issues in education

Recommended Reading: “Home Schooling: More Pupils, Less Regulation”

Posted on by Mark Isero

favicon Motoko Rich is my favorite education reporter. She never disappoints. Her latest article, “Home Schooling: More Pupils, Less Regulation,” is solid as usual.

Though I don’t think about home schooling too often, it’s still a topic in education that gets me going. There are some cases where home schooling is probably the best move. But it’s not often, in my opinion.

From Ms. Rich’s reporting, I can infer that home schooling, for the most part, is (1) loosely regulated, and becoming less so, (2) becoming more popular with the ascent of the Common Core, (3) a Christian parents’ response to the dangerous anti-religious teachings of public schools, (4) a white parents’ response to sending their children to schools with too many kids of color. (To be fair, Ms. Rich does not discuss race directly in her article.)

Please read the article — particularly the Minecraft anecdote! — and let me know what you think, particularly if you are an advocate of home schooling. It’s important that I’m open to opposing views.

Excerpt
“Unlike so much of education in this country, teaching at home is broadly unregulated. Along with steady growth in home schooling has come a spirited debate and lobbying war over how much oversight such education requires.”

Source: http://j.mp/1DspEzZ (via Pocket). You can also find this article at Iserotope Extras, a curated list of my favorite articles about teaching, reading, and technology. favicon

The KCP has a new teacher application!

Posted on by Mark Isero

imagesfavicon 2014 marked a year of growth and reflection for the Kindle Classroom Project. I got to work with several teachers and hundreds of students. Through our successes and obstacles, I gained even more clarity that the KCP is a powerful program that helps students reclaim their love of reading.

Through my experiences and conversations with teachers, I also learned what makes a KCP classroom work best.

An effective KCP classroom has these three ingredients:
– A committed teacher who cares deeply about independent reading,
– A detail-oriented teacher who can manage and troubleshoot Kindles,
– Strong collaboration and communication between the teacher and me.

With that knowledge, I enter the new year excited to announce that it’s time to expand the KCP to more classrooms in 2015.

There’s even a new program overview and teacher application! (It’s a document in progress and may be revised. Its direct URL is http://j.mp/kcpapp.)

Right now, I’m not ready to open up this application to all teachers in the Bay Area. There are a lot of Kindles, but not that many. For the next few months, I’m going to see if there are teachers from existing schools (Leadership High School, City Arts and Technology, Envision Academy, Impact Academy, and REALM Charter School) who want to apply.

After that — and if Kindles continue to stream in! — I will determine next steps. Please let me know your ideas and thoughts. favicon

What happens when a student finishes a book at the Kindle Classroom Project

Posted on by Mark Isero

favicon If you want to kill your students’ love of reading, there’s no better method than requiring a book report (or other assignment) after they complete a book.

Author and former middle school teacher Kylene Beers tweets it best:

Although I don’t like to disrupt the flow of reading, or to intervene between the end of one book and the beginning of another, I do think it’s important that students record their completed books.

That’s where the KCP Finished Books Form comes along. A draft:

It’s a work in progress, but my goals are to (a) help students keep track of the books they’ve read, (b) help teachers keep track of what their students have read, (c) give me data about which titles are most popular, (d) let donors peek into what students are reading.

Ideally, and eventually, I’d like to build a dedicated website for students — sort of like a student-friendly version of Goodreads, which is too texty and adult-centered — where they can record completed books, make recommendations, and build relationships with other members of the KCP community.

Maybe that will happen in 2015? favicon

KCP business cards two ways

Posted on by Mark Isero

favicon I posted a picture of the Kindle Classroom Project business card on Instagram last night, and it struck a nerve. For instance, TEACHER VOICES contributor Marni Spitz requested 10,000 of them. In case you missed it:

KCP Business Card

(If you’re wondering, that’s not my hand.) I’d like to thank Iris and Donovan (San Diego, CA) for designing and producing these cards.

How do you get your hands on one of these? There are three ways:

1. Become a KCP teacher or student,
2. Become a KCP donor,
3. Implore and supplicate aggressively, and maybe I’ll give you one.

If you’re not one of the lucky few to procure the physical business card, perhaps the digital one will suffice. I’m pretty proud of it, actually. (The URL is http://j.mp/kcpinfo.)

The digital business card contains key information for KCP teachers, students, and donors, including:

– a description of the KCP and the updated Kindle Library,
– multiple ways to contact me (via phone, email, and text),
– easy links for students to request books and record finished books,
– easy ways for generous donors to contribute.

Go ahead: Save this digital business card on your phone’s home screen so you’re never far away from the Kindle Classroom Project! favicon

How students request books they want

Posted on by Mark Isero

Kindle Libraryfavicon The 237 students in the Kindle Classroom Project have access to 380 books in the Kindle Library. They’re great books, donated by great donors.

But what happens when a student wants to read a book that’s not currently in the Kindle Library? Is the student doomed?

Never fear! The KCP Book Request Form is here! (Here it is.)

Because the KCP has generous donors, I am able to honor students’ requests. Students first read a sample of the book by requesting one at the Amazon store. If they’re hooked, students fill out this form, I get an email, and I purchase the title and deliver it automagically to their Kindle in just a few minutes.

Yes, it’s automagic.

Even better, the title appears simultaneously in the archives of the other students’ Kindles, too, just in case they want to read the book. Per Amazon’s terms and conditions, six students can read the book at the same time. (If more than six students want to read the same book at the same time, I purchase another copy of the book. No problem!)

And unlike a physical book, there’s no way this student-requested e-book can get lost or worn. It’s always safe in the Kindle Library cloud.

Honoring students’ requests is not just best practice to get students to love reading, but it’s also best practice to build the Kindle Library. My goal for 2015 is to build the library to 500 titles, and I’m happy that two donors have already gotten excited about the project.

I mean, it is exciting, right?

If you’re excited, and if you’re interested in donating, please do. A $10 donation means that one more book is accessible to 237 students. You can make a quick and safe donation here, or you can donate via PayPal.

Should I break out the enormous donate button again, just to get you in the mood? Sure, I will do that. I think you’ll like it.

Donate Now

My dream is that generous people will consider becoming monthly donors. That way, I can be even more certain that I can fulfill students’ requests as they come in.

Thank you! And please let me know your thoughts and ideas! favicon