Education, RattleBag and Rhubarb

Digital literacy across the curriculum

It’s not about the tools and the testing, it’s about the learning and the thinking. Digital literacy is an important entitlement for all young people in an increasingly digital culture. Every school should have an organized policy for language across the curriculum… Two documents, two eras. The first from FutureLab (UK) – a wonderful introduction to, and handbook for, digital…

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Education, RattleBag and Rhubarb

School of the Past: School of the Future

This summer I visited  the quite wonderful Hancock Shaker Village. It’s where in craft and design, form meets function with simplicity and beauty.  So many interesting things to see and pay attention to. Of course – I had to visit the schoolhouse, now separated from the main buildings by a busy highway. The school room was bright and well lit…

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Education, RattleBag and Rhubarb

That was then: Are we “betraying most of our children”?

From: We are the people movie people This landmark independent documentary … explores the education system … and asks whether the current system provides young people with the opportunity to develop their talents. High-profile figures sharing their personal experiences and views include Sir Richard Branson, Germaine Greer, Henry Winkler, Bill Bryson, Sir Ken Robinson and a wide range of education…

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Education, RattleBag and Rhubarb

Disrupting Class: How Disruptive Innovation Will Change the Way the World Learns

Listen to this podcast interview with Clayton Christensen – one of the authors of Disrupting Class: How Disruptive Innovation Will Change the Way the World Learns – A crash course in the business of learning-from the bestselling author of The Innovator’s Dilemma and The Innovator’s Solution. Photo: Jake Hills

Education, Poetry, RattleBag and Rhubarb

Praising the Beast

We asked the captain what course of action he proposed to take toward a beast so large, so terrifying, and unpredictable. He hesitated to answer, and then said judiciously, “I think I shall praise it.” Robert Haas. Epigraph to his second book of poems, Praise: 1979 If you work in a school you get two chances at a new year. …

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Education, RattleBag and Rhubarb

10 Tips for Creating a 21st Century Classroom Experience

Can design help children learn? That’s the cover story of in the February Metropolis Magazine lent to me last week by parent-trustee  Stan Lichens.  It’s worth a look. And the magazine also includes design firm IDEO’s 10 Tips for Creating a 21st Century Classroom Experience. It’s a quick must-read. This is thinking to guide designers and architects when it comes…

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Education, RattleBag and Rhubarb

Academic Earth

A wave of the future: College lectures available online for free. Academic Earth: Free access to thousands of world class academic video lectures. Search for a favorite topic and learn something new.

Education, RattleBag and Rhubarb

What’s next?

First  the music and the record stores closed.  And then the  books – Posman’s on Broadway, Ivy’s and too many others across Manhattan. And then it was the international news and magazine shop – Global Ink – on the corner of 112th street where it was possible to browse obscure journals, pick up yesterday’s Guardian and newspaper from all over…

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Education, RattleBag and Rhubarb

When will I ever need to know this? Connecting learning to the real world

“What do I need to learn this algebra and geometry and math stuff for?” Connecting learning to the real world – that’s the tag line of The Futures Channel – a great educational resource.  On this page they provide a wonderful set of answers to that age old classroom math question: “What do I need to learn this algebra and geometry…

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Education, RattleBag and Rhubarb

Human capital, stars aligned and the wise owls

On the way home tonight I heard Robert Reich on NPR’s Marketplace. The topic was Human Capital. The one sentence summary: Failure to invest in human capital (i.e..education) is shortsighted and counter-productive. Basic idea: Our future competitiveness and standard of living depend on our collective skills, capacity to communicate and solve problems, and innovate. They do not depend on our…

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RattleBag and Rhubarb

Fly a plane to the future

Launch your ideas into the future. This is the Million Futures site where you see a blue sky, fluffy clouds and circling paper planes. Each plane contains an answer to one of the questions representing people’s views on the future of education and the skills that will matter. Read a few, launch your own. It is part of a joint…

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Education, RattleBag and Rhubarb

Learning in a World of Plasma

 A parent sent me a link to this clip from Ulrike Reinhard‘s blog and specifically her story “Intrinsic motivation will play a major role…” Thank you for introducing me to the ideas and work of Chief of Confusion: Richard Seely Brown. Brown is a visiting scholar at USC and the independent co-chairman of the Deloitte Center for Edge Innovation.…

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