Portal Needed to Connect Classrooms to the World: Global Citizens can Share Talents and Skills with Students

Originally posted: February 21st, 2007 [Update: Fieldfindr on Ning-October 3rd, 2007] Here is an idea that has been brewing in my mind for a while: FieldFindr A space where teachers can meet global citizens who have skills that they are willing to contribute to a class. Teachers can find people in a field of interest […]

Sharing and Engaging: Web 2-point-0h-Yeah!

An antithesis to my last post, “Acceptance of Mediocrity, Web 2-point-oh-oh!” Well, actually more of an ‘alternate spin’ on web2.0 than an ‘antithesis’. I must admit to seeing an element of accepting mediocrity in some students that concerns me. An example of this is the quality of work that students believe is satisfactory to hand […]

The digital native, the digital naive, and the digital divide.

I haven’t written too many quotable quotes in my day… but I like this one: I come from the Batman era, adding items to my utility belt while students today are the Borg from Star Trek, assimilating technology into their lives. I just wish it was true! The fact is that my utility belt is […]

Alan November and Authentic Audience

I heard Alan November speak tonight and although there were many great ideas, one key idea hit a cord with me. “Students will work harder for an authentic audience than for a grade”…”Students will do more if they leave a legacy beyond a grade.” The technology is there! I remember for a couple weeks after […]

Christopher D. Sessums’ “Competing Paradigms and Educational Reform”

A great article: Competing Paradigms and Educational Reform that asks, What has this dominant paradigm actually done for public education except manufacture a crisis? Not only does it list initiatives and consequences of this paradigm (read the post!), it also suggests a paradigm shift with the following perspective: • Human freedom and empowerment are more […]