Just Start It

Back in 1988, a company called Nike launched a very successful marketing campaign with the tag line, “Just Do It.” That phrase became so ingrained within the collective psyche of our society that it’s now believed that if you’re not seen as “doing something,” you’re wasting time. Further, with the promise of technology being able…

BYOD for Education: Designed to Fail

There are several ways school administrators have attempted to infuse today’s technology into their curriculum, with the two main solutions consisting of 1-to-1 initiatives (where the district or school purchases devices for each student), which can be very costly, complete with acceptable use agreements and insurance policies to guard against loss or breakage, or BYOD…

From STEM to STEAM to STREAM

The acronyms keep changing.  STEM – Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics – has been touted as what educators need to focus on to prepare students for the challenges they’ll face in the modern workplace.  Some have taken STEM to the next level by adding an A for Arts to the acronym to make STEAM.  Recent…

STEM is Incomplete. We Need STEAM!

A number of years ago, the field of education had an epiphany.  In conjunction with community leaders and business and corporate leadership, STEM emerged to focus on four areas to work systemically, creating a curriculum to foster learning appropriate for the 21st century and the jobs of the future – many of which don’t even…

Who Are the People in Your Neighborhood?

Remember that song from “Sesame Street?” My wife and I grew up in “MisterRogers Neighborhood,” so the next generation that grew up on the “Street” had to find out who the people in their neighborhood were through song rather than a by a personal visit or video views through a magical picture frame. So who…

An Important Equation for School Administrators to Remember

In the schools I’ve visited, I’ve heard several administrators say that if the children are happy, the parents are happy.  If the parents are happy, the teachers are happy.  If the teachers are happy, the administrators are happy.  Put them all together and it creates an environment conducive to learning and school success. In mathematical…

A New Approach to Hiring New Teachers

Everyone working the field of education today has heard the arguments for and against the Common Core Curriculum as well as the benefits and drawbacks of increased standardized testing. Interestingly, anyone graduating from college with their degree in education has undoubtedly done some type of research regarding these topics, but has also experienced the additional…

The 5 V’s of Data

You may have heard of the 3 “V”s of Big Data. What’s Big Data?  It’s the voluminous amount of information that is being mined by corporations by various means (like Internet searches, surveys and preference settings) for a variety of purposes (like targeted marketing, new product development and predictive analytics). Its now the storehouse of…