Group items tagged

article on problems with LA school district not making good use of technology and dismissing its value because it did not change test scores

Interview with Vera Michalchik published by DML Research Hub, funded by the McArthur Foundation. Michalchick heads up research on Informal Learning Environments in SRI International's Center for Technology in Learning. "I'm paraphrasing Richard Feynman who said that the more that we have a monoculture of learning, the less chance we have of producing creative, innovative, capable thinkers. We really want diverse learning environments, and assessment is always the tail that wags the dog. People are beholden to systems of accountability, and what knowledge is valued and how that knowledge is valued really shows up in an assessment system. Besides reducing the diversity of learning environments by having common metrics, we short-change a natural process. This is what we mention in the Naturalizing Assessment article. " Offers pros and cons on badging system (is disinclined but open-minded about their usage) and suggests various kinds of informal learning assessments that do not following the standardized testing model such as: continual monitoring of where kids are in the program, for when kids are "getting it", "minimally invasive studies of behavior and performance" to support documentation of participation and capacity building, ethnology, video documentation, data mining methods of video archives, embedded assessment in learning games, etc.

My Learning Springboard offers a Learning Concierge(R) which "brings together subject matter experts and curriculum specialists to develop customized programs for individuals or groups of all sizes and ages, including adult learners. Services include private tutoring, enrichment teaching, test preparation, field trips, independent study, after school programs, and summer programs in our direct service areas and beyond."

"The wiki leverages the Symbaloo visual bookmarking tool to consolidate helpful websites-including practice tests and Keeley learning probes-onto a single page. Along with neighboring district Gaston " Interesting use of Symbaloo as part of a structured assist for busy teachers--any applicability elsewhere?

article by Simone C. O. Conceicao, July 2014, on designing online learning for learners. Reviews book: Design Alchemy by Roderick Sims. Excerpt "The learner should be engaged in a learning activity at any point in the course. Sims recognizes the need to test assumptions, construct solutions, adjust variables, and/or introduce content within the online environment. "

A Data-driven approach to gender equality shows that although some gains have been made, not enough have been. Since 1995, the baseline data year, shows mixed gains. For example, some women still don't have the right to vote, 1 in 4 girls was married before her 18th birthday, girls and boys test similarly in math and science yet women are still not entering those higher paying fields. On the plus side, more women are surviving childbirth and the general health of women has improved.

Charles Jennings, November 17, 2014 "This type of learning is 'designed' by the individual (sometimes with input from their manager), it is self-managed, and the measurement is in terms of outputs - not by passing a test or some form of certification but by demonstrating the ability to do work better, faster, more accurately, with greater agility and levels of innovation if needed."

from InstructionalDesign.org, their page on Double Loop Learning and the theory of action outlined by Argyris and Schon. Double loop learning assumptions underlying current views are questioned and hypotheses about behavior publically tested.

article by samantha whitehorne, Associations Now on pop-up events--one day high-quality connecting/learning events, May 2016

article in Academic Matters, the Journal of Higher Education, by Stephen Carson and Jan Philipp Schmidt, May 2012 issue. Excerpt: "Expertise will be earned and maintained through ongoing lifelong education, not conferred once and good for life. Open learning systems offer the possibility for the kind of continuous lifelong learning that will be necessary as the pace of technological and scientific knowledge development increases. Like athletes, learners will not just learn once, but will maintain a level of performance ability in their chosen field through ongoing study and participation in learning communities."

Facilitating life long learning should be the goal of every teacher. I think that sometimes it is so cumbersome - passing tests, etc., that the fun part of learning is lost.

Great feature by Teddy Wayne, February 7, 2014, NYT, on unplugging Twitter, Facebook, put off email and smartphone.

post by Matthew Braga as special to The Globe and Mail, 8/6/14 on how deidentified data can be hacked to reveal identities of users.

Don Kilburn/Tom Vander Ark blog post on how formative assessment made possible by technology is helping GenerationDo-It-Yourself students (and teachers?) remediate while still in high school. Pearson is behind this article (remember Barb McDonald's mention of this in a CPSquare discussion).

Very nice article by Tom Vander Ark for Huffington Post, 9/4/2015 on how we can tackle professional learning goals for ourselves. via Jane Hart

Jane's advert for her next workshop where she explains what the course is and isn't.

great McKinsey & Company blog post by Lareina Yee, January 2015

Very interesting experiment to allow six months of MOOC work to be used in admissions to MIT instead of transcripts of performance from schools that are unknown/untested. If MIT will allow MOOC accomplishment to satisfy entry-credentialing, what about employers?

Great article on why more progress in the classroom isn't happening with student-centered uses of technology. June 10, 2015 Edweek, quotes Larry Cuban.

riveting interview with Deirdre McCloskey, economist on two points: transition from man to woman, and writing.

This blog post may be a before/after moment for me 5/2018. The question: "Which feeling/experience/state do you look back on fondly? Which one engages you, challenges you, makes you the best version of yourself?"