Expert Perspectives


Sowash’s ‘The Chromebook Classroom’: An Excellent Resource for K–12 Teachers!

The Chromebooks are coming! The Chromebooks are coming! So, what is a K-12 teacher supposed to do with those Chromebooks? In this week’s blog post we review “The Chromebook Classroom”a recently published book by John Sowash. Our opinion? Sowash has hit a homerun!

Implementation Issues are Research Worthy, Too!

Consistent with our blog’s theme of "Reinventing Curricula," we feel that research itself needs reinvention! Straight cognitive research isn’t enough if our goal is to design "effective, scalable and sustainable [educational] policies and programs." In this week’s blog post, then, we explore a new R&D methodology — Design-Based Implementation Research.

'Personalized Learning': From Marketing Hype to Good Pedagogy

We (CN &ES) took a deep dive into a popular "personalized learning" programs for K–8 mathematics instruction. While we have not been particularly supportive of personalized learning in the past, to put it mildly, in this week’s blog we describe what impressed us about this particular math program that used concept-based practice and differentiated instruction.

K–12’s Curricular Transition from Atoms to Bits is a Work in Progress

While the book publishing, music publishing and video publishing industries have transitioned successfully from atoms to bits, not so for K-12. Indeed, in K-12 it is early – and confusing – days in transitioning from atom-based textbooks to bit-based digital curricula.

Curriculum and Instruction: Brewing a Better Vocabulary

Get a room full of educators and ask them about digital learning, blended learning, hybrid learning, personalized learning or individualized learning, and you'll likely end up with more definitions than people in the room.

Equity and Innovation in K–12: Horns of Real Dilemma

Public education must keep equity front-and-center in all its policies; public education is all about equity. And, innovation must be nurtured; teachers who are willing to try to improve their classrooms must be supported. In this week’s blog post, we tell a story — one that T.H.E. Journal readers will surely recognize — of how equity and innovation can be, unfortunately, in mortal conflict!

Teachers All Across America 'Reinventing the Wheel, Nightly'

Educational technologists: listen to the teachers; they are asking you to help them to be more effective in creating and using digital curricula. In this blog post, then, we define the five functions that a blended learning platform must support — and challenge the ed tech community to build such a platform!

Gooru.org: Making it Easier to Use OER

Gooru.org is an OER marketplace with 5,000,000+ open education resources. But, most excitingly, they are posting "just" 35 full courses that teachers can "copy and customize." We applaud gooru.org for taking this major step in providing support for teachers who are trying to #GoOpen!

The Education Technology Value Chain: Implications and Policy Options

A growing body of evidence now suggests that when systematically implemented, educational technology can support a wide range of educational innovations, including flipped classrooms, peer-to-peer teaching, and customized learning.

Whitepapers