Category: Education Reform
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Tracing the Common Core in Michigan
My colleague Robert Rozema has asked me to speak at the Michigan Council of Teachers of English annual conference later this week about where the “common core conversation” is at in Michigan. So, I have gathered a few resources that trace CCSS implementation in our state, and across the nation, including the current debate. This…
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“Tech Goes Home” Goes National
Yesterday, I had the opportunity to speak with Deb Socia, executive director of Tech Goes Home, a non-profit based Boston that has recently launched a national portal with resources for parents, teachers, and community members interested in connecting families with technology. (Quick disclaimer: I was contacted by Intel with an initial press release, but followed up…
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Is There (Finally) a New Paradigm for “Teacher Accountability?”
Two compelling events happened yesterday, each raising the possibility of a new paradigm for teacher accountability and each important in its own way. First, Bill Gates published an op-ed in the Washington Post, “A fairer way to evaluate teachers.” Here is the heart of the piece: This is one reason there is a backlash against…
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A Few Thoughts for Pre-Service Teachers on Standards and Standardized Tests
This week, a colleague invited me to share some brief thoughts about standards and standardized testing with her preservice teachers in a private discussion forum for her class. I composed this quickly, but I hope that it has something to say for those of us who are interested in teaching writing, authentic writing, and substantive…
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What Have We Learned from Digital Learning Day
The tweets have slowed to a trickle. The webcasts are all archived. And the proclamations about the power of digital learning are a distant memory in our multi-tasked lives. Digital Learning Day 2013 is in the books. The post that follows is, really, in two distinct parts. First, I summarize my cynical vision of what…
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Open Letter to Educators: (Re)Defining Digital Learning Day
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Dear Educator: Tomorrow (well, technically today by the time I am done writing this) is the second annual Digital Learning Day. Cool. I’m all for digital learning, as the title of my blog implies. But, as we prepare for the onslaught of tweets, blog posts, videos, webinars, and other celebrations, it is worth exploring the definition…
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Broadening the Scope: Teaching Multiple Literacies in an Era of Common Core Standards
Originally posted on the #literacies chat blog: On 12/6 7PM EST, guest host Troy Hicks (@hickstro) will lead our last #literacies chat of 2012: While scholars of literacy studies push the envelope and explore ideas such as multi-modality, digital writing, and critical literacy, our colleagues in K-12 classrooms continue to face a number of challenges. Most notably, countless…