The Innovative Educator's 10 Memorable Quotes of 2012

A well formed quote, like a picture, is a great method for painting detailed concepts. Each year I capture quotes that had meaning to me that year. 

• In 2011 I shared 20 Quotes About Learning That Inspired Me From My PLN
• In 2010 I shared My Top 10 Quotes for Teaching Generation Text
• In 2009 I shared My Top 20 Education Quotes
• In 2008 I shared these Ten 21st Century Education Quotes I Carry With Me

This year, I've collected a hodgepodge of quotes that made their way into the "Quotes I like" memo on my phone. Here they are.

Top 5 most popular technology solutions in 2013

Here are my predictions for the five most popular technology solutions we’ll begin seeing more of in 2013.

1) Lifting the ban
Policymakers will stop banning and start embracing the use of cell phones and other student-owned digital devices in school. This will help provide equity and access to students using the tools they use in life and need for success in the world.
2) Customizing learning with digital lectures and learning resources
Innovative educators will realize that instruction can be customized to learners when lectures and other learning resources are available anytime, anywhere, to anyone that needs them. These classrooms will look very different with students moving at their own pace using materials customized to their needs. The teacher will be able to focus more time on supporting individual students and small groups.

3) Embracing social media
Schools and districts will realize the importance of empowering students to responsibly use social media. These pioneering districts will be examples of what happens when we support students in effectively using the resources they need for academic, career, and citizenship success.

4) Providing home internet access
Home internet access will start to be seen as a right rather than as a privilege. School districts will begin working with internet providers to offer special rates and packages to students who qualify for subsidies such as free lunch.


5) Going paperless
Schools and districts will re-allocate resources away from paper and toward digital solutions. Savvy decision makers will find ways that this can save schools money as they realize savings in reduced costs of items such as textbooks, copy machines, toner cartridges, etc.

Beyond 2013...
My prediction for the future is that students will have more opportunities to show what they know with badges like Modzilla Open Badges, BadgeStack, Uboost and products like Knowit.  

What do you think?

The hottest posts that everybody'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.

Entry	Pageviews
School Today....What they don't tell you. (Written... Dec 24, 2012, 2 comments	2842
Teacher dropouts Dec 23, 2012, 10 comments	2091
9 Ways to Assess without Standardized Tests Apr 22, 2012, 15 comments	1987
Ed Tech Speak Dec 26, 2012	1549
Answers to 8 hard questions abt ed in American... Dec 20, 2012	1328

Tell Diane Ravitch that bashing homeschooling & online learning is not a gift

Diane Ravitch has a gift this holiday season that I hope innovative educators and parents will reject.  

Here it is:

"This article is a Christmas gift from me to you.

Leon Wieseltier of The New Republic has written one of the most eloquent explanations of why we need teachers, schools, and universities.

At a time when we hear hosannas to online learning, home-schooling, inexperienced teachers, the business model of schooling, for-profit schools, and the commodification of education, this is bracing reading." 

The article that has the "eloquent explanation" Diane Ravitch's is praising calls homeschooling "the demented idea that children can be competently taught by people whose only qualifications for teaching them are love and a desire to keep them from the world—constitutes another insult to the great profession of pedagogy." 

While there are those that agree that the business model of schooling, for-profit schools, and the commodification of education are not the best for our children, lumping online learning and homeschooling into this bucket throws an unnecessarily divisive wedge as our society should be coming together to do what is best for children. Ignoring the research that says those who are home educated generally out-perform their public schooled peers undermines the credibility of both Ravitch and Wieseltier and will make knowledgeable parents and educators think twice before following their advice.  

When it comes to hearing those hosannas to online learning Ravitch should read up and learn about the amazing options that such learning brings to our children and take the time to find out why many students say they prefer it. People around the world now have free access to classes at places like MIT. Students who could not take classes in traditional schools now have the chance, and students who live in places were options were limited now have many more courses they can choose from.

Ravitch's ignorant and bold attack masked as a gift, has alienated a large segment of the population that knows better. The real gift Ravitch gave this holiday season was revealing her true colors for all to see.
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I invite you to comment with your thoughts below and join the conversation on Facebook where innovative educators have left more than 100 comments on this topic here.

Ed Tech Speak

School Today....What they don't tell you. (Written by a teacher)

Guest post by Ed J. Komperda, III | Originally posted and shared with hundreds on Facebook

"What did you do in school today?" "Nothing."
Ah….the generic response of children when confronted upon their parents arrival home from work. No need to press the issue. As a 15-year veteran public school teacher, I'll share the 411 from an insider's perspective -- with a well-deserved angle of candidness and transparency for parents and tax payers.

Your child is becoming highly proficient with filling in little circles on bubble sheets and is acquiring a wealth of knowledge on the questioning and structure of standardized tests.
Gym class now requires sitting. Due to new federal and state educational mandates, students are required to trade their gym clothes for pencils and paper while attending physical education class on a number of days during the school year.

Today's students are test-taking gurus, a direct result of being instructed via a curriculum driven by high-stakes standardized testing. A 4th grader in New York, for instance, will spend around five weeks in which they'll be subjected to some form of standardized assessments. This figure does not account for far more time which is allocated towards test preparation -- aka "teaching for the test". Live in NY and thinking about moving? Don't. Analogous situations exist in the other states.

Your child is being shortchanged of basic academic skills, life skills, crucial thinking, social interaction, and creativity as more time, effort, resources, and money are spent on standardized testing.