A new report by LFA and Grunwald Associates, with support from AT&T, examines how parents perceive the value of mobile devices, how they see their children using mobiles, and what they think of the possibilities for mobile learning.
Blog Posts By Charlotte Williams
Clearly we live in an age when customers have great choice in products and services, many of which can be delivered via computer applications. Education authors and former teachers and administrators Chuck Schwahn and Bea McGarvey want to integrate this reality into school learning.
They recently published a new book, Inevitable: Mass Customizing Learning, in which they discuss how schools can alter current outdated practices by utilizing customizing technologies to better meet individualized needs of students. We recently asked the pair some questions about their book and its potential for improving the schools. Check out the description Bea provided of creating a learning plan/schedule under their system at the bottom of the page after the interview.
Public School Insights: Your book is titled Inevitable: Mass Customized Learning. What is Mass Customized Learning?
Schwahn/McGarvey: Mass Customized Learning (MCL) is actually a very descriptive label. From a learner’s perspective, MCL means that “every day when I go to school, I am met at my individual and personal learning level, I am able to learn in my most powerful learning modes, I am motivated to want to learn with content that is of interest to me, I feel a sense of challenge, I am successful, and I look forward to ...
The NAACP recently released a report—“Misplaced Priorities: Over Incarcerate, Under Educate”—which, as the title suggests, argues the federal and state governments are misplacing priorities in their allocation of funds to prisons rather than education. In the report and in recent interviews, NAACP President Benjamin Jealous and other sympathizers (including some fiscally conservative groups and prison groups) make compelling points about this funding tradeoff.
An Edweek article quotes Jealous saying that this “multidecade trend of prioritizing incarceration over education is not sustainable.” The report cites data from the Pew Center on the States among other sources that backup his assertions about allotment: ...
Today is Earth Day. Last year on Earth Day, Arne Duncan spoke about the important role of schools in the nation’s transition to a green economy, and in the State of the Union Address President Obama reiterated the integral link between schools and creating an economic climate that is both profitable and environmentally-conscious. By providing students with an understanding of earth processes and human impact, together with imparting critical thinking skills and math and science knowledge to students, public schools can contribute significantly to these goals.
Earth Day provides an opportunity to teach about these important topics in a fun way. I have fond memories of Earth Day from elementary school. My school had a general environmental focus, and Earth Day was like Christmas. The whole school would take the entire day off to learn about the earth and sustainable living. Different classrooms and communal areas of the school were assigned to host workshops led by community members and ...
Back in January, the College Board announced major upcoming revisions to AP courses and tests, and The New York Times currently features a couple of articles (here and here) in their education section about these plans.
In light of critiques of the federally-mandated overemphasis on standardized testing that narrowly targets rote memorization, the College Board’s decision to change AP courses to address these sorts of concerns from high school teachers, among others, is heartening. High school teachers have been involved in the actual planning of the revisions and in feedback polling on proposed changes (and vast majorities approve of the new emphases).
According to the College Board website, new curriculum is slated for the 2011-2012 school year in World History, German Language, and French Language; biology, Latin, and Spanish Literature will debut in 2012-2013; and U.S. History is projected for the 2013-2014 school year. Changes to the other courses will follow later. ...
Recently, NPR did a special series on violence among youth in Chicago. Schools and students all over the country—especially in urban areas—deal with the everyday-threat of violence. Clearly, this omnipresent factor can take a huge toll on public schools.
Mayor-elect of Rahm Emanuel says the violence in the city is unacceptable, and he has promised to hire a thousand new police officers as part of his crime policy. One article quotes him stating, "My goal for the four years, and the measurement of my progress, will be whether that child can be thinking of their studies, and not their safety."
Already the city—relying on schools and police—is implementing intensive efforts to try to combat what some consider an epidemic of youth violence in Chicago—efforts that may provide good models for other cities and school districts facing these problems. ...
Note: In honor of April Fool’s Day, today’s post satirizes some ideas from prominent critics of public schools.
I would like to highlight some education visionaries whose ideas about public education are largely underappreciated. These three innovators aren’t afraid to tell it like it is, and to prescribe bold solutions to current problems in public schools.
Visionary 1: Rush Limbaugh
A comment Rush made when talking with an anti-public school caller is typical of his no nonsense position on public education: “There's no question our society is in the process of being dumbed down and has for many generations. The hideous thing is that it's done purposely.” The caller responded, “Of course it is. We know that. It started way back in the early last century, and we know who did it. . . I was even part of the conspiracy myself as an educator and as a former staunch atheist, humanist and evolutionary biologist. . . I know what's going on behind the scenes.”
Against this backdrop, let’s examine a second discussion that took place in the midst of the union wars in Wisconsin: “So we're asking ourselves, ‘Will the Muslim Brotherhood take over Egypt?’ and in America we're asking, ‘Will the Education Brotherhood take over Wisconsin?’ Check the news, folks, because they're sure trying. The Education Brotherhood, which ...
Clearly both teachers and public education get a bad rap among many in America. And while defenders often point to unfavorable media coverage and blame by politicians, movie and TV show depictions of education are less frequently cited even though these domains can be hugely influential in forming public opinion. (Documentary films about education are especially trendy right now.)
Apparently Hollywood is irresistibly attracted to the same ideas as Michelle Rhee and many conservative pundits: that education in America can be saved by superhero teachers. In researching movie and TV depictions for this post, I came across many that focus on the messianic teacher who allows his or her students to overcome poverty, lack of parental involvement, disenfranchisement, peer pressure, lack of attention or recognition from other adults, cultural myopia, and a host of other deeply systemic issues. A partial list includes:
- To Sir with Love,
- Dangerous Minds
- Mr. Holland’s Opus
- The Corn is Green
- The Miracle Worker
- A Child is Waiting
- Fame
- Dead Poet’s Society
- Music of the Heart ...
Clearly there are many worthwhile focuses competing for time, funds, and energy within public schools, especially in our current fiscal context. And while it’s often difficult to prioritize these issues, it is increasingly clear that technology is of critical importance in modern society—and thus for schools—and it will only become more important in the future.
To this end, the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) focuses on promoting technology-friendly policies and instructional information for schools. Their advocacy efforts make clear that technology proficiency is critical for students of all demographics and income levels. I want to focus on a few points ISTE makes on its website.
One, we should emphasize technology mastery in teacher preparation. Among crucial players to effect this is the federal government—which should provide funding to ensure that teachers understand current technology and can integrate it into curricula. While there are some great federally-funded programs like Preparing Teachers for Digital Age Learners (PTDAL), there is a shortfall in this emphasis, and we should come up with a ...
Today, President Obama, the Department of Education, and the Department of Health and Human Services are hosting a Conference on Bullying Prevention. The conference will have student, parent, and teacher attendees, and it will discuss bullying in communities across the country.
Bullying is clearly a major problem in many schools and districts, and LFA members have a sizable collection of helpful materials explaining various issues pertinent to bullying, providing instruction on identifying and dealing with bullying, and considering other issues like bully legislation and bullying implications on school violence.
Below is a sample of some of these materials:
For an overview on bullying:
- National Education Association’s (NEA) Bully Free: It Starts With Me Campaign (with links to articles and tips)
- National Parent Teacher Association's (PTA) Connect for Respect initiative (with links to articles and tips)
- American Association of School Administrators' (AASA) Special Edition on Bullying at School and Online initiative (with
...
According to the National Endowment for the Arts and data from Chorus America, choral singing is the most popular form of participation in the performing arts; however, opportunities to participate in a school choir are declining. The arts are getting slashed from many schools as we become myopically focused on reading and math in this budget-crunched time.
To help schools avoid this fate for programs in their communities, earlier this week, Chorus America released a free advocacy guide schools can use in making a case for choral arts programs. From a pragmatic standpoint, as the American economy increasingly becomes more service-oriented, and creativity-driven, it makes sense to emphasize the arts in schools. From a motivating standpoint, courses and programs that actively engage students and offer some bonafide entertainment make school a lot more pleasurable for students, and provide them with something to look forward to. A Chorus Impact Study reported that 90% of educators believe choral singing can keep some students engaged in school who might otherwise lose interest and/or drop out.
Arts integration in schools is not a pie in the sky dream: arts used to be a much bigger focus in American schools. Dana Gioia, former Chairman of ...
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