Leave high school. Test out of college. Save $$. Find success.

Editor's note: There are plenty of questions around if college is really worth the time and money. Personally, I found a way to graduate college as a teen without going into any debt, so the decision wasn't too difficult. More and more people are finding innovative ways to have their cake and eat it too. Here's one such story.  

Guest post by Laura Fokkena. Cross posted at Rise Out: Leave School. Start a life.

I don't believe standardized tests are an accurate measure of learning. In fact, one of the reasons I encourage students to extract themselves from high school is because it means leaving behind a culture where education is gauged by letter grades and multiple choice exams. But I'm also strategic. If colleges want to award you a semester's worth of credit in exchange for a one-hour, $100 test? Why argue?

In the first year after my daughter quit high school, she took 14 standardized tests. This felt absurd even as it was happening. I'd supported her leaving high school so that she could skip the busywork and have more time for authentic learning experiences, yet here we were, purchasing SAT and ACT preparation books, which she studied in lieu of actual literature.

But I don't regret it, and here's why.

What breaks your heart? Tackle that with Quest2Matter

Quest2Matter is a youth-focused effort that encourages young people to tackle problems that break their heart. The Quest seeks to unlock the potential of young people to think entrepreneurially and innovatively and use modern tools to change our world.

What is The Quest?
The Quest is a catalyst that challenges students:

Students who accept this challenge will know that they matter and that they can make a difference in our world.

What makes a good quest?

Ask yourself three questions.

1) Does your quest change the world for the better?

• Great ideas dare to question the normal ways of doing things.
• They also dare us to do things that many others may disagree with.
• We're looking for rule breakers who are working hard to bring their big idea to light.

2) What have you done in the real world with your idea?

• We're looking for stories about things that have actually happened (as opposed to things you want to have happen).
• Stories of failing are welcome too - especially if you picked yourself up and kept on going.
• That's because true innovation comes from trying things all the time, and most of us can't make our big ideas real without making mistakes along the way.

3) Can you get personal and tell a great story?

• Great social change begins with something personal.
• We'll be looking for students who can share a first-hand story (preferably through video) and inspire others to make their own impact.

3 ways to use Twitter Fast Follow to strengthen the home-school connection

Did you know that anyone (in the US) can receive Tweets on their phone even if they haven’t signed up for Twitter? Twitter Fast Follow allows anyone to follow Tweets right from any phone with texting capabilities. For a school community, this can provide a simple way for people to get information they care about in real-time. It is a terrific way to build and strengthen the home-school connection.

Here are some ways it can be used.

The hottest posts everyone's reading!

Here’s the roundup of what's been popular on The Innovative Educator blog this week. Below you’ll see the top weekly posts along with the number of pageviews. I hope there's something that looks of interest to you.  If it does, check it out. If you’re inspired, share it with others and/or leave a comment.

Post	Pageviews
7 free ways to capture student responses ... Mar 27, 2013, 7 comments	3259
What's your digital footprint? Take this quiz  ... Apr 9, 2013, 2 comments	2542
6 Reasons Why You Should Use 6 Laptops ... Apr 8, 2013, 5 comments	1471
8 Real Ways Facebook Enriched 1st Grade... Jul 15, 2010, 24 comments	1155
Tell social media gurus #YouMatter with #BammyAwards... Apr 24, 2013	1078
Remind 101 provides simple & free texting tool  ... Apr 22, 2013, 1 comment	1058

5 ways to use Pinterest as a creation tool for learning

As I looked into using Pinterest  as an educator tool, I found that most people I asked were using it more as a consumption or curation tool. (See the infographic at the bottom of this post for those type of ideas.) However, as the Pinterest guru NewYorkBob (who has more than a million followers) tells us, it is also a great creation tool. Among other things, one of the reasons I like this tool is because unlike some other cool sites that allow you to share photos (think Instagram), you are not tied to having a certain device. This makes it a great educational tool since it is accessible across platforms. Once you create your board, you can invite the school community to interact by commenting, repining, or liking. So how might this be used in a school?  Here are five ideas.

5 ways to use Pinterest as a creation tool for learning

Could hanging in the halls be a path to career readiness?

Melanie McEvoy & Lisa Nielsen
Teenage years

Editor’s note: This is a guest post from my best friend who I've known since before we attended high school together. Even though she didn't like class, she liked school and thought it helped her achieve future success. Here's how.

Guest post by Melanie McEvoy - Owner/President, McEvoy & Associates

I attended public high school in Las Vegas, NV, Not exactly a town known as a bastion of education. That was okay, because getting a good education wasn't really my focus.

When I think back to high school, my fondest memories include all the social elements and none of the classroom experiences. I excelled at being social, walking through the halls and saying hello to everyone I knew, congregating around lockers with friends, and, of course, lunchtime was my favorite period.