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Selected as a Top Education Book of 2010 by American School Board Journal
Education Nation offers a dynamic vision for a new world of learning. This groundbreaking book draws on author Milton Chen's extensive experience in media—from his work at Sesame Workshop and in public television to his current role as executive director emeritus of The George Lucas Educational Foundation. Throughout the book, Chen clearly shows how to "put the edge into education" and revolutionize learning through innovative classroom practices and uses of technology.
Praise for Education Nation
"I strongly believe that education is the single most important job of the human race. I'm very excited that Education Nation is adding to the tools we are giving educators and many others to make change in their own communities." —From the Foreword by George Lucas, founder and chairman, The George Lucas Educational Foundation
"This book provides an outstanding overview of where we stand in the history of learning technologies, what current initiatives are most promising, and what challenges and opportunities we face in the near future."—Christopher Dede, Timothy E. Wirth Professor in Learning Technologies, Harvard Graduate School of Education
"How fortunate we are that Milton Chen has decided to share the lessons he has learned along the way on his incredible learning journey. As we just begin to unlock the methods of teaching our kids in a 21st Century context, this book should be embraced by every caring educator and parent who wants to do right by our kids."—Gary E. Knell, president and CEO, Sesame Workshop
Foreword by George Lucas
http://catalogimages.wiley.com/images/db/pdf/9780470615065.excerpt.pdf
FOREWORD BY GEORGE LUCAS xi
PREFACE: MY LEARNING JOURNEY: FROM THE LONGEST STREET IN THEWORLD TO A GALAXY LONG AGO AND FAR, FAR AWAY xv
Introduction: The Vision of an Education Nation 1
1 The Thinking Edge: Getting Smarter About Learning 11
2 The Curriculum Edge: Real Learning and Authentic Assessment 35
3 The Technology Edge: PuttingModern Tools in Young Hands 87
4 The Time/Place Edge: Learning Any Time, Anywhere 139
5 The Co-Teaching Edge: Teachers, Experts, and Parents as Coeducators 189
6 The Youth Edge: Digital Learners Carrying Change in Their Pockets 213
AFTERWORD: TOMORROW'S EDGE, A 2020 VISION 241
NOTES 254
SELECTED WEB SITES 268
ABOUT THE AUTHOR 275
INDEX 277
teachmeteacher
Posted April 19, 2011
In his book, Education Nation, Chen argues that the focus of education has changed. Today's students need to be able to do more than just regurgitate information. They must know how to find information, assess its quality, and then use it to accomplish a goal. He also believes that social-emotional learning has become more important because in today's world students must be able to cooperate and collaborate, often with people very different from themselves. Unfortunately, he argues, our schools have not yet adapted to his paradigm shift.
Chen argues that there are six leading "edges" that are challenging today's education system. The edges include: The Thinking Edge, The Curriculum Edge, The Technology Edge, The Time/Place Edge, The Co-Teaching Edge, and the Youth Edge. Two of the six edges, "The Thinking Edge" and the "Time/Place Edge" call for America to modernize its thinking about education and explore the possibilities of teaching in the 21st century. The chapters on "The Curriculum Edge" and "The Technology Edge" focus on rethinking what students are taught, how student learning is assessed, and the kinds of tools teachers use. Finally,"The Co-Teaching Edge" and "The Youth Edge" revision the traditional classroom.
In terms of its implications for educators, I see this book as a call to action. Chen has a great line in the introduction where he says, "In the Olympics of school systems, we are world champions of educational inertia" (4). In some ways, I find his work to be similar to Linda Darling-Hammond's The Flat World and Education. The problems with America's schools are well documented, but it seems we have taken a piecemeal approach to reform. His examples are similar to Darling-Hammond's where he identifies isolated examples of what change should look like. Clearly, it does not appear that changes are going to be coming from the top down, but this book can help educators develop specific proposals for innovation and change, allowing the transformation to begin to occur from the ground up instead.
Anonymous
Posted July 18, 2011
No text was provided for this review.
Anonymous
Posted July 8, 2011
No text was provided for this review.
Overview
Selected as a Top Education Book of 2010 by American School Board Journal
Education Nation offers a dynamic vision for a new world of learning. This groundbreaking book draws on author Milton Chen's extensive experience in media—from his work at Sesame Workshop and in public television to his current role as executive director emeritus of The George Lucas Educational Foundation. Throughout the book, Chen clearly shows how to "put the edge into education" and revolutionize ...