An interesting article from the New York Times this week that looks at a Waldorf school in Los Altos, CA, that has no computers, no screens at all, and that says computers and schools don't mix. And the chief technology officer of eBay sends his children there. So do employees of Google, Apple, Yahoo, and Hewlett-Packard.
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Thursday, October 27, 2011
Monday, October 24, 2011
A Case for Using Social Media With Learning
A new article from MindShift explores the "pros" around using social media as a central part of learning.
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Monday, August 29, 2011
THE SURPRISING TRUTH...about what motivates us
Dan Pink on what truly motivates us in the work that we do: ideas that we likely already know, but that are oh-so-easy to lose sight of.
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Monday, August 8, 2011
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Saturday, August 6, 2011
LMSs as tools, not revolutions
reflections on Esther Shein's "One-Stop Shopping With Learning Management Systems."
In her article, “One-Stop Shopping With Learning Management Systems,” Shein quotes Matthew Waymack, a virtual school director in Georgia: "The climate of the classrooms is better," he says, "the attendance of the students and teachers is better, and the overall feeling of being engaged is better." Waymack, of course, is referring to his school’s use of a learning management system, or LMS. Waymack is part of a new group of educators who, ten years ago, seemed to be light years ahead of the educational curve with visions of what online learning could look like. In the year 2001, my thoughts around any kind of non-lecture courses were something like this: “Correspondence courses? Sure: do some readings, do some writings, mail papers back to an instructor via the post. But online courses? Too problematic. Not really happening.”
Now, in 2011, I am recalling a decade-old idea of the insurmountable complexities around online learning...on my blog, which is itself a tool for online sharing and learning.
Waymack’s above quotation catches my eye because it embodies the highest ideal that might be represented by online learning: the notion that technology and strictly virtual realms of learning do not take the place of traditional learning scenarios, but that—rather—there is the possibility that with the aid of tools like LMSs, we might simply take moderate steps toward achieving better classroom climates, better attendance, and better overall engagement.
I can’t imagine any teacher—tech-savvy or not—balking at those aims.
In her article, “One-Stop Shopping With Learning Management Systems,” Shein quotes Matthew Waymack, a virtual school director in Georgia: "The climate of the classrooms is better," he says, "the attendance of the students and teachers is better, and the overall feeling of being engaged is better." Waymack, of course, is referring to his school’s use of a learning management system, or LMS. Waymack is part of a new group of educators who, ten years ago, seemed to be light years ahead of the educational curve with visions of what online learning could look like. In the year 2001, my thoughts around any kind of non-lecture courses were something like this: “Correspondence courses? Sure: do some readings, do some writings, mail papers back to an instructor via the post. But online courses? Too problematic. Not really happening.”
Now, in 2011, I am recalling a decade-old idea of the insurmountable complexities around online learning...on my blog, which is itself a tool for online sharing and learning.
Waymack’s above quotation catches my eye because it embodies the highest ideal that might be represented by online learning: the notion that technology and strictly virtual realms of learning do not take the place of traditional learning scenarios, but that—rather—there is the possibility that with the aid of tools like LMSs, we might simply take moderate steps toward achieving better classroom climates, better attendance, and better overall engagement.
I can’t imagine any teacher—tech-savvy or not—balking at those aims.
Friday, July 15, 2011
Podcasts for the Classroom (Classcasts?)
A collection of some of my favorite podcasts with applications to the secondary school language and literature classroom:
GRAMMAR GIRL'S QUICK AND DIRTY TIPS FOR BETTER WRITING
"In under five minutes, you'll get a fun and friendly dose of writing advice. Grammar Girl covers everything from punctuation and grammar to style and voice."
http://grammar.qdnow.beta.libsynpro.com/rss
THE MOTH
"The Moth features people telling true, engaging, funny, touching and eye-opening stories from their lives."
http://feeds.feedburner.com/themothpodcast
NPR's STORYCORPS
"At recording booths across America, everyday people interview one another about their lives. StoryCorps creator Dave Isay showcases these first-person stories in this weekly podcast."
http://www.npr.org/rss/podcast.php?id=510200
THIS AMERICAN LIFE
"Official free, weekly podcast of the award-winning radio show 'This American Life.' First-person stories and short fiction pieces that are touching, funny, and surprising."
http://feeds.thisamericanlife.org/talpodcast
WNYC's RADIOLAB
"On Radio Lab, science meets culture and information sounds like music. Each episode of Radio Lab is an investigation -- a patchwork of people, sounds, stories and experiences centered around One Big Idea."
http://www.wnyc.org/shows/radiolab/index.xml
CNN STUDENT NEWS
"CNN Student News utilizes CNN's worldwide resources to bring each day's top news stories to middle and high school classrooms. The 10-minute, commercial-free program encourages student participation and provides classes withhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif context for understanding current events."
http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/cnn-student-news-video/id179950332
TED TALKS
"16 great TEDTalks that could turn you into a lifelong TED fan in 18 minutes or less."
http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/a-taste-of-tedtalks/id333575566
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Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Are School Librarians Expendable?
Take a look at the "Room for Debate" for June 27 from "The Opinion Pages" of The New York Times.
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