Howard Dvorsky

This is the transcript of the keynote I gave today at Digifest. (Well, I recorded it a couple of weeks ago, but it was broadcast today, and I popped in for some “live” Q&A afterwards, where I was asked the obligatory “do you hate all ed-tech” question. And here I was, trying to be all sweetness and light…) Thank you very much for inviting me to speak to you today....[Read More]

I’d wager it’s the most frequently told story about ed-tech — one told with more gusto and more frequency even than “computers will revolutionize teaching” and “you can learn anything on YouTube.” Indeed, someone invoked this story just the other day when chatting with me about the current shape and status of our education system: the school bell was implemented...[Read More]

Hack Education, as perhaps you’ve noticed, has been on hiatus for a while. What with the pandemic, the death of my son, and the publication of Teaching Machines, I really couldn’t continue to pay attention to the day-to-day nonsense of ed-tech. (The book, in fairness, did have me focused on some of the mid-20th century nonsense.) And after taking a long break from “current events...[Read More]

It’s here!

Teaching Machines is available for pre-order via the MIT Press website (and anywhere books are sold — consider supporting your local bookseller). I spent a few days trying to revamp the Teaching Machines website — before deciding that the template I had was just fine. Now I’m in the process of updating all my various social media accounts with a new profile pic based off the cover. I absolut...[Read More]

Strategies for Teaching AI Concepts Without Technology by TeachThought Staff Preface: This post is primarily for general content-area K-12 teachers (likely 6-12). Teaching AI theory, for example, is well beyond these ideas. You don’t need a wind tunnel to learn about aerodynamics or boiling water to help students understand boiling points. How you teach something depends, obviously, on what you’re...[Read More]

by TeachThought Staff In ‘Shifts For The Classroom of the Future,’ Terrell Heick said, “It’s challenging enough to manage a traditional learning environment where the curriculum is handed to you, and meetings are set, and you’re simply there to manage; adding more ingredients to the mix seems like asking for trouble. But the truth is, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to educate children in the...[Read More]

Creating A New Digital Architecture Of Participation by Terrell Heick It isn’t clear what the original goal of social media was. No single person, organization, or platform could have possibly decided this. Once the framework of publishing content–in any constantly changing but not always evolving forms–was established, new standards for engagement emerged. At its best, the primary goals of most k...[Read More]

by TeachThought Staff Welcome to a new school year! While most teachers and students have much to look forward to as the new school year begins, the end of summer can sometimes be seen as a tragic end to freedom and fun. Like Mondays, the beginning of the school year can sometimes fill you with dread. The good news is that dread is only based on imagined outcomes and even if those are sometimes re...[Read More]

10 Team-Building Games For The First Day Of School by TeachThought Staff Team-building activities are great–especially for the first day of school or early in the school year, Not only can they help establish routines, tone, and expectations, they’re also fun, and can help learners feel comfortable. Though many older students in high school and college may groan at their thought, they’re usually f...[Read More]

Improving The Relationship Between Schools And Communities by Terry Heick Education is a series of learning experiences informed by policy, and actuated by teachers. Policy, by its very nature, is sweeping and ambitious. It is designed to work on various scales, is well-intentioned, and often difficult to fault on paper. The teachers aren’t really much different. They are ambitious, designed to wo...[Read More]

by TeachThought Staff Life can be crushingly busy–especially if you’re an educator or any other profession where deadlines are constant and the pressure is, unfortunately, unrelenting. With that in mind, keeping your schedule organized and managing your time efficiently is more important than ever. With so many calendar apps available for iOS, it can be tough to find the one that really fits your ...[Read More]