Dangerously Irrelevant

OCTOBER 17, 2022

Most schools here in the U.S. now have been back for a month or two. And I’m hearing from educators that things are … ‘better.’ Which has me wondering, “How are we defining better ?” As we all know, the end of the 2020 school year and the entire 2020-21 school year were an incredible challenge. Schools shut down. People died. Everything was disrupted, and everyone was scared and anxious.

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Social Media Policies System Meeting 232

Dangerously Irrelevant

MARCH 15, 2022

Here are a pair of tweets for ya. So true… Related Posts. Technological change is destined to be resisted by the teachers unions. School is tests and credits. Learning is ‘getting it.’ The President is calling. 4 Shifts Video Series: Looking for some pilot schools or districts. 2 hours, up to 200 people, 1 low price.

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Video Technology Learning 298

Dangerously Irrelevant

MARCH 15, 2022

Here’s an activity to do with your educators… 1. Watch this video (maybe 3 times?). 2. Try to answer the following questions about the video (one focal question per viewing?). What are students doing? (e.g., they’re building something, they’re cooking, they’re designing). Where are the settings in which they’re doing it? (e.g., they’re at the beach, they’re in an art room, they’re out in a field).

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Video Resources Learning Education 336

Dangerously Irrelevant

FEBRUARY 25, 2022

Covering content and preparing students for life success are not the same thing. . Download this file. See also my other slides. Related Posts. Can’t we do better than the evolutionary filmstrip? [SLIDE]. We’ve got no time, no time… [SLIDE]. Higher-level thinkers don’t just magically emerge from low-level thinking spaces [SLIDE]. Are they learning or just parroting?

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Google Learning 275

Dangerously Irrelevant

JANUARY 13, 2022

“It’s ironic that a shift away from a focus on preparation (take Algebra 1 because you need it for Algebra 2, which you might need to go to college which you might need to get a job) to a focus on difference making is the best possible form of preparation for the innovation economy. A portfolio of work that demonstrates expanding contribution to causes that matter — to a young person and their community — is far more valuable to most colleges and employers than a list of

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Course Technology Learning 346

Dangerously Irrelevant

JANUARY 12, 2022

You can have a school that emphasizes control and compliance. Or you can have a school that emphasizes student voice, agency, and risk-taking. But you can’t have both. . Download this file. See also my other slides. Related Posts. 5 great slides about technology, learning, and change. Quirky kids, Frisbee, and dead fish [SLIDES].

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Technology Learning 343

Dangerously Irrelevant

JANUARY 11, 2022

I’ve been blogging about bringing in outside helpers… Some good questions to ask before hiring an outside helper. Put your outside helpers to work. Here are three big questions to ask AFTER a visit from an outside helper: Are we tangibly better as a result of their visit? [or did we just waste everyone’s time?]. Can we actually do something differently as a result of their visit?

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Education 299

Dangerously Irrelevant

JANUARY 7, 2022

[ I decided to make some new investments in my own learning this semester. One of the ways that I’m doing that is to try and become ISTE-certified. I’ve had a longtime relationship with ISTE. When we created the nation’s first graduate program designed to prepare a technology-savvy school administrator at the University of Minnesota (way back in 2003!

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Social Media Professional Learning Data Course 294

Dangerously Irrelevant

JANUARY 7, 2022

School resources are always limited, whether they be time, money, attention, energy, or personnel. Before you hire an outside helper for your school(s), here are some questions you might ask… Are we bringing in this person to actually help us do something? Or do we just want to dabble and/or pretend that we care about the topic? . Or are we just doing it because others are / it’s a hot topic right now?

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Professional Learning Resources Learning Education 309

Dangerously Irrelevant

JANUARY 5, 2022

I read some great (and not so great) books in 2021! Here are my top few (and why)… My top book for 2021 is Difference Making at the Heart of Learning , by Tom Vander Ark & Emily Liebtag. Tom and Emily describe how students can make positive impacts in their local, online, and global communities NOW, not later after they graduate from high school or college.

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Study Examples System Learning 352

Dangerously Irrelevant

JANUARY 5, 2022

This fall I started working with the Mattoon (Illinois) Community Schools. They are doing some really important transformational work for such a small district, including significant investments in. students’ leadership capacity through The Leader in Me framework; competency-based education and student progressions; deeper learning modalities in their schools, classrooms, and external partnerships; and. career and technical education through their upcoming, multi-school district, regional innova

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Secondary Elementary STEM Meeting 297

Dangerously Irrelevant

DECEMBER 12, 2021

Below is a 15-minute video that I made for a school district’s families and community members. The first 3.5 minutes will sound familiar to those of you who’ve watched my TEDxDesMoines talk. After that, I branch into some new directions… Hope this is useful to you. Happy viewing! Related Posts. Holding back our children. Education in a digital world [VIDEO]. rethink. redesign. go.

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Video Learning Education 363

Dangerously Irrelevant

NOVEMBER 1, 2021

Books I finished reading (or rereading) in October 2021… Aftershocks , Marko Kloos (sci fi). Kings of Paradise , Richard Nell (fantasy). Kings of Ash , Richard Nell (fantasy). Kings of Heaven , Richard Nell (fantasy). Hope you’re reading something fun too! Related Posts. Books I read in May 2020. Books I read in June 2020. Books I read in September 2020.

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Dangerously Irrelevant

OCTOBER 10, 2021

I’ve written on this blog before about irresponsible fearmongering when it comes to technology. It’s one thing to judiciously weigh the pros and cons when it comes to technology and our children. It’s a whole ‘nother to just throw claims out there that lack evidence. In today’s New York Times article, Does Instagram harm girls? No one actually knows. , Dr.

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Social Media Facebook Survey Report 355

Dangerously Irrelevant

SEPTEMBER 1, 2021

Books I finished reading (or rereading) in August 2021… Restoration , Carol Berg (fantasy). The Rose and the Thorn , Michael Sullivan (fantasy). The Death of Dulgath , Michael Sullivan (fantasy). The Disappearance of Winter’s Daughter , Michael Sullivan (fantasy). A Time of Dread , John Gwynne (fantasy). A Time of Blood , John Gwynne (fantasy).

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Dangerously Irrelevant

AUGUST 15, 2021

During the pandemic we donned our superhero capes and finally put computers and Internet access in the hands of our students. Then most of us took our capes off and gave kids digital worksheets. Related Posts. Education in a digital world [VIDEO]. The problem with ‘any time, any place, any path, any pace’ Time, place, path, and pace. Avoid magical thinking: ‘Design for online’ this fall.

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Video Accessibility Online Learning Education 309

Dangerously Irrelevant

JULY 27, 2021

[To celebrate our upcoming book, Leadership for Deeper Learning , I am publishing an excerpt each day for a week before its release. We interviewed leaders at 30 different ‘deeper learning’ schools around the world in 2019 and 2020. We then followed up those interviews with site visits, observations, on-site photographs and videos, and additional conversations.

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Learning Professional Learning Outcomes Meeting 275

Dangerously Irrelevant

JULY 26, 2021

[To celebrate our upcoming book, Leadership for Deeper Learning , I am publishing an excerpt each day for a week before its release. We interviewed leaders at 30 different ‘deeper learning’ schools around the world in 2019 and 2020. We then followed up those interviews with site visits, observations, on-site photographs and videos, and additional conversations.

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Learning Elementary Meeting Examples 303

Dangerously Irrelevant

JULY 25, 2021

[To celebrate our upcoming book, Leadership for Deeper Learning , I am publishing an excerpt each day for a week before its release. We interviewed leaders at 30 different ‘deeper learning’ schools around the world in 2019 and 2020. We then followed up those interviews with site visits, observations, on-site photographs and videos, and additional conversations.

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Learning Secondary Exercises Groups 275

Dangerously Irrelevant

JULY 24, 2021

[To celebrate our upcoming book, Leadership for Deeper Learning , I am publishing an excerpt each day for a week before its release. We interviewed leaders at 30 different ‘deeper learning’ schools around the world in 2019 and 2020. We then followed up those interviews with site visits, observations, on-site photographs and videos, and additional conversations.

Learning 303

Learning Elementary Professional Learning Assessment 303

Dangerously Irrelevant

JULY 23, 2021

[To celebrate our upcoming book, Leadership for Deeper Learning , I am publishing an excerpt each day for a week before its release. We interviewed leaders at 30 different ‘deeper learning’ schools around the world in 2019 and 2020. We then followed up those interviews with site visits, observations, on-site photographs and videos, and additional conversations.

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Learning Examples Video Education 283

Dangerously Irrelevant

JULY 22, 2021

[To celebrate our upcoming book, Leadership for Deeper Learning , I am publishing an excerpt each day for a week before its release. We interviewed leaders at 30 different ‘deeper learning’ schools around the world in 2019 and 2020. We then followed up those interviews with site visits, observations, on-site photographs and videos, and additional conversations.

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Learning Examples Groups Video 291

Dangerously Irrelevant

JULY 21, 2021

[To celebrate our upcoming book, Leadership for Deeper Learning , I am publishing an excerpt each day for a week before its release. We interviewed leaders at 30 different ‘deeper learning’ schools around the world in 2019 and 2020. We then followed up those interviews with site visits, observations, on-site photographs and videos, and additional conversations.

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Learning Outcomes Policies Examples 275

Dangerously Irrelevant

JULY 1, 2021

Books I finished reading (or rereading) in June 2021… Colleges That Change Lives , Loren Pope & Hilary Masell Oswald [higher ed]. Win , Harlan Coben [thriller]. Footfall , Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle [sci fi]. Space Winners , Gordon R. Dickson [sci fi]. The Severed City , Christopher Mitchell [fantasy]. Needs of the Empire , Christopher Mitchell [fantasy].

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Dangerously Irrelevant

JUNE 25, 2021

Some faculty members are like race horses out of the gate. They’re focused Assistant Professors, they’re publishing immediately in ‘top tier’ journals, they’re presenting at conferences, they’re connecting strategically with grant funders and research colleagues, and they slide right into the tenure track slipstream and travel quickly through the Assistant Professor / Associate Professor With Tenure / Full Professor pathway.

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Social Media Conference Course System 308

Dangerously Irrelevant

MAY 17, 2021

The University of Colorado Denver had a ‘Walk Across the Quad’ event today to celebrate our doctoral graduates. It was a wonderful opportunity to celebrate our students’ resilience and persistence, even during a deadly pandemic. One of my recent advisee, Dr. Grant, is now in Massachusetts doing phenomenal work around leadership in early childhood education.

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Education 190

Dangerously Irrelevant

MAY 2, 2021

Books I finished reading (or rereading) in April 2021… The Spy Who Came In From the Cold , John le Carré [thriller]. Masterpieces: The Best Science Fiction of the 20th Century , Orson Scott Card [sci fi]. Hope you’re reading something fun too! Related Posts. Books I read in May 2020. Books I read in June 2020. Books I read in July 2020. Books I read in December 2020.

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Dangerously Irrelevant

APRIL 1, 2021

[ I’ve been fairly quiet here during the pandemic. However, that doesn’t mean that I haven’t been busy. I thought that I would share a little of what I’ve been doing for the past year… ]. Last March about this time, Yong Zhao , Chris Dede , Punya Mishra , Curtis Bonk , Shuangye Chen , and I launched Silver Lining for Learning. The initiative was meant to highlight interesting technology-enabled learning around the world and to spark some discussions about schooling possibilities during the pande

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MOOC Learning Mobility Course 314

Dangerously Irrelevant

MARCH 29, 2021

[ I’ve been fairly quiet here during the pandemic. However, that doesn’t mean that I haven’t been busy. I thought that I would share a little of what I’ve been doing for the past year… ]. My very last face-to-face engagement with schools before the pandemic was for the 5Sigma EduCon at Anastasis Academy. Kelly Tenkely is the Founder and Executive Director of this very innovative private K-8 school in Centennial, Colorado.

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Exercises Groups Conference Student Engagement 314

Dangerously Irrelevant

FEBRUARY 4, 2021

I am SUPER EXCITED to be offering this professional learning opportunity for international school educators! 5 tracks… 10 cohorts… 28 total sessions. ALL on instructional redesign (or leadership) for deeper learning. Woo hoo! Here are the details: Instructional Coaching track – February 13, 20, and 27. Middle School Teaching track – March 6, 20, and 27.

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Secondary Learning Education Elementary 348

Dangerously Irrelevant

JANUARY 31, 2021

Books I finished reading (or rereading) in January 2021… A Murder of Quality , John le Carré [detective]. Soothsayer , Mike Resnick [sci fi]. Oracle , Mike Resnick [sci fi]. Prophet , Mike Resnick [sci fi]. The Widowmaker Reborn , Mike Resnick [sci fi]. Acheron Inheritance , Ken Lozito [sci fi]. Free the Darkness , Kel Kade [fantasy]. Reign of Madness , Kel Kade [fantasy].

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Dangerously Irrelevant

JANUARY 31, 2021

A number of folks have been eagerly encouraging schools to ‘reinvent’ themselves after the pandemic. Here is a smattering of such articles: A time for disruptive innovation in education. COVID-19 as a catalyst for educational change. Restarting and reinventing school: Learning in the time of COVID and beyond. What if we… don’t return to school as usual.

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System Online Learning Strategy Education 363

Dangerously Irrelevant

JANUARY 12, 2021

Following up on my previous post , I’m going to share a fantastic blog post from Michael Kaechele : I have grown weary of the call to avoid controversial topics and stay neutral. Silence is compliance. There are many things in history that do not have two equal opposing sides: slavery, genocide, imperialism, colonialism, segregation, etc. There is only one side to these events that is fair, just, and equitable.

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Dangerously Irrelevant

JANUARY 7, 2021

Yesterday, after a morning of incitement from President Trump, his family members, and his personal lawyer, his Republican supporters invaded the U.S. Capitol and forced the evacuation of Congress as Presidential electoral votes were being certified. People died, tear gas was deployed, and the Capitol was looted. The scenes from yesterday will live as one of the most disgraceful, infamous events in American history.

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Education 270

Dangerously Irrelevant

JANUARY 6, 2021

As someone who grew up in the Washington, D.C. suburbs and whose parents worked for the federal government, today’s events have been… challenging. I think that what I will say here is: Policymakers, you know how you’ve minimized the importance of history, government, and civics in all of your education reform efforts over the past couple of decades?

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Dangerously Irrelevant

JANUARY 5, 2021

Greetings, amazing CU Denver principal licensure students! Before we send you some logistical emails, we just wanted to reiterate how proud of yourselves you should be. . The past year has been awful, and yet you have survived every terrible day, every difficult thing, every horrible circumstance, and every horrendous heartbreak and loss. You’ve adapted.

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Learning Education 283

Dangerously Irrelevant

DECEMBER 16, 2020

As you may remember, I conducted 43 interviews for my Coronavirus Chronicles series in Spring and Summer 2020. I was interested in learning how schools were responding during the first months of the pandemic. I am pleased to note that I wrote up some ‘findings’ from those interviews as a chapter in Pamela Gaudet’s edited book, Like No Other School Year: 2020, COVID019, and the Growth of Online Learning , and also shared a few takeaways from my summer class on crisis leadership.

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