Upcoming travel and events December 3-5 – International School of Amsterdam, The Netherlands February 3 – Virginia Is for Learners Innovation Network, TBD, VA February 25-26 – Missouri Educational Technology Leaders CTO Clinic, TBD, MO March 10-13 – Central & Eastern European Schools Association (CEESA) Annual Conference, Budapest, Hungary June 8-9 – Roanoke County Public...
Category: control
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Educational technology should be about learning, not control
JogNog did a short survey of more than 150 teachers and principals across America. One of the questions it asked was, “What are your three biggest challenges to being a great teacher?” The top two responses were motivating students and student behavioral issues. Over at Education Rethink, Steve from Jognog said, “The technology can create even more...
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Fear is a prison
As Howard Rheingold notes, The technology affords an environment in which students [can] take on more of the power and responsibility for their own learning. But we don’t see that. Instead, we see a hype-and-bust cycle that goes back to the personal computer. Look at all the marvelous things technology is going to do! And...
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Sometimes mindless, sometimes malevolent
Bill Ayers said: What we call education is usually no more than training. We are so busy operating schools we have lost sight of learning. We mostly participate in certification mills, institutions founded on notions of control and discipline, lifeless and joyless places where people serve time and master a few basic skills on their...
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10 quick thoughts on mobile phones in schools
A few quick thoughts… Most people realize that mobile phones are actually mobile computers. But many schools that claim to be doing everything they can to get technology into the hands of schoolchildren then ban their students from using the computers that they bring in their pockets every day. The issue apparently is not technology,...