ITEA thoughts

Here’s some thing I typed up quick while in Louisville at the ITEA conference.
Are students getting the critical thinking skills in science classes? It seems that they do experiments and are expected to always come out with the same solution to the problem. IS it really an experiment?
I’ve heard more than once that the tech [...]

The Sizzling Sound of Music by Dale Dougherty

Kids these days! Original article found here.
Are iPods changing our perception of music? Are the sounds of MP3s the music we like to hear most?
Jonathan Berger, professor of music at Stanford, was on a panel with me at a meeting of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in Mountain View, CA on Saturday. Berger’s [...]

PD Pet Peeves: Teachers Misbehaving By John Norton

Original article found here.
Teachers have no time to waste on unproductive or unnecessary professional development activities. But what about those times when the professional development is good, but the professional behavior in the room isn’t?
During a discussion about the highs and lows of professional training, educators in the Teacher Leaders Network shared some of their [...]

Rewards for Students Under a Microscope By LISA GUERNSEY from NYT

For decades, psychologists have warned against giving children prizes or money for their performance in school. “Extrinsic” rewards, they say — a stuffed animal for a 4-year-old who learns her alphabet, cash for a good report card in middle or high school — can undermine the joy of learning for its own sake and can [...]

Time?

I’ve noticed, not recently, that I don’t like doing as much work as many other people. I really enjoy my free time.
This time of year I feel super busy. I do have more things I’m doing this year, but I don’t have a job. You’d think that those two things would balance [...]