Oddly these “5 ways tech startups can disrupt the education system” all take schools and classrooms as “givens”
How disruptive can you be if you assume that the basic of architecture and power relationships of education are going to remain unchanged? I can’t help feeling frustrated that this piece half-recognises that learning could take radically different forms — see the excerpt below — but then talks about working within existing structures. Clipped from … Continue reading
Useful update on the #OLPC initiative in South America
Clipped from http://www.toolsandtaxonomy.com Uruguay has committed to providing every child in primary school their own device for use at school and home. These are not wealthy nations; this reflects a commitment to raising levels of basic skills and educational performance across the continent. While such aims are targeted in the future, supporting this level of … Continue reading
Agile Learning meetups in London
Just cross-posting this here for comprehensiveness of the record… Clipped from alchemi.co.uk Having taken a few soundings — and please complete our short Agile Learning survey if you haven’t already, as we’re keen to get a broader input — the first meetups are under way in London. Where next? Evolution, not revolution. Here are some … Continue reading
Schools Without Borders: Toronto-based community org making learning more accessible in Canada and elsewhere
Thanks to Liam (@hackofalltrades) for passing this on Clipped from http://www.swb.ca Schools Without Borders (SWB) is a unique youth-led organization that makes education and learning more accessible for young people. We view real learning not merely as a classroom experience, but rather as a life-long journey, inspired by meaningful experiences and sustained by strong partnerships … Continue reading
Challenging the idea of an academic as a “delivery mechanism” for materials: on OERs in Higher Ed (via @jukesie)
Lots of interesting observations in this piece by David Kernohan about what actually happens with Open Educational Resources and why. Rings true. Clipped from dkernohan.posterous.com In English HE policy we have been trying to get academics to use digital materials created by other academics for at least 15 years. One of my favourite historical policy … Continue reading
“Revolutionary” self organised adult learning project from UK’s Workers Educational Assoc
Looks like this project may be over now (the last ‘news’ item was in March) but it has some interesting PDF resources Clipped from http://www.joinourrevolution.org.uk The Learning Revolution Project is based across the nine English regions of the United Kingdom. The principle of our work is that everyone has something to teach and everyone has something … Continue reading
Applying agile development principles to learning (University of Hertfordshire project)
Curious mix of objectives here. combing training students in agile development, regardless and, reflexively, using “agile principles in working together with students to achieve the learning objectives of the module”. It still seems provider-led. Clipped from http://www.wikisym.org we describe a blended learning process that is based on the agile development principles and techniques and supported … Continue reading
Mike Sharples on mobile learning in terms of Conversation Theory & distributed cognition (via John Millner)
Clipped from johnmill.wordpress.com In Towards a Theory of Mobile Learning, Sharples et al define mLearning as “a cybernetic process of learning through continual exploration of the world and negotiation of meaning, mediated by technology.” Mobile networks connect learners with each other as well as with educators, so mLearning is seen as inherently collaborative as well … Continue reading
Think you know about searching the web? Free online courses from Google may enhance your skills
Clipped from http://www.google.com Search Education lessons were developed by Google Certified Teachers to help you do just that. The lessons are short, modular and not specific to any discipline so you can mix and match to what best fits the needs of your classroom. Read more at http://www.google.com
Agile Learning 