Category: Reform

Educational Reform – Bill Gates Addresses Legislators

The following is the text of Bill Gates’ remarks at the National Conference of State Legislatures. The Microsoft co-founder shares his ideas about “how federal stimulus money should be used to spark educational innovation, spread best practices and improve accountability” along with his belief that the “U.S. must improve its educational standing in the world by rewarding effective teaching and by developing better, universal measures of performance for students and teachers” (Source).

Breaking through the Walls of the Classroom (iCiL Keynote)

These are the slides for my keynote address for the iConnect iLearn Conference. Unfortunately some of the animations and formatting were lost when uploaded to my SlideBoom. The presentation wiki contains the database of teacher-generated strategies for breaking through the walls of the classroom and all the presentation resources. I hope to create a Vidcast or SlideCast of this presentation once things settle down.

Schools 2.0

(Repost from 10/07/2008)

Chris Lehman shares some of his ideas about school reform. I challenge you to consider his ideas with an open-mind.

I especially like Chris’ comment that “if you put a good person in a bad system, the system wins too often so we need to change the system.”

Just a Note

I think the structure for presentations at this event is clever. Speakers could use 20 slides with 15 seconds allowed for each slide. I think I’m going to begin using this strategy in several different areas of my work. Maybe we could begin something like this in Memphis! Anyone interested? Seriously, anyone in the greater Memphis are interested in organizing a meetup similar to this?

Knowledge-able

I’m attending the Instructional Technology Conference at MTSU the first half of this week. I hope to share some of the learning and experience with you. Here are my notes from this morning’s keynote address.

Knowledgable to Knowledge-able: Harnessing New Media for New Media Literacy
Michael Wesch
Instructional Technology Conference

“It took tens of thousands of years for writing to emerge after humans spoke their first words. It took thousands more before the printing press and a few hundred again before the telegraph. Today a new medium of communication emerges every time somebody creates a new web application. A Flickr here, a Twitter there, and a new way of relating to others emerges. New types of conversation, argumentation, and collaboration are realized. What does this mean for new technologies that can foster the kinds of communication and community we hope to create in education?” (Source)

Michael did a great job with his keynote. I Plurked notes and made a few comments throughout his presentation.

What Lies Ahead?

New Ideas Come through Conversations

We’re living in exciting times! It’s still the (late) dawn of a new century. Innovation and scientific discovery abound. Digital technologies are changing the way we work, play and stay connected. The business world is evolving and there’s the potential for positive transformation in education. This is not a new conversation. It has previously been brought to light by Karl Fish, Clay Shirky, Clayton Christensen, and others. The following video is based on Charles Leadbeater‘s book, We-Think: Mass Innovation, Not Mass Production, in which he explores the potential impact of the Internet. Watch this 4 minute video and then let’s discuss it a bit.

Here are a few phrases from the video that I like.

  • “The audience is taking the stage.” What a picturesque (Ooh, good word!) way to describe the whole 2.0 thing.
  • “Mass innovation comes from communities…it’s like building a bird’s nest where everyone leaves their piece.”
  • “Equality because knowledge can be set free to help people who need it but cannot pay.” Isn’t this a paradigm shift?! (I know, I don’t like using that phrase, either…but it is!)
  • “Freedom because more people will know what it’s like to be creative.” This one hits me right between the eyes. I started this blog to share resources and interact with K-12 teachers. I had no idea just how right-brain this would be. It has become a creative outlet in some ways.
  • “In the past you were what you owned. Now you are what you share…How do we earn a living when everyone is freely sharing their ideas?” Are the freeconomists right?

Here are a few side thoughts.

  • Video is emerging as a dominate form of communication and whole new language and literacy are evolving right before our eyes. The graphic design and music selections used in this presentation wouldn’t have been my first (or second or third) choice but they work well. Of course, the pacing was key.
  • The technological, scientific, economic, political and medical predictions for 2009 are intriguing, but none of us know what really lies ahead in the years to come. It all just reminds me that the future is truly full of potential.

So, what do YOU think? Please share your thoughts and reactions in the comments. Remember that you can also leave audio and video comments, too.

Give Us the Real World

I just read Teachers to Curriculum Creators: Give Us the Real World. Data from a nationwide survey of 800 math, science and technology teachers indicates that when asked “What characteristics are most important in a curriculum resource?” more than two-thirds of the teachers selected “Shows real world connections.” The least selected response (4%) was “Raises test scores.”

These findings make me wonder how well aligned legislation, standards, textbooks and resources, and curriculum are with educators’ views and classroom practice. Hmmm…What do you think?

Schools 2.0

Chris Lehman shares some of his ideas about school reform. I challenge you to consider his ideas with an open-mind.

Just a Note

I think the structure for presentations at this event is clever. Speakers could use 20 slides with 15 seconds allowed for each slide. I think I’m going to begin using this strategy in several different areas of my work. Maybe we could begin something like this in Memphis! Anyone interested?