Education reform: We don't need better, we need different Today's students are immersed in the digital age, but can our educational system keep up? Best-selling author Will Richardson's comprehensive collection of posts from his acclaimed blog, outlines the educational reform we must achieve to stay ahead of the curve. The book's entries present a multifaceted vision of the 21st-century classroom and describe how a social media-changed world has created new opportunities for: Project-based learning Student-created media that develops critical thinking Extending learning beyond the classroom and school hours Cooperative and collaborative learning Student empowerment and career readiness The necessary shift will not magically happen, but experts agree that it must happen now. This compilation will inspire educators and parents to engage in the technology their children already embrace, and to take an active role in transforming education to meet the challenges of the digital revolution.
A parent of two middle-school-aged children, Will Richardson has been writing about the intersection of social online learning networks and education for the past 10 years at Weblogg-ed.com and in numerous journals and magazines such as Ed Leadership, Education Week, and English Journal. Recently, he shifted his blogging emphasis to willrichardson.com. Formerly a public school educator for 22 years, he is a co-founder of Powerful Learning Practice (plpnetwork.com), a unique professional development program that has mentored over 3,000 teachers worldwide in the last three years. His first book, Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms (Corwin, 3rd Edition 2010) has sold over 80,000 copies and has impacted classroom practice around the world. His second book, Personal Learning Networks: Using the Power of Connections to Transform Education, was released in May, 2011. His articles have appeared in Educational Leadership, EdWeek, English Journal, Edutopia, and Principal Leadership, among others, and over the past six years, he has spoken to tens of thousands of educators in more than a dozen countries about the merits of learning networks for personal and professional growth. He is a national advisory board member of the George Lucas Education Foundation and a regular columnist for District Administration Magazine. Will lives in rural New Jersey with his wife, Wendy, and his children Tess and Tucker.
About the Author Introduction: Invitation to Participate in the Dialogue Part I. Teachers as Master Learners On My Mind: Teachers as Master Learners Personalizing Education for Teachers, Too Urgent: 21st Century Skills for Educators (and Others) First Why Is It So Hard for Educators to Focus on Their Own Learning? Teaching Ourselves Right Out of a Job The Next Generation of Teachers Teachers as Learners Part 27 Unlearning Teaching "What Did You Create Today?" Get. Off. Paper. Opportunity, Not Threat Response to Jay Matthews at the Washington Post Part II. Learning is Anytime, Anywhere, Anyone I Don't Need Your Network (or Your Computer, or Your Tech Plan, or Your . . .) What do We Know About Our Kids' Futures? Really. Aggregator as Textbook The Steep "Unlearning Curve What I Hate About Twitter It's the Empowerment, Stupid So What Is the Future of Schools? The End of Books? (For Me, at Least?) No, Actually, You're Out of Balance Making Kids "Googleable" "I Never Knew I Could Have a Network" Part III. The Learner as Network The Learner as Network Social Learning "The Less You Share, the Less Power You Have" "School as Node" Part IV. Learning and Leadership Don't, Don't, Don't vs. Do, Do Transparency = Leadership Yeah, You've Got Problems. So Solve Them. "Willing to Be Disturbed" "Tinkering Toward Utopia" "What Do We Do About That?" Who's Asking? Part V. Parent as Partner It's the Parents' Fault. Not. Dear Kids, You Don't Have to Go to College "So Why Do You Only Give Your Kids 45 Minutes a Day on the Computer? A Parent 2.0's Back to School Dilemma A Summer Rant: What?s Up With Parents? Owning the Teaching . . . and the Learning The Ultimate Disruption for Schools Part VI. The Bigger Shifts . . . Deal with It The Bigger Shifts . . . Deal With It Failing Our Kids Why Blogging Is Hard . . . Still The Wrong Conversations Index
"An inspiration for innovative educators everywhere providing the big ideas and insights that transform the way we think about, discuss, and support student learning." -- Lisa Nielsen, Author,The Innovative Educator Blog "Learning on the Blog is the single best place to start understanding how to take advantage of the power of social media, and the changes in teaching and learning that digital media have made possible. A great way to start cultivating your personal learning network is to read Will Richardson's book, follow his blog, and follow him on Twitter." -- Howard Rheingold, Lecturer "... shows the potential when we collaborate to share ideas and best practices for the future." -- George Lucas "Perusing this succinct, reader-friendly book feels like being invited into Will Richardson's restaurant for some fine dining and animated conversation. One of my favorite dishes: teachers at the center of their own learning networks." -- Milton Chen, Senior Fellow
