When we think of education technology, we often imagine large-scale impact and reach. But it’s not that straightforward.Stacked amidst temporary shelters, tents and thatched huts in Burundi’s Kavumu refugee camp are a pile of bright blue, green and yellow boxes. Stowed away in these 800 kg metal palette-size boxes are countless ideas to educate, entertain and foster creativity among refugees. The self-contained watertight boxes are packed with e-readers, tablets, cameras, e-books, paperbacks, board games and e-learning tools to offer educational and training opportunities to refugee children and adults and prepare them to reintegrate the world. In less than 20 minutes, the boxes are unfolded into interactive media centres with tables and chairs.
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InnovationEdTechCommunityGlobalAround the Web
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School ModelsAround the WebOnline LearningInnovation
Post: Preschool is good for children, but it’s expensive. So...
0 minutes readCan 4-year-olds learn what they need to know for kindergarten by sitting in front of a computer for 15 minutes a day?Utah is betting they can. This year, more than 6,600 children across the state are learning by logging on to laptops at home in a taxpayer-funded online preschool program that is unlike any other.
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CommunityGlobalAround the Web
ABC News: UNESCO: Most Nations Fail Gender Parity Goal for...
0 minutes readMore than half of the world’s countries have failed to achieve gender parity in education for girls in primary and secondary schools, according to a new U.N. report.
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LocalAround the WebedLeaders
WGN: Former CPS CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett to plead guilty to...
0 minutes readThe former CEO of Chicago Public Schools will plead guilty corruption charges following a federal investigation into a $20 million no-bid contract.Barbara Byrd-Bennett was indicted Thursday, nearly four months after she resigned amid an investigation into the contract between the district and SUPES Academy, a training academy where she once worked as a consultant
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CommunityStudentsParentsAround the Web
The Atlantic: When Neighborhoods Gentrify, Why Aren’t Their Public Schools...
0 minutes readThe ups and downs of gentrification have been chronicled thoroughly, but one of its consequences hasn’t been widely addressed: the effect on neighborhood schools when a critical mass of well-educated, well-off people move in. Gentrification usually brings some benefits with it to a neighborhood, such as more attention from the city—as Spike Lee noted, suddenly the trash gets picked up! But does an influx of children from wealthier families make a positive difference to local public schools?
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Around the WebDiversity, Equity, InclusionInnovationCurriculum Models
From Forbes: Increasing Education Opportunities for Minorities in STEM
0 minutes readThis summer I had the honor of attending an event that brought together educators and industry leaders involved in improving the state of STEM education in the U.S. During a panel discussion, I was asked whether I was encouraged or discouraged by where we are today in terms of diversity in STEM education. I am definitely encouraged, but we still have far to go to achieve equity in STEM education for minorities who have been historically underrepresented in STEM fields.
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K-12 TeachersAround the WebEducators
BBC: More than 50% of teachers in England ‘plan to...
0 minutes readMore than half of teachers in England (53%) are thinking of quitting in the next two years, a survey has suggested.The survey, conducted by the National Union of Teachers, found 61% of those wanting to leave blamed workload and 57% desired a better work/life balance.
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Last week, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan shocked the education world and announced he’ll be resigning in December. Riding out the rest of the Obama administration as acting secretary will be John King, who is currently the No. 2 at the department. Here’s what you need to know about him.
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Post: ‘Workers’ or slaves? Textbook maker backtracks after mother’s online...
0 minutes readby Yanan WangMothers of teenagers are used to getting frustrating text messages, but the one that Roni Dean-Burren received from her 15-year-old son last week wasn’t about alcohol, dating or money for the movies.It was about history.