A Very Cool Tool

Darren Kuropatwa wrote about a very cool tool called Answer Tips. The tool allows you to double click on any word on this blog and see a definition or other useful information about it. Darren heard about the tool from a rather interesting site called Think Again.

I think it would be very interesting to have students write an essy and then select key words about which they could link to definitions and other information. (There's no reason that Answers.com would have to provide the information. Students could write the information on the target page.) This would be a way for students to see that the conversation does not end after just one paper. There's be no reason that students could not link to words included in the first link and so on. Indeed, the conversation is never ending.


This past month I developed a sample student product that works somewhat similarly to this.

Understanding by Design, Differentiated Instruction, Web 2.0

Educators around the world consistently emphasize the importance of following the tenets of Grant Wiggins' "Understanding by Design." I recognize why this curriculum development framework has attained such a large following. It makes a great deal of sense. There's no sense in "teaching" something if students don't understand it. In fact, if understanding does not develop real teaching could not have occurred. Like other educators, Grant Wiggins argues that students both develop and reveal their undersanding of complex issues when they are "provided with complex, authentic opportunities to explain, interpret, apply, shift perspective, empathise, and self assess."

To advocates of Web 2.0 the tenets of "Understanding by Design" are nothing new.
When students use the tools of Web 2.0 they have no choice they must become engaged learners. For one can't use Web 2.0, or any tools for that matter, and remain passive. Chances are likely that students using Web 2.0 tools will be called on to "explain, apply, shift perspective, empathise, and self assess." For Web 2.0 is about authentic communication with others. When people meaningfully communicate with one another they are called on to take each of these actions.

Backward mappping calls on teachers to begin with the objectives that they want to achieve and then develop activities to fit the objectives. Though Wiggins packages this concept nicely, it's nothing new. Objectives are placed in the beginning of lesson plans because teachers should begin thinking about their lessons by identifying objectives. Once these objectives are identified the tools of Web 2.0 can be used to enable students to engage in meaningful collaboration with others in which they discuss ideas related to these objectives. For example, if an objective calls for students to understand the culture of Latin American set up a collaborative relationship with a Latin American class in which students develop a social network to compare their own real lives. Students can share music with one antoher, develop pictorial tours of their communities and simply chat. (Talk about the potential for learning to empathize.) Imagine studying the Holocuast, in which the objective calls for students to develop an understanding of anti-semitism after the Holocaust: I recently read about a collaborative relationship between an Israeli school with numerous grandchildren of Holocaust survivors developing a relationship with a Polish school. While the Israeli children shared their families' Holocaust stories, the Polish children invetigated and took pictures of the areas from which the Jews had been expelled on their way to death camps. (Talk about learning to shift perspectives.) Don't approach Web 2.0 without objectives because it will prove overwhelming. Bring your objectives to Web 2.0 and it will be awesome.

Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe talks about importance of differentiated instruction. Some students are verbal learners; they'll do very well on Web 2.0. Web 2.0 can be used to promote thinking in each of the multiple intelligences that Howard Gardner discusses.


I'm looking forward to what Vicki Davis refers to as Web 3D. This part of the web will include virtual places such as Second Life. Kinesthetic learners will be able to use these virtual places to walk through the streets of ancient Rome or fly in outer space. They'll use these spaces to develop their own businesses or strategize as to how to avoid World War III. If you are reading this, you likely know that these virtual sites already exist. As educators increasingly develop them kinesthetic learners will encounter incredible new learning oppotunities suited to their learning styles and domains of intelligence.

To conclude, the concepts of "Understanding by Design" and "Differentiated Instruction" are incredibly important to high quality learning. It's time that we begin to talk more about fusing these concepts of curriculum development with Web 2.0 and the developing Web 3D.

Technorati Tags: Andrew Pass education Understanding by Design Differentiated Instruction Grant Wiggins Vicki Davis Howard Gardner

Social Norms on Second Life

This afternoon I was speaking to a local religious school principal and she said that she was concerned that as kids used computers more and more they'd develop fewer and fewer social skills. I told her that last night I was at a social gathering of educators on Second Life. I realized that just as their are norms at real social gatherings there are norms on Second Life. At one point I felt like a real jerk when my avatar navigated into somebody else's avatar. Just as you have to allow others to speak at parties, the same holds true on Second Life. Just as you shouldn't change the conversation too abruptly at parties, you shouldn't do so on Second Life.

I've always been somebody who's been a little social awkward. Last night I felt a little awkward at a virtual gathering. Until you are in the situation you don't realize that there are important social norms.

Technorati Tags: Andrew Pass education Second Life Social Norms

U.S. Schools to participate in $100 Laptop Project

Yahoo News reports, "The nonprofit "One Laptop per Child" project said on Thursday it might sell versions of its kid-friendly laptops in the United States, reversing its previous position of only distributing them to the poorest nations." The article reports that the $100 laptops are actually being sold at $176. Still, not a bad price.

Teaching Web 2.0

As my readers know, I'm an independent educational consultant. I'm always looking for work, though I'm pretty lucky in that it's typicaly for the job after the next job. I'd very much like to work in schools helping teachers learn how to use Web 2.0. Since, I have a strong Jewish education background, I figured that I'd try and get some PD work at Jewish day schools. I typed in "Jewish Web 2.0" to see if I could find some leading experts who would have some suggestions for me. It didn't quite work in the way that I had expected. This blog was the first listing. I can't really ask myself for advice. If anybody has some advice as to how I can get professional development work in Jewish day schools teaching Web 2.0 or other things I'd love to hear it.

Thanks.

Who's Participating in Web 2.0

Apparently, Time Magazine has figured out what web 2.0 educators have known for a long time. Most adults do not publish to the web. I'm going to write about this article today in my newsletter with the hope of encouraging teachers to take advantage of the tools that Web 2.0 offers.

$60 MIllion for School Debate - Where's the Beef?

In an article entitled, "Billionaires Start $60 Million Schools Effort" the New York Times reports, that Eli Broad and Bill Gates are teaming up to sponsor a campaign to make school reform an important topic in the upcoming Presidential election.

The article reports, "The project will not endorse candidates — indeed, it is illegal to do so as a charitable group — but will instead focus on three main areas: a call for stronger, more consistent curriculum standards nationwide; lengthening the school day and year; and improving teacher quality through merit pay and other measures."

Apparently, the project's first print advertisement contains a picture with a student misspelling, "Irak" and "histery." The advertisement states, "Debating Iraq is tough; Spelling it shoulnd't be."

I'm shocked that Mr. Gates would approve such an advertisement. Doesn't he know that his spellchecker has made spelling less important than other areas of education. I'm looking forward to learning more about this initiative. What emphasis does it place on the importance of thinking? What about the importance of global education? NCLB does not currently mandate testing in social studies. We all know that "what is tested is taught." Can we encourage this campaign's leadership to emphasize the importance of social studies? After all, if our students don't understand the importance of civics, if our students don't know how to voice their opinions and make their opinions count, what's the point of being able to read, write and tackle tough math problems?

David Warlick recently posted a quesiton on his blog asking readers if they thought that longer school days would make the difference. Overwhelmingly, people responded "No." The length of the school day does not matter so much, it's what happens during the school day. Well I guess Messrs. Gates and Broad did not see the survey, or at least dismissed it. For they are calling for longer school days and longer school years. (Unfortunately, I can't find the survey.)

I personally won't criticize their call for merit pay. Becuase in my opinion teachers should be compensated based on results. Certainly, the question of "What does results mean?" needs to be answered. Certainly, I don't think that every teacher should be expected to ensure that every one of their students scores above 90% on standardized tests. Academic learning may not be the most important things for some kids. Instead, as an example, some children may need to have experiences that raise their self esteem. But the point is that like all other professionals teachers must be held accountable. The harder part is determining accountable for what?

Just some thoughts on a rainy Wednesday morning in Michigan.


Technorati Tags: Andrew Pass education Bill Gates Eli Broad warlick Election 2008

More About Gaming

Bert Snow at Muzzy Lane just sent me this link to a gaming teacher's blog. Check out the You Tube video that he's put up.

Gaming in the Classroom

I just got off the phone with Bert Snow, the lead game designer at Muzzy Lane. Recently, I've been thinking about providing products to benefit learning in the classroom. This morning I had an idea that it would be incredible to design a game that would allow students to actually place themselves into the roles important to current events. Rather than just reflecting on questions asked by others, students could imagine that they were in the situation and make important decisions.

Perhaps this idea stemmed from my thoughts on the relationship between Web 1.0 and Web 2.0. I think that it's absolutely essential for students to learn important ideas. I'd go so far as to say that student should learn some facts. I wouldn't want, for example, somebody to graduate from 8th grade thinking that California is on the East Coast. The date July 4, 1776 is important. The resources available on Web 1.0 provide important information. Successful Americans need to know some important ideas.

Hopefully they are using these ideas, however, to accomplish significant tasks and develop new knowledge. For example, why does a student need to know that California is on the West Coast. Hopefully they'll be interested in learning more about the United States. The might want to go on a driving tour of the U.S. If they don't have a basic model of the geography of the U.S. in their minds, it would be difficult to plan such a tour. Games allow students to plan these tours. Perhaps games should also provide relevant information that students can use to make their decisions.

As I write, I'm thinking about the problems of Web 2.0, or perhaps to put it more succinctly why Web 2.0 is not enough. Wikis, blogs, podcasts, vodcasts and social network sites don't have information infused within them. They rely upon users to input information. But, frankly, the information that users input is only as good as the information that they have available and the quality of their thinking to digest and manipulate this information. Perhaps games could represent an ideal junction between Web 1.0 and Web 2.0. They could provide important information and at the same time allow users to interact.

Technorati Tags: Andrew Pass education gaming web 2.0 Technorati Tags: Web 1.0

An Interesting Day in Elgin, IL

I spent this morning at the Elgin Academy in Elgin, IL I was invited to speak to their 11th and 12th grades about the video, Nicholas Winton: The Power of Good. The students saw the film last week. Today's discussion considered whether or not people are inherently afraid of difference and willing to do what it takes to make themselves comfortable when facing difference. At the end of class, we reflected on the fact that one person has the ability to enlist others in a project and accomplish much.

I was really impressed with the quality of the students' comments and their insight.

I really enjoyed speaking with the head of the school, Dr. John Cooper and the history teacher, Mr. Steve (I wish I wasn't so bad with names.) I showed Steve a few Internet sites including Marco Polo, The U.N. Cyber School Bus, World History for Us All, and of course my living textbook.

It always amazes me how easy it is to show other people Internet resources. There's just so much stuff out there. I wonder, however, if it's possible to take the leap into Web 2.0 before one is comfortable with Web 1.0. I think it is possible. But then again, I think it's possible to entirely miss the resources available in Web 1.0 and just use Web 2.0. To some extent this might be comparable to just throwing out a bunch of opinions without having anything with which to support them. Web 1.0 provides the content material with which to support thoughts and opinions. It's not something that should just be skipped over in favor of the tools of Web 2.0.

Since my parents live in Chicago, I was able to spend yesterday with them. I catch my flight out in a couple of hours.


Technorati Tags: Andrew Pass education Elgin Academy Web 1.0

Questions after Virginia Tech

I've been thinking about the life of Seung-Hui-Cho and I just have a couple of questions for teachers and other educators:

1. Did any of your students go through their entire day today without one meaningful conversation with somebody else?
2. Did any of your students go through their entire day without having at least one positive thought about themselves?
3. Did all of your students hear their name said in a pleasant way at least once today?
4. Did you compliment a student today whom you did not compliment yesterday or the day before?


(Even if every one of these questions is answered no, it does not excuse Cho's behavior. But as teachers we can't change the past. We can influence the future.)

Banned in Boston

If this is real, it's ridiculous. The popular blog BoingBoing is banned from the City of Boston's free wifi. Apparently it contains a non-PC phrase. I wonder if the reason that politicians don't want social studies included in No Child Left Behind is because they don't want citizens protesting when their Constitutional Rights are limited. If they don't know the Constitution they won't know their rights are being violated.

Technorati Tags: Andrew Pass education Social Studies NCLB

Trouble on Second Life

Last night I had a first hand experience on the uppleasant side of Second Life. I was wandering around EduIsland II, just trying to become better at using the Avatar and looking to see if there was anyone with whom I could chat. I walked into one house. I think it might have belonged to KJ. Anyhow, after practicing walking up the spiral staircase, which is harder than it sounds, somebody appeared at the door. I immediately said that I hoped I was not trespassing. He told me not to worry. I asked him if he was an educator. He said no and I said that this is EduIsland II. (Isn't it odd that I'm using words like "said." We were typing.) He asked me to teach him something and I said, "LOL." I then said that I had to get going because it was late in RL (real life). He told me that I'd better not leave and demanded that I sit down. At that point he quickly moved in front of the door. He then told me to "get out." I guess I could have teleported out of there but I wanted to leave through the door. He told me that I had to leave immediately and that he was going to report me to the Lindens, the owners of Second Life. I said that would be great since I assumed that they would be able to read the history of our conversation.

Soon thereafter he moved and I went outside. He followed me. I'm not sure what motivated me to stay in the area, but I've never been one to back down from an argument. Interestingly, somebody else showed up who asked if things were OK. I assumed that he had actually reported me. The other avatar explained that they were just wandering by and noticed the trouble. The paranoid part of me couldn't help but wondering if somehow I'd been set up for them to do something to my computer? I'm assuming that there's no way that they could have done this from within SL.

Regardless, I"m sort of happy that I had this experience. It showed me another aspect to this interesting program.

Technorati Tags: Andrew Pass education Second Life Classroom20

Michigan Superintendent of Education Launches Vodcast

I'm thrilled that Michigan Public Schools Superintendnet Michael Flanagan has launched a vodcast. Take a look at it.

If Web 2.0 is going to take off, it's essential that school leaders buy into it. Superintendent Flanagan demonstrates clear leadership in his monthly vodcast.

In this particular vodcast, the Superintendent discusses the very important issue of service consolidation.

Technorati Tags: Andrew Pass education Classroom 2.0 Michael Flanagan

A Tallit

The New York Times is running an article today entitled, "Virginia Tech Victim Buried in Israel." I was most struck by this picture, associated with the article. The picture is of Liviu Librescu's corpse wrapped in a tallit. His wife and family are burying him.

The story of this great man is incredible. He was born in Romania, spent time in a Nazi concentration camp, worked in Romania as an engineer, was fired when he refused to pledge allegiance to the Romanian regime, immigrated to Israel, and then moved to the U.S.

What does it mean to be a great man?
What does it mean to be a hero?

What is a Tallit?

According to the Five Books of Moses, Torah, individuals are supposed to hang fringes from four cornered garments. When people see the fringes they are supposed to remember to follow God's commandments. Most people today, particularly in the West, do not wear four cornered garments. But when Jewish people, traditionally men, pray they put on a Tallit, or four cornered garment with fringes. In my earliest memories, I'm sitting in synagogue with my father on the Jewish High Holidays playing with the fringes on his Tallit, wrapping them around my fingers. Today, when I'm at synagogues with my friend's sons they play with the fringes on my Tallit.

One of the greatest feelings that I experience during the week is when I'm quiet for a moment. I'm quiet and close my eyes and just reflect on what's important to me. At synagogue I sometimes wrap my Tallit over my head and just meditate. It's an incredibly comforting feeling.

Traditionally, Jewish men are buried wearing white robes and a Tallit. Jewish people are buried in this way because we don't want people to be differentiated from one another in death. Everybody, the richest and the poorest, are equal before God. Therefore it wouldn't be fair for some people to be buried in expensive suits while others can't afford to be buried in this way. Being buried in a Tallit perhaps represents the ultimate calm.

While Jewish people are equal at death, some people live exemplary lives. I did not know Mr. Librescu, but I wish I had. What was he thinking in the last minutes of his life as he layed down in front of the door way of his classroom to block a shooter from entering? Was he thinking about the beginning of his life when too few Jews could flee from the Nazis in his native Romania. Is it possible that the last few minutes of Mr. Librescu's life were as peaceful as when an individual places a Tallit over his head? Perhaps he realized that he had done what he could, nothing less. Like all human beings, his power was limited. Rather than agonizing over how he could not attain more power, maybe he reflected on stillness.

Mr. Librescu, there are so many negative images of Israel on the front pages of the New York Times. I just want to say thank you. I never met you but your life can be an example for the rest of us. Our power is limited, but if we use it to the best of our ability we can make a difference. If we make a difference we can reflect upon the fact that we matter.

Laila Tov!! Good Night!!

Technorati Tags: Andrew Pass education Tallit Judaism Virginia Tech death

Second Life: What's it for?

Last night I decided to give Second Life another chance. Most of my experiences there have been rather boring. I've been wandering around without much ado, often being the only avatar in sight. Well last night this changed a bit. How you ask?

1. I clicked on Search on the bottom of the screen.
2. I clicked on places (not popular places just places) on the top of the pop-up window.
3. I clicked on ISTE or International Society for Technology in Education
4. I teleported myself over there.
5. The rest was easy and fun.

I met KJ, wonderful guy who gave me a tour of an island that many edtechers live on. I'm still getting used to moving around my avatar, but that was OK because KJ teleported me. We ended up chatting for a while and it was the most fun that I've had in SL. I'm looking forward to going back.

But, I"ve still got a question. What's the point of it. It's got to be more than just an opportunity to chat about technology. I'm not a technology person and frankly I don't think that technology for its own sake is very important. It's got to help people accomplish an important task or it's worthless.

Here's the thought that I'm playing with. I'm thinking about renting an apartment in SL and hosting a weekly get together. The purpose of the get together would be to discuss current events. We'd consider three questions: 1. What are the important current events of the week? 2. How could we most effectively engage students in thinking about these current events? 3. What standards and benchmarks would we be achieving when discussing these current events?

I think it might also be neat to make one of the walls in my apartment, which I don't have yet, continuous feeds of newspaper articles from around the world. I'm not sure if it is possible to do this, but it should be.

If SL is to have any real educational value, within the K-12 system, different groups should be forming around different topics. For example, what about having a meet up for science teachers once a week to discuss the use of experiments, it could certainly be more specific than this.

What do you think of such an idea?

Technorati Tags: Andrew Pass education Second Life classroom20 Technorati Tags: current events

LIterature and Web 2.0 Sample

The other day I commented that I might provide a sample of how students could use the tools of Web 2.0 to more deeply consider literary text. I've developed a very rudimentary sample. I will continue to edit this over time. But here it is.

Note: I created this product using Yahoo Site Builder. If someone could tell me how to insert the page into this blog directly, I'd be happy to do so. (I don't want to incorporate it as a picture because then it loses the links.)

Technorati Tags: Andrew Pass education web20 English/Language Arts science

Discussion-Starters

Recently I've been sending out two versions of the Discussion-Starters' newsletter. One version simply contains a short paragraph about a current event, a link to a newspaper article and then information about ordering the newsletter. The other version is the whole newsletter.

Today, I wrote about the tragedy in Virginia.

I received a letter from a pricipal in Virginia who received the largely advertisement. The letter stated, "This is the most shameful exploitation of a tragedy I have ever experienced."

One of the skills that I've been working on recently is trying to remain tactful and not lose my temper. I first wrote a letter back to the principal which I realized would certainly not make me any friends. I deleted the letter and rewrote it, emphasizing that I probably could have done things differently. The first letter led to several more letters that were sent back and forth. Finally, the principal explained that two graduates of his school were killed. I started off really annoyed with this gentleman and ended up feeling a strong bond with him. I'm sure glad I didn't send the first letter.

This experience leads me to recognize the incredible responsibility that bloggers and reporters have. Since I'm sending emails to people's in-boxes I feel this sense of responsbility even stronger. Since the newsletter is now being sent around the country just about every domestic current event that I write about will closely effect one of my readers. Perhaps I should start asking myself if I'd like my children to be grappling with the questions that I write if they were directly connected to the current event?

Just some thoughts that I'm finding very powerful right now. Man, I wish we could eliminate violence from this world.

Virginia Tech

Here are a couple of questions that I've been thinking about:

1. When somebody is sad what are some ways that you can make him/her feel a little less sad?

2. Imagine that you were an advisor to the president of Virginia Tech University. He asks you for advice on how to memorialize the individuals who were murdered on campus yesterday. What would you advise? Why?

There will be a lot more questions like this in the daily newsletter.

Virginia Tech

I know exactly where I was on May 20, 1988. I was at home recovering from having a couple of molars pulled. As a 17 year old I likely figured, great. I don't have to go to school. A few kids in a nearby school weren't so lucky. Laurie Dann walked into Winnetka Elementary School, a school that many of my friends had attended as kids, and ordered a group of second graders to line up. When the teacher told them not to do so, Dann opened fire killing one child. From that day on, I realized that school was not necessarily a safe place.

I wish that I didn't have to be reminded of this fact today. As you likely know 33 innocent people were killed at Virginia Tech University today. Tomorrow, I have to write my Discussion-Starters newsletter. I'm wondering what I"m going to write. What can you ask about a senseless massacre?

I'll simply ask three questions here:

Why?

Why not?

What?

Why did such a horrible thing have to happen? Why would the shooter kill so many innocent people? Why would he/she kill him/herself? Why did the people who got killed have to go to school today?

Why not? Why didn't somebody recognize signs of trouble and help the shooter before he/she committed such a heinous crime?

What can we learn from this deadly event?

Here's a timeline of school tragedies around the world. Unfortunately, it has to be updated.



Technorati Tags: Andrew Pass education Virginia Tech

Jewish Day Schools and Web 2.0

I posted a large part of this blog entry at classroom 2.0. But this entry represents an extension of my earlier thinking.

One of the things that I love about the Jewish religion is the importance of learning. When Jewish people study they don't just study with the people in the same room. Instead, they use a book that contains ideas, questiosns and answers from other Jewish people who have lived throughout the ages. A typical page of Torah, when it's written in a book, has several short sentences of the actual text, in Hebrew at the top right of the page. RIght next to the original text is a translation in Arameic from one of the great teachers of the Babylonian period, Onkelos. Typically, In the margin of the other side of the page, stretching below the primary text is a comment by a great French rabbi (1000s or so, I think), Rashi. The page also includes comments by a Spanish Rabbi (Mainmonides), and others. Take a look at what a page looks like: You can see all of the different comments.

So, you might be asking, what does this have to do with Web 2.0. What's Web 2.0?

Another way to look at Web 2.0 is that it contains dozens and dozens (likely far more now then when I began writing this sentence) of conversations. Each conversation starts with an original idea. But then lots and lots of different people from different backgrounds and different geographical regions chime in. Soon, as often happens with Jewish learning, you've gone off on such a tangent that it's hard to know how you got from where you were to where you are. But then again, does it matter?

Imagine a page of Mikraot Gedolot in which every comment had a set of links to other sites including information about the quoted text and the author. Where did the author live? How did the events of the Jewish world influence this author? How did events in the non-Jewish world influence this author? What traditional commentaries and modern opinions agreed with this author? What traditional commentaries and modern opinions disagreed with him? In what ways does this commentary effect the traditional understanding of the text?

Just as importantly, nay, perhaps more importantly as asking how the text compares to other texts, it's important to ask students their own interpretations about the text. Students could be asked to explain what the text means to them and develop a connection (link) between the text and a modern idea. They could be told to engage somebody else somewhere in the world about this text and include an original response to it in the set of links related to the page. The original idea could be a collaoration between the student and his/her outside contact.

The tools of Web 2.0 will allow students to 1. develop an understanding of the traditional text; 2. elucidate the ways in which the traditional text is connected to other traditional texts and modern ideas; 3. produce personal interpretations and responses to the text; and, 4. present the entire learning product in a coherent manner that others can incoporate into their own learning.


My first teaching job after college graduation was at a Jewish day school, teaching text. I quickly learned that the study of traditional text can push students to develop high quality thinking skills. I also learned that the study of traditional Jewish texts and modern secular texts can incorporate many of the same pedagogies and learning habits. My point is that while this blog entry has considered how to effectively teach Torah text using the tools of Web 2.0, this same discussion could have applied to secular literature.

Perhaps in a future blog entry I'll develop a sample portfolio product explicitly demonstrating how to grapple with literature using the tools of Web 2.0.

Technorati Tags: Andrew Pass education Jewish Day Schools school 2.0 Torah

Global Education Week (Guest Blog)

Guest Blogger: Victoria Suarez-Palomo
(Note: This essay may or may not reflect the views of this blog's owner, Andrew Pass.)

Nearly 80 million children from poor countries lack access to a quality basic education. Another 150 million will drop out before they even finish elementary school.

Despite the need for basic education, significant barriers exist--school fees, child labor, poor school quality, health crises such as HIV/AIDS, discrimination, and conflict. The problems are most acute in South/West Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa where 75 percent of the world’s out-of-school children reside. In fact, less than half of all African girls will complete a primary education.

Education - particularly for girls - can prevent the spread of AIDS, reduce child mortality, and help break the cycle of poverty. As the 2006 US Global Campaign for Education’s Honorary Chair Angelina Jolie has stated, “education is a human right and a foundation for a better life.”

The world has come together twice to affirm the notion that education is a human right. In both the 2000 World Economic Forum and the United Nations Millennium Development Goals countries pledged their commitments to achieve universal primary education by 2015.

We have now arrived at the half way mark to 2015 and progress is being made—47 out of 163 countries have achieved universal primary education and 20 more countries are on track for 2015. However, 23 countries, the overwhelming majority of which are in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, are showing declining enrollment rates.
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There is much work to be done. Donor countries must live up to their commitments, starting here at home. Out of the 22 rich countries the United States is currently ranked 20th for its level of funding for basic education. The U.S.’s pledge is just one third as much as Great Britain’s—even though the U.S. economy is six times larger.

On April 23rd to the 29th, the U.S. Chapter of the Global Campaign for Education will bring youth activists from around the United States and the world to lobby policy makers in Washington D.C. about the need for education for all. We cannot continue to wait to provide the adequate resources so that all children have access to a basic education.

You can help support the right of every child to a free, quality education by clicking here and taking part in the Global Campaign for Education’s (GCE) Action Week.



Technorati Tags: Global Education Week education Gene Sperling

Learning from Blogging and Google

I'm amazed. Recently I wrote a blog entry about ASCD's journal, Education Leadership. Soon thereafter I saw that when you type "educational leadership" into Google, my blog came up on the top of second page. Today, when I just checked, it's on the first page. Several days ago, I wrote an entry on Imus and power. When you type the words "Imus blogs" two references to this blog come up on the first page. This is great for my ego, but I think that there's something else here.

What a wonderful educational opportunity?

Challenge your students to see how high they can make something that they produce come up on Google.

Think about the types of thinking and content area work that this would require.

1. They'd obviously have to select a good topic and write about it frequently.
2. Math would be required as they considered which other blogs to post on in an attempt to drive traffic to their own blog. For the purpose of this exercise you could even ask students to justify their choice of blogs on which to post comments.
3. Social Studies - Students could be encouraged to pick topics related to a social science issue. This isn't very difficult since it's possible to tie just about every issue into social studies. Marketing itself is a component of social studies education.
4. This challenge would certainly motivate students to experiment with other tools of Web 2.0, as these other tools could also help drive traffic. For example, if students got involved in social network sites it might drive traffic.

Meta tags would certainly provide another avenue for students to think about statistics and chance.

This activity would not only promote thinking, it would enhance self confidence. It's pretty incredible to know that you have the ability to write something and get it placed highly on Google. Students should recognize that their writing is important and their voice matters.

What's interesting is that I have not systematically attempted to get my blog high on Google. I haven't picked specific words to include in the posting, etc. It's just happened. It sure feels good, though.

Technorati Tags: Andrew Pass education classroom 2.0 blogging google

Past Meets Present

Yesterday, I had a very interesting conversation with Jeff Utecht, in China. (Syke is a wonderful thing.) Jeff explained to me that he thought that standards should represent skills, often thinking skills, that all students should master in order to function effectively in society. These skills should be important forever. They should not depend on the current body of existing knowledge. However, since the body of existing knowledge changes so rapidly the contexts within which students learn these skills will evolve over time. If I understood Jeff correctly, there should never be a standard for example that says that students should know how many planets exist. Instead, students should have the skills to integrate knowledge from multiple sources to determine how many planets exist. The substance of the sources will changes, the skills themselves will not.

After my conversation with Jeff, I got to thinking. Isn't it important to know some substantive knowledge about the past? Isn't it important to know the content of classical literary texts? Why/why not?

If it is important, there's got to be a good reason why it's important. My suggestion: It's important to know about the past and the substance of classical literary texts to the extent that this information helps us understand the world within which we live. But even so, is it important for students to know about the past or know how to find out about the past to understand the present? I'd argue that it's more important to know how to find something out than to know it.

Just last night I was working on a curricular unit for the on-line curriculum World History for Us All. (There's a great seven minute video on the history of the world, here.) I'm writing a unit on the aftermath of World War II. I was thinking about the Chinese revolution. Why should students care that the Communist party won control in the very late 1940s and kicked the nationalists off the mainland?

Well, should kids care about copyright infringements on music? (Do they find this kind of thing interesting?) Should kids care that China is the fastest growing economy in the world? Should kids care that the Chinese culture is different than the West's culture? If they are going to understand these ideas and the reasons for these ideas than they have to understand the revolution that took place in China in the 1940s. The current Chinese culture stems from this period in history and earlier. I'd argue that the time period within which we live makes this understanding vitally important. The only way to understand the present is to understand the past. (Students don't need to know the names and dates of when things happened. Instead they should have the ability to look at today's context and ask questions that propel them into considering the past.)

Some readers might be asking, so what about those parts of history that aren't directly connected to major current events? Is it OK if students don't learn about these events and phenomena? Won't the knowledge be lost? I think I'd argue that in the K-12 educational system we are not training professional historians. We are training competent citizens. But there is a role for professional historians. Professional historians should make sure that knowledge of the past remains intact, and growing, so that when current events call for it, we can look back and understand how we got to where we are.

What do you think?

Technorati Tags: Andrew Pass education Utecht historysocial studies

ClassDiscussions.ning

Question: What questions will technology advocates have to answer for most teachers before they begin to use the tools of Web 2.0 including social networks sites, more frequently?


Answer:

1. What's in it for me if I use the tools of Web 2.0?

2. What's in it for my students if we use the tools of Web 2.0?

3. Are the costs of learning how to use the tools of Web 2.0 and becoming comfortable enough with them so that I can introduce them in my classes worth the benefit?


Obviously as technology advocates we recognize that the answers to the first two questions are MANY!!!!! The answer to the third question is DEFINITELY. We have to demonstrate just how easy it is to learn to use the tools of Web 2.0 and just how many benefits can potentially come from using these tools.


The best way to show teachers the benefits of using Web 2.0 is by encouraging them to use it.

Therefore, I'm starting a new social community website on a topic that I think many teachers will find important. The site is located at: http://classdiscussions.ning.com/

This site is all about class discussions.

What are the best topics for class discussions?

How do you overcome inhibitions about holding class discussions?

What are the best way to engage students in class discussions?

What are the most insightful statements that students make in class discussions?

What are the most insightful thoughts that you have during class discussions?


Great questions for class discussions don't have to be limited to discussion. Instead questions can become wonderful essay and research topics.

Technorati Tags: Andrew Pass education Class Discussions school20

Imus, Blogs, Social Websites and Power

As most news-conscious people now know, Imus has been suspended for two weeks. He described Rutgers women's basketball team as "some nappy-headed hos there."

What are the parallels between Imus's comment and virtual bullying?

What's the most appropriate way to respond to Imus's comment? Anybody who watches Imus regularly knows that he throws insults at just about everybody in the world, even his own wife.

He's very popular and if I might say so myself, quite funny. What is it about insult that people find funny?

What does all of this have to do with power? Who has the power on the radio? Who has power on blogs? Who has power on social computing websites?

I'm a blogger with an active voice. But I still like listening to the radio. Is there something about giving up power to allow someone else to entertain/direct your attention that people find soothing? What is it?

Are there times when it is appropriate to give up the power and times when it is inapprorpriate to give up the power? When?

On my own blog, I maintain the power. I decide what is written and what comments are posted. Are there some things that would be better written on a wiki? What about on a forum of a social community website?

I'm in charge at my blog. How should this influence what I write from a professional perspective. Can I be more critical and blunt here than I could be on a site where people could respond as equals or less so? Why?

Technorati Tags: Andrew Pass education Imus Classroom 2.0 power

What's a Living Textbook?

I've been throwing around the term "Living Textbook" for months. But nearly a year ago when I first told David Warlick about my idea to develop daily ideas to promote discussion about current events, he asked me how these ideas would be different than newsletters that came out twenty years ago. How would I take advantage of the tools that Web 2.0 offers.

This question is not just about my Living Textbook. I think it's about educational resource material, in general. How is it different in the age of Web 2.0?

Questions to consider:
1. What would be the point of placing videos on the Living Textbook that relate to the current event under discussion? Sure, these videos might be appealing to watch, but how are the different than the videos on Encarta's early software?
2. If kids make their own vodcasts, can you call them vodcasts if nobody responds to them? If nobody responds to the vodcast, other than the teacher, what's the difference between producing a vodcast and videotaping something and turing in the video tape for the teacher to watch on their VCR player?
3. What's the point of offering educators the opportunity to edit, comment on, and expand lesson ideas if nobody's going to read their ideas? Couldn't these educators simply make notes on their own paper, napkins or hands rather than making their ideas public?
4. Does there come a point when the amount of infomration on the Internet is "Information Overload," where the Web 2.0 becomes counterproductive? Nobody has the time to respond?
5. Is it possible that I'm wasting my time in thinking about how to make the Living-Textbook interactive?
6. What role do social computing sites, like ning, fill in Web 2.0. Is it possible that they represent the answer to many of the questions listed above? Why/why not?

Technorati Tags: Andrew Pass education classroom 2.0 Warlick Living Textbook Social Computing

A Passover/Easter Thought on Freedom and God!!

Many of my current colleagues don't know that I have a B.A. in Talmud and Rabbinics from the Jewish Theological Seminary of America. At one time I thought very seriously about becoming a rabbi. (Actually the word rabbi means teacher.) Though I'm no longer ritually observant, I still very much enjoy thinking about religious ideas.

So, on this day that is sacred to multiple both Judaism and Christianity, I want to ask three questions:
1. What does the word freedom mean?
2. What does the word God mean?
3. What do these two questions have to do with education and teaching and learning?

Contrary to my youngest perceptions, freedom is not the same as the ability to do whatever one wants to do. Instead, any free system requires structure and law. For without a legalized structure other people are free to take advantage of me as they see fit and I'm free to take advantage of others as I see fit. According to Jewish tradition, seven weeks from the day that the Hebrews left Egypt they received the Ten Commandments at Mt. Sinai. Without these Ten Commandments chaos would reign and freedom would amount to nothing. Freedom means the ability to thoughtfully think about the structure/laws that will govern society and have a voice in the decision making process. Freedom means voluntarily giving up some freedom to promote a healthier, more vibrant society.

God? I believe that God is a supernatural external being that tends to remain out of worldly affairs. Though I can't prove it, I know that God created this world. He/She set the world in motion. Furthermore, God ensures that natural law continues to work properly. There are so many issues related to God that I'm just not sure about! Does God really care for each person? Does God even have the power to keep bad things from happening? I hope that God is happy when good things happen and sad when bad things happen but does God have the ability to intervene? (By the way, I'm not really sure if it's important if we call this God Adonia, Allah or Jesus. I think my ideas would still be the same!!)

So, how does all of this relate to teaching and learning? Our students need some freedom within the classroom. They need to have the opportunity to make their own decisions as to what they will do. They need the comfort of being allowed to rely on their own learning styles and modes of thinking. But, our students should not be able to do whatever they want whenever they want. The structure of the classroom sets limits and constraints. Even as students feel comfortable relying on their own learning style work structures should encoruage them to experiment with new styles as well. For example, students might respond to a book through a formal essay much of the time but be required to experiment with a poetic response another time.

Just as adults have the freedom to voice their opinions about laws and contribute to the decision making process, our students should have the opportunity to contribute their ideas and voices to the rules of a classroom. Just as our voices matter, our students' voices matter.

The world would not be without God. Our classrooms would not be without teachers. Children will not naturally engage themselves in thinking about important ideas. If manipulates aren't available students won't utilize them. Just as God provides the natural resources of the world, teachers should provide the resources of the classroom. Innovative people have developed insightful ways of using natural resources. Our students should be encouraged to innovate and use the manipulatives available in the classroom.

Perhaps, in one tiny way, a teacher's role in the classroom is more powerful than God's role in the world. God might not intervene into the world to prevent bad from happening. As teachers, we have the ability to push our students towards doing positive things.

But then again, we are not all powerful. At times, students will use the resources available in the classroom for negative purposes, such as when they use the tools of Web 2.0 to bully others. When this happens, as teachers, we should recognize that we are not God. The best we can do is redouble our efforts and recognize that just as different people approach God in different ways we need to approach our studetns, who each have a piece of God within them, in different ways.

Technorati Tags: Andrew Pass education Easter Sunday God Passover Classroom Management

Today's Thoughts on Graduate Work in Social Computing

So, I've been thinking about the role of a university program in social computing. I'll never forget speaking with my undergraduate advisor at Columbia. I told him that I wanted to major in business. He told me that I came to the wrong university. "The Ivy League doesn't teach people how to do specific things," he explained. "It teaches people how to think."

I'm not very familiar with the University of Michigan program. But, if it's worth consideration it probably does not teach people how to use the social networks of Web 2.0. Instead it engages insightful people in deep thought about the nature of this web. Hopefully, students have the opportunity to ask meaningful questions and investigate the answers.

I've been an active member of the online social community for a year but there are some questions that I have not really thought about. I'll try and list a few:

1. What is the role of a specific social site such as classroom2.0 on Ning?

2. How do bloggers act differently when they write on a blog within a social community than when they write on a blog in the larger cyber world?

3. What are the substantive (note I write substantive not technological) differences between blogs, podcasts and vodcasts?

4. In what ways does participation on social networks influence the way that people behave in the physical world?

5. What does the nature of collaboration on the Internet look like? For example, what would a diagram of an idea being collaboratively developed on the Internet look like? What could we learn from this diagram?

Certainly many of us will think about these questions and contemplate answers. But, how many of us will rigorously pursue research investigations to test our theories and refine them? Without these investigations our answers remain unreliable.

A graduate degree in social computing might be comparable to a graduate degree in education. Graduate education students don't learn how to teach. Hopefully they know how to teach before they enter the program. Instead, graduate students in education learn how to ask profound questions and develop answers to these questions. If a graduate degree in social computing is meaningless, I've got to wonder if my graduate work was meaningless?

Rather than wondering this, I'm recognizing that both graduate fields are worthy of study.
What do you think?

(Note: I've cross-posted this on my blog at classroom20.ning.com)

Educational Leadership

This morning I finally glanced at the March issue of Educational Leadership, the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) journal. I was struck by how American centric the journal seemed to be. One article entitled "Five Trends for Schools" states early on, "The United States houses less than 5 percent of the world's population, but it is the third most populous country in the world, after China (1.3 billion) and India (1.1 billion). The United States is expected to be the only developed country on the top-10 list of most populous countries by 2050..."

Could somebody please define the term "developed country" for me?
I thought China has the fastest growing economy in the world, the largest shopping centers in the world, and the most available jobs in the world. Shouldn't that qualify it as a developed country?
Actually now that I think about it, I'm not even sure that I like the word "developed." Shouldn't nations continuously be developing?

The article is titled, "Five Trends for Schools." Here are the five trends:
1. The Enrollment Roller Coaster
2. Immigration and Diversity
3. The Varied Home Front
4. An Aging Population
5. Obesity
I think these brief titles aptly describe the associated content.

The theme of the entire journal is "Responding to Changing Demographics." I agree the demographics of our nation are nation drastically. But rather than looking inwards it's time to start looking outwards. Not one article in the journal emphasized the importance of considering global demographics.

Is anyone else concerned?

Take a look at the journal for yourself. Why do you think it has the structure it has?