Imagine a course given to 100,000 people at the same time… Though this conference addresses the problems of access to higher education, the lessons we can take from this very enlightening TED Talk from Daphne Koller are good for any order of education and tremendously important. Once a teacher frees herself or himself of the constraints of the one-hour-one-size-fits-all lecture, what becomes possible? What about grading? What happens when the learner can take control of preparation and enrichment? And she’s not talking about passively watching videos here… Student engagement and the data that’s generated can be used to improve the course content. A must see video for any teacher who feels the traditional classroom needs to take advantage of technology for its collaborative and video capabilities.
Check it out!
To doubt is the best way to learn... but I'm not quite sure.
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Marc-André Lalande @malalande Michio Kaku: The Universe in a Nutshell: http://youtu.be/0NbBjNiw4tk via @youtube from the Floating University. Schooling is changing, people. [Details...]  |
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| The Learning Network: Video: Fifth Graders in 1995 Predict How We'll Use the Internet http://nyti.ms/PdcFeo [Details...] |
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| A tax credit for teachers who bring their own devices. Wouldn't that be great? [Details...]  |
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Avi Spector @a_spector Edmodo goes beyond a traditional class website by helping teachers create their own classroom social network. http://wp.me/pfSP3-1DH @edmodo [Details...] |
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| What is a PLN? Why should you join one? Will Richardson's thoughts in this 3 minute video. http://bit.ly/cpeu @willrich45 #PLN [Details...] |
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| Great article by @kylepace "What matters in teacher professional development" #PLN http://bit.ly/NcJwk0 [Details...] |
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Angela Watson @Angela_Watson Flipped classroom Q&A - http://tinyurl.com/9ueovp4 [Details...] |
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Lisa Nielsen @InnovativeEdu When you want to learn something (outside what's required for a degree) do you go to school to do so? If not, where do you go? #edchat [Details...] |
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George Couros
@gcouros
Every time I see a teacher not able to DL a program on their computer bc they need an admin password, I die a little inside. [Details...] |
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The official ISTE 2012 keynotes are now available. This is Dr. Yong Zhao’s keynote (it starts at 24:19 in the video); a wonderfully clever way of looking at what we’re doing right and wrong with our education programs. A little patience is required if you are used to the fast-paced TED Talks, but if you want to understand why China wants a Steve Jobs/Lady Gaga curriculum, it is well worth it!
Check it out!
A colleague recently asked the network for hints and tips regarding the lending of iPads to teachers. How do you manage the iTunes accounts and all? After reading this request, this question dawned on me: how come some teachers don’t have a mobile device of their own? Laptops, tablets and smartphones have become so affordable; it’s hard to imagine a pedagogue not investing in one of his own. I remember being a young teacher and buying a computer in the mid-90s. That thing nearly cost 1,500 bucks. That was a lot of money for a starting teacher’s salary and it was nowhere near as powerful as a 400 $ laptop or tablet you can buy today. Still, I couldn’t imagine not getting it. I had texts to write, research to do, images to create, presentations to prepare for the courses I was giving.
I was not a pioneer in that domain; computers started showing up in schools in the mid-80s. But 1995 is an important year in personal computing for many reasons: multimedia capabilities were emerging, the Internet was faster, more accessible and authoring tools were getting easier to use than ever before. That was ages ago... Nobody sees computers or tablets as exotic anymore. Nobody today thinks the Internet is a passing fad, though some believed so in the 90s. The mid-2000s also represent a very important point in time: Facebook, Twitter & YouTube are born. A couple of years later, smartphones are everywhere. Add another couple of years and tablets are everywhere. All this time, the educational added-value of these tools has been illustrated in countless conferences and workshops. The province of Quebec has been investing in a network of more than 120 pedagogical consultants to help teachers make better pedagogical, didactic and professional use of technology for more than twelve years now. End of history lesson.
Here’s my point. If a professional pedagogue hasn’t acquired a computer, laptop or tablet of his own today, he or she will probably never do so. Waiting for the right tech? It’s already pretty amazing. Waiting for the government to buy it all? If that ever happens, you can count on there being way too many restrictions and school board control over the devices… you don’t want that. I think it’s pretty safe to say that, as of 2012, the teachers who wanted to take advantage of technology for their pedagogical, didactic and professional practices have been doing so or are just about to and they already have their own technology.
In 2012, either you’ve seen the advantages and potential of technology in the classroom, staffroom and home by now, or you’ve simply chosen to ignore it. Sounds harsh, I know… I don’t mean to be rude or preachy. I am no longer trying to convince people to use technology anymore. I just feel we’ve reached this milestone in education.
Let me know what you think @malalande on Twitter.
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