The expertise we need to improve education comes not from business leaders nor the other citizens who dedicate their time and energy to serving on boards of education or in the legislature, nor even from education leaders (most of whom have built careers building compromises that satisfy different constituencies). The expertise comes from scholars who Read More
If you are reading this post, it is likely you attended elementary, middle, and high school as a child. You may have some experience in higher education or professional training. In addition, you may have experience as a parent or caregiver who has interacted with schools. One of the most striking realizations for many who Read More
IT systems fail. All IT professionals (and all IT users) know this. The reality is that the “to do” list for IT professionals in schools is often too long to allow immediate resolution of failed system. Further adding to the reality is that not all failed systems can or even should be resolved. IT professionals Read More
In almost all organizations, IT is a support function. Workers use IT to perform business-critical functions and improve efficiency and effectiveness, but—while being critical for business operations—IT rarely is an income center for any business. In schools, this is especially true in schools, as computers are a relatively recent tool in schools, and much effective Read More
According to Rogers (2003), the rate at which an innovation is adopted by a group is affected by four factors. First, the users must become aware of the innovation and perceive the ideas, tools, or practices as different from those currently in use. In the world dominated by rapid advances in information and other technology, Read More
205: On Technology-Rich Schools Schools have always been information technology-rich places. That makes sense as one of the fundamental purposes of school is to prepare students to use the technology common in the systems they will enter when they leave. When print was the dominant information technology, we used books and other paper-based media in Read More
Young educators are enthusiastic. They spend years preparing: They learn the content they will teach, they learn how brains work, they learn pedagogical theory, and they practice various strategies. Of course, the details of what they learn depends on the specific regulatory agencies to which their teacher preparation program reports, but they learn in classrooms Read More
In the United States, the Maine Learning Technology Initiative (MLTI) is recognized as the first large-scale effort to provide school-owned computers to students. In 2002, middle school students in the New England state were provided Macintosh laptops. Since then, one-to-one initiatives have been widely adopted. In some schools, students are allowed to take their devices Read More
219: On Grading on 100-Point Scales Quantification of knowledge has a dubious history. Stephen Jay Gould’s book The Mismeasure of Man described the disturbing history of intelligence testing in the 20th century, the rocky science upon which it is based, and the on-going unjustified application of it in education and public policy. In this post, Read More
We are working at a moment in history when education is changing. For more than one generation into the 21st century, adults have been trying to figure out how to create schools that reflect the changing society and culture. For those generations, adults have spoken of the need to create “21st century schools.” (I have Read More