Look at what happens when Mozart catches fire! What I love most about the video is their reactions. And the physics of course. The story of the experiment was first posted in February, 2010. Preston and Jake continued their research into pressure, sound and waves. This video from May 2011 is the result of that … Read more
If you’ve ever been confronted by a dose of TTWWHADI (that’s the way we have always done it) or been reproached with the saying “That’s not the way we do things here,” “That’s not our way”… If you have ever thought that the barbarians are at the door threatening the purity and essence of your … Read more
Mindless and disturbing commercial hype or … finally … the opportunity to realize the long-held, unfulfilled dreams of boundless learning? Stephen Heppell via Matt Sculley Photo: Ryan Wilson
Last night’s forum was a discussion of digital technology and social media and their impact on learning and education. Thank you parents, students and faculty for joining the discussion. There’s lots more learning and thinking to do and I look forward to the on-going exploration and conversation. We will be actively planning ways to open … Read more
A parent recently sent along this article: Why geeks make better adults than the in-crowd. The article draws it’s lead from Alexandra Robbins book The Geeks Shall Inherit the Earth. While there is something of a defensive, passive-aggressive revenge fantasy to the tone, it is undoubtedly true that conforming to the conventional as a way … Read more
This video from the MacArthur Foundation shows a variety of key and influential people discussing some of the new possibilities in learning, school design and the new opportunities for informal learning. It opens with John Seeley Brown “The most important thing for kids today is the love of embracing change.” “We find when we talk … Read more
We come to school to sing in the choir – meaning to be together in real space and time to do something together. The idea still holds. But maybe it’s time to revise the metaphor. Take a look at and a listen to Eric Whitacre’s online choir:
“Reputation, reputation, reputation! O, I have lost my reputation! I have lost the immortal part of myself, and what remains is bestial. My reputation, Iago, my reputation!” (Othello Act II.iii.262-265). Cassio only had his own foolishness and the treachery of Iago to deal with. He didn’t have to contend with social media and the digital … Read more
Will Richardson was our keynote speaker at Friday’s Embracing Innovation Conference at PDS. Click the pic to see the slides of his presentation. “Now I get it!” Conference participant. “You can’t bubble in the answers to life’s great questions.” PDS senior. Other EIC11 links (more posted soon): Opening Remarks *** TodaysMeet Conference Back Channel … Read more
Technology, Passion and Learning: That was the title of Shirley Rinaldi’s Prezi at Friday’s Embracing Innovation Conference ( Twitter hashtag: #eic11). Shirley teaches 6th grade humanities and she’s worked at PDS since 1993. She writes a blog Talking the Tech Walk with another middle school teacher and you can follow their story there. This year … Read more
Embracing Innovation Conference Presentation Another learning Odyssey about the design development of OPuS (Online Progressive unSchool) posted by Fred Bartels These are the slides to the talk he gave at Embracing Innovation 11 at PDS last Friday. You can follow the learning journey and see some of the influences, sharing, collaboration and thinking along the way. … Read more
Probably the only two responses to constant change are to ignore it (shrink back, retrench, go off the grid, become irrelevant, turn inwards, stay put, get run over, and so on) or keep on keeping on with the learning life. But what happens if the mantra of: Keep moving, just try it, have a go, … Read more
A home decorating project revealed this message from the former owner underneath the kitchen wallpaper. I quite liked the pattern actually but it was time to move on. Change in education is not as simple as stripping a wall but there are always messages from the past. The pendulum swings back and forth while we … Read more
How long does this have to be? Should we teach to the text (message)? Forget about the five paragraph essay, what about the five (abbreviated) word text and the exquisite tweet? Lots of commentary about a recent article with follow-up here in the NYTimes about the importance of concise writing. Without a doubt it is … Read more
