Inspired teachers in a perfect stormMurray Ledger and TimesTeaching middle school is not for the faint of heart. Even among devoted educators, the “tween” age group invites hyperbole.
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What are the biggest issues facing education today?
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Jessica Nickel
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Scooped by Jessica Nickel onto Educational Philosophy |
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Brooke Bowie explains how "adaptive" software testing provides nimble, high-value software test solutions that bend and shift with the changing needs of the market or the environment.
Jessica Nickel's insight:
This is a good article with practical examples, helping to explain "adaptive" software testing to even new software testers. The article would also be a great way to explain the QA process to those who are not in QA, especially when QA folks need their processes to be understood by others (devs, product, and other internal stakeholders in the agile/design process). Delete the scoop?
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TOUCH this image ("The Flipped Workshop" - a 'thinglink' overview for my #iTeach13 poster presentation on teaching w/soundcloud today.
Jessica Nickel's insight:
Worth investigating!
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Thinking about connections between beauty, art, literature, and software may not seem as immediately useful as learning a new language or methodology, but doing so can help you be a better developer and designer by exposing you to different ways of...
Jessica Nickel's insight:
I absolutely love this article. As an artist, musician, writer, QA engineer, and tech enthusiast, this article makes me feel a little bit "normal" if nothing else. I enjoy seeing how the author draws connections between so many disciplines, reminding reader of the value that each discipline can add to the others. So many people argue for removing art and music from schools, and other people think of mathematics or technology as fields with a single scope. It is important to remember that some of history's greatest thinkers (Aristotle, for example) were able to observe disciplines as well as the connections between them. What a wonderful find! Delete the scoop?
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A principal who was loved and adored by all told me she was leaving the profession because " I just can't deal with parents anymore; they are killing us."
Jessica Nickel's insight:
I was fortunate to work with some very supportive parents, but this is not always the case in education. Also, parents are not the only people who hold this attitude toward teachers. Society in general places certain pressures on teachers and these reverberate throughout the system. Delete the scoop?
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Jessica Nickel's insight:
My thoughts about having a mentor - and why everyone should. Delete the scoop?
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Here is an exam given to eighth-graders in 1912 in Bullitt County public schools in Kentucky. Can you pass it?
Jessica Nickel's insight:
This test, and other assessments like it, invite educators and policy makers to consider what is important for students to know and be able to do. Do the questions on this test represent relevant information for students entering the workplace today? What would happen if we decided that this information was NOT worth knowing or testing? Much of this information is the same as the information that we attempt to get students to memorize today. Very interesting philosophical discussions *could* arise. What do you think? Link, comment, share! 
Amy Galloway Burks's comment,
January 7, 12:20 PM
I think standardized testing, particularly once a year, as was the case in the school district in which I taught, is ludicrous. It's hit or miss if any of the questions asked are relevant to entering the workforce today, much less conducive to higher level thinking skills.
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Educational philosophy in Finland is strikingly different than in the United States, but the students there outperform U.S. learners. (How the Finnish school system outshines U.S.
Jessica Nickel's insight:
I have to say that, after having visited Finland and met Finnish teachers, there is a lot of truth in this article. Main issues, again, go back to philosophy (standardized test or not), access (government vs. local funding), and expected academic outcomes (critical thinking vs. memorized skills). I think that one complication the United States faces that Finland does not is the issue of state vs. federal control of education. The 14th ammendment gives power to states to ultimately decide what happens, and the federal government (for better or worse) has been, through NCLB and now Race To The Top, attempting to put controls on state-decision making.
What we can learn is what is working, and how it is working. Perhaps trying to implement elements of the Finnish system of education on a national level is too much to even consider, but maybe communities or states could consider adopting a model that is modeled after, well, us.
Amy Galloway Burks's comment,
January 7, 12:17 PM
in regard to your question on twitter...@jessica_nickel The simple answer to your question would be "yes", but the more realistic response would be "probably never happen" for a variety of reasons: government funding, political agendas, American society's value (or lack thereof) on education, and general ignorance on the topic.
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Jessica Nickel's insight:
Where are we headed with technology education in the United States? We complain about costs, but do not leverage available open-source tools. Why? Delete the scoop?
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Using twitter to interact and learn is just another wonderful way to engage with one another! Delete the scoop?
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I am curious about the questions this raises as America heads toward more strictly enforced standardized testing.
"This piece comes to us courtesy of The Hechinger Report's Lessons From Abroad blog." Delete the scoop?
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Indeed, I believe that this does happen in schools. As a music teacher, I have witnessed many students take pride in their ability to play an instrument, but I have also seen some students taje an extra effort to hide their talents, or not participate in school ensembles because of their fear of being labeled a "nerd" or "dork."
In addition, I have particularly noticed this trend among academically gifted students in underperforming schools. These students hide their good grades, or purposefully do poorly on tests in order to be overlooked by peers who will bully them.
How do we, as educators, parents, and community members, change the perception, particularly among underserved populations, that being smart means being a "dork?" What types of actions do adults in these communities need to take to create safe spaces for learning and cultures that celebrate all types of talent?
"Research suggests children are hiding their talents and skills in school for fear of being bullied. (RT @bergopolis: Kids hiding their creative and academic talents to avoid bullying. Delete the scoop?
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Search thousands of tutorial videos on any subject from the worlds best teachers. Before you know it, you'll know it.
Jessica Nickel's insight:
A very cool website! Many resources on how to integrate, as well as lessons about many topics. An inspiration for those looking to do a flipped classroom. Delete the scoop?
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Via Gust MEES
Jessica Nickel's insight:
An interesting way of thinking about Bloom's from a technological perspective. 
Allison Anderson's curator insight,
April 21, 9:54 PM
Love this updated look at Bloom's Taxonomy. Top of the list: Creating! We need to think more about how we enable and encourage creation and contribution. 
Thomas salmon's curator insight,
April 22, 5:08 PM
A useful tool for thinking about connected learning and teaching 
Heather Ramsey's curator insight,
April 23, 9:18 PM
Interesting transfer of Bloom's Taxonomy into the digital age. Delete the scoop?
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A panel of teachers at PAX discuss how to incorporate games into the classroom. - on GameSkinny.com
Jessica Nickel's insight:
What's wrong with games in education? Children learn naturally through musical and creative games that they make up during childhood. Why wouldn't this learning continue in their adolescent and adult lives? This panel review talks about some amazing insights into gaming and schooling, and how to best use games in the classroom setting. Gamify! Delete the scoop?
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Veteran Education Week reporters Catherine Gewertz and Erik Robelen bring you news and analysis of issues at the core of classroom learning.
Jessica Nickel's insight:
Important standards information for teachers of the arts. Keep up with what is happening and the changes that are taking place! Delete the scoop?
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One-to-one technology can transform a classroom. When implemented correctly, students are engaged and excited to learn, and teachers can assess their progress in real-time. The amount of technology
Jessica Nickel's insight:
This is a great article describing 4 apps that I WISH I had known about when I was classroom teaching full time. My life would have been so much easier - but, thanks to this article, your life can be easier! Delete the scoop?
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Jessica Nickel's insight:
I watched all of this series – I am posting the first of four videos. I have been in education for over ten years, and worked in urban or under-served districts for all of those times. This video has made me feel torn, which makes me feel like Frontline did a decent job of producing something thought-provoking. Delete the scoop?
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Non-profit Khan Academy's goal is to make informative content readily accessible by anyone. And it's already changing people's lives worldwide.
Jessica Nickel's insight:
I have downloaded the iPAD app for the Khan academy and have used the video based library to refresh on many subjects! I believe that this, like iTunes U, is really a valuable tool for learning. The power of video and multi-media to teach is becoming more and more apparent.
Another aspect that I really like about the Khan Academy initative is the idea of ACCESS. As I work on my technology non-profit project (teachcomputerprogramming.com - in development), I am inspired by project like this, where learning is not just for those who can afford it, but for anyone who can find a library, school, or other location with free internet access. Access is CRITICAL in education. I feel that it is one of the top issues in education today. Kudos to the Khan Academy! Delete the scoop?
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"In this ever-increasing technological age, we are faced with some amazing capabilities in education."
In this particular journal entry, the author discusses the necessity of addressing the whole child in education. I strongly agree with this, after spending almost half of my life teaching in one capacity or another. Thinking beyond the needs of the standardized test, the final assessment, we must remember that the children we teach are complex people with complex needs. They cannot be approached as vessels intended to carry information about individual subjects in individual containers, but rather as complex beings who bring knowledge into their experiences both in and out of the classroom. Delete the scoop?
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I really agree with what so much of this article says, but I also would add that our entire society must begin valuing the deeper traits of a well-rounded education so that teachers may be supported in keeping the flame ignited. Without support from communities, governments, and families, teachers are often working alone to keep the flame alive.
"Teachers Must Be Keepers Of The FlameHartford CourantTeaching is not business. We should not focus only on results or data or scores. Schools are not factories. This is not Ford 100 years ago, putting the same engine inside of each student. Delete the scoop?
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"Business leaders say some UK schools have become "exam factories" and are calling for children to be given a broader education."
I find this article to be an interesting take on the current state of testing and assessment, and perhaps a warning for test-addicted Americans. Read it, see what you think. Are we doomed to become another kind of factory? Delete the scoop?
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Where does education happen, and how can we engage people in the process of educational thought? Delete the scoop?
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