States take steps for full-day kindergarten
In the not too distant past, kindergarten was a place where children learned to color, share and play, Stateline reports.
Around the Web
News from around the web.
7 myths about rigor in the classroom
Despite all the research, there are seven myths about rigor that are often heard, TeachThought reports.
10 rockstar teachers on Twitter
More and more teachers are turning to the rapid-fire world of Twitter as a platform for professional development and sharing philosophies, Mashable reports.
Is teacher education a disaster?
One of the biggest debates in public education today is over how to best educate student teacher for the rigors of the classroom, the Washington Post reports.
How the Common Core became education’s biggest bogeyman
Shortly before Thanksgiving, Arne Duncan made a glib remark about the Common Core that quickly blew up, the Huffington Post reports.
School reform: What matters to teachers and students
I’d like to turn the conversation about American public education decidedly combative, says John Flavin for The Oregonian.
Want more women in tech? Fix misperceptions of computer science
Code.org’s Hadi Partovi recently wrote a blog post titled “The real reason there aren’t more women in tech,” says edSurge.
Why teachers think Gov. Christie is a bully
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie says he’s not a bully, but there are plenty of teachers in New Jersey who would disagree, the Washington Post reports.
California dems propose free preschool
A top California lawmaker unveiled a $1 billion proposal on Tuesday to fund free public preschool for all children in the most populous U.S. state, the latest challenge…
The best measure of success and how to teach it
Can you predict academic success or whether a child will graduate? You can, but not how you might think, reports Edutopia.
The most influential person in education technology
I have had the a good fortune of speaking with good number of the leaders in education technology today, says Forbes.
How lasting are the benefits of preschool?
As President Obama advocates for a dramatic expansion of publicly funded preschool, there is growing debate about whether preschool pays off academically for kids, says Michael Alison Chandler…
U.S. puts schools on the hook for police actions
The Obama administration issued the first federal legal guidance on school discipline Wednesday, telling school administrators they must avoid discrimination when doling out punishments, and must reserve harsh…
Steve Hargadon: Escaping the Education Matrix
“We tell a story about the power of learning that is very different from what we practice in traditional models of school,” says Steve Hargadon, education technology entrepreneur,…
10 tips for a smarter iPad-based classroom
There are some pluses and minuses in offering to be in the early curve of total tech immersion, reports TeachThought.
Should principals stop visiting classrooms?
Principals are above all supposed to be “instructional leaders” but exactly what that means — or how to be effective in that role — isn’t entirely clear, the…
The 10 most wired colleges in the country
These days, it's hard to imagine life on a college campus without an Internet connection. It's no longer just a matter of having a connection for students' laptops,…
5 social networks for students to get academic help
With the growing use of social networking sites like Facebook and twitter, the methodology of education for students is finding new and improved ways, reports Edudemic.
What didn’t happen in edtech in 2013
This year marked a very noticeable surge in technology investment and innovation in education--what I call “innovestment"--which plays an important role in stimulating a sector that is traditionally…
I’m no Common Core fan, but give it a chance
As our national battle over the Common Core standards escalates this year, remember that new standards and curricula rarely improve schools, says Jay Mathews for the Washington Post.
Ed-tech and activism are reinventing education on 30 under 30
This is the era of the edu-preneur, when being a K-12 or higher ed professional can mean anything from cofounding a start-up with excess of $50 million in…
A Bill of Rights and principles for learning in the digital age
The internet has made it possible for anyone on the planet to be a student, a teacher, and a creative collaborator at virtually no cost, EdSurge reports.
The importance of low-stakes student feedback
Assessment is both a cornerstone of measuring learning and a point of contention between educators and policymakers, Mind/Shift reports.
Google teams With GM, Honda, and Audi to bring Android to cars
That kid—the one in the back of the SUV with the iPad—is the automotive industry’s worst enemy, Businessweek reports.
The 33 digital skills every 21st century teacher should have
Every single teacher is concerned about his/her teaching practices and the skills involved in this process, Educational Technology and Mobile Learning reports.
WATCH: 6 insanely popular TED Talks to make 2014 the best year of your life
To kick off the new year, TEDWeekends is proud to present a compilation of six insanely popular TED talks from the past year, the Huffington Post reports.
How can developers make meaningful learning games for classrooms?
Though many educators are excited about game-based learning, the movement is still very much in a state of transition, Mind/Shift reports.
CES 2014: What to expect
In less than a week, the tech world will again turn its attention to Las Vegas as established companies and hopeful newcomers flock to the desert for CES…
Two (optimistic) predictions for learning in 2014
The beginning of a new year always prompts list-making — resolutions, what went right last year, what can be done better in the next, Mind/Shift reports. How will…
The problem with thinking ‘content is king’ in education
Entangled, impossible to separate, that is what content and pedagogy have been and are in U.S. schooling, the Washington Post reports. But not to reformers. For decades, in…
Google’s 4K video format to hit TVs, mobile devices, PCs
Google is working with hardware makers so TVs, smartphones and PCs can play 4K content from YouTube and other streaming services while consuming almost half the bandwidth required…
Five inspiring teachers we met this year
For over 90 years Scholastic has valued the importance of teachers and their positive impact on their students, Scholastic blogs. To continue celebrating and supporting teachers we wanted…
How London’s failing schools became the best in the world
In what must rank as a remarkable turnaround by anyone’s standards, failing schools once judged to be some of the worst in the UK have been hailed as…
Chancellor at University of California to become chief at Gates Foundation
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has tapped Susan Desmond-Hellmann, chancellor of the University of California, San Francisco, as the next chief executive of the giant charitable organization,…
Five basic — but misinterpreted — keys to creating a cool classroom culture
If the school you work in or your child goes to doesn’t help teachers maintain what many authors and experts have identified as the five aspects of classroom…
Teaching isn’t rocket science. It’s harder.
One of the biggest misconceptions about teaching is that it is a single job, writes Ryan Fuller for Slate.
Favorite thinkers review 2013
The holiday season is the best time of year to reflect, notes TNTP.
Digital literacy ‘as important as reading and writing’
When I was at school, ICT was labelled, rightly or wrongly, as the “doss lesson” writes Josie Gurnet-Read for the Telegraph.
Accountability without autonomy is tyranny
When educational research reaches the public through the corporate media, the consequences are often dire, explains P.L. Thomas for the Daily Kos.
11 things I think I know ed-tech folks really want to promote
I had an important conversation with my wife (a classroom teacher) the other day that reminded me (an educational technology coach) how easy it is to be misunderstood,…