Category Archives: 21st C Learning

Using Technology to Humanize the Classroom: Khan’s Model

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At TED 2011, Salman Khan gave the talk inserted below in video. Under the video is a link to the library of Khan Academy lessons on YouTube (notice the sheer volume of videos and the topics covered…all for free).

Browse the Khan Academy library.

[Added 3-12-11 @ 7:36 a.m.]
Joe Bower offers some contrasting views of Khan Academy.

Connections in Japan

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Minutes after publishing my blog post this morning (“Time Travel and Closing the Swashbuckling Gap”), I found this article in my Google reader. I just love connections like this…

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/PresentationZen/~3/Cz_fE4AHPmw/the-role-of-participation-compassion-community-in-the-classroom-.html

UVa Med School: Case Study in 21st C Ed

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One tweet and one email from two trusted colleagues and educators caused me to move this article to the top of my reading stack. Oh, was it worth it.

Are you confused by the term “21st century education?” Read this article about UVa Medical School, and I bet you gain extraordinary clarity. Project-based learning, problem-based learning, integrated studies, formative assessment – it’s all here! Change the topic from medicine, and the meta-example is applicable to any field or discipline. This is where I hope we are moving in education and schools!

http://uvamagazine.org/features/article/adjusting_the_prescription/

[Added 3-5-11 @ 8:17 a.m.]
Megan Howard’s To The Lighthouse blog post, The Rx for Education?, is an excellent resource with even more article reference and discussion possibilities.

[Added 3-12-11 @ 7:32 a.m.]
Karl Fisch on “The Learning Studio” at UVa Med.

Common Reading for JH Faculty

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Dear Junior High:
 
Attached are two documents that we will all read together as a JH faculty.
 
1. The NAIS (National Association of Independent Schools)…A Guide to Becoming a School of the Future. [34 pages + great appendices]
 
2. The SAIS-SACS self-study “21st C Student Learning and Life – Where Are We Going?” section (abridged). [3 pages]
 
In the near future, we will also have a fabulous one-page version of our vision statement.
 
Please read both of these documents by April 11. I would encourage all of us to read them both twice before April 11 – perhaps once between now and the ides of March, as well as a re-read between the middle of March and April 11.
 
Of particular note, in the NAIS document, on page 25, I am inspired by the “eight commonalities [that] exist among the schools that are successfully delivering a 21st century education.” As I have read and re-read them, I think of our JH…I think of you…I think of us. Our story could be amongst these pages thanks to the commitment to learning coursing through this Junior High. While we are walking a path together, we are not at the start of the path; we are well on our way. We are building on countless campfire stories about our learning journey. For that, the credit goes to you.

NAIS COA: A Guide to Becoming a School of the Future

21st C SAIS-SACS – Westminster Vision (Short)

Formative Assessment and Sharing

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Recently, JB sent me this 90-second Dan Meyer video. I have watched it a dozen times, and I have shared it with my entire faculty. Near the end, Dan makes the critical point about sharing what we are learning.

Also recently, I posted about my annual 360º review feedback…particularly about sharing the results. This morning, as I clicked through e-mail, I received some formative assessment better than any grade on an assignment could ever communicate. Someone from Seoul, South Korea – a school person there – wanted to get more information about my 360º review questions and prompts. What a bright-spot form of assessment – someone actually read the post and followed up wanting more information. Thanks to my new colleague in Seoul – one I have never even met. And thanks to Dan for creating such a compelling message about the power of sharing what we are learning.

>>> [N] <[email]@gmail.com> 2/16/2011 1:02 am >>>
Dear Principal Bo Adams,

Hi, my name is [N] and I stumbled across your excellently written post about 360 reviews on https://itsaboutlearning.wordpress.com.  Our school, Saint Paul Preparatory Academy in Seoul, South Korea, is thinking about using a 360 review for our staff members as well.  We are at the development stage and I was wondering if you would share with us the review/survey questions you use.  We, of course, would use this information as reference only.  I completely understand, however, if you would like to keep the exact information private.  Any help you could give would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks so much for your time and energy.

Best,
—
[N]
Saint Paul Preparatory Academy
.
.
.
Dear N,

I am happy to share – that’s what learning is really all about, isn’t it? The two links below should prove helpful for you, if I understand your request correctly. In the first, I have set up a Survey Monkey collector just for you. If you want to scrub the questions/prompts from here, you can. Also, you could enter data if you want to play with this particular interface. The second link will allow you full access to the results that you enter, so you can experiment with question filtering, etc.
 
If you have a Survey Monkey account, I am happy to simply transfer the survey to your account. I would need your user name from Survey Monkey to do so.
 
If I can be of any further help, I am here.
 
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/N [fake link so as not to mess up N’s use]