Learning | It's About Learning

Changing the Way We Prepare Teachers in the 21st Century

Dwayne Harapnuik — September 16, 2011 — Leave a comment

A good test of how well you are doing as an organization it so view the way an others portray your work. Abilene Christian University is recognized as the world leader in mobile learning and as a former part of that organization I know how hard we worked to be able to justify that message. I am now very excited to see that others have portrayed ACU in the same way. I was also fortunate enough to play a role in ACU’s Mobile Learning Initiative and worked closely with all the people in the following videos.

The Texas Education Agency has create a site called POWER ON TEXAS which is intended to be a space for administrators and educators to discover how classrooms across the state are harnessing technology to boost student achievement and teacher effectiveness. Their primary goal is to help administrators and educators to tap into resources, connect with ideas, and find practical tools to get started on their district’s journey to join the digital learning revolution.

The following series of videos highlight the innovative educator preparation program at ACU, where the latest in mobile technology is being combined with 21st Century approaches to education with noteworthy outcomes.

ACUs Mobile Learning Initiative Model of Innovation

A Model for 21st Century Educator Preparation

Learning to Integrate Technology in the “mess” of a Real Classroom

Researching the Benefits of Project Based Learning with the Integration of iPads

Incorporating Media into Curriculum for 21st Century Learners

This series of videos can also be viewed on the Power on Texas Educator Preparation section of the website.

In 21st century learning, mLearning ACU, mobile learning

Marketing is Dead

Dwayne Harapnuik — September 12, 2011 — Leave a comment

Marketing Is Dead via kwout

While the focus of this interesting post is creatives I think we may also apply this to academics and the academy itself. Let me explain. Hyatt makes that argument that most creative people like writers or other artists detest having to promote or market their work. He also points out that marketing has morphed into tribe building or more specifically marketing is no longer about:

…shouting in a crowded marketplace – It is about participating in a dialogue with fellow travelers.
…generating transactions – It is about building relationships.
…exploiting a market for your own benefit -It is about serving those who share your passion—for your mutual benefit

When you consider the students perspective on why Concordia is the place to be, detailed in the video: “Expect More From Concordia” one can clearly see that Concordia’s strength is in dialoguing with its learners, building relationships and ultimately serving its students, then tribe-building is the direction that Concordia should move toward with respect to marketing.

Hyatt points to Seth Godin’s book Tribes: We Need You To Lead Us in which Godin defines a tribe as

a group of people connected to one another, connected to a leader, and connected to an idea.

When you further consider that in order for a tribe to function you only need a shared interest and a way to communicate then tribe-building may be the most effective form of marketing for Concordia to undertake. With this type of strategy we can share who or what Concordia is–a passionate group of learners who prepare students to be independent thinkers, ethical leaders, reflective servants in their occupations. If we follow through on this mission then Concordia will be recognized nationally and internationally for its graduates’ knowledge, skill, integrity, and wisdom.

This is an exciting time to be part of Concordia… all the pieces are in place and we just have to bring it all together.

Read Michael Hyatts post…

In Learning, Social Media

Structured Homeschooling Gets an A+

Dwayne Harapnuik — September 10, 2011 — 1 Comment

Structured homeschooling gets an A – NOW – Concordia University via kwout

Sandra Martin-Chang, professor in the Concordia (Montreal) Department of Education, research published in Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science, reveals:

Although public school children we assessed were performing at or above expected levels for their ages, children who received structured homeschooling had superior test results compared to their peers: from a half-grade advantage in math to 2.2 grade levels in reading.

The investigation compared 74 children living in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick: 37 who were homeschooled versus 37 who attended public schools.

Read the full report…

In Learning homeschool

Why we crave creativity but reject creative ideas

Dwayne Harapnuik — September 5, 2011 — Leave a comment

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110903142411.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily+%28ScienceDaily%3A+Latest+Science+News%29

Why we crave creativity but reject creative ideas via kwout

My first response to this article was “DUH – No kidding”. My second response was “HHHMMM??? how am I going to leverage this scientific evidence”. So we now have even more scientific evidence to confirm that while people may appear to crave creativity they still fear change and prefer what is known. So what can we do about this bias against creativity or more specifically fear of change. The researchers provide some insight into this with by recommending the following:

… The field of creativity may need to shift its current focus from identifying how to generate more creative ideas to identify how to help innovative institutions recognize and accept creativity.

Read the full article…

In 21st century learning

Five Changes Every School Should Make

Dwayne Harapnuik — August 25, 2011 — 1 Comment

Five Changes Every School Should Make | MindShift via kwout

In her book Now You See It: How the Brain Science of Attention Will Transform the Way We Live, Work, and Learn (Viking), Duke University professor Cathy Davidson argues that our education system must be overhauled. Duke posits that every school should make the following five changes:

End standardized end-of-grade tests
Make all learning real, relevant, tied to communities
Teach kids to think
Restore arts, music, shop, P.E., dance
Eliminate the “college prep” and AP distinctions

While these recommendations are intended for K-12 we can also learn from these insights in higher. The notion of making work meaningful and teaching learners to think is so commonsensical–so why aren’t we all doing this?

Read the full article…

In 21st century learning