Category Archives: Education
You Made a Difference
Huffington Post Education blogger Scott Janssen announced the launch of the “You Made a Difference” campaign. The project encourages people to thank their former teachers — to mention them by name and to state something they remember about the teacher … Continue reading
PBS LearningMedia
One of education’s best friends, PBS (Public Broadcasting Service), has done it again. They already provide support to teachers and students through sites like PBS Teachers, PBS NewsHour Extra, and PBS Classroom, and now they’re doing even more. Yesterday they … Continue reading
What happened to common sense?
Recently a young colleague posted a sincere question on a teacher bulletin board: What research is out there to support the use of literature in the classroom? I’d like to be able to defend my practice using research… but I’m … Continue reading
On Becoming an “Educational Practitioner”
Comedian George Carlin had a routine on euphemisms in which he talked about soldiers who were unable to cope with combat any more. In World War I, he said, the condition was called shell shock. By World War II it … Continue reading
A Bad Case of Stripes
“I don’t want to take notes. I’m not going to need this.” Cody sat in the back row, his arms folded across his chest, his mind made up about the value of Emily Dickinson in his life. I smiled and … Continue reading
Diversity
Recently Babaganewz had a site makeover. As I established new links, I reviewed their teacher guides. The guides are designed for students in faith-based schools, so a few of the discussion questions may not be appropriate for public schools. Aside … Continue reading
Beloit College Mindset List, Class of 2014
From the Beloit College Mindset List: Born when Ross Perot was warning about a giant sucking sound and Bill Clinton was apologizing for pain in his marriage, members of this fall’s entering college class of 2014 have emerged as a … Continue reading
Reflections on a Moodle Moot
A very successful Midwest Moodle Moot took place at Goshen College earlier this week. Floyd Saner did a lot of work to make things go so well (not his first Moot!). The star this year was Martin Dougiamas, founder and … Continue reading
Wikipedia as a Source
Tom Whitby tweeted an interesting question this morning: “If research supports the fact that Wikipedia is more reliable than Encyclopedia Britannica, why are educators so slow to accept it as a source?” I’ve been asking that same question at my … Continue reading
Kids + Computers – Guidance = No surprises
The New York Times reports the results of recent studies in which children in low-income families were given laptops to take home. Web access was either absent or inhibited — much as I’d like to say “blocked,” we all know … Continue reading