Recent Blog Posts
Original, creative, practical, and sometimes unusual advice and ideas to get you started -- or keep you going! Posts are listed by publication date, with the most recent entry at the top.
In Teachers We Trust: Can Kids Count on You?
By Rebecca Alber
2/7/10A while back, I wrote a post about how a great school leader has the trust of those she leads. Here's a question for teachers: Do we have the trust of those we teach?
A Look to the Future of Edutopia
By Edutopia
2/1/10Today, we're announcing important strategic changes for Edutopia and The George Lucas Educational Foundation (GLEF).
Guest Blog: Dealing with the Reform Bullies
By Betty Ray
1/31/10Olaf Elch (@olafelch) is an ELT and intercultural competence consultant from Germany. A straight-talking and opinionated #edchat participant, he immediately emerged as a leader in the discussion of how teachers can play a part in educational reform.
--Betty Ray, Community Manager (@EdutopiaBetty) and Elana Leoni, Online Membership Coordinator (@elanaleoni)
To put it bluntly, teachers have a major image problem. Seen from the outside, teachers have excellent job security, long holidays, they aren't accountable for their performance and then to cap it all, they are constantly complaining about their pay and conditions.
It gets worse. Although teachers may be great at presenting information, they are not usually skilled at defending themselves against adversaries in the same way that politicians, journalists and business managers are. This means the teacher is holding a really bad hand when getting involved in emotive arguments like how to reform education.
Trends in Education: How They Come and Go
By Stephen Hurley
1/31/10Over the recent holiday break, I took advantage of a free afternoon to organize my bookshelf. A friend who had read my blog post about my not fitting the ideal teacher personality thought that it might be fun to gift me with an electronic labeler.
Shared Smarts: The Wisdom of EduCon
By Suzie Boss
1/30/10“What is smart?”
That question provoked intriguing responses from a panel of big thinkers during the opening session of EduCon 2.2, a conference that recently wrapped up at the Science Leadership Academy in Philadelphia.
Remembering Salinger and Zinn
By Edutopia
1/28/10Some folks say deaths come in threes.
That makes me nervous. What with the passing yesterday and today of two great men of letters -- historian Howard Zinn and novelist J.D. Salinger -- I don't want to look at tomorrow's obits.
Guest Blog: Managing an Overcrowded Curriculum
By Betty Ray
1/28/10We were particularly excited about this week's #edchat on the topic of how to manage standards and an overloaded curriculum. Brian J. Nichols (@bjnichols), principal of Hidenwood Elementary School, in Newport News, Virginia, provides a great big picture as well as practical perspective.
-- Betty Ray, Community Manager (@EdutopiaBetty), and Elana Leoni, Online Membership Coordinator (@elanaleoni)
Why School Leaders Need to Stay Put
By Heather Wolpert-Gawron
1/27/10Today's post is about the nomadic ebb and flow of school administrators. The media talks a lot about the importance of good teachers, and I have no qualms about agreeing with that necessity.
Are Schools Responsible for Teaching Manners?
By Owen Edwards
1/22/10"I look at [the tape], and I'm like, 'That is not me.' I have so much regret. I can't believe I did that. I let myself and my character not live up to what I should live up to and what I can live up to."
Guest Blog: 1:1 Laptop Programs: Shifting the Way Students Learn
By Betty Ray
1/21/10We came across teacher Chris Ludwig (@chrisludwig) in this week's #edchat. Chris has a great tale to tell about his experience with classroom laptops.
--Betty Ray, Community Manager (@EdutopiaBetty) and Elana Leoni, Online Membership Coordinator (@elanaleoni)
I usually join the 5 p.m. MST #edchat on Twitter, but this past Tuesday (January 19), my colleague @boundstaffpress (Justin Miller) mentioned that I should tune in to the early version of #edchat.
The topic, laptops in the classroom, was one I follow carefully, because I run a science classroom with MacBooks for each student. So I multitasked while teaching and joined some of the #edchat discussion of whether 1:1 laptop programs are the future of education and exactly how such programs are changing education.
Advocating for Social and Emotional Learning at Your School
By Maurice Elias
1/20/10Have you seen any of the Indiana Jones movies? How about the one with Sean Connery and the pursuit of the Holy Grail? There is a scene toward the end of that movie that contains a great lesson for why social, emotional, and character development (SECD) is not more widespread, and how we can turn the tide -- or, as we shall see, cross the abyss.
What's the Price of Censorship?
By Edutopia
1/17/10It turns out censorship can be costly -- not just in terms of the free exchange of ideas but also in terms of cold, hard cash. The Fallbrook Union High School District, in southern California, recently settled a censorship case over articles the high school principal withheld from the student newspaper. The district's agreement: a $7,500 payment to the school's former journalism teacher and $20,000 to the American Civil Liberties Union.
How to Discuss the Haiti Disaster with Your Students
By Elena Aguilar
1/14/10 The unthinkable happened in Haiti on January 12, when a massive earthquake destroyed the nation's capital city and killed tens of thousands of people. The magnitude of the devastation is still unknown, but the stories and images coming out of Port-au-Prince are haunting.Guest Blog: Rethinking the Testing Culture for the 21st Century
By Betty Ray
1/14/10Each week, educators from around the world meet on Twitter to debate, ruminate, and brainstorm on the top issues of the day via #edchat. We are avid supporters of #edchat, and we have started to publish a weekly guest blog by one of the chat's attendees.
What it Takes: America's Best High Schools
By Suzie Boss
1/13/10When U.S. News & World Report released its latest edition of "America's Best High Schools," Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, in Alexandria, Virginia, topped the list for the third straight year.
Liven Up Your Lessons by Giving Students Choices
By Ben Johnson
1/9/10Last summer, I went to the Fourth of July celebration at a lake in San Antonio, Texas. While my family and I waited on the shore for the darkness to signal the start of the fireworks displays, we were intrigued by an enterprising young man working his way through the people sitting in folding chairs and on picnic blankets.
Should We Redefine Classroom Management?
By Betty Ray
1/7/10We've been very impressed with the collaborative movement that's happening on Twitter, where you can find a weekly open forum discussion called #edchat. Each week, educators from around the world debate, ruminate, and brainstorm on the top issues of the day.
Tactics for Tackling the Grading Dilemma
By Rebecca Alber
1/5/10Exhausted from a day of teaching, managing projects, and lunchtime detention, you head home, knowing a stack of ungraded student work awaits your arrival. You ask yourself, "What would happen if I didn't grade those papers?"
Keeping the Fires Lit
By Edutopia
12/23/09During the holiday break, I always take some time to reflect on the past year and recharge for the work that's ahead in the next. This year is no different, except that I wanted to tap into the Edutopia community and see how each of you take time to reflect and recharge -- just leave a comment below to share how you've helped change education in 2009, and your tips for recharging for 2010.
Edutopia and CASEL Promote Social and Emotional Learning
By Edutopia
12/21/09Last week, I attended a conference in Washington, DC, organized by the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning.
