The "Teacher App" — A Disturbing Vision

In his response to a recent Wall Street Journal article touting rote online learning as the wave of education’s future, Powerful Learning Practice co-founder Will Richardson calls to action every educator who believes that great teaching is not only relevant but essential in the Digital Age. Will’s comments (first published at his blog and then at Edutopia) match the spirit of our Voices from the Learning Revolution group blog, which shares the work and ideas of educators committed to creating a robust vision of teaching and learning in the 21st century. So we’re publishing them again in this space.

PLP's Voices from the Learning Revolution: Our Easy Reference Index (Posts 66-92)

This Easy Reference Index highlights posts 66-92 and continues our engaging mix of voices: classroom teachers, school-based leaders, district visionaries and other educators who support the deep learning practices (for students and professional educators) advocated in Powerful Learning Practice communities. Every post here has some relationship to “the Shift” — the necessary transformation of the education enterprise represented by new technologies, the Internet and the capacity for educators and students to become “connected” learners.

Chinquapin Prep: The Revolution Continues

Chinquapin Prep was founded in the belief that with hard work and determination, students could reap the benefits of a quality education, attend college, find meaningful work that would allow them to show the world what children from poverty – black, Hispanic, and white — could achieve, and produce citizens who could give back to the communities from which they sprang. Today, Chinquapin’s students are 21st century learners, prepared to thrive in a challenging global community.

It's a Vision Thing: How Steve Jobs Transformed My Life

The accessibility that is built into Apple products has changed not only my working and personal life, but the lives of millions of people with vision impairments and other challenges that can be overcome with the right technology. The fact that I can get up each day, check my mail, visit my personal learning network on Twitter, read a chapter in my latest favorite book on my iBookshelf, send and receive a text message, check the score of a game, or check in with FourSquare and locate friends, means that for me, and people like me, everything has changed. And Steve Jobs made this possible. The impact of it all cannot be overestimated.

VOICES Interview: The Digital Age Dawns Slowly in the Rural Delta

In an interview with Voices from the Learning Revolution, national teacher leader Renee Moore reflects on the 21st century learning challenges in rural America — and in particular, in the Mississippi Delta where she teaches. “Technology access for the students in our public schools ranges from the sublime to the ridiculous,” she says, but “too many schools are using what computers and Internet access they do have to provided computer-assisted remediation drills for students in preparation for their state tests.” Moore identifies 5 actions that federal and state leaders could take to improve the chances for rural students to become connected learners. Among them: Reopen and restaff school and public libraries where so many residents have their only access to the Web. Monitor districts to assure equitable distribution of technology monies. And provide support for effective teacher networks – local and virtual – to promote professional learning.

Grading – What Is It Good For?

The more I move into 21st century tools and teaching practices, the harder time I have with our current grading system. The more opportunity I give students to work collaboratively, experiment, and pursue their passions, the harder it is to assign grades to this kind of learning and growth. Our standard “letter grade” system does not encourage learning. It does not encourage students to challenge themselves. It does not encourage creativity or innovation. It encourages memorization, competition, and discovering the easiest path to an A. Does this seem right?