Innovation vs. Revolution

Online learning represents a unique opportunity, one that casts out the idea that reform is possible and move us into an idea that revolution in education is not only needed but inevitable.

Yesterday this article in The Atlantic titled "Why Innovation Can't Fix America's Classrooms" delved into this topic. I think the most important idea in this article is that we're a country that is completely obsessed with metrics and evaluation.

Furthermore, there's only so long a profession can weather attacks on its credibility. I think as educators we need to be aware of a coordinated corporate attack on academic freedom, teacher autonomy, teacher empowerment and teacher's integrity. All together this will serve to scare off the best and the brightest from entering the field. No one wants to enter a field where they're not allowed to enact their training due to misguided top down control and be told they are a societal leech at the same time.

This article also accentuates that fact that while education may not have changed much in America lately, we're no longer a leader and need to look to other countries to catch up. A little humility can go a long way at times.

For profit or for education

We hear a ton about "school reform" and charter schools these days. However, we usually don't hear about it in direct relation to online learning. This article published in The Nation titled "How Online Learning Companies Bought America's Schools" discusses the way that online learning companies and school reformers have taken a backdoor route creating "virtual schools" that operated as charter schools online.

This one of the real dangers of adopting technology in the classroom, especially when it's done at the federal or statewide level. Whenever we deal with for-profit education companies it is imperative to remember that their only true loyalty will always be to the bottom line.

First post

I've never been particularly good at blogging. I was on the Internet early and started a blog when they first got popular but for whatever reason I never kept up with it. I'm not entirely sure why but I've started quite a few blogs and none of them ever really got off the ground (on my part). Hopefully, this can turn into something.