How Do We Teach Critical Thinking in a Connected World?

As a child, I grew up in a world that was dominated by left-brained thinking. Both my parents were in professions that required in-depth analytical thinking. The “rule” in my house was: “If you break something, try to fix it. Only THEN come ask Dad for help.” Dad was an avionics engineer and had an incredible mechanical ability. Looking back now, I realize something I never understood then — what he had instilled was an ability to think critically. Several months ago, as I was visiting one of our diocese schools, I was fascinated that a first grade teacher was actually teaching critical thinking to her students within a math lesson. The addition sentences were easy for the six and seven-year olds. Shortly after my classroom visit, I came across a website dedicated to teaching critical thinking. Reflection always includes stopping and thinking before making rash judgments about the topic at hand. ‘How do you know what you know?’ About the author

Overall Implementation Plan IPads in the classroom: The right way to use them, demonstrated by a Swiss school Photo by Frederick Florin/Getty Images Touch-screen tablets for young students have become all the rage. Some districts are even buying iPads for every kindergartner, a move sparking both celebration and consternation. Last month, I had a rare opportunity to ask those questions at a school in Zurich, Switzerland. ZIS, as the school is called, has distributed 600 iPads—one to every student in first through eighth grades, plus a set for teachers in preschool and kindergarten to use with children in small groups. I was wrong. The school has an unconventional take on the iPad’s purpose. One morning I watched first-graders taking assessments of what they understood about “systems.” Sam Ross, a second-grade teacher at ZIS, sees real potential in moments like this. At ZIS, every student has a blog or, in the case of younger children, a digital portfolio that teachers maintain. Ten years ago, Stanford’s Larry Cuban noted that computers in the classroom were being oversold and underused.

Future@Now Conference | Digital Textbooks Are Here Congressman George Miller (D-CA) Congressman George Miller is the Senior Democrat on the House Education and Workforce Committee and a leading advocate in Congress on education, labor, the economy, and the environment. First elected in 1975, he now represents the newly created 11th District of California in the East Bay of San Francisco, including the majority of Contra Costa County. He recently introduced the Transforming Education through Technology Act, which would require states and school districts to develop plans and policies that put the best technology in the hands of students and teachers to support learning and achievement for all students. Alberto Carvalho Superintendent Miami-Dade County Public Schools (FL) Alberto Carvalho is Superintendent of the nation's fourth largest school system. Jim Shelton Assistant Deputy Secretary, Office of Innovation and Improvement U. Dr. Mark Edwards, Ed.D. is considered a pioneer of 1:1 computing in public schools. Dr. Dr. Dr. Dr.

Camp Minecraft: How educators use the block-building game to inspire kids to code | GamesBeat Summer camp used to mean swimming, hiking, and bonfires. These days it could mean mines, exploding creepers, and JavaScript. Educational group iD Tech Camps is using the block-building sandbox Minecraft and other games to teach children about science, technology, education, and math (STEM). “This is our 15th season,” iD Tech vice president of marketing and business development Karen Thurm Safran told GamesBeat. The company uses developer Mojang’s Minecraft to introduce many basic and advanced concepts to the students in four courses. Courses come in two flavors, one-week camps and two-week “academies,” but just because the camps are only a few days long doesn’t mean they won’t cover heavy subjects. “Most kids play Minecraft, and so they’re very excited to go in and modify it,” said Safran. While Minecraft’s appeal is helping id Tech grow, the company has always worked with games. A bait and switch Video games are just the bait, according to one of the program’s graduates.