Having access to data is not the key to success any more; it does not confer power or achievement. Those who know are no longer the ones who are landing the jobs. Those types of jobs are dwindling. Those who just have knowledge are more likely to be dependent on others and not in control of their own destiny. The key to success is the ability quickly find, sort, analyze and act on information. The valuable skills today are information processing and…
Social Media has enhanced my conference experiences and learning. It seems pretty clear that would be the case. Before social media I attended lots of educational conferences and even some fun conventions (Star Trek and Comic). I attended as an individual, read the program after arrival and tried my best to make the most of it. I left with a bag of notes and a few contacts; but those connections tended to fade away as snail mail and later e-mail were the only means…
I am blessed to be the mom of two nerdfighter teens. The nerdfighter community celebrates curiosity, learning, creativity and compassion. It is primarily made up of teens, young adults and some older folks like me, a nerdfighter mom. Nerdfighters epitomize what I as a parent and educator want for my children and students: a love a learning and participation in a supportive community that encourages exploration of ones passions and sharing the joy of knowing and learning. Nerdfighters participate in…
Public education is a schizophrenic system. On one hand we talk about differentiating instruction and personalizing learning and on the other we group and target our non-readers, poor math students, those at risk for not passing the state tests. We speak of individualism but act on collectivism. These words carry a variety of meanings, but I want to use them in terms of education. We, for the most part, agree that people have different skills and talents and learn at…
The end of the school year tends to cause me to reflect on where I have been and where I am going. This year it seems to be more about where my fellow public school educators are going. I have been to several weekend educational events recently and chatting with friends and colleagues from across the country. Many are leaving public education or considering it. Some are retiring early, others moving to private education or a career change. These are…
We are at the end of April vacation in Massachusetts and Maine. April vacation always occurs the week of April 19th, Patriot’s Day around here. A remembrance of the battle of Lexington and Concord, the start of the war that set us firmly on the road to independence from England. I have always been fascinated by the time period 1600 -1820. There was a change in thinking which resulted in a change in governance, power and the world map. …
In Massachusetts we have, or is it had, the Mass Curriculum Frameworks and Standards. Now we are transitioning to the Common Core. These standards, as I understand the term, are to provide the framework, backbone by which we build our curriculum. A list of standards is not the same as a curriculum. I think we tend to confuse standards (minimum to do list) and curriculum (expanded, creative how to guide). We tend to focus on the to do list and…