#078 - Education > school

A father's heartfelt manifesto, the truth about tech in learning, and how to make history come alive

Author

OpenEd Daily
November 18, 2024

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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?

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.”

Jon England

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:

  • Kids who ask "big

    questions"

  • Science lovers who think history is boring

  • Visual learners (thanks to excellent multimedia content)

  • Students who need to see the "big picture"

👉 Access it free at oerproject.com

(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)

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