Sub-Saharan Africa has a unique, cultural fabric that is tightly woven, which has seemingly been defined by struggles with European cultures, the colonization process (before and after) and various cultural conflicts. The future of this region will be bright if religious, political, social and cultural systems can be honored and simplified, allowing for respect of family relations, property ownership and each nation’s unique heritage. Using the United States of America for a comparison, we can identify differences and similarities, and find opportunities to compare and contrast between a growing host of nations, finding their way in an increasingly modern and globalized world and a super power that has reached its pinnacle. Read more…
Capture Student Growth with a Digital Portfolio
In January, I wrote that a traditional assignment, submitted to the teacher, graded behind the scene and sent home to be recycled, is no longer an effective method for monitoring student achievement. In addition to lacking an authentic audience and not reaching students where they are, they also fall short of any real meaning or in preparing students for their future.
These assignments have an audience of “one” and a recipe of just enough effort to get by. Inside every student are passions that the school experience should ignite and anything that lacks a spark should be avoided. Read more…
Students Must Curate, Create a Portfolio
Throughout the course of a typical academic career, hundreds of worthwhile projects are created. After countless hours and massive amounts of energy expended, where does a research paper on Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War belong? What about the Rube Goldberg video a group of students collaborated on and shared via YouTube? If returned to the student in physical form, most projects hit the trash or are sent home to become a stack of papers in the basement. For digital items, they are simply lost in the abyss of the Internet. Read more…