Today's Reads

I found this on Twitter.  I think this is the kind of innovation and learning that should be going on in every school.  The article is about a student who designed an application for his school that can be loaded onto iPhones, iPads, and iPods that allow teachers, students, and parents to sync their calendars with school events.  That's practical and relevant.

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I love this one.  8 Not So-Obvious Lessons From Apple's Steve Jobs

My favorites are #3 (Don't be afraid to fail) and #8 (Be passionate).  But they all apply, in one way or another, to teaching and learning.

Our principal has said time and again to not be afraid to put yourself out there and fail in front of the kids.  What a great way to illustrate learning and how to bounce back.  Given my random abstract nature, this is easy for me.  I'll think of a new approach to a unit in the shower that morning and give it a try and tell my kids "I think this will be pretty cool, but it might fall apart on us."  Then if it does, I try and model how I adapt and try to work around the blunder.

For anyone who knows me, passion is what drives me as a teacher.  I came across a great saying the other day, "normal is merely average."  Well, I'll be damned if I want to be just average.  I don't want to be average father, an average husband, an average teacher, or an average learner.  The one factor, at least for me, that can propel me above average is passion.

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Creating Innovators: Why America's Education System is Obsolete

How can't you love a title like that?  The cynic in me says, "Well, tell us something new.  That claim has been leveled at education systems for hundreds of years."  The progressive in me says, "Amen.  Let's overhaul the whole system."

Now this article seems like a big tease for the author's book, Creating Innovators: The Making of Young People Who Will Change the World, but it's still an interesting read.  And for those of us in education, the claims are all too familiar.

We know in order to thrive in a 21st century global economy students need plenty of 'soft skills' (that is skills that aren't cheaply and easily tested, such as rote memorized knowledge).  Students need to think critically and invent and adapt.  Just like the student did in the first link in this entry.  That is the type of learning we need in more schools.  It's time to stop all the damn (pointless) true and false or crossword puzzle worksheets that are aimed to keep students busy, not get them read to - as Thomas Friedman states - "when I entered the real world, I got to find a job.  When my daughters enter the real world, they're going to have to invent jobs."  We need to get students ready for that world.

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7 Ways to Educate Yourself Outside the Classroom

Well, if America's education system is obsolete, here is an alternative.  Or a supplement.  Though my personal favorite, iTunes U and podcasts, didn't make the list.

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And since I accrued all of these articles from Twitter, I thought it'd be cool to include this story: Ten Ways Twitter Ca make You a Better Teacher.