This week’s Spark included a piece on data longevity. These days, we’re posting a LOT of content online. Every minute, 72 hours of video is uploaded to YouTube. In that same minute, the Internet gains 700,000 Facebook posts, 100,000 tweets, and 571 new web sites. Much of that is stuff we care a lot about. Nearly every photo I’ve taken in the last five years … Continue reading The Semi-Permanent Internet
I’ve been talking about online learning for over twenty years, ever since I realized the power of online discussion forums in which anyone could participate from anywhere in the world. I did research studies in the 1990s on the effect of anonymity in the quality of online discussions among middle school students. I have been a curator of online professional learning networks longer than we’ve … Continue reading Blended Learning
One of the trends right now in educational technology is a move toward individual computing devices for each learner. Whether you go with a 1:1 program, a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) model, or a hybrid approach with several different solutions, it’s clear that we are moving to a world where computers are assigned to people, not places. This personalization of technology is a trend … Continue reading Places to People
I’ve had the great fortune over the last few days to engage in several conversations about ideal schools. One of the wonderful things about Educon is the serendipitous mingling that happens. Even though the sessions go through a proposal and approval process, and are meticulously planned by the facilitators, there’s always an element of unpredictability when they can go off EdCamp-like in any direction. So … Continue reading Culture of Caring
I’m a Partridge Highlander. I live in the Partridge Highlands subdivision, precinct 2-H of ward 2 in the city of Stow. So I guess I’m a Stowite. And since Stow is a city in county Summit in the state of Ohio, that makes me a Summitian (?!) and an Ohioan, though we sometimes call ourselves “Buckeyes.” Our sworn enemies, here in Partridge Highlands, are the … Continue reading The Global Citizen
One of the more recent Thanksgiving traditions is the playing of The Game. The Ohio State / Michigan rivalry is one of the strongest in college football. On 22 occasions since 1935, the winner of this game has been crowned the Big Ten Conference champion. On 18 occasions, the winner won a national championship. The winner went to the Rose Bowl 34 times. At both … Continue reading Legends or Leaders
On the Internet, nobody knows you’re a dog. In 1993, Peter Steiner captured the sentiment that I was trying to convey to my students. The Internet was the great equalizer. Middle school students can be pretty judgmental. If you don’t have the right clothes, or the right hairstyle, or like the right kind of music, or have the right body type, or reject the right … Continue reading My Word
One of the disconcerting aspects of my role in education is that I always need to be thinking a couple steps ahead. In many cases, this means looking deep enough into the crystal ball to see the decline of technologies we’re just starting to use. I’ve written in the past about how 1:1 programs may not be the final answer, even as we continue to … Continue reading 4 Reasons Why Google is Bad for Education
On August 27, 2012, Zac Chase presented the opening keynote for our school district’s professional development day. His talk was titled “When do Children Learn Best?” Zac may be found on Twitter at @mrchase and he blogs at autodizactic.com. Special thanks to Todd Rings and Jeff Marlow for filming the talk. Continue reading When do Children Learn Best?
Time. There’s nothing like a funeral to remind us that our days on this earth are numbered. Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return. Time. I often hear that time is one of the greatest barriers to teachers doing innovative things in their classrooms. I don’t have time to flip my classroom, or start a student blogging project, or connect with … Continue reading It’s Time
The quote of the year came from teacher Tom Mulhall as he emceed our annual retirement celebration. “Never before have so many been so envious of so few.” It’s an exciting and difficult time in education. In many ways, this was both the best and the worst year we’ve had in a long time. Here are some of the highlights: The Attack Continues. Public schools … Continue reading What a Ride
Several people have asked me recently about building personal learning networks. They’ve seen the promise of networked learning. They understand that connecting and collaborating with other professionals on common goals and challenges can be beneficial for everyone. But how do you find those people? In my case, I took the slow road. I blogged. I read others’ blogs and commented on them. I listened to … Continue reading If You Come, They Will Build It
Taste of Tech 