We may be still seen as outliers in our field, but the landscape is changing an many educators are getting on board. I'm also looking at the glass somewhere half full, which may not be the case...
Growing up, I can count the number of educators that cared enough to "hack their craft" on one hand. None of them knew about each other. What has changed is that these people now have a way to know one another. This also helps some teachers with hacking potential that would have otherwise slipped through the cracks to realize potential as a hacking teacher.
TBH, without a site like hacker news and places like github, how many here would still be working a lame enterprise programming job coding in VB.NET or Java in the basement of some big company where programming isn't the core business, but simply view as another job that needs to be done.
This is not true. I've been teaching for 15 years, and I've looked every year or two for good online ed communities. There are some good ideas out there, but every one I have seen has a significant shortcoming: over-commercialized, technologically inferior, poorly moderated, diluted by the whining and complaining that plagues staff rooms...
The value of a true HN clone is real. I'd love to see someone make an exact clone of HN, called Educator News, if pg would be fine with it. I can't run it, but I'd sure help moderate it.
It seems to me that there is no "magic bullet" for applying technology to education. There's no app, no device, no specific technology that will really revolutionize our educational system.
There are at least two essential things that I've noticed in my brief time thinking about this subject.
1. The focus should be on "better education" not "more technology".
2. Engaging early adopters is critical to get anything done in a relatively short amount of time.
80% of teachers are too busy teaching with their existing, "tried and true" methods and aren't interested in whatever new technology is being presented this school year.
I really like the ideas that seem to be coming from Khan Academy where they are testing the best ways of learning, not just running with assumptions.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prussian_education_system
It is amazing that our delivery of education hasn't changed much. I'm sure it would be up for debate as to what country has a better model. I certainly do not have a comprehensive grasp of non US school systems. I believe that ours will take many, many years to unwind...
* compulsory attendance
* specific training for teachers
* national testing for all students
* curriculum set for each grade
* kindergarten.
"The Prussian system instituted compulsory attendance, specific training for teachers, national testing for all students (used to classify children for potential job training), national curriculum set for each grade and mandatory kindergarten."
The US doesn't do job classification based on testing, have a national curriculum, or enforce mandatory kindergarten (but some states might). Pointing at the Prussian "System" is a really weak commentary.
Education critiques on HN are laughably bad. Most people here post as if they are experts even though their only experience is spending their childhood on the receiving end of the system.
Instead of lazily spouting nonsense about outdated teaching methods failing in the US how about you expend your own energy figured out why nations outranking the US do better? What they do different? What could apply here? Maybe even put your own effort into formulating a post from knowledge, rather than lazy ignorance.