“We don’t learn from experience. We learn from reflecting on experience.” — John Dewey The school year is over. Have you reflected on the year yet? You’re a learner, right? We believe in life-long learning. We work in educational institutions, where learning is the mission of the organization. Learning is what we do. And reflection is a key component of learning, right? We just finished … Continue reading Reflection
It would be easy for a self-proclaimed educational technologist to claim that technology is an indispensable component of modern education. It’s not. What do you really need to teach a child how to read? You need a child. You need a willing teacher. It’s helpful to have a book. Everything else is superfluous. When I visited Remba Island in Lake Victoria five years ago, I … Continue reading The Role of Technology in Education
One of the frustrations with the current conversation in public education is that we’re not all talking about the same thing. We’re all experts in education, because we’ve all spent thousands of hours in school. But when it comes to some of the fundamental questions surrounding education, we’re not all on the same page. Here are five things we don’t agree on: What’s the purpose … Continue reading 5 Things We Don’t Agree On
“We’re an educational organization. Learning is the heart of everything we do.” I was talking to my staff, explaining the purpose behind the TPS reports they’re required to complete each week. “We need to take a few minutes at the end of the week to reflect on what we’ve accomplished, what has challenged us, and what we have learned. If we’re not learning, we’re not … Continue reading Supporting the Mission
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?
In my school district this year, we’ve been talking a lot about next generation learning. We’re seeing a need for an increased focus on collaboration, communication, problem solving, and creativity. In our PLCs, we’re working collaboratively with our colleagues to improve our professional practices and make school relevant for our students. Students and staff alike are building personal learning networks, and the idea of an … Continue reading EdCamp Cleveland is Coming!
The two-week break in the #change11 MOOC has given me an opportunity to catch up a bit, and to reflect on the experience so far. It’s now sixteen weeks since the start of the course, which has included thirteen weeks of content, a week of introduction, and a two-week winter break. According to Stephen Downes, the course has 2,000 registered participants. The course web site … Continue reading What’s not to MOOC?
Taste of Tech 