Leadership
Content that enables educators, edleaders, organizations and families to increase capacity, apply a growth mindset and implement what’s next in learning on behalf of those entrusted to them.
Good Work: Service Above Self
What strikes me every year is the contribution mentality of the Rotarians. It’s a group of people that take seriously the Rotary International motto, service above self. They have made a commitment to this place and they steward with care. Many of them own a small business. They are doctors, accountants, insurance agents, and realtors. Sure, there is some enlightened self-interest at work here but it’s more than that. They have made a conscious choice to weave the fabric of community and to serve those in need.
Good Work: Coming to Grips With Standards of Quality
When I was a superintendent, a group of 40 students ranging from six to eight years old asked me to visit their classroom for a presentation on quality. One after another, teams of students described quality teachers, quality schools, and quality students.
SOPA and PIPA Polling Lower than the BP Oil Spill
How will SOPA and PIPA affect online education? It will be the collateral damage. On the surface, both bills seem reasonable. Both bills seek to give power to law enforcement to stop access to “rogue” websites that abuse copyright and exchange counterfeit goods. The bills focus on foreign websites; however, U.S. based Internet companies and technology leaders fear the bills are over-reaching and will have chilling effects on Internet freedoms in the U.S.
Getting Smart Opposes PIPA and SOPA
The Protect IP Act (PIPA) in the Senate and the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) in the House have the potential to censor the Web, pose harmful regulations on businesses, and hurt economic growth and innovation. Getting Smart stands with the millions of Internet users, entrepreneurs, businesses, human rights organizations, and professors who oppose PIPA and SOPA.
Good Work: Meeting Special Needs
Today I simply want to recognize and thank parents and teachers that work with students with special needs. Nature recently devoted a full issue to the subject of autism. There are some promising organizations attempting to meet special needs. But this blog is mostly a thank you card.
Staff Picks: Online Learning, Digital Learning Day
Tom picks "What Is the Newest Innovation In Online Learning?" while Karen picks "iLearn Project & Digital Learning Now! Host Wash. Online Learning Symposium." Sarah picks Digital Learning Day!
Good Work: The Politics of Superintending
Personalities and strategies are part of a superintendent search, but hiring a superintendent is most often a political decision. And what I came to understand is that the job is inherently about winning hearts, minds, and ultimately votes—it is all about politics.
Staff Picks: OER Debate, EdReform
Tom picks his article on "How EdTech Will Benefit Low Income Students" while Karen follows up with a similar discussion of OER with the article "Radical Openness in Educational Materials: The Next Step in Washington." Sarah highlights a guest blogger's post on Getting Smart that discusses the student-centered, subscription method to education.
Good Work: Gift Giving
Christmas is the gift giving day. Mission–related work is about giving gifts every day—contribution more than extraction. Gift giving, or mission-related work, is never easy and it’s never done--it responds to the most pressing needs in society. It is hard work, but gift-giving is the ultimate reward.
Staff Picks: Blended Learning, Smart Phones, EdReform, 21st-Century English
Tom picked blended learning as the topic of the year. Karen picks a review of the recent book Teaching Generation Text, which looks at the benefits of mobile learning in the classroom. Sarah picks Byron Sanders' response to the heated debate around Gene Marks' recent Forbes article, "If I Were a Poor Black Kid."