למידה, אינטרנט ... ומה שביניהם

What fascinates me the most about this and the earlier article is that there are apparently a huge number of people typing fully-formed questions into Google rather than just a string of keywords. What do they think Google is, the Oracle at Delphi?

To us librarians, this phenomenon has huge implications for what we do in our own little search engines aka catalogues.

You're a librarian, but it sounds like your searching strategies are about 4-5 years out of date. Search engines have gotten much better at natural language questions. Read the article again -- Google is not only answering natural language questions here; it's also making suggestions of other natural language questions!

The clear benefit of trying a natural language question first, then trying keywords strings, is that you might find the exact wording somewhere online. *Precision* is much greater. The "natural language doesn't work and entering stopwords is pointless" thing hasn't been true for years -- there are no stopwords anymore (or, more precisely, stopwords are handled differently today than they were 5 years ago, when they were just ignored).

The search strategies taught in library schools are often outdated. This is one example.

תוויות: חיפוש, מידענות

It was never about Paper vs. Digital.

It was never about No Tech vs. Tech.

We don't need digital textbooks any more than we needed paper textbooks.

Kids need primary sources and smart teachers, not manufactured questions and one-size-fits-all standards.

We tried for 400-some years to use printed books to get the word out to more and more people. But we also used books as a means to limit authority and make lots and lots of money for a relative selected few.

תוויות: דיגיטאליות, ספרי לימוד

All it does is present fact after fact (assuming they are facts), as if the facts in themselves are important.

it's difficult to mentally process them, let alone evaluate them in terms of their potential impact.

It's shown in schools all over the place, where headteachers and principals, who one would have thought could exercise enough critical judgement to recognise an emperor with no clothes, say how fantastic it is.

תוויות: הרהורים, פני החינוך

Could it be that ten year old regulations aimed at protecting our children's privacy need to be updated? Wouldn’t the first year of a new decade be the perfect time to remove one of the barriers to using 21st century tools in today’s schools?

Surely this 10 year old regulation could use a facelift to reflect the realities of how we live and learn today.

תוויות: גלישה בטוחה, הרהורים

Mr. Schwab also said that the law would encourage professors to integrate technology into the classroom; spark more student interest in science, engineering, and math; and give students marketable skills in using technology.

... even today, one textbook with a list price of $173.33 is available electronically for $95.33.

By making a textbook available in electronic form, the publisher can still make a considerable profit from the six-month rental fee.

Integrating collaborative learning activities through the use of social networking and other forms of participatory learning environments is how we begin to cultivate not only technological skills but skills that are necessary for success in the 21st century: collaboration, global literacy, digital citizenship, innovation.

תוויות: דיגיטאליות, ספרי לימוד

The report highlighted the "adverse effects" that often flow from a target-driven school culture and criticised Ofsted (ה-Office for Standards in Education) for taking a narrow, results-based view of learning in schools.

The report did not argue for an end to all external assessment. But it called for a shift toward more within-school, teacher-led assessment. This, it said, would not only save money but also a lot of the teaching time that is lost to exam preparation and administration.

And this is the key point: it is not about dropping school accountability altogether, but about making sure it does not obstruct teaching and learning.

"Hey Mr. Spencer, why do we have the Galileo if we already have common assessments and quizzes and projects with rubrics."
"Great question."
"If the purpose of an assessment is to see if I'm learning, isn't assessment happening every day?"
"Uh  huh."
"So, would they rather spend our time on teaching instead of assessing what they already assessed?"
"Yeah, you would think."

תוויות: מבחנים, מורים, סטנדרטים

מחקרים שהקיפו עשרות אלפי תלמידים ברחבי העולם מגלים כי הקשר בין הישגים לימודיים למחשוב הוא אפסי, ולעתים אפילו שלילי.

בשבועות האחרונים מגבשים במשרד החינוך תוכנית חדשה למחשוב בתי הספר, כזו שתכלול תוספת של עמדות מחשבים ושינוי מתבקש גם בדרכי ההוראה ובהכשרת המורים.

אני לא נגד המחשוב, אלא נגד שימוש עיוור במחשבים. צריך למצוא את ההיבטים בהם המחשב יכול לתרום באופן ייחודי, ולא להכניס עוד ועוד מחשבים לבתי הספר.

תוויות: הרהורים, פני החינוך

"Yes, but they are already learning it in the Pencil Lab. I teach them penmanship skills and most of them have already learned to put together a document of words."

"I assure you that I won't be teaching pencil skills. Instead, we will be using pencils within the curriculum."

"Tom, these kids don't know the basics. I see how they treat my pencil lab. I've had four pencils stolen despite the fact that they are bolted to the desktop. Yours will be mobile. Kids snap off erasers. I'm just worried about you, that's all."

"We provide our own professional development. However, trust me, it's a very user-friendly system. Teachers love it, because it replaces the teacher with the program. Think of it this way. You move from a sage on stage to a guide on the side."

Note to self: never trust people who rhyme their responses.

Don't get me wrong. There is a time to practice discreet skills. But it seems to me that worksheets fail to inspire. If you aim for "basic skills" you won't hit it. If students work on authentic pencil-integrated projects, though, and have to use critical thinking, the skills will increase along the way.

תוויות: טכנולוגיה, עפרון

Instead of students’ excuses about leaving texts in lockers, teachers will hear requests to recharge their Blackberries, iPhones, etc.

The error that online champions make decade after decade (recall that distance learning goes back to the 1960s) is that they forget that schools have multiple responsibilities beyond literacy. Both parents and voters want schools to socialize students into community values, prepare them for civic responsibilities, and yes, get them ready for college and career. Online courses from for-profit companies and non-profit agencies cannot hack those duties and responsibilities.

תוויות: טכנולוגיה, פני החינוך

After all, there are many reasons to have strong schools in a society beyond, but including, economic ones. Although they hardly get mentioned by policymakers save in throwaway lines at graduation ceremonies, expanded literacy in service of developing an engaged citizenry who, in fulfilling their civic obligations, build better communities and live moral lives are, and have been, historic reasons for investing tax dollars in American schools.

Historically, schools have sought to serve society and the individual in many ways beyond job preparation.

תוויות: הרהורים, פני החינוך