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.
Student performance data is playing an increasingly important role in America’s classrooms. From scientifically based research to survey data to clickstream learning analytics, the volume of data is most definitely increasing. The question, of course, is this: for the better?
- By Cathie Norris, Elliot Soloway
- 04/29/13
We can't ask teachers to use 1:1 computing devices (BYOD or school-purchased) while still giving them only pencil-and-paper curriculum and askign them to figure it out on their own. We need to give teachers new curriculum, with detailed lessons that exploit the affordances of the computing devices, if we want to see increases in student achievement.
- By Cathie Norris, Elliot Soloway
- 04/17/13
The FCC needs to act now to support K-12 and solve the "connectivity access problem." Here's where to start.
- By Cathie Norris, Elliot Soloway
- 04/11/13
According to its CEO, HP is becoming a tablet and smartphone company; PCs are becoming small potatoes. And T-Mobile has disrupted the telcos' pricing scheme -- big time! Brace yourselves: price wars for mobile devices are soon to follow. Yes folks, the Age of Mobilism is definitely upon us and big changes are afoot! This is all good news for K-12.
- By Elliot Soloway, Cathie Norris
- 04/08/13
Both higher ed and lower ed are seeking to provide learners with personalized instruction. The issue, however, is this: Who does the personalizing -- the individual or the computer? We argue that higher is choosing the former approach while K-12 is choosing the latter approach. Has K-12 made a good decision?
- By Cathie Norris, Elliot Soloway
- 04/01/13
Let's have another go at the FCC and this time let’s lay out EXACTLY what the FCC needs to do in order to fix the connectivity problem facing K-12 schools in the U.S.
- By Cathie Norris, Elliot Soloway
- 03/25/13
If we truly want America’s children to have access to the internet in school, then it's time that the FCC steps in and requires the telcos and the cable companies to provide educational pricing for Internet connectivity!
- By Cathie Norris, Elliot Soloway
- 03/18/13
It is inevitable that eventually a school will be able to purchase a total, mobile learning package. But today, putting a pedagogically effective mobile learning initiative into a K-12 classroom means putting pieces to a puzzle together. Based on personal experiences in mobile learning classrooms we are here to bear witness: it IS worth the struggle!
- By Cathie Norris, Elliot Soloway
- 03/11/13
In "Crossing the Chasm," the high-tech marketing bible, G. Moore advises that If we want to convince mainstream educators to adopt mobile technologies, we need to (1) stop focusing on the technology per se (screen size, chip version, etc.), and (2) paint pictures of what goes on in the classroom when mobile technologies are used and what the kids will be like after using the mobile technologies. Here’s a crack at painting those pictures.
- By Cathie Norris, Elliot Soloway
- 03/04/13
Mobile learning is really taking off! In developing nations, at least! We present a few highlights from UNESCO's 2nd Annual Mobile Learning Week, held at UNESCO’s Paris HQ, that we participated in recently.
- By Cathie Norris, Elliot Soloway
- 02/25/13