K-12 Education
TEDx Talk by netTrekker Founder Randy Wilhelm – Igniting the Hope of Knowing
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At TEDx event at Xavier University in May, netTrekker (now Knovation) founder Randy Wilhelm described children's innate curiosity as "living in the question." Kids think they can do anything – even fly. Their imaginations are free to explore any idea that is interesting to them.
However, in public education Wilhelm muses, we have lost our way as "the currency of education is no longer in the question – education currency is in the answer." In fact, we have organized ourselves around a system where success is defined as the highest total of correct answers.
In his talk, Wilhelm explores the idea that we, as adults, are asking the wrong question of our children. Instead of asking, "how intelligent are you?," we should be asking, "how are you intelligent?" Continue reading
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Fueling the National Conversation about Education Reform
One of the wonderful aspects of working in the education marketplace is that partnerships between public and private entities regularly form for the purpose of research. Often, the research is freely shared for the benefit of the entire education community and marketplace.
Such are the new study results on assessment from the Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA) a not-for-profit committed to child-centered education and Peter Grunwald and Associates, a public relations and research practice focused on children, families, technology and education.
The factor that sets this K-12 study apart from others is that it adds a new voice to the conversation – parents. Most studies about assessment focus on students and educators only. As the study points out, parents are the primary consumers of assessment information and foot the bill for the assessments through taxes.
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A New Conversation
One of the current strategies for K-12 education is differentiated instruction. Differentiation has always been a marketing strategy for businesses. Customers and prospects ask, "how are you different from your competitors and why should I care?"
How companies answered those questions has changed over time, however, the one-way nature of the communication has now been significantly altered by social media. Some companies have embraced the change and others have been sitting out and waiting either to understand the landscape better or to wait for it to change again. Continue reading
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How an Educator Uses Social Media to Share Ideas- Part 1
First published June 23, 2008
What better way to find out what educators are talking about on the web than to talk to one who is using some of the new social media tools. Today I have the privilege of introducing an avid teacher blogger, Scott Walker.
Scott blogs at TeacherTechBlog where he helps other educators better understand how to incorporate technology into their classrooms.
Scott graciously answered a series of questions that allows us a peek into not only the types of technology teachers are incorporating into their classrooms but how social networking facilitates the distribution of that information . This will be a two-part series. Continue reading
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How an Educator Uses Social Media to Share Ideas- Part 2
First published June 25, 2008
Last week we talked about finding and listening in on conversations that your customers and prospects are having on the web. This week we're hearing from an avid teacher-blogger about his experience in sharing technology tips with his fellow K-12 educators. Here is part 2 of our interview wtih Scott Walker of TeacherTechBlog.
6. What is the absolute best part of this [blogging] experience for you? The best part about blogging has to be the networking that comes with it. I have made several incredible friends/colleagues that I never would have. People from complete opposite ends of the earth have given me useful help, ideas, and insights that have not only helped my strategies but have also been an incredible encouragement. Continue reading
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The 10 +1 Lessons from the TeacherTech Blog Interview
First published June 30, 2008
Before we leave behind the interview with Scott Walker of TeacherTechBlog, let's review some blog best practices that he shared with us. If you missed our two-part interview with Scott, then take a few minutes and read it at the two inks below. We'll wait.
How an Educator Uses Social Media to Share Ideas- Part 1
How an Educator Uses Social Media to Share Ideas- Part 2
So, what are some of the takeaways for the rest of us to learn from Scott? Continue reading
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An Education President
First published November 5, 2008
The people have spoken and Barack Obama is now our president-elect. As a result of an unprecedented voter turnout for an inspiring leader, the U.S. will soon have at its helm a textbook case of what we espouse in this country. All of us have grown up being told that if we study hard and work hard we can be anything that we want to be. Certainly, that has been true for some of us. But now, we will be led by someone who achieved the highest office in our country "despite" his disadvantages. And he did it through hard work and a stellar education.
We will now have a president who understands the personal transformation that education brings. Someone who passionately believes in the importance of early childhood education beginning as early as possible in a child's life, and the importance of sustaining that throughout the K-12 years. Someone who can be a living role model for every child in this country – no matter their race or economic situation. Continue reading
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21st Century Skills – Twitter in the Classroom
First published June 15, 2009
Kudos to Dr. Monica Rankin at the University of Texas for an outstanding implementation of Twitter in her history class of 90 students. She shares a critical insight when she said, “I just had to come to grips with the fact it was going to be messy.” Her goal was to create more opportunities for all students to participate in class discussions and interact about course content. Continue reading
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