Children of the Screen

“The Dive into Digital Media” episode 

Poem: “Bed in Summer” by Robert Louis Stevenson 

Statement of the Whole:  Education is now afloat in the digital sea.  How have screens improved education and are there things that are better off without the screen involved?  Steve and Jason download some thoughts on the new world of the digital classroom.  Plug into the conversation. 

Help Me Assess My Assessment

Poem: Quote from Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare 

“Cowards die many times before their deaths; 
The valiant never taste of death but once. 
Of all the wonders that I yet have heard, 
It seems to me most strange that men should fear; 
Seeing that death, a necessary end, 
Will come when it will come.” 

Statement of the Whole: Talk to almost anyone in education and probably sooner than later, the discussion will turn to the hardest aspect of education: assessment.  How do we know if we have taught a good lesson?  How do we know if the student has caught our great lesson?  Why are many forms of testing fraught with the language of suffering, hardship, and even death?  The Backporch dives into this deep pool and swims about with broad strokes.  Come on in, the water is warm!