Some common sense on accountability

http://mobile.edweek.org/c.jsp?DISPATCHED=true&cid=25983841&item=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.edweek.org%2Fedweek%2Ftop_performers%2F2014%2F03%2Faccountability_and_motivation.html%3Fcmp%3DSOC-SHR-TW

I think it is worth extending this thinking to what motivates students.

David Coleman’s Latest Khan | the becoming radical

David Coleman’s Latest Khan | the becoming radical:

I really appreciated this analysis of David Coleman (of Common Core infamy) and Sal Khan (of anybody can teach and get Gates money). It gets to the heart of the various outside factors impacting (negatively, in my view) on education.

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Intriguing Connection

http://www.educationdive.com/news/should-11-programs-look-to-ubuntu-over-pricy-alternatives/232669/

I am very intrigued by the connection between cost savings and opportunities for students to learn coding.

Could this be a tipping point type thing?

How to Really Build a Community of Practice

I found this article deeply interesting and compelling, and not just because I really enjoy working with the Arduino.

For me, this article was really about how to organically build a community of practice.

How Arduino Is Becoming The World's Social Network For Hackers And Makers ⚙ Co.Labs ⚙ code + community:

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Everything Old Is New Again

I found this article from the great blog Paleofuture to be really intriguing and interesting.

I was particularly struck by the number of designs for remote learning through technology over the past hundred years. What struck me more than anything was our myopic view of what is "disruptive" in education. Just look at the radio book, and then compare it to the almost daily press reports about the role that tablets will play in schools.

It's a good reminder that knowing about the past, particularly in educational technology, needs to be a critical part of our work.

From @johnkuhntx: Ed Reform’s Atari Problem – @ THE CHALK FACE

I am very interested in the connection the author makes between the early gaming industry and current trends in the education industry (a work I use intentionally).


From @johnkuhntx: Ed Reform’s Atari Problem – @ THE CHALK FACE:

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Conversation Starter

I found this to be a conversation starter.
If we are going to change education,  we need to know where we are going first.

http://blogs.kqed.org/mindshift/2013/12/whats-our-vision-for-the-future-of-learning/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+kqed%2FnHAK+%28MindShift%29

Paper Circuits

This Is prettyy neat.
I would love to do this kind of thing with students.
http://www.wired.com/design/2013/12/a-tiny-speaker-made-out-of-paper

Paper Speakers

http://www.wired.com/design/2013/12/a-tiny-speaker-made-out-of-paper

I am really looking forward to trying this with kids.

The Science Of A Great Subway Map | Co.Design | business + design

I am just convinced that this has applications to classroom data visualization exercises.

The Science Of A Great Subway Map | Co.Design | business + design:

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Neat looking book.

http://plpnetwork.com/2013/12/06/learning-teach-high-gear/

Why students need to fail | University Affairs

This is incredibly interesting, for a number of reasons. First, this is far less typical in a higher ed setting than a K-12 one. Second, having said that, how about some real similar structure and rigor for this type of activity in a K-12 setting.

What do you think?

Why students need to fail | University Affairs:

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Online learning allows farmers to connect from the paddock | The Rural

All I could think of when I read this was, "make way for John Dewey."

Online learning allows farmers to connect from the paddock | The Rural:

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MOOCS and Students

I was especially interested in the discussion of students as active participants in MOOCS.
http://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?depth=1&hl=en&ie=UTF8&nv=1&prev=_t&rurl=translate.google.com&sl=fr&tl=en&u=http://spilloneso.wordpress.com/2013/12/02/%25C2%25ADlearning-is-not-simply-a-process-of-reception-and-filtering/&usg=ALkJrhj-I8qriXNpc9gk46XBuBaOgZTcdw

Mathematica on Raspberry Pi for free!

This is incredibly interesting.
What happens when students have easy access to all this computing power?
http://blog.stephenwolfram.com/2013/11/putting-the-wolfram-language-and-mathematica-on-every-raspberry-pi/

Fake and Real Student Voice | Ideas and Thoughts

This is absolutely worth reading.
I was particularly interested in this author's exploration of student voices -- those fake and those authentic.

Fake and Real Student Voice | Ideas and Thoughts: 'via Blog this'

Revisiting Chess

This is really interesting:
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-11-03-chess-2-the-sequel-how-a-street-fightin-man-fixed-the-worlds-most-famous-game

As I was reading it, I was imagining this as a STEM project. Learning to build something while actually building it.

Look. Over There. Is that Bigfoot?

After going through a period of extreme crankiness about the flood of uninteresting education-related articles I receive via various lists daily (a topic for another post perhaps), I came across this article describing a teacher, Shane Donovan, who is having his students work in a self-directed fashion.

The article's title comes from a comparison that this type of learning and teaching is as rare as a sighting of Big Foot.

I added a comment, which I repeat here:

I really appreciated this article. As a middle school Science teacher, I developed a self-directed curriculum for an 8th grade Biology course, and delivered it over two years. It was an amazing experience, watching the students learn to work independently, and then going so far beyond what would have normally happened (in terms of depth of understanding) in a typical classroom.

What do you think? Have you seen Big Foot where you are?

Nice piece about "Personalized Learning"

This is a nice interview with Scratch creator Mitch Resnick.

http://hechingerreport.org/content/mit-technology-trailblazer-is-a-critic-of-computerized-learning_12697/

I was especially interested in his comments on assessment.

How to Make a Customized Google Map

This seemed like a cool thing that could be done with students.
How to Make a Customized Google Map:

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