Came across this nice podcast questioning our priorities in education here in the US.  Mark Slouka, an English professor at the University of Chicago, talks about why he thinks our education has been “dehumanized” and why this is potentially destructive.  Right now, in a recession, everyone understands that in order to survive universities must allocate [...]

In my relatively short time in the consulting world, I’ve unfortunately already encountered the stalwart of entrenched, outmoded school policy that effectively undermines attempts by teachers, however well-intentioned, to pursue a pedagogy centered on increasing media literacy.  Far from being a tech evangelist, I do think thoughtful uses of technology (esp. in the classroom) can [...]

Henry Jenkins of MIT’s Comparative Media Lab discusses how many of our students today are being de-skilled as they enter schools where the digital tools they are using outside of the school environment are invalidated.  Not only are many critical online resources blocked by crude filters but  “[teachers] tell kids again and again that what [...]

From Beyond Culture Citing Washburn (1973) on the importance of play in learning “Through play (emotional, repetitious, from within) children prepare for the adult life of their culture.  Separation of education from life…is new in the history of primates.  In the American school there is no view of adult life…In schools discipline is substituted for [...]

@JordanRaynor posted this on his blog and it reminded me of a conversation I had with some colleagues a while back when Bob Stein came and spoke at my university.  Bob was talking about the future of the book and naturally the conversation led to discussing how people would/should deal with being overloaded with information [...]

Communities of Practice and virtual learning communities: benefits, barriers and success factors by Pat Gannon-Leary, Northumbria University, UK & Elsa Fontainha, ISEG – Technical University of Lisbon, Portugal. This article discusses the factors important to the development and maintenance of virtual communities of practice, or  “network[s] of individuals who share a domain of interest about [...]

Greg Brown pointed me to this article, a poignant critique of the shortcomings of higher education (with a focus on the elite).  Probably one of the best I’ve ever read.  Below are a few passages, but mostly I’ll let the article speak for itself.  Hopefully these will whet your appetite. “…the way students are treated [...]