A new must-read blog has just burst onto the scene. It’s called “Voices from the Learning Revolution” and it boasts quite a few people who I would all “heavy-hitters” (including Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach and Will Richardson). John Norton, who is one of my heroes (you can read an interview with him here), is involved with the project and here is how he describes it:
Our new group blog “Voices from the Learning Revolution” is sponsored by the Powerful Learning Practice group, co-founded by Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach and Will Richardson. We wanted to create a forum for a group of educators who are serious about shifting their teaching to meet the needs of 21st century learners. The title isn’t meant to imply that they’re all revolutionary leaders, but that they are committed to the revolution — the transformation of teaching to encompass the kind of connected learning the Internet and social media tools makes possible. We have some voices who are strong and well developed in their understanding — Bud the Teacher in Colorado and Jenny Luca in Australia are examples — and we have others who are just beginning their connected learning journey. We’ll also be inviting some guests to write for us — educators who most will agree are truly on the front lines of the learning revolution, leading the charge.
We began posting some of the first offerings yesterday and will continue “first posts” throughout this week and next. Then we’ll go with the flow. Our first four posts include a teacher’s thoughtful reflection on finding the personal courage to change; the huge potential of “unconferencing” in a time of tight PD budgets; the three shifts school systems must make to really embrace digital textbooks; and how an arts curriculum helps advance those 21st century skills we keep hearing about. Check them out!
Here are the blog’s first posts:
The Courage To Change by Shelly Wright
Unconference: Revolutionary professional learning by M.E. Steele-Pierce
Digital Textbooks: Three Simple Shifts Can Speed Up Adoption by Bud Hunt
It’s Always Opening Night – The Arts and 21st Century Learning by Ed Allen
I’ve certainly added it to my RSS Reader!
Hey Larry – You’re my hero too. I mean that. You get parent engagement and student empowerment — two big ideas that could do more to change schools than all their billions.
We have two brand-new posts at the VFLR blog — one is by teacher Renee Hawkins, who makes the case for the imperative that every teacher have a “Personal Learning Network” (boy do you have one), and she does it in a very entertaining way:
http://plpnetwork.com/2011/03/09/gearing-up-for-the-big-game/
The other new article is by AP Physics teacher Dolores Gende, who’s a national teacher leader on behalf of improved science and math teaching. She begins a series of posts describing how teachers can move science students beyond the search for the “Answer” into deeper thinking about the content they’re studying. And she highlights some digital tools that can help.
http://bit.ly/fSZbCc
We intend for this new group blog to make a genuine contribution to the “shift” to more 21stC-savvy, connected learning. Thanks for your help!
Thanks so much for your kind words Larry. These are great voices and we have only just begun. With John and the PLPeeps we expect to change the world.