Democratic Education in America: Alive With Hope
May 9, 2012I hesitate to write this for two reasons. First, I am going to second guess someone who is a lot smarter, seasoned, and more articulate than I am; that is generally a bad idea. And second, I want to wish that he is completely right and I am not. But my gut tells me otherwise.…
Finally: More Computing, Lower Costs
May 8, 2012Finally, we can increase the number and use of computing devices while reducing our classroom technology expense. This has been a promise we have been chasing for more than a decade and it is here, but only if we exert some discipline. Many of us are sharing thoughts about why a 1:1 technology environment will…
Replace “21st Century” With “Nth Century”
May 7, 2012As I told my Falconer students in the Upper School ASB class last week, effective problem solving requires accurate problem definition. When we think about how to instill 21st Century skills in our students and educational programs, we have immediately defined the problem incorrectly. The skills that we refer to as “21C” have ALWAYS been…
Busted Bell Curve III: Tough Questions About Superstars Among Us
May 6, 2012The research last week that appears to have busted our ideas about the bell curve of human performance will continue to resonate in many ways (links on last week’s post). Here are two more, prompted by media reviews and Twitter traffic on two important topics. The media was buzzing last week about the Harvard-MIT online…
The Mother of All PLC’s? Stealing a Page From The Borg?
May 5, 2012After several days of brain-wringing over the implications of the death of bell curve evaluations, I have caught a dose of Bo Adams’ “What If” series, flavored by constant reminders of how effective our species is at “getting ‘er done” when we interact with purpose. And add a big dollop of “I never have enough…
Busted Bell Curve Part II: Who Will Lead Innovation in Schools?
May 4, 2012Yesterday’s NPR report on the research by O’Boyle and Aguinis regarding the potential death of the bell curve standard has already started to provoke important conversation. Yesterday I took a first stab at how this research might impact how we view student performance and the structure of classes and assessment. Those are huge topics that…
Big Deal For Education If the Bell Curve is Dead
May 3, 2012A new study may disprove the bell curve. For educators, both those who teach and assess students and those who care about the ability of our intuitions to innovate, these findings may have epic implications. Today I will focus on the potential impact on student learning; tomorrow I will try to catch up with thoughts…
Keeping K-12 Innovation Alive
May 3, 2012Yesterday Steve Blank posted a humorous example of innovation killing-by-committee titled “Why Innovation Dies”. I want to expand on several key points as they specifically relate to our educational institutions. Why? We tend to think of ourselves as foundries of ideas and creativity, when in fact we tend to be largely inert. If we are…
When Our Best People Are Frustrated
May 2, 2012Seth Godin last week: “When smart people who care get frustrated, something is wrong.” I had a discussion the other day that should be a wake-up call, if not a bone-chiller, to school leaders. I have started talking to a lot of teachers and administrators about how we can leverage collaboration to more quickly embed…
A Tale of Two 1:1 iPad Programs
May 1, 2012This morning San Diego Unified School District announced they will buy and distribute $15 million in iPads next year. This follows implementation of a district-wide netbook rollout in middle schools three years ago, all paid for by bond proceeds approved by taxpayers. In the article in this morning’s San Diego Union Tribune district officials describe…
Radically Flattened Org Structures
April 30, 2012Polly LaBarre in her MIX blog reports on the incredibly flat management structure at Morning Star, a highly successful major American food grower and processor. All employees in the company develop and sign a Colleague Letter of Understanding (CLOU) in which each person defines their personal job outline and how it relates to the organizational…
Operationalizing Innovation
April 29, 2012Bo Adams, in his incredible blog series 60-60-60 refers to the idea of The Ten Commandments and asks: Wouldn’t it be interesting to engage in a faculty exercise of recording ten such expectations, one each on a Post-it note, and affinity mapping the commonality and differences among a school’s tribe of practitioners? Shouldn’t we have…
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