Expert Perspectives


Learnings from Singapore

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!

Happy New (School) Year, Everyone!

We’re kicking off the academic year by honoring an innovative district and rolling out our redesigned website.

Memo to Superintendent J. Doe, Ed.D.: Making your 1-to-1 iPad Rollout a Pedagogical Success

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 !

Tablets Are a Fad — They’ll Largely Disappear in 2–3 Years

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!

Who Can Best Assess the New Assessments?

A recent study reveals that most students understand the need for testing and prefer to do it on a computer — but their parents still have issues.

The Great American iPad Buying Binge Has Commenced!

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!

Common Core is Common Sense: We MUST Resist the Tyranny of the Minority

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!

Rockets in Their Pockets Meet Chickens in Their Coops

Lynell Burmark, education consultant and speaker, explains how video editing software on mobile devices can bring learning to life for students.

Twitter Chats to the Rescue: Mitigating the Challenges of Teacher-Centric Tech Adoptions

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!

Using iPads To Support Synchronous Collaboration: Examples from 1st Grade

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!

Whitepapers