Reinventing Curriculum | Blog
Here you'll find analysis and views on technology, policy and curriculum in elementary and secondary education by two outspoken technology advocates, Elliot Soloway and Cathie Norris. Reinventing Curriculum is published twice per month. Below you will also find the archive for Elliot and Cathie's previous blog, Being Mobile.
A parent whose children's school is using computing technology sent us a letter asking some ostensibly simple questions about the value of educational technology. But, while providing answers to those questions is actually not simple, we must, as a community, work to provide clear, readily accessible answers.
- By Cathie Norris, Elliot Soloway
- 09/22/14
In our new blog series, we relate our personal experiences — our learnings — in working with a Singaporean school – Nan Chiau Primary School — over the last six years. Here is our first installment!
- By Cathie Norris, Elliot Soloway
- 09/10/14
The Great K-12 iPad Buying Spree is underway. Here are a few doable/actionable suggestions to help your teachers get the most of that large expenditure !
- By Cathie Norris, Elliot Soloway
- 09/03/14
The iPad came out of the Apple chute in 2010 like gangbusters, setting all kinds of sales records. Schools picked up on the iPad too. But the tablet is a fad, we argue; it will pass away in short order (two to three years) because it is neither a mobile device nor a work device – and folks (and schools, we should hope) want those two types of devices!
- By Cathie Norris, Elliot Soloway
- 07/31/14
The next (massive) wave of iPad buying by K-12 schools is underway. How those purchases can lead to success for students is the theme of this week’s blog!
- By Cathie Norris, Elliot Soloway
- 07/16/14
This week’s blog features a fun, engaging, and intellectually stimulating (free) iPad app: The Cootie Participatory Simulation. In participating in the simulation of the spread of an infectious disease – the Cuddle germ – children learn how diseases are spread. Usable from 1st to 12th grade.
- By Cathie Norris, Elliot Soloway
- 07/09/14
The Common Core State Standards is taking a bashing. There was such positive momentum at the outset and now? While there are, of course, legitimate concerns about a range of implementation issues, what we see is a small, but very vocal and very –well organized, politically, leading the charge against CCSS. It’s time for the silent majority to stop being so silent!
- By Cathie Norris, Elliot Soloway
- 06/25/14
In classrooms in the United States the responsibility for making technology work is placed squarely on the classroom teacher's back. Quite a load to carry by one's self! But in this week's blog post we describe a collaboration strategy — Twitter chats — that some educators are using to help each other in figuring out effective and productive ways to use technology in their classrooms. Maybe you and your colleagues should organize a Twitter chat!
- By Cathie Norris, Elliot Soloway
- 06/18/14
Synchronous collaboration is a key 21st century skill that needs to be included in the curriculum. Easier said than done! But, WeMap, a collabrified concept mapping app for iPads (and Android tablets), scaffolds students working together simultaneously. And, as we describe in today’s blog post, even first-graders can work collaboratively in producing curricularly appropriate concept maps!
- By Cathie Norris, Elliot Soloway
- 06/04/14
Income inequality, in its various guises, dominates the news these days. But one surefire way to address income inequality — a way that is fundamental to the democratic experiment — has virtually disappeared from view. Where is education? We educators must take the lead in returning education to its rightful place — front and center — in the Great American Conversation!
- By Cathie Norris, Elliot Soloway
- 05/27/14