The Necessity & Promise of Online Learning

by | Apr 27, 2011 | Making The Shift, The Compelling Need for Change, The How of 21st Century Teaching, Voices

What most of us in education understand is that the skills necessary to be a successful online student are the same skills that will serve our students well into adulthood. Successful students are self-directed, self-motivated, and self-assessing. They are equipped with these skills because a great teacher taught them how and gave them ample opportunities to practice. It is a myth that any student can sit at a computer and learn, even with the best online curriculum.

The Teacherprenuer. They exist. The trick is to keep them in our classrooms.

by | Apr 25, 2011 | Teacher Leadership 2.0, The Compelling Need for Change, Voices

Classroom teachers who are working to make a difference have reached a critical juncture point. We can’t be expected to continue running ourselves ragged trying to do it all, battling the demon that is time. If the status quo remains, expect to see more quality teachers exiting classrooms for other pursuits, and watch our profession continue to struggle with the challenge of adapting to the learning landscape of the age we are living in. The authors of Teaching 2030 propose to address this issue by encouraging investments in “teacherpreneurs.”

Students Can Make Magic When We Give Them a Worthy Challenge

by | Apr 23, 2011 | Less Teacher, More Student, The How of 21st Century Teaching, Voices

One of the defining moments of this exhibit day was when I led this couple to the Eugenics display.  One of my students started to explain the program, and she mentioned a particular doctor’s name who was involved with the experiments. The Jewish woman said, “ahhh, that is the doctor who experimented on my sister for 8 months.” Shock, and silence, from everyone.  She then proceeded to tell us the story and teach all of us. All of a sudden the Holocaust, and the tragedy of the eugenics experiments, became very real.

Passion-based learning in the 21st century: An interview with Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach

by | Apr 22, 2011 | Less Teacher, More Student, Making The Shift, The Compelling Need for Change, Voices

“We live in a connected world, with the Internet and powerful digital technologies literally at our fingertips, so it would be foolish not to integrate those things into the learning experience. But when I talk about the shift to 21st century teaching and learning, I am not talking primarily about changing the tools we use. I’m talking about transforming the way most teachers teach today – either because they were taught to teach that way or because the accountability system makes them believe they have to teach that way.”