I have been involved in formal schooling as a student and educator for about 40 years, so you would think I know the purpose and goal of education. But as I became connected to other educators and began investigating technology and the tools that support learning something began to change. I was consumed by learning. In fact I think I have learned more in the last few years of my informal (non-traditional) learning then I did in much of my…
I have been facilitating a book talk on Web Literacy for Educators by Alan November. Our discussions have been very interesting and I think we are all getting a lot out of it as we seek to apply those skills to our classrooms and daily searching habits. One of the topics that has come up is how to teach critical reading and analysis of web pages. We want to get beyond simply evaluating web pages for reliability, credibility and relevance…
I have been getting ready for the start of school. We had many physical moves of teachers in our district and this requires a virtual move as well. So I have been moving teacher accounts around. I am also planning professional development opportunities for the fall. My mind is focused on the details and I currently do not have the luxury to explore some lines of thought. So I am jotting a few down here so I do not forget….
Continuing from part 3. Okay time to sum up my notes on Franklin’s thoughts on education, and move on in my research. The following are a few excerpts from Franklin’s proposal for the education of youth that discuss some of the lessons that can be taught from the study of history. Please take the time to read the entire document. History will show the wonderful Effects of ORATORY, in governing, turning and leading great Bodies of Mankind, Armies, Cities, Nations….
Continuing from part 2 Franklin continues in his proposal for the education of youth; But if HISTORY be made a constant Part of their Reading, such as the Translations of the Greek and Roman Historians, and the modern Histories of antient Greece and Rome, &c. may not almost all Kinds of useful Knowledge be that Way introduc’d to Advantage, and with Pleasure to the Student? That old adage ‘those that do not know history are condemned to repeat it’ comes to mine. …
I must admit that I do not like the term “21st Century” anything; learning, skills, literacy. Learning and thinking have not really changed, the tools may have, but not the process. I have been reading Benjamin Franklin’s Proposals Relating to the Education of Youth in Pensilvania, Philadelphia, 1749. This document laid the ground work for the Academy of Philadelphia later to become the University of Pennsylvania. As I was reading I was looking at Franklin’s proposal for study and thinking…
I set out on a personal research journey and got distracted on the way. I just got started, how could that happen? I have been reading a wide range of stuff; the history of education, traditional vs non traditional ways of learning, education and democracy, and information on literacy (known by a variety of terms). I just keep reading, and reading and reading. But I am still wandering aimlessly and the list of questions keeps growing, I am not finding…