I'm a journalist who writes about the power of teaching and learning to improve lives and transform communities. Author of Bringing Innovation to School: Empowering Students to Thrive in a Changing World and co-author of Reinventing Project-Based Learning: Your Field Guide to Real-World Projects in the Digital Age, I'm inspired by educators who push the boundaries of the traditional classroom. I'm on the National Faculty of the Buck Institute for Education, and have also helped nonprofit organizations design programs that teach both youth and adults how to improve their communities with innovative, sustainable solutions.
Blog Posts
At the end of my street sits an aging elementary school. Brick and boxy, it's no architectural marvel. But it's the reason we moved to this neighborhood many years back. And even though my own kids have long since outgrown grade school, I can't help but do a quick scan of the playground whenever...
Read More.Intolerance may be one of the oldest and ugliest stories on Earth. But when it comes to speaking up against hate speech, bullying, and bigotry, students and their communities are finding creative ways to craft an uplifting response. Increasingly, new media tools are playing an important role in...
Read More.Bath, Maine, has long been known as the City of Ships. More than 400 years ago, this was the site that launched the Virginia, the first seaworthy ship built by English-speakers in the New World. Since 1884, Bath Iron Works has been turning out battleships, destroyers, and commercial craft...
Read More.Back in July, we kicked off Edutopia's first-ever Project-Based Learning Camp by posing a big question: How can educators turn the Gulf oil disaster into meaningful learning for students?
Read More.Edutopia's first-ever Project-Based Learning (PBL) Camp has shifted into high gear. Teachers, administrators, pre-service educators, and others interested in project-based learning have come together for this four-week, online adventure in collaborative project planning.
Read More.ISTE, the world's largest educational technology conference, drew record crowds to Denver this year to talk about the latest trends in everything from cloud computing to social media to interactive white boards. On the last morning of this mega-event, as I stood in front of my poster station...
Read More.While World Cup fever sweeps the globe, another competition is about to get underway that promises to deliver even more thrilling results than a world-class soccer tournament. Finals of the Imagine Cup, taking place in early July in Warsaw, Poland...
Read More.Students who are passionate gamers can talk a blue streak about the virtual online worlds where they invest their free time and energy. Usually, of course, they get to play only when they're not at school. But why not bring gaming into the classroom? Could teachers tap that same passion to spark...
Read More.In project learning (PL), plans that look spectacular on paper can go awry when students enter the picture. During the implementation phase, students may decide to head in directions their teacher never anticipated.
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The National Service-Learning Conference, which just wrapped up its 21st annual gathering in San Jose, California, attracted some 2,000 attendees. Participants came from every state and more than 30 countries, but the most telling statistic may be this: a third of attendees were youth...
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