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The Greatest Generation (of Networkers) - WSJ.com
"Because so many people in their teens and early 20s are in this constant whir of socializing—accessible to each other every minute of the day via cellphone, instant messaging and social-networking Web sites—there are a host of new questions that need to be addressed in schools, in the workplace and at home. Chief among them: How much work can "hyper-socializing" students or employees really accomplish if they are holding multiple conversations with friends via text-messaging, or are obsessively checking Facebook? "
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Because so many people in their teens and early 20s are in this constant whir of socializing—accessible to each other every minute of the day via cellphone, instant messaging and social-networking Web sites—there are a host of new questions that need to be addressed in schools, in the workplace and at home. Chief among them: How much work can "hyper-socializing" students or employees really accomplish if they are holding multiple conversations with friends via text-messaging, or are obsessively checking Facebook?
Some argue they can accomplish a great deal: This generation has a gift for multitasking, and because they've integrated technology into their lives, their ability to remain connected to each other will serve them and their employers well. Others contend that these hyper-socializers are serial time-wasters, that the bonds between them are shallow, and that their face-to-face interpersonal skills are poor.
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"The unspoken attitude is, 'I don't need you. I have the Internet,'" says P.M. Forni, the 58-year-old director of the Civility Initiative at Johns Hopkins University, which studies politeness and manners. "The Net provides an opportunity to play hide-and-seek, to say and not say, to be truthful and to pretend. There is a lot of communication going on that is futile and trivial."
That's far too harsh an assessment, says Ben Bajarin, 32, a technology analyst at Creative Strategies, a consulting firm in Campbell, Calif. He argues that because young people are so adept at multimedia socializing, their social skills are actually strengthened. They're good at "managing conversations" and getting to the pithy essence of an issue, he says, which will help them in the workplace.
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The Fischbowl: Blogging for The Huffington Post: I’m Gonna Need Your Help
"In the next week or so, The Huffington Post is going to add some new "blog topic" pages within their existing Technology section. One of those topic pages is going to be "Tech + Education," and I've been asked to be a contributing blogger to that section."
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The Huffington Post is also generally considered to have a political bias, and – while I realize everything has a political aspect to it – I don’t want what I write about (and what we’ve all been talking about these last few years) to be viewed as being on one political "side" or the other. I'm not very much interested in "sides," I'm more interested in solutions. I know it's naïve, but I don't view any of this stuff through a political lens, I just want to write about and think about and talk about learning. And students. And teachers. And technology. And how best to do this thing we call school. And I want it to make a difference.
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The Huffington Post is also generally considered to have a political bias, and – while I realize everything has a political aspect to it – I don’t want what I write about (and what we’ve all been talking about these last few years) to be viewed as being on one political "side" or the other. I'm not very much interested in "sides," I'm more interested in solutions. I know it's naïve, but I don't view any of this stuff through a political lens, I just want to write about and think about and talk about learning. And students. And teachers. And technology. And how best to do this thing we call school. And I want it to make a difference.
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WatchKnow - Videos for kids to learn from. Organized.
"Imagine hundreds of thousands of great short videos, and other media, explaining every topic taught to school kids. Imagine them rated and sorted into a giant Directory, making them simple to find. WatchKnow--as in, "You watch, you know"--is a non-profit online community devoted to this goal. "
Education Week: Literacy Accountability in a New-Media Age
Walking through the hallways of the middle school where I teach, I inevitably hear students talk about music Web sites, blogs, Web-based photo albums, Facebook pages, and other forms of new media.
If we judged these students’ ability to interpret and gather information solely based on their mastery of print media, we’d be doing ourselves—and society—a huge disservice.
Oh wait, we already do just that.
Borderland › Getting Organized
We’re into the second week of school here this year. I’m still in the early getting-to-know-you period with my class, and we are all more or less on our best behavior, but judging from what I’ve seen so far this is going to be a good year. It’s my 27th in the classroom, and you’d think I’d have it down pat by now, starting off, but I don’t feel that way. I never do things “just like I always do” which would no doubt be boring. Not only that, the kids are always different. I usually map out a general course I’d like to follow and then see how it goes, taking my cues from the group. When I started teaching I imagined that the job would get easier over the years. That was a huge miscalculation. But I don’t mind because it’s also gotten more interesting in many ways.
Governor Rendell Announces Grants for Alternative, Renewable Energy Sources
"The Energy Harvest Program will create opportunities to better manage our energy resources in a way that also improves our environment, supports economic development and enhances our quality of life," said Governor Rendell. "The number of worthy projects seeking financial assistance greatly outpaces available state funding. The federal Recovery Act funding provides additional opportunities to invest in our future. These projects will produce short- and long-term benefits by putting people to work and creating immediate energy savings, and by producing clean, renewable energy that will help power homes for years to come."
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Add Sticky Note"The Energy Harvest Program will create opportunities to better manage our energy resources in a way that also improves our environment, supports economic development and enhances our quality of life," said Governor Rendell. "The number of worthy projects seeking financial assistance greatly outpaces available state funding. The federal Recovery Act funding provides additional opportunities to invest in our future. These projects will produce short- and long-term benefits by putting people to work and creating immediate energy savings, and by producing clean, renewable energy that will help power homes for years to come."
- Hope the governor finds some money for education. - on 2009-08-26
Education Week: Time to Kill 'No Child Left Behind'
In long-term trends, the achievement gap between white and minority students has hardly budged over the past decade. Although average scores are up for 9-year-olds and 13-year-olds in reading and mathematics between 2004 and 2008, the rate of improvement is actually smaller than it was in the previous period measured, from 1999 to 2004.
It is time to ask whether NCLB should be renewed. I argue that it should not. What will President Barack Obama and his administration do with the law?
Students as 'Free Agent Learners' : April 2009 : THE Journal
What this year's survey found was that "there continues to be a digital disconnect, shall we say, between the way students are learning and living outside of school and the way they're interacting with technology inside of school," said Evans. "In fact, students tell us that they have to power down to go to school, and then, at the end of the school day, they power back up again--a real disconnect in the way students are viewing technology from the adults in their educational lives."
For one, students see significant obstacles to using technology in schools. They reported that school networks block sites that they need to access, that teachers specifically limit their use of technology, and that there are "too many rules," preventing students from using their own devices, accessing their communications tools, and even limiting their use of the technologies that the school provides.
For another, teachers and students do not view the value of various technologies in the same ways. Students place a much higher value on technology than teachers, according to the research, and do not agree on which technologies would have the greatest impact on learning.
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What this year's survey found was that "there continues to be a digital disconnect, shall we say, between the way students are learning and living outside of school and the way they're interacting with technology inside of school," said Evans. "In fact, students tell us that they have to power down to go to school, and then, at the end of the school day, they power back up again--a real disconnect in the way students are viewing technology from the adults in their educational lives."
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For one, students see significant obstacles to using technology in schools. They reported that school networks block sites that they need to access, that teachers specifically limit their use of technology, and that there are "too many rules," preventing students from using their own devices, accessing their communications tools, and even limiting their use of the technologies that the school provides.
For another, teachers and students do not view the value of various technologies in the same ways. Students place a much higher value on technology than teachers, according to the research, and do not agree on which technologies would have the greatest impact on learning.
- Obviously, students don't know what's good for them. ;0) - on 2009-05-05
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Bridging Differences: Test Scores and Reinforcing the Wrong Connections
The good news is that most of the American people haven’t lost their common sense. And, above all, those closest to “the action”—parents, teachers, kids, and their families, plus a majority of those who work closely with schools or are “students” of schooling—haven't. What they have lost is the power to be widely heard. The Education Equality Project et al are doing their best to “brainwash” us into thinking we all agree.
If there ever was a time when I appreciate the existence of organized “teacher voices,” it’s the days we’re living through. Thank goodness for teachers' unions—weak as they are. The attacks on “big labor” are always intriguing. The labor leaders relish it because it’s hard to boast about powerlessness. Their opponents like it so they can blame unions.
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Add Sticky NoteWhat they have lost is the power to be widely heard. The Education Equality Project et al are doing their best to “brainwash” us into thinking we all agree.
- Sad and ironic. Parents can have such a huge collective voice now. How do we make that happen? - on 2009-04-30
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Add Sticky NoteAt a time when the Big Boys have devastated our economy, in ways that affect us all, but are hardest—of course—on the most vulnerable, they are upping their propaganda: "It’s not our fault?” Poverty has been redefined: it’s the side effect of poor schooling! All those side effects would be cured—cheaply—if we required schools to perform properly. Schools are suffering from attracting the wrong people to teaching—“sub-par” people, in Chancellor Klein’s words—and too much allowed leeway in the practice of their mission.
- Does that make anyone want to be a teacher? - on 2009-04-30
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Half an Hour: Blogs in Education
A blog is a personal website that contains content organized like a journal or a diary. Each entry is dated, and the entries are displayed on the web page in reverse chronological order, so that the most recent entry is posted at the top. Readers catch up with blogs by starting at the top and reading down until they encounter material they’re already read.
Though blogs are typically thought of as personal journals, there is no limit to what may be covered in a blog. It is common for people to write blogs to describe their work, their hobbies, their pets, social and political issues, or news and current events. And while blogs are typically the work of one individual, blogs combining contributions of several people, ‘group blogs’, are also popular.
The New Reality: Constant Disruption - The Big Shift - HarvardBusiness.org
We now face something entirely different. Today's core technologies--computing, storage, and bandwidth--are not stabilizing. They continue to evolve at an exponential rate. And because the underlying technologies don't stabilize, the social and business practices that coalesce into our new digital infrastructure aren't stabilizing either. Businesses and, more broadly, social, educational, and economic institutions, are left racing to catch up with the steadily improving performance of the foundational technologies. For example, almost forty years after the invention of the microprocessor, we are only now beginning to reconfigure the digital technology infrastructure for delivery of yet another dramatic leap in computing power under the rubric of utility or cloud computing. This leap will soon be followed by another, then another.
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Add Sticky NoteWe now face something entirely different. Today's core technologies--computing, storage, and bandwidth--are not stabilizing. They continue to evolve at an exponential rate. And because the underlying technologies don't stabilize, the social and business practices that coalesce into our new digital infrastructure aren't stabilizing either. Businesses and, more broadly, social, educational, and economic institutions, are left racing to catch up with the steadily improving performance of the foundational technologies. For example, almost forty years after the invention of the microprocessor, we are only now beginning to reconfigure the digital technology infrastructure for delivery of yet another dramatic leap in computing power under the rubric of utility or cloud computing. This leap will soon be followed by another, then another.
- This is a pretty profound yet accessible description of where we are at. And the question becomes, at least for education, how can we race to keep up with these foundational technologies by clinging to the status quo. Same curriculum. Same structure. Same assessments. Same expectations. Imagine if we treated our understanding of business in this way. - on 2009-04-14
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Add Sticky NoteThe combination of these forces - a rapidly evolving digital infrastructure and public policy shifts favoring freer movement -defines a world of constant change. If this premise is right--that the pattern of disruption followed by stabilization has itself been disrupted--then it may be we're facing the mother of all disruptions, a big shift into a world without equilibrium, one that will continue to shift rapidly even once the current recession has passed. A world in which companies lose their leadership positions at an increasing rate. A world in which extreme events, such as the ongoing financial turmoil across global markets, become increasingly likely. A world of shifting product economics, and increasing volatility in brand equity, share values, and commodity prices.
- Pretty provocative view, obviously. Implications for education? See http://www.eduratireview.com/2009/04/emerging-trend-collaborative-curve.html - on 2009-04-14
Cool Cat Teacher Blog: Making the Case for Cell Phones in Schools
So, thinking through, here are 10 reasons I think cell phones should be allowed in schools.
Bridging Differences: Is Arne Duncan Really Margaret Spellings in Drag?
Everything I have seen and learned since Duncan came to office has supported Secretary Spellings' admiring comments about Secretary Duncan. It turns out that Duncan, like the Bush administration, adores testing, charter schools, merit pay, and entrepreneurs. Part of the stimulus money, he told Sam Dillon of The New York Times, will be used so that states can develop data systems, which will enable them to tie individual student test scores to individual teachers, greasing the way for merit pay. Another part of the stimulus plan will support charters and entrepreneurs.
'The Objective of Education Is Learning, Not Teaching' - Knowledge@Wharton
- This oughta tweak some thinking... - willrich on 2009-02-13
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'The Objective of Education Is Learning, Not Teaching'
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- This ought to tweak some thinking... - on 2009-02-13
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Hacking Education
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One of the problems with the traditional school model of education is that the teachers are so uneven. My kids have amazing teachers who inspire them and push them to go beyond their perceived limits. I am so thankful for them. But they also have lazy teachers who bore them to death. We've all experienced this problem. I even had it at MIT and Wharton, two of the top schools in this country. We need some way for the kids and their parents to take control of who educates them.
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Add Sticky NoteThe existing large institutions in the world of education are the public and private schools, the colleges and universities, the testing institutions that inform them, and the unions and political system that support them. I want to help take all of them down and build something better in its place. I am not a fan of home schooling, but I understand it's appeal. I do not think I can teach my kids better than others. But I do think my kids and my wife and I need more choice of who educates them.
- Parents do need to be more empowered in this process. - on 2009-02-13
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Wake Up and Smell the New Epistemology - ChronicleReview.com
But this new epistemology carries some heavy baggage — indeed, it is inseparably conjoined with personal economics. Short of fame or a lottery win, today's students recognize that a college degree is the minimum credential they will need to attain their desired standard of living (and hence "happiness"). So this new epistemology produces a rather odd kind of student — one who appears polite and dutiful but who cares little about the course work, the larger questions it raises, or the value of living an examined life. And it produces such students in overwhelming abundance.
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By respecting students as thinkers and meeting them where they are, we set the stage for good pedagogy and take a critical first step toward rebuilding the public's trust. But we must be realistic about what good pedagogy can accomplish. It is not a panacea — it will not create a society of lovers of learning in which our social ills will finally be cured. (A well-known pedagogy expert came to my institution and ended his talk with that very claim.) Even the best teachers will not convert every student into a lifelong learner who embraces knowledge for its own sake. That is a commitment that must come from within; it is an intentional decision to swim against powerful cultural and economic currents.
We need to understand that college students with an intrinsic love of learning, an appreciation for complexity, and a drive for discovery almost always possess those traits before they report to our campuses. Though we can fan into flames the sparks that these future intelligentsia bring with them, except for the occasional late bloomer, we fail miserably at creating sustained intellectual fires among the vast majority of our practical, credential-driven students.
A better and more widely achievable educational goal should therefore be to inculcate a respect for learning and the pursuit of knowledge. I doubt anyone can teach another to love learning, and the attempt frustrates students and professors alike. (Imagine a dance instructor trying to turn every student into a season subscriber to the local ballet company.) But I do believe effective teaching can instill respect — specifically, respect for the critical work we do as scholars and educators. Such respect is the seed from which the public's trust in us will grow.
- I think a lot of this can be said for high school as well. Much of a love for learning is intrinsic and is either developed or extinguished in K-12 school. - on 2009-01-20
The iPhone Could Be The Ultimate Study Machine
We’ve all heard about the incredible growth of the App Store, which has seen more than 500 million downloads across over 15,000 applications. Much of the innovation (or at least, money) has come from games and other entertaining apps like Smule’s Ocarina and Pandora Radio. But the iPhone is also poised to make huge strides in a somewhat less glamorous space: study guides.
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We’ve all heard about the incredible growth of the App Store, which has seen more than 500 million downloads across over 15,000 applications. Much of the innovation (or at least, money) has come from games and other entertaining apps like Smule’s Ocarina
and Pandora Radio. But the iPhone is also poised to make huge strides in a somewhat less glamorous space: study guides.
A Web Empowered Revolution in Teaching
Conversely, an unknown but vast number of those grinding out a living today have the potential to be world-changers... if only we could find a way of unlocking that potential.
Two ingredients might be enough to do that. Knowledge and inspiration. If you
Half an Hour: What Not To Build
First we had several dozen social networking sites, like Friendster and Orkut and MySpace and Facebook. These became platforms (see above) and then we had social network multiplier sites, like Ning. And now (so-called) social network websites are multiply
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