Category: Uncategorized

I was re-reading the December 2006 Time Magazine article “How to Bring Our School Out of the 20th Century,” by Cladia Wallis and Sonja Steptoe. It’s a very good overview of the “new literacies,” but it has one quote that worries me: “Learn the names of all the rivers in South America. That was the… Continue reading Platitudes and Orthodoxy in Web 2.0

I am always looking for working examples of a standards-based K-12 educational system. For me, this means getting away from the traditional “time-in-grade” system, where time is fixed by semesters, grading periods, etc. according to a group pace for learning. In a real standards-based system, time becomes the variable. You only pass when you complete… Continue reading Standards in Chugach

I believe the biggest barrier to teachers’ use of technology is not their oft’ bemoaned inability or unwillingness. I think it is the inability of the leadership, to:1. Provide solid, reliable, technology with support levels that don’t leave teachers hanging for days with a problem.2. Show the teachers clearly what they are expected to do… Continue reading Leadership is still a barrier to “Integration.”

I am at David Warlick’s Web 2.0 session in Castine, Maine today. A lot of interesting things are being said. Everyone has a laptop open, and David has invited us to chat during the presentation. Comments are quite relevant to the discussion, but some… well. One participant polled the group on how many windows (separate… Continue reading Boomers multi-tasking for mental health

For years I’ve listened with trepidation as lazy guest speakers grabbed this off the Internet and used it to insult the morals and motives of educators and the young. My New Year’s resolution is to do something positive about everything I complain about. Here’s the first shot… By now everyone has heard of “Bill Gates’… Continue reading Bill Gates’ “Rules of Life:” some clarifications…

When it comes to staff development costs for technology, there is a lot of agreement, but almost no clarity for school leaders. Here’s a typical statement, offered by the (National Staff Development Council:) “NSDC advocates that at least 30 percent of the technology budget be devoted to teacher development.” Nearly every credible expert says something… Continue reading Staff Development Heresy

If I hear the phrase, “feed the rabbits… starve the snails” again, I am going to become uncharitable. Of course we should celebrate and reward teachers who use instructional technologies well. But this phrase implies a mid nineties mind-set, where technology is a limited commodity, and can’t be given to all classrooms, so you reward… Continue reading Starve the snails… not.

The U. S. obesity rate should alarm all of us. Technology gets a bum rap as a primary cause, but whether it’s the fast food, stress, culture, depression, isolation, or whatever… it’s in the classroom. Technology educators are natural problem solvers and we can help. It’s time to plug in a physical activity component when… Continue reading Technology and Obesity