Thursday, September 12, 2013

Profiling in the Classroom

While the above video, another great Ted Talk, is not specifically about the classroom, it's worthy of discussion if only because we, as educators, can help sway the discussions from preconceived notions and looks to one of personality, action, and who-they-are.

The Cloud Part of Education...Build a School in the Cloud


You never know where your next blog post might draw inspiration.  In the case of this post, it was a reply to an email to my friends James, Mike and Wayne concerning the above Ted Talk.  I highly recommend watching Sugata Mitra's presentation and his compelling argument.  My friends sent the link to me as part of our ongoing email conversations about the world, education and business...4 people on two continents having a go at trying to make sense of those three words via email is a hoot, by the way.  What follows is my response, just copied and pasted, to the email that reminded us of Mitra's Ted Talk...

"Reinventing Schools..."

Here's a simple post to make sure you read this interesting article from Mind/Shift.  Hope you enjoy...Read Me!!

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Super Nova...A Link to Helpful STEM Information and Ideas


Nova, the TV 'station', has been around for long time producing quality educational science programming.  Their website is useful and worth sharing for all you educators who need a little science pick-me-up.  Check it out...

Super Nova!!

Sunday, September 8, 2013

The Role of Praise in the Education System

Am I Training My Dog To Sit?

I had a wonderful companion for 13 years.  A chocolate lab who was the most loyal and undemanding friend in my life.  Of course, I trained him to be a good boy, to listen when I had a command, and to socialize properly.  It was fun training him, as it built a connection between that little fur ball of a puppy and me.

While training him, I chose not to use treats to reward him.  Oh sure, he got a nice treat at the end of most training sessions, but not during the session (well, sometimes he did, but rarely).  Mostly, he and I trained by me giving him love and attention.  He heard my happy/good-job voice and learned what it meant.  He also heard my harsh "No!" and learned what that meant.

Kudos to Teachers

Here's a nice little article to remind all you teachers of your worth in this world...even if you are underpaid and under-appreciated most of the time...Read Me!!

Thursday, September 5, 2013

Need A Tablet with a Stylus?

The M1400
I've been using a tablet pc since 2003, starting with my Motion Computing M1400.  That first machine was a screen only, using USB or BlueTooth to connect to a keyboard.  It was heavy (by today's standards) and large, but it amazed those who saw me use it in the classroom.  Still, everyone said the same thing, "What good is that without a keyboard?"  I'd argue about using it on my lap by interacting with just the pen and they would just scoff at me.

Is the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 a Teacher's Dream?...Update

Samsung released a ton of new products yesterday, most notably it's latest version of the Galaxy Note Series.  These are cell phones with large screens and stylus for note taking.  Gottabemobile has a great review of some of the more interesting qualities of the new note.

While at ISTE 2013, I ran into several...at least 10...K-12 teachers who use the Galaxy Note II as their cell phone and absolutely love it, IN and out of the classroom.  I was surprised by their IN use at all, and asked them why and how they used the Galaxy Note in the classroom.  I paraphrase a few comments made be to me at ISTE:

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

A Good Read...

Here's a link to a great article about how some top minds would change STEM education.

Link!

 Personally, I didn't read one idea in that article that was anything new, and NEW is what is exactly needed.  Students are different that they used to be and the people we ask these types of questions to are still immersed in their remembrances of education gone by.  Whatever the answer is, it would be made by someone who watched the following video by none-other than Sir Ken Robinson.

Without thinking outside the box (heck, not in the same room as the box), we'll continue to do what we've always done...put a band aid on the problem and see incremental results that only work a short while for a few of the students out there.

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Textbooks Be Gone...It's Time To Pronounce them Dead!


There are few aspects of the earliest school paradigm still hanging on.  Most notably are the rectangular classroom with a front where the teacher hangs out, grading scales, the design of schools in general, and our good friend the textbook.

The goal of the textbook, in my opinion, is to be a presentation of the topics/concepts/skills in someone's words other than mine.  A second version of the material is important, because not every student will get an idea from being in my class and experiencing my presentation of the topic.  The text is one other voice available to my students.  The more voices my student experiences, the better the chance that one will actually hit home and spark long term learning about the topic.

Disqus for Holistic Ed