by Jennifer M. Jones | Mar 15, 2011 | Making The Shift, Voices
Be the change you want in the world. Such a clichéd term, but yet so true. I spent the first few years of my teaching career trying to figure myself out. To a certain extent I think I still haven’t, though I‘m becoming comfortable in my own skin. How does this pertain to the world of technology? Simple. You can’t do well what you don’t feel comfortable doing. Especially if you are a person who grew to appreciate technology and then arrived in a classroom where you couldn’t figure out how to use it.
by Lyn Hilt | Mar 11, 2011 | The Compelling Need for Change, Voices
By harnessing the power of social media, principals can take advantage of improved organizational efficiency, solidify and broaden communications, serve as lead learners, and develop relationships that will ultimately build an organization’s capacity and benefit children. Our students will be expected to enter adulthood as critical thinkers, problem solvers, and collaborative, productive team members. We must model the power of digitally enhanced learning for them, for our teachers, and for the community.
by Renee Hawkins | Mar 9, 2011 | Personal Learning Networks, Voices
Little by little, I’m becoming more confident using these new tools to connect with other teachers and like-minded individuals around the world. As a child I knew instinctively that reading was powerful, that mastering those skills would be empowering. I feel the same way about the tools I use to connect to my personal learning network. My network feeds my professional soul. I follow smart people. I seek out master teachers in all disciplines. And when I need help, I can ask for it.
by Dolores Gende | Mar 8, 2011 | The How of 21st Century Teaching, Voices
Problem-solving is a major part of a physics course. When confronted with challenging problems it is common to hear students say: “If I had the formula, I could solve this.†After all, finding the right equation is a key element in most textbooks’ problem-solving strategies and is often reinforced in the classroom through lectures, quizzes and tests. In most cases, by using appropriate equations, a student is able to find the correct answer, but I will argue that finding the correct answer to a problem does not necessarily reflect a deep understanding of physics concepts.
by Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach | Mar 7, 2011 | Voices
We’ve titled this group blog “Voices from the Learning Revolution” not because our bloggers are necessarily revolutionary leaders — but because they are leaving behind outdated practices and mindsets and shifting toward the kind of connected, digitally infused teaching and learning that we know our 21st century students need. We have some voices who are strong and well developed in their understanding; we have others who are just beginning their connected learning journey. And we’ll be inviting some guest writers to join us who most will agree are truly on the front lines of the learning revolution, leading the charge.
by Bud Hunt | Mar 7, 2011 | Making The Shift, Voices
It makes a great deal of sense to me that we should think about our textbooks like we think about our food supply. Both should be locally grown, from the best of what’s available, and be sustainable in their development and impact on the school environment. I think we can pretty simply build, maintain, and distribute textbooks that meet the needs of 21st Century classrooms in multiple modes and means — without breaking the 21st Century budget. Three simple shifts can make this happen in school systems.
