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Back in 2002, Shelly Luke Wille, William Myrhang and I designed a model classroom for the National School Boards Association (NSBA) Technology + Learning Conference. After the first class, word spread about our innovative room, seamless technology, and the learning that was happening. We were at capacity for every class. Educational decision makers didn’t just see how a classroom could be designed for collaboration, they actually experienced it, working in pairs, following the leadership of expert educator Shelly Luke Wille. If we want to change the classroom, educators and policy makers have to experience a different classroom for their own learning. We have to change perception about what a classroom is if we are ever going to catch up to the needs of the 21st century learner. To see how we did it, Read the article: How to Build a Classroom in 24 Hours or Less
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Nimble Press wishes you peace and joy in the new year
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National School Boards Assocation T+L Conference
Denver, CO
I arrived at the convention center as the sun was coming up for the first session of the day. I shook off the melting snow from hat, scarf, coat and gloves to a warm welcome from Darryl LaGace, Chief Information and Technology Officer at San Diego Unified School District. I’ve been following Darryl’s innovative projects since 2000 when he helped transform Lemon Grove School District. The great thing about Darryl’s projects is that they are not just pilots. He thinks big and he thinks long-term.
At San Diego, the 2nd largest district in California and the 8th largest in the country, the school board committed to developing a comprehensive online high school program over a 3-year period. Drop outs were increasing. According to LaGace: “We wanted to provide an opportunity for kids in our school district rather than refer them to a resource we couldn’t manage (such as an unaffiliated virtual school).” iHigh is a blended approach with facilities on high school campuses as well as satellite locations, offering core courses, AP courses, and extracurricular options. In year 1, 2008-2009, 3933 students completed 5052 courses for credit recovery. iHigh also engaged 20 full-time students and 200 part-time students. LaGace shared lessons learned after the first school year: 2008-2009.
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If you think the U.S. has a drop out problem, India has the world’s largest population of children and 53% of children who start school drop out by 8th grade. The government plans to double annual education expenditures and remake the nation’s schools. A panel led by Dilip Thakore, Publisher and Editor, Education World, at the Milken Institute discussed India’s Human Capital: Educating the World’s Largest Population of Children, the opportunities to reform India’s education system both in terms of curricula and investment opportunities.
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LA Times Bookfair 2009
At the
LA Times Festival of Books, I met Michael Mariani if
livescribe, and tried the Pulse Smartpen, the ultimate recording device for learners. As you write notes in a special notebook, the pen records the audio in the room. Later, when you trying to make notes of those scribbles that made so much sense during your lecture, simply tap the page and the recording plays the audio from that moment. You can transfer the notes to your computer, search your handwritten notes, and share them as flash or pdf files. Like the iPhone, the pen has an open API, allowing developers to design programs for capturing rhythms, playing music, and who knows what else.
I’m buying one for my niece today to see what happens at school in the Fall!
