Test (Assessment) adminstered to students over a large geographic (state, federal) area to "ensure" a consistent measurement of school/student success/Failure. (more)

The Common Core State Standards Initiative is a U.S. education initiative (Educating Kids) that follows the principles of standards-based Education Reform. The initiative is sponsored by the National Governors Association (NGA) and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO). Announced on June 1, 2009,[1] the initiative's stated purpose is to "provide a consistent, clear understanding of what students are expected to learn, so teachers and parents know what they need to do to help them.".. States were given an incentive to adopt the Common Core Standards through the possibility of competitive federal Race To The Top grants. U.S. President Barack Obama and U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced the Race to the Top competitive grants on July 24, 2009, as a motivator for education reform. To be eligible, states had to adopt "internationally benchmarked standards and Assessments that prepare students for success in college and the work place."[14] Though states could adopt other college- and career-ready standards and still be eligible, they were awarded extra points in their Race to the Top applications if they adopted the Common Core standards by August 2, 2010. Forty-one states made the promise in their application... Development of the Common Core Standards was funded by the governors and state schools chiefs, with additional support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Pearson Publishing Company, the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, and others. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_core_state_standards_initiative (more)

BootCamp for Learning Programming with f2f lessons. (VoTech) (more)

A subtype of Systems Thinking? Model-ling? (more)

A book by the KLF. ISBN:0571338089 (more)

Pirate Utopias were defined by anarchist writer Peter Lamborn Wilson, who coined the term in his 1995 book Pirate Utopias: Moorish Corsairs & European Renegadoes as secret islands once used for supply purposes by pirates. Wilson's concept is largely based on speculation, although he admits to adding a bit of fantasy to the idea.[1] In Wilson's view, these pirate enclaves were early forms of autonomous proto-Anarchist societies in that they operated beyond the reach of governments and embraced unrestricted freedom. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pirate_utopia (more)

Tristan Harris was previously a Design Ethicist at Google and left to lead Time Well Spent, a non-profit movement to align technology with our humanity. http://www.tristanharris.com/ (more)

80,000 Hours: To find work you love, don't follow your Passion (Making A Living) (more)

EdTech guy. Bryan Alexander is an internationally known futurist, researcher, writer, speaker, consultant, and teacher, working in the field of how technology transforms education... From 2002 to 2014 Bryan worked with the National Institute for Technology in Liberal Education (NITLE). https://bryanalexander.org/ (more)

EdTech guy. Gardner Campbell is Associate Professor of English at Virginia Commonwealth University, where for nearly three years he also served as Vice Provost for Learning Innovation and Student Success as well as Dean of the innovative University College. Before coming to VCU, Gardner was Senior Director for Networked Innovation in the Division of Technology-Enhanced Learning & Online Strategies (TLOS) at Virginia Tech. https://members.educause.edu/w-gardner-campbell (more)

MissionU Says It Can Replace Traditional College With a One-Year Program (Alternatives To A College Degree) (more)

Want To Make An Impact With Your Work? Try Some Advice From 80,000 Hours (more)

Theme-Park run by Disney. (more)

Hybrid development is how we give our teams of three superpowers (more)

Jean Twenge: Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation? (more)

I'm going to see Boozy tomorrow night (Live Performance). The show tracks the life of Robert Moses, the man who transformed New York City's landscape in a series of Public Works projects from 1924 to 1968, including the Triborough Bridge, the West Side Highway, Jones Beach, Shea Stadium, and Lincoln Center. The press release says, "With guest appearances by Benito Mussolini, FDR, and the ghost of Baron Von Haussmann, Moses learns from the greats until true power is finally his. Free Mason-s dance, FDR levitates, and Daniel Libeskind silently weeps. None shall be spared.".. Among the principals, I was especially taken by Nina Hellman as Jane Jacobs. Jacobs is the thread that ties together the play's real-world story (more-or-less accurate biographies of Le Corbusier and Moses) and its off-the-rails counterpart (see the description of the Goebbels/Mussolini rabbit conspiracy, above), and Hellman finds both the seriousness of Jacobs's passion for Emergence theory and the camp in the revenge fantasies of a scorned Frenchwoman. Characters also include Fiorello La Guardia. (more)

The four MIT grads who created Zork in their off hours call it “a good hack” (more)

Charles Murray wrote Real Education: Four Simple Truths for Bringing America's Schools Back to Reality ISBN:0307405389 about Educating Kids. (more)

Cal Newport thinks in terms of having a Remarkable Life (vs Meaningful Life, Authentic Happiness, or whatever). (more)

Michael Ellsberg encouraged Dartmouth University students to Drop Out of the Rat Race, engage in Entrepreneurial Game Playing even while getting their College Education. I honestly believe that all of you in this room could create a job for yourself, straight out of college. That path is open to you. It’s especially open to you given that you’re bright, motivated, and have connections—which I know is the case since you’re here at Dartmouth. You have connections with each other!... Most of the economic benefit that you will derive from having gone to Dartmouth has already been achieved by the fact that you got in. As long as you don’t party too much and keep your grades within a reasonable range, you’re going to get a diploma. And having a diploma from Dartmouth—regardless of your grades—is the majority of the economic benefit you’ll get from your time here... So, given that you either have that stamp-of-approval, or are on your way to obtaining it, how should you spend the rest of your time here? There are a lot of other benefits you can get while you’re here at Dartmouth that have nothing to do with that system... What am I talking about? Basically, anything that will allow you to practice Leadership. Anything that gives you a chance to think on your feet, work with other people, create things, pitch things, communicate persuasively, resolve conflicts, or reach out to other groups that may lend you support... just as I’m encouraging you all to take a more entrepreneurial approach to your careers, if you specifically want a more risky career—like acting, music, writing—I would suggest you take an Entrepreneurial attitude to that too.