Recent articles
Innovative approaches inspire students to be creative communicators
12/28/2018
Topics:
In my role as an edtech coach, I see student-created projects and authentic learning taking place in our schools every day. While collaborating with teachers to facilitate lessons, I’ve learned that the process is often considered more important than the product because this is where most of…
The art of asking: It's not about what you know — but knowing what to ask
12/28/2018
Topics:
Even before a rally protesting the removal of Confederate monuments turned violent, students in Charlottesville started asking questions.
What was fueling the acrimonious controversy that gripped their community? Why do monuments matter? What’s the purpose of memorializing?…
A delicate balance: Exploring the relationship between educators and edtech companies
12/28/2018
Topics:
The math students in Amy Tran’s class at Quebec’s Collège Beaubois have an unusual classmate. Eri is an artificial intelligence robot that communicates with them as they try to solve a problem. It understands which concepts they struggle with, and intelligently…
Were all in beta together
12/19/2018
Topics:
I remember the feeling I got the first time that I heard a speaker say, “Today’s rate of change is the slowest that you will experience in your lifetime.” I don’t recall who said it or where I was when I heard it, but I regularly think about the sense of urgency I felt to make my work…
Advocacy gives voice to those who need it most
12/19/2018
Topics: Advocacy
In its purest form, advocacy aims to guarantee that the voices of the underrepresented are heard when decisions directly impact their rights, lives and best interests.
When it comes to education, all advocacy efforts should focus first on securing what’s not available to…
New platform puts edtech intel at your fingertips
12/19/2018
Topics: Tools
I often see discussions in ISTE Connect, home of our online communities, asking for advice about a tool that does this or software that does that. “I need a typing app that works with fourth graders on an iPad.” “Our school is looking for a new LMS.” “I’ve tried this assessment software,…
Educators should be on front lines of making STEM, CS a reality for all
12/19/2018
Topics: Coding & robotics, Computational Thinking, STEM & STEAM
Not long ago, I was a high school student sitting in a classroom wondering how taking a particular class would help me in life.
Luckily, most of the courses I was taking actually complemented what I planned to study in college – computer science.
…
Earn buy-in by sharing what digital age learning looks like
12/19/2018
Topics: Parent engagement
Previous experience routinely colors our expectations, and that was certainly the case for us when 60 iPads arrived in our small village school in Purley on Thames, United Kingdom. These wonderful devices were presented to us by the JDO Foundation in response to our application to engage…
WHAT WORKS: Chatbots and virtual reality
12/19/2018
Topics: Artificial intelligence, Virtual reality
Kids teaching kids — with chatbots
The client: A second grade classroom learning about nutrition.
The developers: Eighth grade computer science students exploring how artificial intelligence works.
The product: A chatbot…
Technology meets the humanities in this tech specialist
12/19/2018
Topics: Makerspaces
Step into a school makerspace, and you might expect to see science students programming robots, tinkering with circuits or accomplishing miniature feats of engineering.
While there’s plenty of that going on in Harpeth Hall’s Design Den, you’re just as likely to see…