Category Archives for academic development

Last week I followed a link to Jenkem Magazine’s website and read HOW CORPORATIONS ARE CHANGING SKATEBOARDING AND WHY IT MATTERS. If you skate or are connected to skate culture, you should read it. The author does a great job of pointing out that when mega corporations take over skate brands, profitability is what matters, [...]

Many years ago I went shopping for an iPhone with my 7 year-old son. I wanted to see first hand how easily the device would let me read and send emails and access my web-based client management site. In the few minutes I spend waiting for a salesperson, Arthur was browsing the web, had managed [...]

What happens when you give a student access to technology and allow them to think creatively about what they are interested in? Jack Andraka, invented a test for pancreatic cancer “that is 168 times faster and considerably cheaper than the gold standard in the field.” That right, a fifteen-year-old who was sitting in biology class [...]

I read two very interesting blogs this past week that deserve reflection. The first, by Dylan Matthews, published in the Washington Post, supports the idea that getting degrees beyond high school and even college is the best way to get jobs in the current economic climate. The second, by Richard Vedder, published in The Chronicle [...]

As if we needed another reason to avoid artificially flavored drinks and snacks, UCLA researchers have found that a steady intake of high fructose corn syrup can actually cause memory loss and reduce the power to learn. “Our findings illustrate that what you eat affects how you think,” said Fernando Gomez-Pinilla, a professor of neurosurgery [...]

In a recent article by Sarah Lacy, Peter Thiel—co-founder of PayPal, hedge fund manager, and venture capitalist—presents a case that a college education is not worth what it once was.  The comparison is made to the housing market of 2008, which collapsed because real estate had become significantly over-valued. Thiel makes the controversial argument that [...]

No one is arguing that education in America needs to be improved.  What is being argued is how this is to be done.  A big debate centers on holding teachers accountable for how their students do on standardized tests.  There are some valid points that can be made to support and refute tying teacher evaluations [...]

For several years now, American students have been losing ground academically with their peers around the globe, particularly in the areas of science and math[1].  To combat this trend, educational leaders have been developing strategies to emphasize the critical areas of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.  This strategy, named S.T.E.A.M., has had varying degrees of [...]

Have you ever performed proficiently on a test, but not really understood the concepts being tested?  For most of us the answer is ‘yes’.  If so, then you did not master, or learn, the material.  In those instances, how were you taught and how did you study?  I bet I can guess.  Your teacher told [...]

If you were to try to list 100 ways your life has been impacted by the technological advancements of the past decade, you wouldn’t have a difficult time.  From using our smart phones to social networking platforms, how we work and play has been steadily shifting.  I am especially reminded of this as I do [...]