Technology in the Classroom: What Teachers Think About the Latest Trends

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Edudemic shares an interesting perspective on current developments in the classroom, including the incorporation of various forms of technology – how teachers feel about the top 10 current educational trends. European and North American teachers were polled by Menco Platform, social knowledge-sharing platform, to see which trends were exciting and which were more hype than substance for classroom leaders. The results paint an interesting picture of the future of technology and its role in the classroom.

Top 10 Educational Trends

What Is Education For?

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Montessori parents and friends Vina Kay (a racial justice activist, writer, and filmmaker) and Jan Selby (an Emmy award-winning documentary producer and director), explore this question in their documentary, Building the Pink Tower. From her own children’s Montessori experiences, Kay remembered the beauty, peacefulness and purpose of everything in the Montessori environment. As she writes in a recent article:

I am a parent who learned from my own children what education can be.

Kay and Selby see Montessori as the vehicle to independence, allowing each person to reach their potential by following their personal passions. Their goal in making the documentary is to share with the world the potential of Montessori to change the conversation and start a movement toward truly meaningful education. Montessori is a buzzword in today’s talk about education reform – peaceful education based on respect and kindness. Couldn’t we all use a little more kindness in this world?

Please enjoy the trailer. We hope to show the documentary at our school in the future.

A Response to the Common Core Standards

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The best schools are based on excellent classroom practices, have an established pedagogy, and focus on personalized teaching and learning. Montessori monitors the child’s progress throughout the year; it is not just about the end of the year assessment. Those opposed to the Common Core Standards refer to our children as the newest “guinea pigs” in education. In contrast, the first Montessori classroom was opened in 1907 and its philosophy has not changed. Currently there are over 30,000 Montessori school worldwide.

Diane Ravitch was the former Assistant Secretary of Education and Counselor to Secretary of Education Lamar Alexander during the George W. Bush administration. She was responsible for the Office of Educational Research and Improvement in the U.S. Dept. of Education. She led the the federal effort to promote voluntary state and national academic standards. Read her thoughts on the Common Core Standards.

Google Founders Talk Montessori

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Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin share with Barbara Walters what they believe was the foundation for their innovative thinking – the Montessori environment.