The Troubling Optics Behind the President Learning to Code
Did you hear the news? President Obama wrote his first line of code yesterday to bring attention to Computer Science Week and Code.org’s Marie Antoinette-style …
Getting Started with MicroWorlds (Logo) Programming
I started teaching Logo to kids in 1982 and adults in 1983. I was an editor of ISTE’s Logo Exchange journal and wrote the project …
The Patented Stager Rubric
I’m against rubrics. Anyone considering their use should read Alfie Kohn’s article, Trouble with Rubrics. That said, people I respect have used the special Handy …
New Hands-on Workshops for 2015
In addition to the popular minds-on/hands-on Invent to Learn workshops already offered by Constructing Modern Knowledge, I’m pleased to announce a brand new set of …
creativity / education policy / Featured articles / general / leadership / learning / politics / teaching
Balance
Ah, balance! Balance is the Fabreze of education policy. It is a chemical spray designed to mask the stench of a two year-old tuna sandwich found in …
Questions for the Long Beach Unified School District
As I mentioned in this post, the Long Beach Unified School District is once again threatening to close a terrific school that has rebuilt a …
Please help save a school!
A great urban school needs your help!!!!!! PLEASE act now! The meeting is November 18th! Diane Ravitch is helping to spread the word. Please read …
Where I’ve Been
I’ve been blessed to explore much of the world. This super cool map shows you where I need to go in the future. Admittedly, I …
creativity / Featured articles / general / leadership / learning / project-based learning / teaching / technology
___Thinking
Thinking and learning are strong proud words. When educational publishers or policy-makers seek to modify such terms, (re: design thinking, discovery learning, computational thinking…), the result seems less than …
Why the NYC Schools Must End the Student Cellphone Ban
A couple weeks ago, I received an email from a New York Times reporter asking to interview me about Mayor Bill DiBlasio’s promise to end …