"edu2tech" entries

Making cell phones useful for school

Much of the tech to support school-ready cell phones already exists. Now we need the devices.

A variation on the monitoring technology that allows educators to safely use computers in the classroom is also available for cell phones. But there's a hitch: phone manufacturers and chip suppliers will need to create phones that are kid-safe and school-ready.

Teachers as Makers

Educators discover how hands-on learning can help teach writing.

When I began talking with folks from the National Writing Project last year, we hit on the idea that getting teachers to see themselves as makers was a great way to encourage making in schools.

Education as a platform

A data-driven architecture could disrupt the school system and improve it the more students use it.

Parents want to understand their kids' achievements beyond letters on a report card. If a wealth of multi-dimensional assessments were only a click away, how many families would use them and in so doing help make them better?

Teachers become senseis while tech handles drills

A school finds success moving drills to software. Is there a model here?

San Diego's High Tech High has found success with ALEKS, a software package that uses simple feedback to reinforce fundamental math skills. This example hints at a revised teacher-tech relationship, where the technology handles drills while teachers coach and offer guidance. Toss in additions like mobile access and 24/7 connectivity, and new possibilities — and new questions — arise. In this post, Marie Bjerede examines all these angles.

A constellation you should know

A look at Chicago's i.c.stars educational program.

This blog post has been sitting on my computer’s desktop for a few weeks now…. I’m finally getting around to telling you about a great week I had at the end of May. It started off with a brief trip to Northern California with stops at Dale’s amazing Maker Faire (equally impressive were his sprinting skills as he leapt into…

Don't get stuck in Edu 2010

A literal adoption of the National Education Technology Plan could undermine future tech use.

The National EdTech Plan aspires to bring together the best of what we know of teaching and learning with the very best technology has to offer in 2010, yet we can be certain that technology will offer even more in 2012, 2015, and 2020.

Educational technology needs to grow like a weed

Want to scale education reform? Plant a tech seed and help it flourish.

Iterative development and feedback loops have lifted the software world. Now it's time for educational technology and reform to benefit from the same techniques.

Using technology to support global education

In the summer of 2006, I was very fortunate to travel to Europe with colleagues in the Apple Distinguished Educator program and it proved to be an inspiring, life-changing event for me. Tasked with writing a global awareness curriculum infused with digital content, we spent 10 days in Berlin and Prague, constantly photographing, filming, and discussing our experiences. As a…

Envisioning educational technology in schools

I'm an advocate for encouraging school districts to plan for effective instructional use of technology. This may seem rather obvious to many, but in the course of my work as an educator, I've seen very few institutions do this well. Specifically, I'd like to see communities hold thoughtful conversations around how schools and families can support students' development towards becoming…

Looking beyond the digital divide

At a previous point in my career, I benefited from professional development, autonomy in my classroom, and a superb technology infrastructure to become a connected, inspired and effective educator. Now, with the current climate in the field of education in the U.S., I fear that other teachers will lose, or never even experience, similar opportunities. As an education technology advocate interacting with teachers in a variety of settings, I see that our students are receiving vastly different types of education. This divide trickles specifically down to the educational technology experiences our students are receiving in schools, too.