Paul Wood U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan held his first Twitter Town Hall on Wednesday. People were asked to use the #askarne hashtag in order to direct questions to Duncan, which were asked in turn by journalist John Merrow. The Department of Education has posted a selection of the Q&A on its website, but [...]
Yesterday was the first day of school for Grace Lutheran School in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Among the various tasks that the students had to accomplish today were establishing their Google accounts and setting up their new Chromebooks. There’s already a certain excitement that comes with a new school year, but according to principal Peter Iles, the [...]
Getty As we noted earlier this week, cell phones are in the hands of the vast majority of adults and whether schools like it or not, they’re in the hands of most students. While many schools still see cellphones as a distraction rather than as an educational tool, it’s hard to deny that these devices [...]
Source: Smithsonianmag “Whatever it takes” is an attitude that drives not just Kirkkojarvi’s 30 teachers, but most of Finland’s 62,000 educators in 3,500 schools from Lapland to Turku—professionals selected from the top 10 percent of the nation’s graduates to earn a required master’s degree in education. Many schools are small enough so that teachers know [...]
Flickr:Bark Rules are important in any civilized society. Without them, chaos would ensue. But some rules are worth questioning, especially when the consequences negate their very purpose. Teachers are grappling with how to address regulations they consider unnecessary at best and harmful at worst. There’s no question that helpful guidelines can and should be put [...]
Great roundup of alternatives to expensive traditional college textbooks. “Professors can save students thousands by assigning open textbooks,” one sources says. Source: Nytimes Exorbitant college textbook prices have given rise to a “textbook rebellion,” which may be coming to a campus near you. A coalition of students, parents, professors and organizations including the Student Public [...]
It was inevitable… Source: Fastcompany Long gone are the days when your otherwise drab textbook might be lightened up only by the occasional graphic or stock photo. Now, while perusing your electronic textbook, you’ll be able to get videos from the educational gurus at Khan Academy, which has teamed up with e-textbook startup Kno to [...]
The Ivy Leagues are going populist! Source: Time Who says that Ivy League educations are too pricey for anyone but the privileged few? Like Harvard, Princeton and other schools, Yale is making some of its lectures available in Web-based form for… — www.time.com
Stanford Artificial Intelligence class By Anne Raith Professor Sebastian Thrun has given his lecture on artificial intelligence at Stanford University more than once. He knows that a lot of students are interested in his introductory course – almost 200 students have showed up in past years. But this fall, it will be different, even for [...]
Fascinating piece by David Brooks about Kenyan Philip Leakey, who grew up in the Kenyan outback, and how his education had absolutely nothing to do with grades. “Some people center their lives around money or status or community or service to God, but this seems to be a learning-centered life, where little bits of practical [...]
Ready, Set, Read! Summer Fiction Ideas for Kids of All Ages
Reading high-quality fiction may serve a larger purpose than preparing students for college and tests. Several recent studies show that reading great literature makes individuals more empathetic. Here’s a great list of fiction books for kids of all ages, recommended by those who know best — librarians.
Six Great Online Games for Summer Learning
By Almetria Vaba Summer can be a great opportunity to leverage a child’s interest in specific subjects, like science or history, with their fascination for digital games. PBS LearningMedia, launched a year ago, has a robust collection of free interactive games to experiment, manipulate, and investigate. Amusement Park Physics How do physics laws affect amusement [...]
74 Creative Ways to Stop Summer Brain Drain
Keep kids’ brain muscles flexed with fun learning exercises. This year’s Summer Learning Series features 10 Awesome Outdoor Learning Ideas, 10 Fun Indoor Learning Projects, Four Ways to Prepare for College This Summer, and to round out the numbered lists, all these ideas.
Keep Learning and Making: 10 Fun Indoor Summer Projects
Summer’s here and along with valuable time spent outdoors learning and embarking on adventures, kids can use downtime at home to keep those brain circuits exercising indoor, too. To that end, here are 10 ideas for indoor learning opportunities.
10 Awesome Outdoor Summer Learning Ideas
Thinkstock By Jennie Rose Summer can be a mixed bag, a combination of relief from the stress of school, followed by boredom, the bugaboo of a creative mind. The break from school offers a chance to carve out enriching, fun projects and beat the doldrums brought about by summer loafing. The warm weather is a [...]
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