Happy 4th of July!

When you cast your mind back to the days of school, you probably think of dusty textbooks, graffiti and chewing gum, lessons that were both boring and unengaging, and many, many chewed pens. But the classroom of tomorrow will look very different. The latest advancements in technology and innovation are paving the way for an…
To get that valuable time and space to collaborate with fellow educators—in their city, state, country or across the world—some teachers are taking to online networks and DIY-ing their own face-to-face meet-ups. Through grassroots “unconferences” like Edcamps, online forums like #edchat and informal Facebook groups, teachers are taking professional learning into their own hands. Source: 7 Ways…
Today’s generation of fighter pilots could be the last of their breed, thanks to an AI system dubbed ALPHA that’s proving unkillable in air combat. The US Air Force has just completed dogfighting trials in a simulator, pitching the software against retired Air Force Colonel Gene Lee. The AI – which ran on a $35…
As Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble launched their respective eBook readers in 2007 and 2010, there were many who rushed to predict that the printed book would soon be meeting an untimely end. New data from the Pew Research Center now suggests that your standard paper, ink, and glue novel has considerable staying power with…
More and more companies, government agencies, educational institutions and philanthropic organisations are today in the grip of a new phenomenon. I’ve termed it ‘metric fixation’. The key components of metric fixation are the belief that it is possible – and desirable – to replace professional judgment (acquired through personal experience and talent) with numerical indicators…
This is part 13 of 13 things to do before the first day of school. Everyone likes a last hurrah of summer, before getting back into the swing of school. My wife, she likes to watch The Dead Poets Society, whereas I prefer Rodney Dangerfield’s masterpiece, Back to School. Other activities could include clothes shopping, napping, and…