Education > school
đź’ˇ THOUGHT
Education > school
Jon England, a homeschool dad and former public school teacher, gave us all of the feelings with this 1-minute montage showing how his family learns in the age of open education:
“What does it mean to educate our children?
JON ENGLAND
Does it mean sitting in a classroom day after day after day? Or is it more than that?
Education should follow our curiosities and passions while drawing out our full potential.
Education enlightens the soul, identifies truths, and gives us a moral compass to live by.
Education finds the beauty in the world around us. It is full of mistakes, but also opportunities to correct those mistakes.
And for me, education brings me closer to my family.
And if your family’s education isn’t bringing them joy, if it doesn’t help them recognize truth and beauty, perhaps it’s time for a change.”
đź“Š TREND
Is Technology Improving Educational Outcomes?
A provocative new report from After Babel suggests that the so-called “EdTech revolution” has been nothing of the sort. Global test scores are declining, and research shows that students using computers “very frequently” at school tend to perform worse.
What’s interesting is that the same research shows that technology’s impact varies dramatically depending on how it’s used:
- Science showed minimal gains (0.18)
- Reading showed small gains (0.25)
- Writing and Math showed modest gains (0.32 and 0.33 respectively)
None of these are considered impressive metrics.
The one area where the study found a sizable positive impact from technology was for students with specific learning needs
What’s going on here?
It should be obvious: technology isn’t a magic wand you can wave over a classroom of 30 diverse learners. It’s a tool that only works when matched to specific student needs and learning goals. At OpenEd, we don’t just throw technology at kids – we help them integrate it into a personalized learning plan.
⚒️ TOOL
Exploring Big History
“Mom, why do we have to learn about dead people?”
(👆️ Sound familiar?)
Have you heard of the Big History Project? Instead of starting with ancient civilizations, Big History zooms all the way out to the Big Bang, taking students on a 13.8-billion-year journey from the formation of stars to the rise of complex societies (think Carl Sagan’s famous “Cosmos” series meets World History).
And if you make it all the way through, you can continue with the World History Project, which picks up the human story (yes, the dead people) in more detail.
At a glance:
- Adapts for grades 6-10
- 50+ lessons across 10 units
- 62 videos, 117 texts, 40 activities
- Built-in support for all learning levels
Perfect for:
- Students who need to see the “big picture” of the day for deep dives into personal interests, projects, and real-world learning.
- Kids who ask “big questions”
- Science lovers who think history is boring
- Visual learners (thanks to excellent multimedia content)
(MEME) OF THE DAY
Fun fact: Carl Sagan was a Scorpio ♏️ (not that he cares).
That’s all for today!
– Charlie (the OpenEd newsletter guy)