#spedinthefuture

[educationinthefuture]

As a follow up to an article on disability and language, I think that this piece highlights how language is shaped by and shapes the systems we work within, particularly education. It is wonderful that students who have felt marginalized now have a chance to feel safer within their communities. But I wonder: is it enough to blur the binary? Or should it be eliminated entirely? What do you think? Chelsea [email protected]

[educationinthefuture]

2013 was the year of MOOCs.  Whether you want to sit in on a course at MIT or brush up on some entrepreneurial skills in the form of a skillshare class, you can do it.  It's not surprising then when you see that Coursera is one of the "Top 10 Ed-Tech Startups of 2013."  However, one of the biggest things of note for me in the Top 10 article was the amount of investment funds that the companies were able to pull. This made me think about the education system as a whole and how we could possibly harness the entrepreneurial spirit WITHIN the system.  How can we encourage venture capitalists to invest in the system we already have in place? Where can innovation come from and can we treat education like social entrepreneurship? 

What do you all think!?

-Chelsea

[email protected] 

[educationinthefuture]

"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." --Nelson Mandela

I wanted to take a moment to honor Nelson Mandela's contributions to promoting the importance of education, social justice and engaged citizenry. Below, a link to a short Huff Post piece that notes Mandela's work to increase educational access and quality of education in South Africa and beyond. A link to some important Mandela quotes follows. The Huff Post author explains how Mandela reached her...how has he reached you? And how can his life and work help us to reach our students?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/susan-henking/nelson-mandela-reached-me_b_4394707.html

http://www.education.gov.za/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=8d6cPhef%2FL8%3D&tabid=656&mid=1849

Peace/solidarity,

Anneka

[educationinthefuture]

As technology continues to grow and shift, this brings up a large question about what role it will play in technology.  

Interesting read about what google glass might bring to the table! 

[educationinthefuture]

Having worked in special education, language appears to be one of the most fluctuating elements of that field. Not because it doesn’t matter, but because it does, greatly. The words we choose to describe each other and our students define how we view them.

Take a moment to read this incredible assessment of the power of language and memory when it comes to disability.

[email protected]

[educationinthefuture]

I have often seen students rushing through the hallway and complaining that they don't have enough time to eat. That, in combination with the food that they eat, and I have to wonder what does that do to their ability to learn? What do you all think the value of time to eat can contribute to the ability to learn?