This week's blog marks an amazing, unprecedented event: the editors of the New York Times chose a picture, with accompanying story, of three children learning to program for the front page, above the fold, smack-dab in your face, of the May 11, 2014 Sunday edition of the New York Times. So, what’s this all-of-a-sudden hub-bub about learning to program, anyhow? Read on!
- By Cathie Norris, Elliot Soloway
- 05/13/14
While there are issues with the Common Core State Standards, 2+2=4, the water cycle, the War of 1812 and Captain Ahab are all the same in Georgia, California, New Hampshire, Michigan – and even Texas. There are, then, defacto national educational standards. In an era of diminishing resources, does it make sense, then, that each state – and each district – should spend those precious resources developing their own curricula that align with the CCSS? NO! We need to tell politicians to stop using our children as pawns in their political games! Let’s be reasonable, not political, for a change.
- By Cathie Norris, Elliot Soloway
- 05/07/14
Like many teachers, I was resistant to using technology at the start. I didn’t use any technology my first two years in the classroom (except the days my administrator would evaluate me and, for those days, I would throw together a PowerPoint!). Now I am lucky to work with some amazing districts, schools, administrators and teachers around the world who are revolutionizing education. Here are the first three reasons I don’t think I can be a great teacher without using mobile technology in my classroom.
- By Zachary Walker
- 04/30/14
This week we explore a recently published book: The Second Machine Age: Work, Progress, and Prosperity in a Time of Brilliant Technologies. In a nutshell: “Computers ... are doing for mental power ... what the steam engine and its descendants did for muscle power.” And the steam engine "was ... the biggest and fastest transformation in the entire history of the world.” Buckle up!
- By Cathie Norris, Elliot Soloway
- 04/21/14
In this week's blog we recognize the profession of teaching. We introduce our readers to the blogs of two teachers — a veteran blogger and a newbie blogger. Both are demonstrating the highest of professional skills: reflection. If you are a teacher-blogger, tell us about it, please!
- By Cathie Norris, Elliot Soloway
- 04/09/14
The dominant educational model in the United States is still "education as acquiring stuff." Even when modern technologies are used to support this model, the hordes of unemployed and underemployed students — OUR children — are proof that this model is broken and ineffective.
- By Cathie Norris, Elliot Soloway
- 03/31/14
K-12 is about to hit an Inflection Point – "a moment of dramatic change." The $100 computer is here; access is no longer THE roadblock. It is difficult to predict what will happen at an inflection point. Business as usual, however, is rarely the outcome.
- By Cathie Norris, Elliot Soloway
- 03/26/14
Cathie and Elliot hold an intense conversation about the need for teachers to be provided with curriculum that has been built from the ground up exploiting the affordances of mobile devices using technology is going to have a positive impact on student achievement!
- By Cathie Norris, Elliot Soloway
- 03/10/14
If you, your school, your district is considering purchasing mobile gear, RUN, don’t walk to a site Dr. Robbie Melton (Mobile Gadget Maven Extraordinaire) and her crew have created where you will find tips, reviews, descriptions, pictures, testimonials, etc., etc. etc. on all the "stuff" involved in supporting mobile learning. But before you run off, read a fun story about how Robbie and her Magical Gadget Bag saved our bacon at the UNESCO meeting in Paris (February 2014).
- By Cathie Norris, Elliot Soloway
- 03/05/14
While web services that supported asynchronous collaboration on sites such as Facebook and Edmodo are the hallmark of Web 2.0, Social 3.0 is ushering in support for synchronous collaboration – with the Google Docs Editor as the pioneering example. And by 2017 every app and every webpage will be Social 3.0-ified and will support synchronous, real-time collaboration. You read it first!
- By Cathie Norris, Elliot Soloway
- 02/24/14