College May Never Be The Same
Have you heard of MOOCs? Massive Open Online Courses are gaining in popularity, and more and more colleges are signing up. In fact, in a recent Columbus Dispatch article, President Gee announced that The Ohio State University would soon be participating in the MOOC movement as well.
"In a new report, Moody's Investor Service calls MOOCs a "pivotal development" that has the potential to revolutionize higher education. Questions remain whether these online courses can be profitable and whether traditional colleges will award credit for them. But if successful, MOOCs could lead to lower costs for families and access to higher-quality instruction for anyone in the world who has Internet access."
Is there a message for us here? Absolutely! As you've heard me say many times, our value is not in knowledge; rather, our value is in the experience we create for students. The college world is starting to grapple with this reality now. We've just been dealing with it for awhile longer. So, the key question is this . . . if knowledge is free, why do students need schools (elementary, secondary, or post-secondary)? I'm thinking of many reasons . . . . are you? This is an answer we should always be ready to answer!
A Life Worth Living
My selection this week centers around the age old question "What if money was no object?" As we continue to provide our students with more choice; more opportunity: and more experiences, we must help them discover their passions and set them on the right path to follow them. Sometimes, this may be harder for us parents; teachers; and administrators then on for our kids.
“It is absolutely stupid to spend your time doing things you don’t like, in order to go on doing things you don’t like and to teach your children to follow in the same track…What we are doing, is bringing up children and educating them to live the same sort of lives we’re living, in order they may justify themselves and find satisfaction in life, by bringing up their children, to bring up their children to do the same thing so it’s all wretch and no vomit; it never gets there…so therefore it’s so important to consider this question; what do I desire?” Alan Watts
Be sure to check out the short video clip!
Formative and Summative Assessments in the Classroom
"Formative and Summative Assessments in the Classroom" might be one of the best articles that I have read in a while! Educators use the two assessment terms often but frequently lack clarity when defining or describing them. The article clearly delineates the differences between formative and summative assessments. In addition, several examples of each type are provided to the reader. I believe this article could be a powerful springboard for our instructional data teams as they work to build common assessments during their regularly scheduled team meetings.
Twenty Tidbits for New Teachers
Having just met with our Year I Resident Educators and their mentors, I couldn’t help but to notice
the issues they’re finding to be the most challenging –
“There are only twenty-four hours in a day. How do I accomplish it all?”
“They aren’t behaving the way I expect them to behave.”
“How do I get my students to care?”
“How do I get them to turn in their work?”
It never fails. The same questions arise at this time every school year. Dare I say that these same issues arise for first-year, tenth-year, and twentieth-year teachers? “Twenty Tidbits for New Teachers” offers a variety of resources that may prove to be a wonderful support to our new teachers without adding to their already full plates. While it offers advice on building professional relationships, collaborating with colleagues, growing as professionals, and becoming a part of larger educational communities, it doesn’t forget the personal side – reflecting, relaxing, and making time for other passions. Please consider sharing this information with your newbies. Oh, and don’t forget the tenth-year teachers, twentieth-year teachers, and the rest of your teaching staff when sharing these tips.
Why Kids Need School to Change
The simple reason I wanted to share this article this time around is because of the title. Yes, I judged an article by its cover. The word "NEED" just grabbed me. Change is no longer a hobby we are going to dabble in. It's not something we should keep throwing around in a focus group, waiting for data to make choices. Our kids NEED change, let's provide it for them.
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