Tuesday, 28 January 2014
Sunday, 26 January 2014
10 Ways to Teach Innovation | MindShift
By Thom Markham
One overriding challenge is now coming to the fore in public consciousness: We need to reinvent just about everything. Whether scientific advances, technology breakthroughs, new political and economic structures, environmental solutions, or an updated code of ethics for 21st century life, everything is in flux—and everything demands innovative, out of the box thinking.The burden of reinvention, of course, falls on today’s generation of students. So it follows that education should focus on fostering innovation by putting curiosity, critical thinking, deep understanding, the rules and tools of inquiry, and creative brainstorming at the center of the curriculum.This is hardly the case, as we know. In fact, innovation and the current classroom model most often operate as antagonists. The system is evolving, but not quickly enough to get young people ready for the new world. But there are a number of ways that teachers can bypass the system and offer students the tools and experiences that spur an innovative mindset. Here are ten ideas:Full article in: 
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Saturday, 25 January 2014
Sir Ken Robinson : The Art of Teaching
from Learning {RE}imagined
That’s why I always say that teaching is an art form. It’s not a delivery system. I don’t know when we started confusing teaching with FedEx. Teaching is an arts practice. It’s about connoisseurship and judgment and intuition. We all remember the great teachers in our lives. The ones who kind of woke us up and that we’re still thinking about because they said something to us or they gave us an angle on something that we’ve never forgotten.
Sir Ken Robinson
Learning {RE}imagined – Noam Chomsky on Technology & Learning
As far as technology itself and education is concerned, technology is basically neutral. It’s like a hammer. The hammer doesn’t care whether you use it to build a house or whether on torture, using it to crush somebody’s skull, the hammer can do either.
Noam Chomsky
this article in Learning {RE}imagined
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Far Beyond Test Scores, What We (Should) Value In Students | MindShift
Tina Barseghian
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Jackie Gernstein
From Jackie Gernstein’s resource-rich site comes this sweet infographic depicting the skills we’d like to instill in our students. The post also includes a long, helpful list of resources for everything from how to help students develop hope, to encouraging empathy and social and emotional skills, to how to foster grit, tenacity and perseverance: an educator’s guide.
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Friday, 24 January 2014
6 Types of Blended Learning - in TeachThought
Blended Learning is not so much an innovation as it is a natural by-product of the digital domain creeping into physical boundaries. As digital and social media become more and more prevalent in the life of learners, it was only a matter of time before learning became “blended” by necessity.
That said, there’s a bit more to Blended and “Hybrid” Learning than throwing in a little digital learning.
6 Types of Blended Learning
- Face-to-face Driver
- Rotation
- Flex
- Online Lab
- Self-Blend
- Online Driver
The following infographic takes a different approach to the concept, labeling it “Disruptive,” and even offering an interesting matrix. One interesting prediction? By 2014, 50% of all post-secondary learners will take a class online.
Created by Knewton and Column Five Media
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Intel debuts education tablet and laptop | Education Dive
- Intel Education Solutions on Wednesday at Bett 2014 debuted the new Education Tablet and classmate PC.
- Both devices are built specifically for education and are durable — capable of withstanding 70 cm drops from desks, as well as being water- and dust-resistant.
- Included on the devices are the Intel Education Software eLearning suite, which includes the Kno app. Intel acquired Kno in November.
FULL DIVE BRIEF IN http://www.educationdive.com/news/intel-debuts-education-tablet-and-laptop/218344/
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Thursday, 23 January 2014
Government is considering using MOOCs in classrooms, says Gove (Wired UK)
by KATIE COLLINS (Wired UK)
Credit: Flickr/educationgovuk
Massive open online courses, known as MOOCs, could soon be used to augment the depth and variety of the curriculum taught in British schools, said education secretary Michael Gove speaking at the BETT conferencein London today.
Credit: Flickr/educationgovuk
Massive open online courses, known as MOOCs, could soon be used to augment the depth and variety of the curriculum taught in British schools, said education secretary Michael Gove speaking at the BETT conferencein London today.
The key to introducing new opportunities provided by developments in technology and the free, open courses now offered by universities around the world into the classroom will be to leave schools in charge of deciding how they will respond to the changes, Gove said.
"Precisely the wrong way to react to the transformative opportunities offered by educational technology would be for government to try to dictate, from the centre, every last detail of how schools should respond," the education secretary acknowledged.
The government is currently looking at responses to aconsultation on the new accountability arrangements designed for 16- to 19-year olds, in which it has asked about the possibility of using MOOCs to support the education of students within this age bracket.
A partnership between exam board OCR, Cambridge University Press and the Raspberry Pi Foundation has already resulted in the creation of a MOOC specifically designed to build upon OCR's GCSE Computing curriculum. It can be used by students in their own time, or by teachers to augment the experience in the classroom -- or, for that matter, by anyone else who's interested.
As part of the Rutherford Physics Partnership, the government is also providing funding for Cambridge University to develop a MOOC that will support the transition between A Level physics and undergraduate physics, engineering and maths. This should please lecturers who frequently complain that A Levels do not provide rigorous enough preparation to study these subjects at university level.
"These courses are an unparalleled opportunity for the brightest and best education institutions to open their classrooms and their content to more people than ever before -- democratising education for the 21st century," said Gove.
Incorporating MOOCs into mainstream classrooms would allow students to access a broader syllabus than could possibly be offered by the staff of a single school, and would mean that teachers could facilitate and support the learning of small groups of students with specialist interests.
"Teachers will be in the vanguard of this change -- not just equipping young people with crucial computing skills and knowledge, but inspiring them with the incredible possibilities opened up by science and technology," said Gove.
The government is investing heavily in making sure teachers are equipped with the requisite expertise to teach children advanced computing skills as well though, he was keen to emphasise. He pointed to improvements in teacher training schemes and professional development for existing teachers, along with the government's intention to recruit 400 "master teachers" who are right at the top of their fields in computer science.
Gove was also keen to point to the increased use of 3D printers in schools. "Over the last few years, they have developed from an expensive, experimental toy to a tried and tested technology," he said.
"Our new design and technology curriculum -- backed by world-famous British inventor Sir James Dyson -- has been redesigned to enable students to master the skills needed to create new products with 3D printers alongside other advanced technological skills and techniques, including robotics."
Unsurprisingly he neglected to mention that the first draft of the new D&T curriculum, which was published in February 2013, was widely criticised by industry experts and was reported by Matt White, assistant director of the DfE's national curriculum review, to have been drawn up bureaucrats with no outside consultation.
Fortunately that wrong has now been righted, and Gove seems to be fully on board with the idea that the UK curriculum cannot be designed in Whitehall, or based purely on thoughts from his own head. He pointed out that like the D&T curriculum, the new computing curriculum has been "drawn up not by bureaucrats but by teachers and other sector experts, led by the British Computer Society and the Royal Academy of Engineering, with input from industry leaders like Microsoft, Google and leaders in the computer games industry."
Bringing in education and industry experts who will be educating and one day employing British schoolchildren is obviously the right and proper thing to do, but it would also be encouraging to see the government examining its own procedures for dealing with the rapidity of the changes we are currently seeing in the technology.
"Government regulation cannot keep pace with the scale of change technology brings," said the education secretary, in what -- no doubt unintentionally -- sounded like he was washing his hands of the responsibility.
Unfortunately Gove's words reveal a universal truth, and not just one applicable to education policy. The government is proud of the education system it has designed, but perhaps its next task could be to apply what it has learned while drawing the curriculum to itself, so that it too in future could operate based on a system that is "open, creative and adaptive -- which is open to innovation, which can use technology creatively to advance learning and which is structured flexibly to adapt to change."
We Day: There is no ‘me’ in ‘we’ - Virgin.com
“It doesn’t matter the cause, it matters that you care.” Proud #dad as Holly launches #WeDay UKhttp://virg.in/eSJEi
"It’s astonishing to think that only two years ago, I was standing on the We Day stage in Vancouver thinking how amazing it would be for young people in the UK to have the opportunity to be part of such an inspirational event... and now I have the honour of announcing its launch in the UK this March!
With just six weeks to go before the big day, I had the privilege of speaking alongside my co-chair, Lord Rumi Verjee, John Coles, CEO of United Learning, Craig Kreeger, CEO ofVirgin Atlantic and Craig Kielburger, co-founder of Free The Children, at the We Day UK school launch.
And we weren’t alone. From teachers dancing in the aisles, to inspirational pupils sharing their personal stories, there was one common theme – a passion for change. Attended by over 480 students, the launch was a great way of building some momentum and engaging with the true change makers of the project: our young people."
We Day is part of a comprehensive active citizenship programme called We Act, which helps transform the inspiration of We Day into tangible action by supporting schools and youth groups to make a difference in the world. It brings people together to lead global change, defy apathy and celebrate the change they are making in their local and global communities.
The project was initiated by Free The Children, who began working in the UK in 2010 to deliver free active citizenship and leadership programmes and has already reached over 500 schools and more than 125,000 young people.
Check more in:
and
http://www.weday.com/uk
Google releases New EDU Learning Center
http://www.google.com/edu/training/
Aaron Gumz originally shared to
Google releases New EDU Learning Center: http://www.google.com/edu/training/ to support the training and professional development of teachers globally. Thanks +Emma Fish and Team~!
Learning Center Highlights:
New online lessons on Google tools providing the What educators should know about our key offerings, and most importantly How to apply in the class.
New exams and certifications:
Basics Exam to show fundamental understanding; for educators in developed and emerging markets (super for staff, students and parents as well)
Google Educator certification - scaleable, online certification for teachers
New and updated courses and supporting exams
New teacher resources with 100s of how-to videos, best practice guides, lesson plans, case studies and more... built by teachers, for teachers
What Needs to Happen for More Women, Minorities to Get Into Computer Science | Entrepreneur.com
As computer science becomes even more important to US growth, see how 4 leaders are trying to break down barriers to entry for women and minorities in science, tech, engineering and math.
Reshma Saujani, founder of Girls Who Code.
Read more: http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/230961#ixzz2rDvlAGFk
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Reshma Saujani, founder of Girls Who Code.
A PayScale report ranked computer science careers among some of the most in-demand and lucrative professions in the United States. But recent figures on high-school students who took the College Board's Advanced Placement Computer Science exam last year paint a picture of a field is failing to progress with the times.
For one, there were two states - Mississippi and Montana - where not a single female, African American or Hispanic student took the AP Computer Science exam. In fact, in Montana, only 11 students total took the exam, as not one high school in the state offered courses in AP computer science. Perhaps most alarming: In Wyoming, no students took the Computer Science exam at all.
Read more: http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/230961#ixzz2rDvlAGFk
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Know Your Limits, Your Brain Can Only Take So Much | Entrepreneur.com
If you've ever hit information overload, you know all too well that your best thinking is not about to take place. Hey, your brain has left the building! But with these tips, you can spot and even stop some of those noises from getting to you in the first place.
Image credit: Airik Lopez
Don't go out and buy a new day planner or learn a five-step decision-making process -- they won't work. If they did, we would all be much happier and more effective. The truth is that to improve our thinking abilities, we need to understand the root of our problem -- our brains.
Read more: http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/230925#ixzz2rDul5XAa
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Image credit: Airik Lopez
Don't go out and buy a new day planner or learn a five-step decision-making process -- they won't work. If they did, we would all be much happier and more effective. The truth is that to improve our thinking abilities, we need to understand the root of our problem -- our brains.
Read more: http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/230925#ixzz2rDul5XAa
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Wednesday, 22 January 2014
Tuesday, 21 January 2014
Five lessons on happiness & entrepreneurs - Virgin.com
Yesterday, Global Entrepreneurship Monitor published their annual snapshot on entrepreneurialism around the world. And this year, they had a special focus on the ‘subjective wellbeing’ of entrepreneurs – in other words, how happy they are in comparison to everyone else!
Here are five things we learned about happiness and entrepreneurialism that you could apply in 2014… Read all in: http://www.virgin.com/unite/entrepreneurship/five-lessons-on-happiness-entrepreneurs
Monday, 20 January 2014
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