How—and why—to teach innovation in our schools Call for innovative society raises important questions about education By Alexander Hiam

It’s wonderful to hear President Obama call for a nationwide emphasis on innovation, but it raises an interesting challenge: Where will all those innovators come from? Currently, we are chasing testable competency in academic core

skills. It is quite a different thing to try to educate future innovators. We don’t test for that.

An innovation curriculum requires an emphasis on what I am going to call, for lack of a preexisting term, the Five I’s: Imagination, Inquiry, Invention, Implementation, and Initiative (the latter being a foundational trait that enables the other four). Here is my take on how to teach each of the Five I’s of innovation in our schools.

Read more...

http://www.eschoolnews.com/2011/02/01/how-and-why-to-teach-innovation-in-our-schools/

New Digital divide or a better understanding of what the divide really is?

When we talk about digital divide what mostly comes to mind is the lack of resources, that is economic resources, to engage with the digital world. However, it has always been my position that no matter how much economic resources are poured in to breach the divide, it is the lack of education on how to really make use of the resources what ends up making the divide much larger...

This article barely touches the surface of what the divide is really about... http://www.eschoolnews.com/2011/01/11/for-minorities-new-digital-divide-seen/2/?_login=879db19b8c?_login=879db19b8c/?_login=879db19b8c

After reading it, it is clear that a very few like the Dominican guy, despite limited economic resources are indeed making the most from the digital access they have.

Will Your Local Library Lend E-Books? (Or Can They?)

An excellent article that shows off the Publishing world in full color... No, they don't want to understand it is a brave new world...
http://www.nytimes.com/external/readwriteweb/2010/11/10/10readwriteweb-will-your-local-library-lend-e-books-or-can-3532.html?ref=technology

Facebook ‘Groups’ could boost privacy, collaboration

Facebook ‘Groups’ could boost privacy, collaboration
Nice feature, a bit too late for all other options already available and considering how schools are quite uncomfortable with opening up to fb, it is foreseeable that this won't go across too easily. Only time can tell. I can definitively say that private schools in Latin America won't go for it in a looooong time. Sorry guys!

Rutgers student kills self after sex act broadcast online

Rutgers student kills self after sex act broadcast online
Now this hits at the heart of Technology Education. We must and should address the safe, moral and ethical issues that surround the responsible use of such an extraordinary social and professional communication media: the online world. And it's not just minors, it is grown people who still are making these mistakes too!

Technology at its best....

This is yet another opportunity to see technology working in innovative ways..
http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_upshot/20100908/od_yblog_upshot/canada-unveils-new-speed-bump-optical-illusions-of-children
Although there might be, as said in the report, the possibility of it being ignored; I believe this is definitely step ahead of speed bumps that contribute to damage our cars. I hope it sticks!

Are qualified teachers always effective teachers?

Now here's some real insight... Read on and you'll see why...
Are qualified teachers always effective teachers?