The Innovative Educator’s Top 20 Blog Picks

Here are my must-read blog recommendations for those who want to catch up on the latest news and trends in the area of innovation and education. These are blogs that have been in existence for at least a year. As an innovative educator, I am influenced by a range of sources such as principals, teachers, students, policy makers, parents, icons, and career experts. Listed below alphabetically are the blogs / bloggers that I follow to get ideas when it comes to supporting students in learning innovatively.

1. Adora’s Blog - Adora Svitak Teenager Adora Svitak is author, student, teacher, activist, and blogger who is passionate about bringing student voice to the education transformation conversation. Adora is a student leader. When you read her blog you connect with the her thoughts, dreams, predictions, and opinions that are representative of many students passionate about ed reform. Adora recently launched The Student Union Blog where young people can submit a text post, audio, quote, or video in answer to the question "What does learning mean to you?"
2. Angela Maiers Blog - Angela Maier Angela Maiers is a leader in passion driven learning and supporting teachers and leaders in creating learning opportunities that really matter for students.
3. BiblioTech.me - Michelle Luhtala
   BiblioTech.me is the blog of Librarian Michelle Luhtala who is a leader in thinking outside the ban and out of the blocks. Michelle was helped to lead the way for her school to trust students to use their own technology as well as have access to all web content. In her blog Michelle shares what happens when we stop fighting and start entrusting our children with the freedom to learn with the tools and resources of their world.
4. Career / Homeschooling - Penelope Trunk Innovative educators must always keep their eye on the prize. That is helping to raise young people that will have a successful home and career life. Penelope Trunk is the go to person for today and tomorrow’s career entrants. She is a trend spotter that knows what employer’s are looking for and what makes today’s youth tick. She is also an expert on managing the career / life balance. Her recently launched homeschooling blog features her journey of removing her children from school and taking ownership of their learning. She provides first-hand accounts of the rewards and struggles experienced by a dedicated, working mom.
5. Children Should Not Be a Number - Chris Cerrone
   This blog is authored by a parent and educator who is standing up and speaking out against standardized testing with a goal to return the freedom to learn to the hands of children.  The blog is Cerrone’s effort to start a movement to end standardized testing in New York State and our nation. He explains that parents need to start this revolution by opting out their children from state testing programs in order to take back public education from the corporate reformers who are destroying the education of our children. He is frequently covered in the local and national media about the ideas he shares in his blog and a contributor to opt out of testing sites such as Opt Out New York.
6. Connected Principals - George Couros Hear from school thought leaders from elementary through high school including some amazing princpals who I always look to for insight, advice and guidance like Eric Sheninger, Lyn Hilt, and George Couros, David Truss, Patrick Larkin, Jonathan Martin
7. Cooperative Catalyst - Multiple Contributors
   The Cooperative Catalyst brings together some of my favorite educator and student voices in education to come together to propose solutions and structures for re-imagining what self-directed learning can and should be. Many of the contributors also have their own blogsand sites which I highly recommend. Here are the contributing students (Nikhil Goyal, Jabreel Chisley, Line Dalile) and educators who guide and inspire my thinking (Marybeth Hertz, John T. Spencer, David Loitz, Monika Hardy, Shelly Sanchez Terrell, Kyle Pace, Pernille Ripp, Deven Black, Pat Farenga, Gwyn Ridenhour, Kirsten Olson, Paula White, Pamela Moran, David Wees, Melia Dicker).
8. For the Love of Learning - Joe Bower
   Joe Bower is my go to man for examples and research supporting the need to update our outdated practices in the areas of homework, assessment, standardization, accountability, and grading.
9. Getting Smart™ - Tom VanderArk This is a great site if for those interested in online learning and personal digital learning. Here you’ll learn about the latest trends, like badges for credentialing students, and important reports, products, and information.
10. Hagan’s World of Awesome - Hagan Miller
    Join young Hagan in his world of Awesome as he shares what learning looks like through the eyes of an early elementary student. Hagan began his blogging journey in Kindergarten recounting his awesome life via photos and Dragon Dictation, going back to correct any errors, and then working with his mom to finalize and publish stories about his awesome life. Read this blog to get the rarely seen perspective from the life of a child.
11. Laurie A. Couture's Blog - Laurie A. Couture Laurie A. Couture's blog provides a wealth of information in areas such as alternatives to meds for ADD/ADHD, respecting youth, and learning through life. Laurie provides real-life examples via her work with young people who've been damaged by school and through the beautiful way she implements these practices in her own family with her remarkable son Brycen R. R. Couture who among other things is a musician and child activist who blogs here.
12. Minds of Kids - Lisa Cooley The Minds of Kids is authored by radical school board member and progressive education thought-leader Lisa Cooley. Read this blog and its comments if you want to discover education transformation efforts from the view of a school board member.
13. Mrs. Yollis’ Classroom Blog - Mrs. Yollis
    This is the blog of elementary teacher, Mrs. Yollis who does a wonderful job of connecting her students to the world through the use of online media. This is a wonderful blog for anyone interested in best practices when it comes to blogging with students. Mrs. Yollis’s students have the option to contribute to the classroom blog, and comment, but it is not a requirement. Those students who show exceptional interest in writing can apply to have their own blogs. If you want to learn about best practices for connecting with the world through blogging, commenting, and Skype this blog is for you.
14. My Island View - Tom Whitby
    Known for his famous tropical shirts, Tom Whitby’s day job is teaching teachers to be teachers at the college level. He began this work after a few decades as a secondary English teacher in the NY public school system. Tom is a leader in connecting and making meaning through the use of social media including LinkedIn, The Educators PLN, and most prominently via Twitter for which he received the Edublog Award for the most Influential Educational Twitter Series, Edchat, which he founded. For those who are interested in discovering the power of social media in general, and Twitter in particular, this is a great blog.
15. Practical Theory - Chris Lehmann
    Here's the blog of the person who'd get my vote for U.S. Secretary of Education. Read Practical Theory. Chris Lehmann is a renowned thinker, writer, and speaker who every policymaker and administrator should be listening to. Lehmann is the principal of the Science Leadership Academy. He is known for leading a school that does more than teach subjects, but rather teaches unique individuals with passions, talents, and interests in an environment where technology like oxygen, is expected to be all around and used on an ongoing basis for survival and success in today’s world.
16. Seth Godin’s Blog - Seth Godin Known for his writing about about the post-industrial revolution, the way ideas spread, marketing, leadership and most of all, changing everything, took a plunge into the education arena this month with his manifesto, Stop Stealing Dreams.  Seth provides no shortage powerful quotes and inspirational ideas via his blog posts. Though Seth is widely popular, he’s not too busy to stop by and leave a comment or even make a call to authors of blogs who write about his ideas.   
17. The Daily Papert - Gary Stager
    Gary Stager is a provocative, antagonist, who is never afraid to tell it like it is. Stager has on the money ideas about topics like assessment and project based learning and he is happy to share them via his blog and social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook. Gary draws heavily on his work and experience with Seymour Papert, creating The Daily Papert as an effort to bring bite-size nuggets of Papert wisdom with an intent to inspire educators, parents, scholars and citizens to investigate more of Papert’s work in years to come.
18. Skipping School - Kate Fridkis Kate Fridkis is a 20-something Ivy league college graduate who is a lay cantor and successful writer who never attended school before College. She spent her life learning without school via a method called unschooling where youth are empowered and entrusted to learn naturally in life and explore and discover their passions. Kate explains how you can learn anything and achieve your dreams without school. Read this blog and be ready to rethink many of your preconceived notions about teaching and learning. Note: While this blog is not currently active as of 2/12, the rich content is worth checking out.
19. The Innovative Educator - Lisa Nielsen My blog, The Innovative Educator, is written with inspiration and guidance from all those mentioned in this list. I love sharing ideas about giving students the freedom to learn with the tools, resources, and in the ways they love best. I believe we should always support young people in leading a life of happiness and satisfaction where they can discover and develop their passions and that we should do our best to never go against the wishes of a child or their parent.
20. Read. Write. Connect. Learn - Will Richardson I’ve been following education blogger Will Richardson since his days as a classroom English Teacher where he spent 22 years. Richardson has been blogging for more than a decade serving as an outspoken advocate for change in schools and classrooms in the context of the diverse new learning opportunities that tech innovation now offers. Richardson has inspired many to share their voice through blogging on online media and had a great impact on my decision to launch The Innovative Educator more than four years ago.

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Stay connected this summer by becoming a connected educator

Just because the school year ends doesn't mean the learning stops among innovative educators. Instead they stay connected. What does that look like? Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach does a terrific job of explaining  in the below infographic ways we can stay connect in the summer and across the school year.  How will you stay connected this summer and beyond?

Read the original post on the Powerful Learning Practices blog at this link.

As I read through a day in Susan's life, I could very much relate as I use all those wonderful tools and resources each week.  What about you?  Which of these tools do you use, not use or wonder about?  

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5 ideas for helping students fund their dreams

There is perhaps nothing more important in the work of a teacher than to help students achieve real-world success.  Unfortunately, many public school teacher's hands are tied because mandates give students no choice and they are forced to sentence their students to days filled with drill, kill, and bubble fill under fluorescent lights and behind closed doors where they're denied such basic freedoms.  Fortunately, by June, much of test prep, test, and field tests are behind them and teachers can help prepare their students for some meaningful learning as they escape into the summer months.  

Blake Boles who coordinates teen adventure trips has some great advice for teens who are interested in funding their dreams.  Doing this is perhaps one of the best ways to teach students math (business, finance), writing, communications, digital literacy, entrepreneurship, social literacy, independence, and empowerment.  


Boles recommends teens use IndieGoGo, which lets anyone start a project. Over the past year he's used IndieGoGo to raise $2,370 to build the Zero Tuition College social network and $9,200 to publish his new book, Better Than College.


He provides five ideas for teens who want to fund their dreams. 

1. Milk your age.
   When crowdfunding, youth works to your advantage in two ways. First, it implies that you’re broke. Unlike a 25-year-old who’s had a fighting chance to earn money, you’re a poor impoverished 16-year-old who deserves a little help toward that big trip/project.
2. Match efforts.
   Don’t rely only on your crowdfunding campaign to provide the funds you need. Get a part-time job, sell your art or services, mow lawns…just dosomething that shows that you’re working hard for this goal and not relying entirely upon other people to make it happen. Be sure to mention these efforts on your campaign page.
3. Emphasize learning.
   No matter what your project/goal is, think of it as a learning experience—which it surely will be. On your campaign page, emphasize that donors will be contributing to your education, whether it’s a cultural education, entrepreneurial education, creative education, or all of the above. Adults love supporting an enthusiastic, self-directed young person’s education.
4. Tap communities in which you or your parents are involved.
   There’s a giant online community out there that’s ready to help promote and contribute to your campaign. I’m hugely indebted to communities in which I'm involved for my own fundraising successes. Get in touch with a few community organizers to start—they’re often well-connected and willing to help you get the word out.
5. Get an editor… or three.
   Please, please, please don’t just write up a first-draft project description and then launch it. Have a different set of eyes read your page (and your perks, and your personal bio) and give you constructive feedback. Do this two or three times. Really. Ask these friends/family/mentors/grammar-nazis to help you craft a compelling, compact, and typo-free proposal. (This advice isn’t teen-specific, by the way. I still recruit multiple editors for my fundraising campaigns and other important writing pieces.)

For more information from Blake visit his article here where you'll find more ideas about how to raise money for your travels, projects, and education.  

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Want interactive learning? Forget the Smartboard. Consider 3D!

Gaia 3D - Finally! An ed product that doesn’t kill
creativity, imagination, or critical thinking!

In school I learned to HATE many subjects. For example I hated history because strangers, strange lands, and strange facts seemed to have no place on the strange timeline I was told to memorize but for which I had no learning context. At the same time, one of my favorite (though admittedly, not safest) pastimes was to sneak into abandon homes and learn about the past through artifacts, newspapers, letters, magazines, and really anything I could find.  I could sit in a house for hours reading through and looking at everything. I was fascinated with looking at what prices were in the past, the sort of businesses that people were in and the language in the letters that people wrote.  I also learned to HATE science. Memories of a boring lecture followed by read chapter 6 and answer the questions at the end, still haunt me. At the same time, I was fascinated with the ocean and sea life. I loved snorkeling and later SCUBA diving and wanted to know all about the creatures of the sea.

School should not be a place that kills our love for that which fascinates us in the real world. Unfortunately, for many, textbooks, tests, and teacher lectures strip away the excitement and discovery of learning. 


Fortunately, things can be different for children today, with the introduction of Gaia 3D.  This innovative technology literally transports learners back in time to meander through ancient streets on an exploration of the past. Learning is brought to life as children can take a class trip to places like ancient Rome, through WWI barracks, or through 17^th century London during the bubonic plague.  What is even cooler is that learners are not just exploring and discovering. As they develop interests in various areas they can do further research and then add their findings to the 3D content. For example, a student interested in the bubonic plague, could create a video about how the rats spread the plague and when clicking on a rat, the video could be programmed to play.  Perhaps a student interested in the ancient Rome practice of selling children into slavery or marriage wanted to create an audio script or poem of what a young girl felt. This audio could be added to the content. The options to add original content are endless. 

Not only can teachers and students create content within the existing library, they can also create original content.  The folks at Gaia have also found that many students who are not traditionally academically gifted have taken off when it comes to creating 3D animation using the AutoDesk 3D design software and for those interested in that there is free AutoDesk 3D design software for students, competitions, and even design certifications. 

Unlike expensive Smartboard technology, which claims to be interactive, but actually promotes poor pedagogy, Gaia 3D provides true interactivity and engagement. It can be used in virtually any content area with libraries in Biology, Chemistry, Geography, Physics, Mathematics, Physical Education, Englishand more. What’s more, labels, signs, identifiers, artifacts, and audio can be added in any language desired.  The interactivity comes from the ability of the user to literally choose their own discovery and adventure, add and create their own content. One of the newest innovations is that it is partnering with Xbox Kinect so students’ can actually see their effect on the environment or objects. For those who can't leave the board behind, Gaia 3D can be integrated with that as well.

Teachers using the technology report students are on task, excited, and engaged. They report that it makes difficult concepts much easier to understand and they can do so in much less time. The results of the research indicate a marked positive effect of the use of 3D animations on learning, recall and performance in tests. Under experimental conditions, 86% of pupils improved from the pre-test to the post-test in the 3D classes, compared to only 52% who improved in the 2D classes. Within the individuals who improved, the rate of improvement was also much greater in the classes with the 3D. Individuals improved test scores by an average of 17% in the 3D classes, compared to only an 8% improvement in the 2D classes between pre-test and post-test.

The students who have used the technology felt strongly (84% agreed or strongly agreed) that 3D had improved their learning and there were high levels of satisfaction with 3D learning. Teachers and learners alike agreed that learning this way was much more fun. Additionally, like my earlier personal anecdote, students using 3D were indeed more likely to recall detail and sequence of processes and stated that 3D made learning more “real.” Teachers explained that these concrete, “real” examples aided understanding and improved results when measuring understanding. If your school or district wants to invest in classrooms of the future, this innovative educator says forget that money you were going to allocate to the interactive whiteboard and instead invest this truly interactive technology and provide teachers with a 3D presentation station*.

_______________________________________________________
*To set up a 3D presentation station you will want the following hardware:

• A DLP 3D-enabled projector: The majority of new projectors purchased for schools already have this capability, and future purchases of DLP projectors are generally no more expensive than those that are not 3D-capable.
• A laptop or PC with good graphic capability: Most standard PCs and laptops can be fitted with the necessary upgraded graphics card for only a small cost. More recent laptops tend to have adequate graphics cards.
• Personal Devices: Small groups or individuals can work with 3D environments and images on laptops, desktop PCs and plasma screens.  
• 3D content: There are a number of 3D software content providers and currently more than 3,000 pieces of free 3D content available online.
• 3D active glasses: There are a number of companies making ‘active’ glasses. They vary considerably in quality and price. Ideally the pupils should have a pair of active glasses each so that the fit and comfort is suitable for the individual child. Class sets of glasses are also available.

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Innovative Educators Enable Students to Break Free From the Classroom and Connect with The World

If you read this month’s Education Week, you may have noticed I was quoted in article U.S. Schools Forge Foreign Connections Via Web which explains how American students are teaming up with classrooms around the world to learn valuable lessons. The piece features anecdotes of young people connecting and learning with others like the American students who videoconferenced with students in Egypt when President Hosni Mubarak stepped down. Americans and Egyptians both were in awe, clapping and laughing and sharing in a moment of global importance. Donna Rose, the director of the American school’s program explained that they had a real-life lessons in “what freedom is, what a democracy means, how fortunate they are to be where they are, and how people have to struggle to get to that level.” She shared that “In a heartbeat, they changed their view of humanity” and asked, “How could I have done that on my own?”

The reality is that not only is it true that Ms. Rose couldn’t have done that on her own, she shouldn’t have. In the age of the internet the world is indeed flat. We no longer need to depend on politicians, agenda-backed textbooks, or the media to tell us about other peoples and cultures.  We can connect ourselves easily with tools like Skype, Facebook, Twitter, and Google Hangout and with the advent of Google Translate it has become even easier to understand people from around the world.

In the article I shared how I thought this would affect children and our society explaining that it’s really easy to hate what you don’t know. However, I believe social media will help break down barriers and help build tolerance in our word. In fact, in the future, I think there are going to be big changes in the way countries are defined, because people around the world are going to be connecting and bonding with each other in a way that doesn’t involve places, but rather their ideas and passions.

It is no longer acceptable for educators to keep children confined to a classroom. Even with just one computer and the internet, any classroom can, and should, be transformed into a global communication center. Read about how teachers across America like Suzie Nestico and The Flatclassroom Project, are doing just that in this month’s Education Week.

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Join Me Tonight for A Wild and Wacky Evening of Fun on Teachers Teaching Teachers!

I am among an exciting cast of innovators that will be joining tonight's Teachers Teaching Teachers. I hope you'll join me by listening in and participating in the chat room at http://edtechtalk.com/live-ttt at 9:00 PM Eastern / 6:00 PM Pacific - World Times: http://goo.gl/u3le0

In addition to me, Lisa Nielsen, we'll be hanging out with hosts Chris Sloan, Monika hardy, and Paul Allison. Other featured guests include: Alexander Pappas, Katherine von Jan, Phill Pappas.

During the show, you'll probably hear words like: innovative, alternative, academic deviance, uncollege, unschooling, courage, wacky ideas, grit, life, and getting through school with ADHD. 

I'm particularly psyched to hear from Katherine von Jan the lady behind RadMatter, the innovation design studio singularly focused on reinventing college for the 21st century.  

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The 12 Most Important Things to Know About 21st Century Learners

The 12 Most blog is pretty cool.  It asks writers to contribute the 12 most of anything.  This could be a great authentic opportunity in a writing class.  Angela Maiers put together a post identifying the 12 Most Important Things to Know About Kids Today.  In her post it becomes clear that when it comes to “kids today” (Gen Y or The Millennials) those who label them as entitled, directionless, having twitter-sized attention spans— are the ones with the problems.  


Below are the five ideas that resonated most with me because these are ideas that are often left behind in classrooms driven by outdated data and instruction.  

4. They are global learners and excellent teachers.

• Angela explains...“Kids today have redefined themselves as learners, teachers, and leaders. They are self-reliant and independent. They don’t wait for school to find out how or what.”


• In the past...Educators were front and center holding onto the knowledge and power.  


• Today...Teachers need to step off the stage and realize that in the 21st century the playing field is leveled and we all have access to information as long as we are not banned or blocked from doing so. 

7. They are challenge-seekers.

• Angela explains...“These learners thrive on change and challenge that is authentic and fair. They are very adaptable, flexible and hate being asked to operate inside the box. They want to create, invent, and innovate.”


• In the past...Students were expected to accept as a challenge sit and git instruction then take a test or read the chapters in a book and answer the questions at the end.  


• Today...Being disconnected and tied to a desk doesn’t work for today’s young people.   I haven’t met a single kid who feels this need is met by filling in bubble sheets on a computer or paper.

9. They are question askers.

• Angela explains...“The next generation is happy to question everything and anything and do so not to rebel or prove a point; but to forge change. They are asking questions and seeking to understand WHAT they believe and WHY they believe it.”


• In the past...Teachers were the main askers of questions expecting students to answer with their pre-determined responses.


• Today...Educators must be prepared to answer questions like “Why do I need to know this?” and allow young people to develop and explore questions and answers about topics they find meaningful. 

10. They value friends and relationships

• Angela explains...“Today’s kids are deeply committed to friendships. Friends hold immeasurably influence and kids are willing to commit to these relationships.”


• In the past...Children weren’t connected to their friends 24/7.  While friends were important they weren’t a constant presence in the lives of young people.  


• Today...Educators must not ignore 21st century tools that students use to build and develop relationships.  They must recognize the strength of friendships and help guide students in helping those friends to become valuable members of their personal learning networks.

11. They are changing the world.

• Angela explains...Children want to and can do work that is worthy of the world or as Angela calls it (WOW work). They want to serve somewhere they believe is doing good work and makes a positive impact on the world and they are willing to lead the effort.


• In the past...Work was often confined to a classroom and handed into a teacher with no relevance or connection to the world.


• Today...Young people want to make a difference and be a part of change. In many cases the greatest help a teacher can provide is to remove the blocks and barriers that school often puts in the way from helping this to occur. 

Check out all 12 things Angela suggests you know about kids today along with great examples of each here.  

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Have schools forgotten they were supposed to prepare kids for success in the world?

I’m helping passion-driven high school student Armond McFadden put together a resume, cover letter, and ePortfolio website so he can secure an internship, apprenticeship, and/or part-time job this summer in his area of expertise which is photography, videography, and transportation.  You can see some of his photos here and his video series on YouTube at this link.  While I am happy to assist this talented teen, I’m concerned that this is completely absent from the curriculum of most high schools and many colleges. Instead politicians like this one and places like the board of regents believe the key to getting students ready for the world is more school, longer days, more tests, harder tests, increased graduation requirements.  

Why is it that artificial, meaningless-to-real-world tests and grades are the way we think we prepare students???  How about preparing students by providing real-world opportunities to explore careers through internships, apprenticeships, and/or part-time jobs?  Why not assess students on their experience and what they learned rather than test them in their ability to memorize and regurgitate facts which in many cases don’t matter and aren’t remembered?

School is torture because I am required to spend all my time doing menial tasks, worksheets, and rote memorization. This takes too much time away from being able to discover my hobbies, interests, or passions. I’m in 10th grade and I don’t foresee having the ability to do that before I graduate high school.

Honors society student . #1 in his class.

On the path to becoming valedictorian

In essence we’re doing a good job of preparing students to do a good job of doing as they’re told when it comes to memorization, and regurgitation.  These are not qualities that lend themselves well to success in life or the workforce.  We have more and more kids leaving high school and college with no portfolio to showcase the work they’ve done, no resume, no ability to write a cover letter and no guidance in developing a professional digital footprint.  In many cases they’re left to their own devices when it comes to the real world...the very thing that schools were supposed to be preparing our kids to succeed in.  

Parents are the key here.  They could demand school support their child in providing evidence of their work in a real online platform that the student will own and have access to outside of school.  To be clear...this is not a collection of test scores and data.  Instead it’s evidence of real, meaningful student work.  If this doesn’t exist in your school, that’s a whole other issue because if schools aren’t keeping it real, they’re really not preparing students for success.  

I’m often asked, if you think tests and grades suck, how do you suggest we assess students.  I always find it ironic that schools are supposed to be in the business of preparing students for the world yet they (rather than the student) take ownership of their learning and assessment.  Instead I recommend empowering students to take ownership of their learning with something like a The Personal Success Plan that allows students to define and measure success for themselves based on their passions, talents, interests, and learning styles.  Such a tool also supports students in identifying and working with mentors and seeking out opportunities to pursue their passions.  

While most schools are not preparing students for meaningful success in the real world, there are some that are.  These schools have terrific models that others might consider emulating.  

Schools that Give Students Real World Career Exploration and Experience

• Yarmouth High School
  Read how this school’s Career Exploration Program is helping students prepare for careers through job shadowing.  Students learn to write resumes, seek out opportunities, and draft thank you letters following their experience.  

• iSchool
  Read how the iSchool provides the Immunization to an Uninteresting Curriculum and how they Allow Today’s Students To Focus So They Become Tomorrow’s Experts at The iSchool

• Science Leadership Academy
  Read how the Science Leadership Academy keeps it real here.  Find out how they use Facebook to Strengthen the Student - Teacher Connection.  

• Deer Hill School Watch this video to see this school's approach to student engagement based on the Schoolwide Enrichment model.  Each Wednesday afternoon every student can discover and develop their talents.  It would be great if this type of learning wasn't only relegated to one afternoon a week.

If your school is only preparing kids for the pretty useless skill of being good test-takers and grade makers, you might want to consider programs like those mentioned above that help prepare kids for the real world.  
If you want to read more about why I think tests and grades should be abolished and replaced with something along the lines of a personal success plan, you can read these articles. 

• But How Will Kids Know? – Learning with out Testing  
• TESTS, Part II: Failing is not Fun
• TESTS: Teaching Everyone Some Terrible Stuff (Part I)
• Abolish Grading - Joe Bower

Oh, and if you think you might have a position for Armond, please contact me to let me know. 

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