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Extreme Testing
My older daughter came home last week, after taking a New York State ELA (English Language Arts) statewide exam. Normally after she takes a test, she mentions whether the test was easy or hard and what, if any, were the areas that give her difficulty. This time it was different. She complained about a reading passage concerning a race between a pineapple (that did not move) and a hare.
EdX: A Platform for More MOOCs and an Opportunity for More Research about Teaching and Learning Online
It's big news, but it's not really that surprising -- Harvard is getting in to the MOOC scene. What is interesting to me about today's edX news is the universities' commitment to a research component, thinking about how these new initiatives work for learners both online and on campus.
Learning to Reflect – Getting Through a “Mid-Degree Crisis”
I'm not sure if this Grad Student phenomenon has a name yet, but I'll give it one - "The mid-degree crisis". You are about two years into your degree, but still two (or more) years away from finishing. Most of your structured requirements are finished, but you've done less than half the work that you'll need to do for your degree. And one day… you can’t remember why you pursued your PhD to begin with.
Microsoft, Nook and the B&N College Bookstore Potential
This deal could either mean very little or quite a bit for higher ed, depending on how committed Microsoft is to education. Barnes & Noble has 641 college bookstores. Someday soon these bookstores will stop selling dead tree textbooks. Every book, article and textbook on your syllabus will be digital.
Funding on a Curve
My state is considering tying individual colleges’ shares of the state higher ed allocation to “performance” on a series of measures. And it has no intention of increasing the size of the allocation. In other words, for Northern State to get more, Southern State would have to get less. We’ll be funded on a curve.
Peer-Driven Learning: Quick on My Feet
Reflections on a second semester using peer-driven learning, and how social media makes me a better teacher.
What Dinty W. Moore Knows
Writer, editor, teacher, Dinty W. Moore shares some thoughts about writing in a conversation about his new book, The Mindful Writer.
Life stories
News of the unexpected death of a former collaborator has me thinking about my own life and my legacy. Where have I come from, where I am now, and where am I going?