At first, it seemed like a good idea to do it, but there has been a lot of discussion as to whether or not there will be backlash for those students, grade levels, and schools that do not take the MCAS. Questions are being asked about how the scores will be determined if there is not as great a sample size. Does this penalize students if they do not take the MCAS? More to come.

I've been a big fan of Diane Ravitch ever since reading her book, The Death and Life of the Great American School System: How Testing and Choice are Undermining Education. Here, she maintains that the recent NAEP reports on reading and math that indicate the success of "carrot and stick" reforms are just not accurate. I think she makes some good points that align well with our class readings and discussions. If this is a topic that interests you, you might also want to check on Diane Ravitch on Dan Pink's Office Hours where she discusses the detriments of merit pay http://bit.ly/1b8Spl7

Importance of social networking not only for teachers but students as well. Very interesting..

This article brings up some really good points about the types of skills students need and how educators can make sure they are developing theses skills. Having students design and participate in PLCs is a great way to start developing the skills that are going to be essential in their future. Thanks for sharing.

Interesting article, Meg. I started following the guy that was mentioned, Paul Moss, on twitter, and hope to get some good ideas. I love the idea of starting to get kids networking in an educational way. They are already experts on doing it socially! If we have another EdCamp format, I'd love to have a discussion about what PLNs could mean for students, even as young as middle school.

I agree that students should know how computers work and that the "Hour of Code" was a good experience for many students, but I think the focus of schools should begin with web literacy, typing, and how to use basic programs such as Word.

If we look at computer programming/coding as a replacement of the skills you mentioned we will not serve the students of today or the future. The skills you mention are valuable in and of themselves but many of these block based coding applications offer a platform for students to express creativity, develop problem solving and collaboration skills, as well as expose kids to an expanding field of study and career.

Why pit those skills against each other? I don't think you can have one without the other.

Latest results released by the National Center for Education Statistics. Massachusetts is #1 in science and math again! Amid growing alarm over the slipping international competitiveness of American students, a report comparing math and science test scores of eighth graders in individual states to those in other countries has found that a majority outperformed the international average.

Would schools get better results if they were run like a corporation?

Would schools get better results if they were run like corporations?

The biggest problem with this author's opinion is that his only measure is test scores. There are quite a few other problems, of course. It was frustrating to read this. I wonder if he has ever tried to do what a teacher does, even for a week. I wonder if his expertise about education comes from merely being a student once when he was a child and perhaps even having children who are students. He doesn't seem to cite any evidence about what teachers really do day-to-day. Does he even know?

I'm not sure I agree with the cons here, at least at the high school level. If students want to cheat they will find a way to cheat, whether they have technology or not. They need to learn from those poor choices and mature over time. As far as distractions go, I'd rather have a student respond quickly to a text and move on with their work on their phone in my class than to forbid them from using the powerful tools on the phone entirely.

I follow Jerry Blumengarten on Twitter and have had a few Tweet conversations with him. He has great insights about tech integration that change learning, rather than for the sake of tech integration. This page is like his version of a Diigo page for BYOD resourcs. It links to a lot of great BYOD blogs, articles, lesson examples, etc. Cybrary Man's Educational Web Sites The internet catalogue for students, teachers, administrators & parents. Over 20,000 relevant links personally selected by an educator/author with over 30 years of experience.

Interesting article on setting guidelines for limiting the amount of time kids spend on a device. Also brings up issue of parents not really knowing how to help their child use the device for educational purposes. My guess is that most parents defer to their children as the experts on their devices and yield to what they want for apps.